Gardners expands to US
9 August 2022
The Little Group, the parent company of the UK’s largest book wholesale and distribution company Gardners, has opened Gardners US, reports Publishers Weekly. Based in Florida, Gardners US is offering...
DoJ, PRH case underway in US
4 August 2022
In the US, the Department of Justice’s (DoJ) trial to block Penguin Random House (PRH) from acquiring Simon & Schuster (S&S) began in Washington DC on 1 August. Witnesses called...
Vivendi looks to sell Editis
2 August 2022
French media company Vivendi has said it will try to sell off Editis—France’s second-largest publisher—when its planned acquisition of Hachette Livre parent company Lagardère goes through, reports the Bookseller. Previously,...
Glass Bell Award 2022 shortlist announced
29 July 2022
In the UK, the shortlist for the £2000 (A$3500) Goldsboro Glass Bell Award has been announced. The shortlisted novels are: We Are All Birds of Uganda (Hafsa Zayyan, Merky Books)...
Hachette first-half sales up in the UK, US
28 July 2022
Hachette’s UK sales were up 1.5% in the first half of 2022, reports the Bookseller. According to Hachette parent company Lagardère, the UK's performance was driven by children’s and YA...
Booker Prize 2022 longlist announced
27 July 2022
The longlist for the 2022 Booker Prize has been announced. The 13 books longlisted for the £50,000 (A$86,650) prize are: Glory (NoViolet Bulawayo, Viking) Trust (Hernan Diaz, Picador) The Trees...
Scholastic sales up 26%
26 July 2022
In the US, Scholastic’s revenue grew 26% to US$1.6 billion (A$2.3b) in the year ending 31 May. The company posted an operating profit of US$97.5 million (A$140.2m) after a loss...
PRH acquisition of S&S goes to court
25 July 2022
In the US, the bid by the Department of Justice (DoJ) to block the acquisition of Simon & Schuster (S&S) by Penguin Random House (PRH) will be heard in court...
China book sales down 14%
22 July 2022
Data from Beijing OpenBook has shown a 13.8% year-on-year decline in book sales in China for the first half of 2022, reports Publishing Perspectives. Compared to the same period in...
German book sales flat amid concerns for bricks-and-mortar shops
21 July 2022
German book sales were up 0.7% year-on-year by value in the first half of 2022, reports the Bookseller. The data, from trade association Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, shows sales from...
HarperCollins US staff to go on one-day strike
20 July 2022
In the US, unionised employees of HarperCollins will hold a one-day strike on Wednesday, July 20, reports Publishers Weekly. UAW Local 2110, a union for technical, office and professional workers,...
Orwell Prizes 2022 winners announced
18 July 2022
In the UK, journalist Sally Hayden and novelist Claire Keegan have won the 2022 Orwell Prizes. Hayden was awarded the Orwell Prize for Political Writing for My Fourth Time, We...
Arthur C Clarke Award shortlist announced
12 July 2022
The shortlist for the Arthur C Clarke Award for science fiction book of the year, worth £2022 (A$3571), has been announced. The shortlisted titles are: Deep Wheel Orcadia (Harry Josephine...
US first-half book sales down 6.6%
11 July 2022
In the US, book sales were down 6.6% year-on-year for the first half of 2022, but remain about 15% higher than the same period in 2019—the last pre-pandemic year, reports...
Ingram to become UK wholesaler
8 July 2022
Ingram is to become a wholesaler in the UK, reports the Bookseller. Ingram Content Group UK senior vice-president David Taylor said the company will launch the full service in September...
Europe passes digital piracy, disinformation measures
7 July 2022
The European Parliament has passed the Digital Services Act (DSA), which comprises measures for European Union nations to battle digital piracy, among other crimes, reports Publishers Weekly. Under the new...
HarperCollins US union authorises strike
6 July 2022
Unionised employees of HarperCollins US have voted to authorise a strike if the publisher does not agree to a fair contract, reports Publishers Weekly. UAW Local 2110, a union for...
French book sales down 6%
5 July 2022
French publishers’ sales were down 6% year-on-year for the first half of 2022, but remain 10% higher than the same period the year prior to the pandemic, reports the Bookseller....
Mortimer wins 2022 Desmond Elliott Prize
4 July 2022
Maddie Mortimer has won the Desmond Elliott Prize for a first-time novelist for Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies (Picador), reports the Bookseller. Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies is a ‘coming-of-age...
Celestin wins Gold Dagger for ‘Sunset Swing’
30 June 2022
In the UK, the winners of the Crime Writers’ Association Daggers awards for crime writing have been announced. Ray Celestin won the Gold Dagger, awarded to the best crime novel...
New report on global digital book sales
28 June 2022
A new report from Austrian publishing consultant Ruediger Wischenbart has analysed recent digital book sales trends in markets including Brazil, Italy, Spain, German-speaking countries and Latin America. Data in the...
Jackson wins £50k Wolfson History Prize
23 June 2022
In the UK, Clare Jackson has won the Wolfson History Prize for Devil-Land: England under siege, 1588–1688 (Allen Lane), reports the Bookseller. Devil-Land is described by judges as ‘a masterpiece of historical...
Eswatini writer Kota wins overall Commonwealth Short Story Prize
22 June 2022
Eswatini writer Ntsika Kota has been named the overall winner of the 2022 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for his story ‘and the earth drank deep’. Kota’s story centres on a...
Robertson wins Walter Scott Prize for ‘News of the Dead’
21 June 2022
In the UK, James Robertson has won the £25,000 (A$44,000) Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction for News of the Dead (Hamish Hamilton), reports the Bookseller. News of the Dead, which...
Balen, Novgorodoff win Carnegie, Greenaway medals
20 June 2022
The UK Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) has announced the winners of the 2022 Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medals. Katya Balen won the Carnegie Medal for children’s...
Bloomsbury reports record sales
17 June 2022
In the UK, Bloomsbury achieved record sales of £230.1 million (A$403m)—up 24% on the previous year—in the year ending 28 February 2022, reports the Bookseller. Profits before taxation and highlighted...
Ozeki wins Women’s Prize for Fiction for ‘The Book of Form and Emptiness’
16 June 2022
In the UK, Ruth Ozeki has won the £30,000 (A$52,120) Women’s Prize for Fiction for her fourth novel The Book of Form and Emptiness (Text), reports the Bookseller. Ozeki's novel tells the...
UTA to acquire Curtis Brown
15 June 2022
US-based company United Talent Agency (UTA) has signed an agreement to acquire literary agency Curtis Brown for an undisclosed sum, reports the Bookseller. Curtis Brown, which is based in the...
Costa announces end to Costa Book Awards
14 June 2022
In the UK, Costa Coffee has announced the end of the Costa Book Awards, reports the Guardian. According to the Guardian, Costa has not yet given a reason for closing the...
Canada’s Indigo Books sales up 17.4% in 2022
9 June 2022
Canada’s largest bookshop chain Indigo Books & Music increased its sales by 17.4.% for the year ending 2 April, reports Publishers Weekly. The chain reported total sales of C$1.06 billion...
