Polari Prize 2023 shortlists announced
28 September 2023
In the UK, the shortlists for the 2023 Polari Prizes for LGBTQ+ literature have been announced. The titles shortlisted for the £2000 (A$3820) Polari Prize, which awards an overall book...
Around 200 jobs to go at T&F
27 September 2023
Academic publisher Taylor & Francis (T&F) will remove around 200 roles from its business, reports the Bookseller. In a letter to staff, T&F said there would be ‘changes to certain...
Martin, Picoult among authors in Authors Guild lawsuit against OpenAI
25 September 2023
The Authors Guild—along with 17 authors including George R R Martin, Jodi Picoult, John Grisham and Jonathan Franzen—filed a class-action lawsuit against OpenAI in the United States last Tuesday, said...
Booker Prize 2023 shortlist announced
22 September 2023
The shortlist for the 2023 Booker Prize has been announced. The six books shortlisted for the £50,000 (A$95,756) prize are: Study for Obedience (Sarah Bernstein, Granta) If I Survive You (Jonathan Escoffery,...
ALA report shows surge in book challenges
21 September 2023
In the US, new data from the American Library Association (ALA) shows a continuing surge in attempts to censor books in libraries this year, reports Publishers Weekly. The ALA documented...
Federal judge blocks Texas book rating law
20 September 2023
In the US, a federal judge has officially blocked Texas’s controversial book rating law, HB 900, from taking effect, reports Publishers Weekly. The 59-page opinion and order is a victory...
Malaviya appointed permanent CEO of PRH
19 September 2023
Bertelsmann has officially appointed Nihar Malaviya as Penguin Random House (PRH) CEO, reports Publishers Weekly. Malaviya was appointed interim CEO following Markus Dohle’s resignation in December last year. Bertelsmann chair...
Indigo revenue drops 12% in aftermath of cyberattack
15 September 2023
Canadian bookselling chain Indigo Books & Music reported a 12% drop in revenue for the quarter ending 1 July, following a cyberattack on the company’s website in February, reports Publishers...
Spotify to offer free audiobook trial to subscribers
14 September 2023
Spotify is planning to offer US subscribers a free audiobook trial in the coming months, reports the Wall Street Journal. According to the report, Spotify is working with large US...
PRH US to ‘encourage’ employees to use office more frequently
13 September 2023
In the US, Penguin Random House CEO Nihar Malaviya has written a memo to US staff encouraging them to use the office ‘more frequently’, reports Publishers Weekly. Malaviya wrote that...
New Amazon guidelines to disclose use of AI
12 September 2023
Amazon has updated its Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) guidelines to require users to acknowledge AI-generated content, reports the Bookseller. The new guidelines distinguish between AI-generated content and AI-assisted content, which...
WHSmith sales grow 28%
7 September 2023
In the UK, retailer WHSmith has reported a 28% year-on-year increase in revenue in the 12 months to 31 August, driven by a 42% spike in its travel business, reports...
£50k Wolfson History Prize shortlist announced
6 September 2023
In the UK, the shortlist for the £50,000 (A$98,500) Wolfson History Prize has been announced. The shortlisted works of history are: African and Caribbean People in Britain: A history (Hakim...
SoA calls for new approach to blurbs amid industry debate
1 September 2023
In the UK, the Society of Authors (SoA) has called for greater transparency over the use of book jacket blurbs, amid controversy over the practice, reports the Bookseller. Earlier this...
PRH half-year revenue up 9%
31 August 2023
Penguin Random House’s (PRH) global revenue grew 9% in the six months to 30 June, compared to the same period last year. In its half-yearly results, parent company Bertelsmann reported...
BA relaunches Shopfloor Publishers scheme
29 August 2023
In the UK, the Booksellers Association (BA) is relaunching its Shopfloor Publishers scheme, which invites publishers to spend a day working in a bookshop, reports the Bookseller. The Shopfloor Publishers...
Winn awarded Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2023
28 August 2023
In the UK, Alice Winn has won the £5000 (A$9815) Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize for In Memoriam (Viking), reports the Bookseller. In Memoriam traces a love story between two First World...
Jawando wins YA Book Prize
25 August 2023
In the UK, Danielle Jawando has won the 2023 YA Book Prize for her second novel When Our Worlds Collided (Simon & Schuster Children’s), reports the Bookseller. Described as a ‘raw, powerful and thought...
US market sales up 1.2% in first half of 2023
23 August 2023
According to the Association of American Publishers’ (AAP) latest StatShot report, the US publishing industry’s revenues were up 1.2% in the first half of 2023, thanks largely to growth in...
Beauman wins 2023 Arthur C Clarke Award for ‘Venomous Lumpsucker’
22 August 2023
Ned Beauman’s Venomous Lumpsucker (Sceptre) has won the 2023 Arthur C Clarke Award for science fiction, reports the Guardian. Described by the publisher as a ‘zoological thriller for the age...
Inaugural TikTok Book Awards winners
21 August 2023
In the UK, Bolu Babalola's Honey & Spice (Headline Review) has won the BookTok Book of the Year prize at the inaugural TikTok Book Awards, reports the Bookseller. Babalola won...
Books most popular product for new German cultural voucher program
17 August 2023
In Germany, the country’s new KulturPass for 18-year-olds has generated €3.2 million (A$5.4m) in revenue for cultural products events and services, with sales of book accounting for most unit sales,...
US bookshop sales up 7% in first half of 2023
16 August 2023
In the US, bookshop sales grew 7% in the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2022, reports Publishers Weekly. According to preliminary estimates from...
Publishers, Internet Archive submit negotiated agreement for judgement
15 August 2023
In the US, publishers Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House and Wiley, and the Internet Archive (IA), have submitted a negotiated agreement for a judgement in the Hachette Book...
HarperCollins sales and profits down in 2023 fiscal year
14 August 2023
In the US, HarperCollins’ sales were down 10% in the 12 months to 30 June compared to the same period the previous year, while profits were down 45%. Parent company...
KKR to acquire S&S
8 August 2023
Paramount Global—the owner of Simon & Schuster (S&S)—and private equity firm KKR have announced an agreement for KKR to acquire S&S for US$1.62 (A$2.47) billion in an all-cash transaction. In...
S&S reportedly closing in on deal
7 August 2023
In the US, numerous news outlets are reporting the sale of Simon & Schuster (S&S) will be announced as soon as this week, reports Publishers Weekly. Reuters is reporting the...
US judge finds monopoly suit against Amazon should proceed
3 August 2023
In the US, a magistrate judge has recommended a class action lawsuit accusing the Big Five publishers of colluding with Amazon to fix ebook prices be dismissed, but found the...
Booker Prize 2023 longlist announced
2 August 2023
The longlist for the 2023 Booker Prize has been announced. The 13 books longlisted for the £50,000 (A$96,700) prize are: A Spell of Good Things (Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, Canongate) Old God’s...
Audiobook publisher RBmedia to be sold
31 July 2023
In the US, private equity firm KKR is selling the audiobook publisher RBmedia to investment firm H.I.G Capital, reports Publishers Weekly. RBmedia is reportedly being sold for more than US$1...
