PRH acquires majority stake in Brazilian publisher Companhia das Letras
Wednesday, 31 October 2018
Penguin Random House (PRH) has acquired a majority stake of 70% in Brazilian publisher Companhia das Letras. PRH previously acquired a 45% stake in the Brazilian publishing house in 2012,...
Kassabova’s ‘Border’ wins UK Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize
Wednesday, 31 October 2018
Scotland-based Bulgarian writer Kapka Kassabova has won the 2018 Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for Global Cultural Understanding for her book Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe (Granta). Chosen from a shortlist...
Kirkus Prize 2018 winners announced
Tuesday, 30 October 2018
US publication Kirkus Reviews has announced the winners of its fifth annual literary prize. Each of the Kirkus Prize winners receives US$50,000 (A$70,830). Ling Ma won the fiction prize for Severance (Text), with...
Shortlist announced for 2018 Diagram Prize for oddest book title
Monday, 29 October 2018
The shortlist for the 2018 Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year, presented by the Bookseller, has been announced. The six shortlisted titles are: Are Gay Men More...
Benyamin wins inaugural JCB Prize for Literature
Friday, 26 October 2018
Novelist and short story writer Benyamin has won the inaugural JCB prize for Literature in India. Benyamin won Rs 25 lakhs (A$48,220) for his book Jasmine Days (Juggernaut Books), translated into...
UK Dagger awards 2018 winners announced
Friday, 26 October 2018
The UK Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) has announced the winners of the 2018 Dagger awards. The winners in each category are: Diamond Dagger (for an author whose crime writing careers...
Book sales in Iceland dropped 43% from 2010 to 2017
Thursday, 25 October 2018
Book sales in Iceland dropped 43% between 2010 and 2017, with sales from the first four months of 2018 dropping a further 5% from the same period in 2017, reports...
Four UK bookshops nominated for Britain’s Best Small Shop
Wednesday, 24 October 2018
In the UK, four independent bookshops have been nominated for Britain’s Best Small Shop of 2018, reports the Bookseller. The annual competition, managed by the Independent Retailers Confederation, celebrates ‘entrepreneurial...
‘Elmet’ wins 2018 Polari First Book Prize
Tuesday, 23 October 2018
UK writer Fiona Mozley has won the 2018 Polari First Book Prize for her debut novel Elmet (John Murray), reports the Bookseller. The prize is awarded annually to an author whose first book...
61% of Canadian publishers are producing audiobooks, up from 16% in 2015
Monday, 22 October 2018
In Canada, 61% of publishers are producing audiobooks, up from 16% in 2015. According to a recent study on audiobook use published by BookNet Canada, the average audiobook listener in...
PRH US merges Crown, Random House divisions
Friday, 19 October 2018
Penguin Random House (PRH) US has merged two major adult divisions, Crown Publishing Group and Random House Publishing Group, reports Publishers Weekly. Random House president and publisher Gina Centrello will...
PEN America sues Trump over freedom of speech
Thursday, 18 October 2018
In the US, literary and human rights organisation PEN America is suing President Trump for alleged violations of America's First Amendment (which protects freedom of speech), reports the Associated Press....
Burns wins 2018 Man Booker Prize
Wednesday, 17 October 2018
Northern Irish writer Anna Burns has won the 2018 Man Booker Prize for her third novel, Milkman (Faber). She is the first Northern Irish author and 17th woman to win...
‘Sweet Fruit, Sour Land’ wins 2018 Not the Booker Prize; judges overrule public vote
Wednesday, 17 October 2018
Sweet Fruit, Sour Land (Sandstone Press), by London-based author Rebecca Ley, has won the Guardian’s 2018 Not the Booker Prize. Judges overruled the public vote, which showed Ariel Kahn’s Raising...
Condé wins alternative Nobel prize
Tuesday, 16 October 2018
Guadeloupean novelist Maryse Condé has won the New Academy Prize in literature, a one-off award created to replace this year’s Nobel Prize for literature, which was cancelled following a sexual...
Global publishers warn of phishing scams targeting manuscripts
Monday, 15 October 2018
A succession of phishing scams targeting publishers and agents has prompted responses from several global publishers, reports the Bookseller. Penguin Random House (PRH) North America sent an urgent email to...
Over one million books self-published in the US in 2017
Friday, 12 October 2018
In the US, more than one million books were self-published in 2017, breaking the record for the the total number of titles self-published in a year, according to a report...
National Book Award 2018 shortlists announced
Thursday, 11 October 2018
In the US, the finalists for the 2018 National Book Awards have been announced. The shortlisted titles are: Fiction A Lucky Man (Jamel Brinkley, Graywolf Press) Florida (Lauren Groff, William Heinemann)...
S&S UK before-tax profit doubles in 2017
Wednesday, 10 October 2018
In the UK, Simon & Schuster (S&S) made a before-tax profit of £5.9 million (A$10.9m) in 2017, up 56% from 2016, reports the Bookseller. Turnover was up from £42.1 million (A$77.9m) in 2016...
PRH to expand to Southeast Asia in 2019
Tuesday, 9 October 2018
Penguin Random House (PRH) will launch a publishing operation in Southeast Asia in 2019. Based in Singapore, the new company will publish local and international writers across the English language,...
US$75,000 Cundill History Prize 2018 shortlist announced
Monday, 8 October 2018
In Canada, the shortlist has been announced for the Cundill History Prize, which rewards 'the best history writing in English'. The shortlisted titles are: Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine...
Inaugural JCB Prize for Literature shortlist announced
Friday, 5 October 2018
In India, the shortlist has been announced for the inaugural 2018 JCB Prize for Literature, which aims to 'foster greater translation between Indian languages' and promote ‘the diversity and energy of...
US BookScan data to migrate to new system
Friday, 5 October 2018
In the US, NPD BookScan will transition from the Nielsen platform to NPD's own system, following the market research firm's acquisition of Nielsen's Book Services early last year, reports Publisher's...
Shortlist announced for 2018 Baillie Gifford Prize
Thursday, 4 October 2018
In the UK, the shortlist for the £30,000 (A$54,720) Baillie Gifford Prize, which recognises nonfiction writing by authors of any nationality, has been announced. The shortlisted titles are: Hello World:...
Dark Horse, Macmillan, Disney among winners at Digital Book World Awards
Thursday, 4 October 2018
In the US, the winners of the Digital Book World (DBW) Awards have been announced. The awards are presented as part of the DBW conference, and recognise 'worldwide achievement in...
Blakemore wins 2018 Royal Society Science Book Prize
Wednesday, 3 October 2018
In the UK, Sarah-Jayne Blakemore has won the £25,000 (A$44,140) Royal Society Science Book Prize for her book Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain (Doubleday), reports the Guardian....
EU council allows VAT-free status for ebooks and audiobooks
Wednesday, 3 October 2018
The European Union’s (EU) Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) has agreed to allow all EU member states to reduce the amounts of value-added tax (VAT) on ebooks and audiobooks,...
Giller Prize 2018 shortlist announced
Tuesday, 2 October 2018
In Canada, the shortlist for the C$100,000 (A$108,000) 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize for the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English has been announced. The shortlisted novels...
Love Your Bookstore campaign to run in US
Tuesday, 2 October 2018
In the US, a number of book industry figures have created the Love Your Bookstore campaign to promote physical bookstores, reports Publishers Weekly. The campaign will run from 10-16 November,...
Diversity reforms introduced at Carnegie, Greenaway awards following review
Monday, 1 October 2018
The UK’s Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) has made several changes to the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway awards, following an independently chaired diversity review, reports the Bookseller....
