Major publishers to skip Frankfurt’s physical event
1 June 2020
HarperCollins, Bonnier Books UK and Pan Macmillan UK won’t attend Frankfurt Book Fair’s physical event, while other UK publishers and agents are uncertain about attending, reports the Bookseller. As previously...
Karp appointed S&S CEO
29 May 2020
In the US, Jonathan Karp has been appointed president and CEO of Simon & Schuster (S&S), reports Publishers Weekly. Karp will succeed Carolyn Reidy, who died from a heart attack...
Pitts wins 2020 Jhalak Prize for ‘Afropean: Notes from Black Europe’
28 May 2020
In the UK, writer and broadcast journalist Johny Pitts has won the Jhalak Prize for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) writers, for Afropean: Notes From Black Europe (Penguin Press),...
UK publishers prepare for crowded autumn release schedule
25 May 2020
In the UK, publishers are preparing to battle for shelf space and media attention due to the number of key spring and summer titles shifting into the European autumn, reports...
RWA retires RITA Awards
22 May 2020
In the US, the Romance Writers of America (RWA) will retire its annual RITA Awards, which have been presented annually since 1982, reports Publishers Weekly. The move follows the cancellation...
UK indies hail £160m emergency funding package
21 May 2020
In the UK, independent publishers have spoken of their ‘huge relief’ after receiving funding from Arts Council England’s £160m (A$297m) emergency coronavirus package, reports the Bookseller. Recipients of the funding, which...
Waterstones to put its books under 72-hour quarantine
19 May 2020
In the UK, bookselling chain Waterstones will put its books under a 72-hour quarantine after they have been handled by browsing shoppers, reports the Guardian. As part of Waterstones' plan...
Bertrams put up for sale
18 May 2020
In the UK, wholesaler Bertrams has been put up for sale by its parent company Aurelius, reports the Bookseller. Bertrams’ subsidiary companies Dawson Books and Education Umbrella are also up...
Washington wins 2020 Dylan Thomas Prize
15 May 2020
In the UK, US author Bryan Washington has won the 2020 International Dylan Thomas Prize for his debut short story collection, Lot (Atlantic). Swansea University professor and judging panel chair...
UK reading more books in lockdown: Nielsen
15 May 2020
In the UK, Nielsen Book research has found 41% of UK adults are reading more since lockdown started, but only 25% are buying more books, and 18% are buying fewer...
Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy dies
13 May 2020
In the US, Simon & Schuster (S&S) president and CEO Carolyn Reidy has died suddenly after experiencing a heart attack. Reidy was 71. Simon & Schuster Australia told Books+Publishing the...
Woodson, Albertine win 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award
12 May 2020
US writer Jacqueline Woodson and Swiss illustrator Albertine have been named the winners of the 2020 IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) Hans Christian Andersen Award. Woodson has...
Frankfurt director plans ‘completely different experience’ for this year’s fair
11 May 2020
Frankfurt Book Fair director Juergen Boos has said this year’s fair will go on, but it will be a ‘completely different experience’, reports Publishers Weekly (PW). On social distancing guidelines,...
Survey shows UK small publishers at risk of closing
8 May 2020
A significant proportion of UK and Ireland’s small presses are at risk of closing due to the effects of the Covid-19 lockdown, according to the results of a Bookseller survey....
Faber sales down ‘about a third’ as sales of ‘Normal People’ top 100k in Aus
7 May 2020
In the UK, Faber chief executive Stephen Page has told the Bookseller the publisher’s sales are down by ‘about a third year on year for print’ during the country’s lockdown...
Robinson awarded 2020 Ondaatje Prize for ‘A Portable Paradise’
7 May 2020
In the UK, Roger Robinson has won the £10,000 (A$19,250) Royal Society of Literature’s Ondaatje Prize for his poetry collection A Portable Paradise (Peepal Tree Press). 'The spirit of place in...
Whitehead wins second Pulitzer Prize for ‘The Nickel Boys’
6 May 2020
In the US, Colson Whitehead has won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his novel The Nickel Boys (Fleet). He is the fourth person to win the fiction prize...
McGraw Hill and Cengage call off merger
5 May 2020
McGraw Hill and Cengage have ‘mutually agreed to terminate their proposed merger’, according to a statement from McGraw Hill. According to the Bookseller, Cengage said the decision was brought about...
Edgar Allan Poe Awards 2020 winners announced
5 May 2020
In the US, the Mystery Writers of America has announced the winners of the 2020 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, which honour ‘the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction and television’ published...
Gardners re-opens with ‘much reduced staff’
5 May 2020
In the UK, Garners has announced it is again accepting online orders and ‘will look to turning on further methods of accepting orders as soon as we can’, after having...
Bertrams future ‘at risk’
4 May 2020
In the UK, the Sunday Times reports that Bertrams will appoint an administrator, with the Bookseller writing that the book wholesaler’s future is ‘at risk’ following the sale of its...
Amazon’s first quarter sales up 26%, net earnings down 31%
4 May 2020
In the US, Amazon has posted a 26% increase in revenue in the first quarter of 2020, up to US$75.5 billion (A$118.2b), reports Publishers Weekly. Sales through the company’s online...
Covid-19 hits first quarter sales at Bertelsmann, Lagardère
1 May 2020
The parent companies of Hachette and Penguin Random House (PRH) have both reported first-quarter revenue declines due to the challenges of Covid-19. According to Publishers Weekly, Lagardère—the parent company of...
Shortlist announced for £40k Wolfson History Prize
30 April 2020
In the UK, the shortlist for the £40,000 (A$76,200) Wolfson History Prize shortlist has been announced. The shortlisted titles are: The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Oceans (David Abulafia,...
UK to introduce micro-loan scheme for small businesses
28 April 2020
In the UK, the government will introduce a new micro-loan scheme for small businesses, in response to the impact of the coronavirus lockdown, reports the Bookseller. From 4 May, businesses...
Pearson reports 5% decline in first quarter update
27 April 2020
Pearson has announced a 5% decline in revenue in its first quarter update, in line with revised expectations reported in March due to Covid-19. It also reported a 10% decline...
Bologna releases schedule for virtual book fair
27 April 2020
Organisers of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF) have released the schedule for the virtual book fair, which will take place across BCBF's digital channels from 4–7 May. Among the...
Global publishing bodies call for economic stimulus for book trade
24 April 2020
The International Publishers Association (IPA), along with several other peak publishing industry bodies, has urged governments around the world to adopt ‘economic stimulus packages to sustain their respective publishing sectors...
Amazon revealed as anonymous £250k donor to UK bookseller hardship fund
24 April 2020
In the UK, Amazon has been revealed as the anonymous donor that pledged £250,000 (A$488,600) to a crowdfunding campaign to help booksellers affected by the Covid-19 crisis, reports the Bookseller....
Mystery donor pledges £250k to UK bookseller hardship fund
23 April 2020
In the UK, a crowdfunding campaign has raised around £380,000 (A$742,700) for booksellers affected by the Covid-19 crisis, after a mystery donor pledged £250,000 (A$488,600), reports the Bookseller. Penguin Random...
