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US children’s literature diversity on the rise 

Friday, 16 June 2023
In the US, 40% of 2022 children’s book released had a Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) author, illustrator or compiler, a new report has found, reports Publishers Weekly. The...

Gilbert withdraws Russian-set novel from publication

Wednesday, 14 June 2023
US author Elizabeth Gilbert is pulling her novel The Snow Forest from publication, in response to a backlash from Ukrainian readers unhappy about the book being set in Russia, reports...

Vivendi’s purchase of Lagardère approved

Tuesday, 13 June 2023
The European Commission has approved French media company Vivendi’s acquisition of Hachette parent company Lagardère, reports Publishers Weekly. Vivendi’s properties include the French book publisher Editis. However, to have its...

Joseph wins RSL Christopher Bland Prize

Friday, 9 June 2023
In the UK, actor and author Paterson Joseph has won the Royal Society of Literature (RSL) Christopher Bland Prize for The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho (Dialogue), reports the...

US publishing sales up 3.2% in first quarter

Thursday, 8 June 2023
In the US, total publishing industry sales rose 3.2% in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year, reports Publishers Weekly. According to the AAP’s StatShot...

UK Publishers Association sets up AI taskforce

Wednesday, 7 June 2023
In the UK, the Publishers Association (PA) has formed an AI taskforce to help the industry navigate new developments in artificial intelligence technology, reports the Bookseller. PA CEO Dan Conway...

UK bookshop sales down 3.5% YTD

Tuesday, 6 June 2023
In the UK, analysis from the Bookseller has found bookshop sales are down 3.5% by volume for the first 21 weeks of the year compared to the same period last...

US audiobook market grows 10%

Friday, 2 June 2023
In the US, audiobook revenue grew 10% in 2022 to US$1.8 billion (A$2.7b) in total sales, according to a survey of 28 Audio Publishers Association members (APA), reports Publishers Weekly....

Record year of sales for Bloomsbury

Thursday, 1 June 2023
In the UK, Bloomsbury has reported another record performance in the year to end of February 2023, with sales up 15% and profit up 16%, reports the Bookseller. Sales for...

Shortlists announced for James Tait Black prizes

Wednesday, 31 May 2023
In the UK, the shortlists for the James Tait Black prizes have been announced. The shortlisted titles in each category are: Fiction Bitter Orange Tree (Jokha Alharthi, trans by Marilyn...

Alabanza, Jawando win 2023 Jhalak Prizes

Monday, 29 May 2023
In the UK, the winners of the 2022 Jhalak prizes, which recognise ‘authors who feel that their work is often marginalised unless it fulfils a romantic fetishisation of their cultural...

German author Oskamp wins Dublin Literary Award

Friday, 26 May 2023
German author Katja Oskamp has won the 2023 Dublin Literary Award for Marzahn, Mon Amour (trans by Jo Heinrich, Peirene Press), reports the Bookseller. Oskamp receives €75,000 (A$123,700) and Heinrich, as...

Caffè Nero to fund major new UK book awards

Thursday, 25 May 2023
In the UK, coffee chain Caffè Nero has launched a new set of book awards, worth a total of £50,000 (A$94,500), a year after Costa Coffee announced the end of...

Gospodinov, Rodel win 2023 International Booker

Wednesday, 24 May 2023
The novel Time Shelter by Bulgarian author Georgi Gospodinov, translated by Angela Rodel and published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, has won the £50,000 (A$93,900) International Booker Prize. Time Shelter was chosen...

TikTok to launch new book awards

Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Social media platform TikTok is launching its own book awards for the UK and Ireland, aiming to celebrate ‘titles, authors, content and creators of BookTok’, reports the Bookseller. The awards...

PRH, Pen America file suit over Florida book bans

Thursday, 18 May 2023
In the US, Penguin Random House (PRH), together with PEN America, a group of authors and a group of parents, have filed a federal lawsuit against a Florida school district...

Anaxagorou wins Ondaatje prize

Monday, 15 May 2023
In the UK, British-Cypriot poet Anthony Anaxagorou has won the Royal Society of Literature’s (RSL) £10,000 (A$18,730) Ondaatje prize for his collection Heritage Aesthetics (Granta), reports the Guardian. Heritage Aesthetics...

Ifeakandu wins Dylan Thomas Prize

Friday, 12 May 2023
In the UK, Nigerian author Arinze Ifeakandu has been awarded the £20,000 (A$37,350) Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize for his debut God’s Children Are Little Broken Things (W&N). Judges praised the...

TikTok owner flags move into publishing

Wednesday, 10 May 2023
TikTok owner ByteDance has filed a US trademark application for a book-publishing entity called 8th Note Press, reports Business Insider. The company has also begun recruiting staff for publishing roles,...

Pulitzer Prize winners announced

Tuesday, 9 May 2023
In the US, the winners of this year’s Pulitzer Prizes have been announced. The Pulitzer Prize for fiction was jointly awarded to Hernan Diaz and Barbara Kingsolver for Trust (Picador)...

PRH US reportedly offers redundancy to older works

Monday, 8 May 2023
Penguin Random House US (PRH) is offering redundancy packages to employees aged 60 or older with 15 years of service or more, reports Publishers Lunch. Eligible employees have until 20...

B&N workers at flagship store launch union drive

Wednesday, 3 May 2023
In the US, workers at the flagship Barnes & Noble (B&N) shop in New York City’s Union Square have requested a union election with the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store...

Shapiro named Baillie Gifford Winner of Winners

Friday, 28 April 2023
In the UK, James Shapiro has won the Baillie Gifford Winner of Winners Award—being held to celebrate the prize’s 25th anniversary—for his book 1599: A year in the life of...

Women’s Prize 2023 shortlist announced

Thursday, 27 April 2023
The shortlist for the 2023 International Women’s Prize for Fiction has been announced. The six titles shortlisted for the award are: Black Butterflies (Priscilla Morris, Duckworth Books) Demon Copperhead (Barbara Kingsolver, Faber) Fire...