The Bookseller.com

20th November 2008

Wilson's Cookie age-banded

03.10.08

Jacqueline Wilson's latest hardback children's book has been age-banded by her publisher despite the author signing the "No to Age Banding" pledge. The hardback of Cookie, which is published this week (2nd October) by Doubleday, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, includes the age band 9+, as does the back of the special edition tin that contains the book.

The development first came to light when a bookseller left a comment on theBookseller.com. It read: "We received stock of Jacqueline Wilson's new book Cookie at work today. She's signed the statement at www.notoagebanding.org and yet the back of the tin that the book is inside (and therefore I'm guessing the back of the book itself) has an age banding stamp on it of 9+. I've seen stamps on quite a few other books recently (including the new Puffin Classics edition of What Katie Did) but this is the first time I've seen one on a book by one of the signed up authors."

In a statement Random House said Wilson had agreed to the banding on the back of the hardback after  "close discussion" with the author. The statement read: "Jacqueline can see the arguments both for and against printed age guidance on books but does retain some reservations about the subject. She has agreed for age guidance to be put on the cover of Cookie but RHCB will maintain the discussion with her and her agent over the matter and will review the situation on a book by book basis."

Wilson told The Guardian that her future titles would not be age-banded, but that as this one had been produced "ages ago" with special "cookie tin" packaging she had decided against making a fuss over the inclusion of the 9+ graphic.

But the move will further raise author concern that the guidance could be introduced "by stealth". Celia Rees, chair of the Society of Authors' Children's Writers and Illustrators Group, has warned that authors could be "bamboozled into 'giving it a go'". She said: "I heard of a case where an author received finished copies of her book only to find there was a "7+" age guidance on the back cover. She had never been asked or consulted and was incandescent."

But the PA has insisted that publishers were discussing the inclusion of age guidance with authors on a "case-by-case basis".

children's Home Jacqueline Wilson age guidance

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