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Publishers claim that up to 95% of their new and reprinted titles will include age guidance by the New Year. This is despite large-scale and vocal opposition from many authors who remain resolutely opposed to the inclusion of age guidance on their books and now fear that it could be introduced "by stealth".
A spokeswoman for the Children's Book Group of the Publishers Association said publishers were discussing the inclusion of age guidance with authors on a "case-by-case basis". She said: "Broadly speaking, the main publishing houses expect that between 75% and 95% of their new and reprinted titles will carry age guidance by the New Year."
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 just yesterday 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."
Rees was unmoved by numbers given by publishers. "Those are exactly the figures that they gave us in the summer, so I am surprised that that has not changed at all. I do wonder where those figures come from."
The PA declined to be drawn on the issue of Parliamentary opposition to age guidance after a question was raised in the House of Commons last week about the scheme. The spokeswoman said: "Publishers had a very positive meeting with [the] government earlier this year and there was support for a measure that could help adults in buying books for children." Future meetings with the government may take place, she added.
The CBG is currently in the process of deciding how best to evaluate the effects of the inclusion of age guidance on book covers. The spokeswoman said: "We have to get enough books out there for an evaluation to make sense, but at this stage publishers remain committed to age guidance."