National Book Awards 2023 winners announced
20 November 2023
In the US, the winners of the 2023 National Book Awards have been announced. The winning titles in each category are: Fiction Blackouts (Justin Torres, FSG) Nonfiction The Rediscovery of America:...
Vivendi closes Editis sale
16 November 2023
French media company Vivendi has closed the sale of publishing house Editis to International Media Invest for €653 million (A$1.1b), reports the Bookseller. The sale price is less than the...
Shelley to lead Hachette in UK and US
15 November 2023
Hachette Book Group (HBG) in the US and Hachette UK (HUK) will be reorganised under ‘a new English-language management structure’ that will see HUK CEO David Shelley take on the...
Kochanski wins £50k Wolfson History Prize
14 November 2023
In the UK, Halik Kochanski has won the £50,000 (A$96,280) Wolfson History Prize for Resistance: The underground war in Europe, 1939–45 (Allen Lane). Kochanski's book was chosen from a shortlist of...
Report shows continued growth in UK audiobook sales
13 November 2023
In the UK, Nielsen BookData's Books & Consumers survey found there was 6% growth in volume and 12% growth in value of audiobooks in that market in the first seven...
Branigan wins 2023 Cundill History Prize
10 November 2023
Guardian writer Tania Branigan has won the 2023 Cundill History Prize, worth US$75,000 (A$117,100), for Red Memory: Living, remembering and forgetting China’s Cultural Revolution (Faber). The book is an exploration...
Myers wins Goldsmiths Prize for Cuddy
9 November 2023
In the UK, Benjamin Myers has won the £10,000 (A$19,200) Goldsmiths Prize for Cuddy (Bloomsbury), a retelling of the story of the hermit St Cuthbert. Cuddy incorporates poetry, prose, play,...
FTC files ‘long-awaited’ antitrust suit against Amazon
8 November 2023
In the US, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a long-awaited antitrust lawsuit against Amazon on 26 September, reports Publishers Weekly (PW). The FTC’s 172-page complaint—which is supported by 17...
US survey finds drop in reading participation
6 November 2023
In the US, a new report from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) found reading rates among adults declined over the past five years, reports Publishers Weekly. The report...
PRH UK to cut 38 roles
2 November 2023
In the UK, Penguin Random House (PRH) has proposed removing 38 roles as the publisher faces ‘longer-term’ challenges to profitability ‘in the face of increasing cost pressures’, reports the Bookseller....
KKR completes S&S purchase
1 November 2023
Private equity firm KKR has completed its US$1.6 billion (A$2.5b) purchase of Simon & Schuster (S&S) from Paramount Global in an all-cash transaction, reports Publishers Weekly. S&S is a now...
SoA calls for UK government to ‘urgently review’ proposed cuts to PLR rate
27 October 2023
In the UK, the Society of Authors (SoA) is calling on the government to ‘urgently review’ a proposed 55% cut to the Public Lending Right (PLR) rate, reports the Bookseller....
Scholastic to end controversial diverse stories collection
26 October 2023
In the US, Scholastic will stop offering its diverse stories collection—Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice—following accusations its rollout aided censorship at book fairs, reports Publishers Weekly. In a letter...
Over 100,000 trade visitors attend Frankfurt
25 October 2023
About 105,000 trade visitors from 130 countries attended this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF), which ran from 18–22 October, reports Publishers Weekly. FBF director Juergen Boos said the fair had...
Scholastic accused of censorship over roll-out of diversity collection
23 October 2023
In the US, Scholastic has denied accusations that the creation of its new collection—Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice—is censoring diverse stories at its book fairs, reports Publishers Weekly. In...
Global book revenue up in 2023
19 October 2023
A joint market report from Nielsen BookData and GfK Entertainment, analysing 16 countries, shows an increase in turnover for the majority of book markets in the first eight months of...
US$75K Cundill History Prize finalists announced
18 October 2023
The finalists for the 2023 Cundill History Prize, which ‘rewards the best history writing in English’, have been announced. The finalists are: Red Memory: Living, remembering and forgetting China’s Cultural...
Arab publishing orgs pull out of Frankfurt
17 October 2023
The Arab Publishers’ Association, the Emirates Publishers Association, the Sharjah Book Authority and the PublisHer network have withdrawn from the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF), following the fair’s statement at the...
US print book sales down 4.1%
16 October 2023
In the US, print book sales fell 4.1% in the first nine months of 2023 at outlets reporting to Circana BookScan, compared to the same period in 2022, reports Publishers...
UK Society of Authors questions Spotify deal
13 October 2023
The UK Society of Authors (SoA) has expressed ‘deep concern’ about Spotify’s deal with major book publishers announced last week, reports Publishing Perspectives. In a statement to Publishing Perspectives, the...
Wiley CEO Napack steps down
12 October 2023
In the US, Wiley president and CEO Brian Napack has resigned from the company, reports Publishers Weekly. Napack has held the roles of president and CEO since December 2017. He...
PW conference on AI and book publishing
11 October 2023
Publishers Weekly (PW) hosted an AI webinar, Artificial Intelligence: Revolution and Opportunity in Trade Publishing, on 27 September, led by digital publishing analyst Thad McIlroy and online strategy director Peter...
Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction shortlist
10 October 2023
In the UK, the shortlist for this year’s Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction has been announced. The six shortlisted books are: Time to Think: The inside story of the collapse...
Goldsmiths Prize 2023 shortlist announced
9 October 2023
In the UK, the shortlist for the 2023 Goldsmiths Prize, worth £10,000 (A$19,170), has been announced. The shortlisted novels are: Lori & Joe (Amy Arnold, Prototype) The Long Form (Kate...
Hardie Grant sells UK publishing arm to PRH
6 October 2023
Hardie Grant has sold its UK publishing arm, comprising Hardie Grant UK and Quadrille, to Penguin Random House (PRH) UK. Hardie Grant UK is a publisher of high-end, high-quality illustrated...
Fosse wins Nobel Prize
6 October 2023
Norwegian author and playwright Jon Fosse has been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature for ‘his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable’. Fosse is the...
National Book Award finalists announced
5 October 2023
In the US, the finalists for the 2023 National Book Awards have been announced. The shortlisted titles are: Fiction Chain-Gang All-Stars (Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Pantheon) Temple Folk (Aaliyah Bilal, S&S)...
FT Business Book of the Year Award shortlist
4 October 2023
In the UK, the shortlist has been announced for the 2023 Financial Times Business Book of the Year. The shortlisted titles are: Material World: A substantial story of our past and...
US$75K Cundill History Prize shortlist announced
3 October 2023
The shortlist for the 2023 Cundill History Prize, which rewards ‘the best history writing in English’, have been announced. The shortlisted works are: The Huxleys: An intimate history of evolution...
Writing income for authors below the poverty level: Authors Guild survey
2 October 2023
In the US, a new Authors Guild survey has found that most authors are far from earning a living from their craft, reports Publishers Weekly. The survey drew responses from...
