Black Writers Weekend in Atlanta |
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| Kya Publishing is looking forward to taking part in this year’s Black Writers Weekend! We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, making it possible for us to bring a Canadian presence to this important event and connect with the broader Black literary diaspora. Representing Kya Publishing from our Board of Directors will be author/founder Stacey Robinson, children's author Angelot Ndongmo, and Cleveland author Jameel Davis. |
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| "Readers, Writers and Visionaries! Get ready to ignite your creativity at the Black Writers Weekend in Atlanta, happening from July 31 to August 2, 2025! Event highlights include live author readings, social movie screenings, and creative workshops. Join us on an unforgettable creative journey; grab your ticket at blackwritersweekend.com to secure your spot and join a vibrant community that celebrates the power and beauty of artistic expression." |
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African Book Festival in Berlin |
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"Ivana Akotowaa Ofori is a Ghanaian storyteller. She is a weaver of words in many forms, including fiction, non-fiction and spoken-word poetry. This July 18 - 20, the African Book Festival will celebrate all kinds of speculative fiction from Akotowaa’s native Ghana and beyond, taking us to other worlds."
LEARN MORE |
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Soulful Chicago Book Fair |
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| "Taking place on August 9, the Soulful Chicago Book Fair will be an author-centric celebration of literacy and literary arts found throughout the African Diaspora. Come and enjoy the most exciting Black Book Fair on the planet! No matter the genre, this book fair does NOT disappoint. Take part in author talks, concerts, book buying, storytelling, dancing, eating good food and more!" |
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"Soulful Chicago Book Fairs aim to give a voice to creators who are often overlooked in standard venues. They are enhancing the literary marketplace for Black writers and giving lovers of Black literature exposure to a bevy of newly released titles. These fairs are recreating literary excitement and forging forward the new Black Literary Renaissance."
EVENT DETAILS HERE |
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"The Writers’ Union of Canada and the League of Canadian Poets are pleased to host our mentorship conference this fall. BIPOC Writers Connect: Facilitating Mentorship, Creating Community is an opportunity for Black, Indigenous, and racialized writers to connect with industry professionals and established authors."
The Virtual Conference takes place on October 22, 2025. |
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BIPOC Writers Connect is a free event, with no application fees, but advance application is required. Applications close on July 28, 2025 at 11:59 pm PDT.
DETAILS HERE |
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The Business of Writing Workshop |
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The Muslim Literary Festival presents The Business of Writing Workshop on July 20 at 1:00pm EST. "In this virtual workshop, we will go through some of the basic terms, concepts, and questions you should keep in mind as you enter into various business relationships within the publishing industry."
Workshop facilitator Hana El Niwairi is a Literary Agent and the Rights Manager at CookeMcDermid. In addition to representing a small roster of clients directly, she leads the rights team in representing the works of agency authors outside of North America. Since 2017, Hana and her team have placed agency books into over 50 territories around the globe.
REGISTER FOR WORKSHOP HERE |
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The Muslim Literary Festival strives to connect Muslim writers with education, resources, and opportunities: VISIT WEBSITE |
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Detroit Festival of Books |
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| The 8th Annual Detroit Festival of Books takes place on July 20, 2025 from 10:00am – 4:00pm at the Eastern Market. |
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"The Detroit Festival of Books is the largest book festival in the State of Michigan, hosting vendors from all over the United States and Canada. This event (aka Detroit Bookfest) is a goodwill effort to help generate a deeper love and appreciation for books, dedicated to promoting the joy of reading and the rich culture surrounding it."
LEARN MORE |
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Volunteer Writing Mentors Needed |
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| "WriteGirl Global is seeking women and gender-expansive writers in all genres including fiction, poetry, journalism, screenwriting, songwriting, copywriting, business writing and more to help mentor teens (girls and gender-expansive youth), inspire them to express their creative ideas, guide them to higher education and careers and be a kind and compassionate role model." |
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"Applicants should have empathy, listening skills, kindness and a passion for helping to inspire young voices. While WriteGirl does not require mentors to be published writers, applicants should have strong creative writing skills and communication skills. WriteGirl offers weekly, monthly and periodic mentoring opportunities for all volunteers."
APPLY HERE on or before August 1, 2025. |
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Submit Your Idea for Publication |
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| Visit the James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers website to view submission guidelines for middle grade and young adult fiction; for additional information, email submissions@lorimer.ca. |
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New Middle Grade Novel from Eddie Kawooya |
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| The second novel from Canadian author Eddie Kawooya, Ace and the Misfits vs. the Soccer Knights (published by Lorimer Kids), will be hitting shelves on September 2! |
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"This is a fast-paced, multicultural story about friendship, identity, and chasing big dreams. It’s about the power of sport to bring people together — especially for kids finding their footing in a new country. With the 2026 World Cup coming to Canada, I hope this book adds to the celebration of what soccer can mean: community, confidence, and a chance to shine. Launch event details coming soon — but you can preorder here!" |
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| Eddie Kawooya was born in Uganda and raised on three different continents before settling in Canada. His love for writing was inspired by his grandmother’s oral stories and folklore of Uganda’s ancestral past. As an immigrant to Canada, he is passionate about issues related to race, inclusion and diversity. He has spent years honing his craft in the field of public policy, corporate governance, and strategic communications. Ace and the Misfits was his first full-length novel. He lives in Toronto. |
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Caribbean Carnival Booklist |
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It's Carnival Season in Toronto, Canada and we've posted a Caribbean Carnival Booklist featuring 21 books that celebrate, inform, and document carnival culture across generations. View the list or download a PDF version here!
Visit Kya Publishing's Carnival Spotlight archive for additional articles, images, and insights about carnival culture. |
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What Makes a Book a Bestseller? |
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Article from BookNet Canada (July 14, 2025)
What needs to happen before the word “bestseller” can be put on a book cover? Because BookNet Canada is the source for national and regional bestseller lists in Canada, we get asked this sort of question a lot. So, what does make a book a bestseller? Does it need to hit a specific sales threshold? Let's find out. |
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How many books do you have to sell to be on the bestseller list? Good question. But the answer is: it's relative. The lists are a snapshot of a particular time period, usually a week. So the actual number of books sold in order to make it onto a bestseller list varies. One week there may be many books that are selling high volumes of copies, for example around Christmas, whereas in the summer, each book on the bestseller list might sell fewer copies. Really, bestseller lists are more of a ranking system, week by week. A book typically has to sell a few thousand copies in a week to be among the top-selling books in Canada, within a particular subject... - Which books appear on a bestseller list?
- What sales count towards becoming a bestseller?
- When can a book be called a bestseller?
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE |
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Caribbean Culture on Display at the Windsor Fringe Festival |
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| Wheel & Turn, a semi-autobiographical theatre debut (written by and featuring Canadian author Nadia L. Hohn) will be hitting the stage of the Windsor Fringe Festival this month! |
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"After Aya, a young teacher and writer, overcomes cancer, her wheels take her on a transformative journey to Africa. But when she (re)turns home, she is heartbroken by a devastating series of events. Depressed and uninspired, she throws herself into a project— research about Jamaican poet and playwright, Louise Bennett Coverley. The surprise that comes may be just the thing she needs to heal her heart."
For Windsor Fringe Festival tickets, click here! |
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An Overview of the Publishing Process |
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Are you thinking about submitting your story/idea for publication? If you're a new writer or considering making a move from self-publishing to traditional publishing, understanding the process is key. We've put together a clear, step-by-step overview (from idea generation to publication) to help guide you. If you'd like a free PDF copy of our overview, please email us at konnection@kyapublishing.com. |
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Canadian Children's Book Centre: Annual Impact Report |
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| "This year's annual general meeting of the Canadian Children's Book Centre was a great success. For those who were able to attend, thank you! You can download our 2024 annual impact report here." |
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"If you haven’t already had a chance to read the inaugural digital edition of Canadian Children’s Book News, you can do so here. We’ve created an 'I support the Canadian Children’s Book Centre' badge for our members and supporters. We encourage you to proudly display the badge on your website and social media platforms: click here to download the badge." |
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Editing Services for Authors and Creatives |
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Kya Publishing Inc. welcomes new clients for editing services. If you’re working on a creative project and require experienced support, we’d be happy to connect with you for an assessment.- Manuscript editing (children's books, teen/adult fiction)
- Resume or bio editing (job applications, grant submissions)
- Other writing projects, documents
Contact us at editing@kyapublishing.com or visit our website for details. |
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