UK publishers’ ebook sales fall
Monday, 6 February 2023
In the UK, sales of ebooks from the ‘Big Six’ publishers fell 8.3% in 2022, reports the Bookseller. The publishers’ ebook volume to 43.6 million units in 2022, the lowest...
NBCC Awards finalists announced
Friday, 3 February 2023
In the US, the shortlists for the 2022 National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Awards have been announced. The finalists include: Fiction Dr No (Percival Everett, Graywolf) A New Name (Jon Fosse, trans...
HarperCollins to cut 5% of its North American workforce
Thursday, 2 February 2023
In the US, HarperCollins plans to cut 5% of its employees in North American by 30 June, reports Publishers Weekly. In a memo to employees, HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray said...
Newbery, Caldecott 2023 winners announced
Tuesday, 31 January 2023
In the US, the American Library Association (ALA) has announced the winners of its Youth Media Awards, including the Newbery and Caldecott medals, reports Publishers Weekly. Debut author Amina Luqman-Dawson...
HarperCollins, union begin mediation
Monday, 30 January 2023
In the US, HarperCollins and the union representing its striking employees have agreed upon an independent mediator to take over labour negotiations, reports Publishers Weekly. More than 200 union employees...
Waterstones sales, profit up in year to April 2022
Friday, 20 January 2023
In the UK, bookselling chain Waterstones posted an increased profit and revenue in the year ending April 2022, a recovery to the company’s finances following a plunge during multiple lockdowns...
German book sales down 2.1%
Thursday, 19 January 2023
Book sales in Germany were down 2.1% by value in 2022, according to statistics from the country’s publishers’ and booksellers’ association Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (BDG), reports Publishing Perspectives. The...
Joseph wins 2022 T S Eliot Prize
Tuesday, 17 January 2023
In the UK, Anthony Joseph has won the 2022 T S Eliot Prize, worth £25,000 (A$43,850), for his collection Sonnets for Albert (Bloomsbury), reports the Bookseller. Sonnets for Albert was chosen as the winner...
UK indies report Christmas sales uptick
Monday, 16 January 2023
In the UK, 50% of independent bookshops responding to a Booksellers Association (BA) survey reported sales increased this Christmas compared to last, reports the Bookseller. Sales of the BA’s National...
Hachette announces 30/30 emissions reduction plan
Thursday, 12 January 2023
Hachette Australia parent company Hachette Livre has announced its intention to reduce overall carbon emissions tied to its business by 30% by 2030—a 2.5% annual reduction, reports Publishers Weekly. The...
Print sales drop in US, UK in 2022
Tuesday, 10 January 2023
In the US, Publishers Weekly has reported that sales of print books fell by 6.5% in 2022 compared to 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Sales totalled 788.7 million...
Dohle steps down as PRH CEO
Monday, 9 January 2023
Bertelsmann, parent company of Penguin Random House (PRH), announced in December last year that PRH CEO Markus Dohle was stepping down from the role at the end of 2022, ‘and...
Paramount recommits to selling S&S
Friday, 9 December 2022
In the US, Simon & Schuster (S&S) parent company Paramount CEO Bob Bakish said the company still plans to sell the publisher, reports Publishers Weekly. Speaking at a UBS media...
HarperCollins addresses stalled union negotiations
Thursday, 8 December 2022
HarperCollins US CEO Brian Murray has written an open letter to authors and agents addressing details behind the publisher’s stalled negotiations with the union representing its striking workers, reports Publishers...
Miller wins FT Book of the Year for ‘Chip War’
Wednesday, 7 December 2022
In the UK, Chip War: The Fight for the world’s most critical technology (Chris Miller, S&S) has won the 2022 Financial Times (FT) Book of the Year Award. In Chip War, Miller unpicks the...
Hachette UK acquires Welbeck
Tuesday, 6 December 2022
Hachette UK has acquired independent Welbeck Publishing Group (WPG), reports the Bookseller. Welbeck’s adult trade, gift and illustrated titles will become part of Headline Publishing Group, while Welbeck’s children’s list...
Hessel wins Waterstones Book of the Year for ‘The Story of Art Without Men’
Monday, 5 December 2022
In the UK, Waterstones has named Katy Hessel’s The Story of Art Without Men (Hutchinson Heinemann) its Book of the Year for 2022, reports the Bookseller. Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in...
‘All That She Carried’ wins 2022 Cundill History Prize
Friday, 2 December 2022
Harvard professor Tiya Miles has won the 2022 Cundill History Prize, worth US$75,000 (A$110,000), for All That She Carried: The journey of Ashley’s sack, a Black family keepsake (Tiya Miles, Random...
Agents pledge to not submit work to HarperCollins US
Thursday, 1 December 2022
More than 150 literary agents have signed an open letter pledging not to submit new work to HarperCollins US in support of striking workers, reports the Bookseller. Approximately 250 unionised...
‘A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth’ wins Royal Society Science Book Prize
Wednesday, 30 November 2022
In the UK, Henry Gee has won the 2022 Royal Society Science Book Prize for A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 billion years in 12 chapters (Picador),...
Price fixing lawsuit against Amazon, publishers refiled in federal court
Friday, 25 November 2022
In the US, a class action lawsuit accusing Amazon and the Big Five publishers of colluding to fix ebook prices has been re-filed in federal court, reports Publishers Weekly. In...
BookTok helping young readers discover passion for reading: UK PA survey
Thursday, 24 November 2022
In the UK, a Publishers Association survey has found more than half of young readers have credited BookTok or book influencers with helping them ‘discover a passion for reading’, reports...
Rundell wins 2022 Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction
Wednesday, 23 November 2022
In the UK, Katherine Rundell has won the £50,000 (A$89,000) Baillie Gifford Prize for Super-Infinite: The transformations of John Donne (Faber & Faber). Judges described Super-Infinite as a ‘glorious celebration...
PRH, S&S deal scrapped
Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Penguin Random House (PRH) parent company Bertelsmann won’t appeal a US court’s decision to block its acquisition of Simon & Schuster (S&S). In a statement, Bertelsmann said it will ‘advance...
TikTok Shop UK launches books category
Monday, 21 November 2022
TikTok Shop UK has launched a new books category to enable users to buy titles from partner organisations via the social media platform, reports the Bookseller. Partner organisations at launch...
National Book Awards 2022 winners announced
Friday, 18 November 2022
In the US, the winners of the 2022 National Book Awards have been announced. The winning titles in each category are: Fiction The Rabbit Hutch (Tess Gunty, Oneworld) Nonfiction South...
Taylor, Zmith win 2022 Polari Prizes
Wednesday, 16 November 2022
In the UK, writers Joelle Taylor and Adam Zmith have won the 2022 Polari Prizes for work that explores the LGBT experience, reports the Bookseller. Taylor won the £2000 (A$3642) Polari Prize...
UK audiobook sales growth slows
Tuesday, 15 November 2022
In the UK, a Nielsen BookData report has found audiobook purchasing growth slowed in the first half of 2022, but sales are still expected to improve, reports the Bookseller. Nielsen’s...
Soobramanien, Williams win Goldsmiths Prize for ‘Diego Garcia’
Friday, 11 November 2022
In the UK, Natasha Soobramanien and Luke Williams have won the £10,000 (A$17,700) Goldsmiths Prize for their ‘extraordinary’ novel Diego Garcia (Fitzcarraldo). Soobramanien and Williams are the first duo to win...
HarperCollins earnings, global revenue drop in first quarter
Thursday, 10 November 2022
In the US, HarperCollins' global revenue was down 11% and earnings fell 54% in the first quarter of the 2023 fiscal year compared to the same period last year, reports...





