Print sales drop in US, UK in 2022
Tuesday, 10 January 2023
In the US, Publishers Weekly has reported that sales of print books fell by 6.5% in 2022 compared to 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Sales totalled 788.7 million...
Dohle steps down as PRH CEO
Monday, 9 January 2023
Bertelsmann, parent company of Penguin Random House (PRH), announced in December last year that PRH CEO Markus Dohle was stepping down from the role at the end of 2022, ‘and...
Paramount recommits to selling S&S
Friday, 9 December 2022
In the US, Simon & Schuster (S&S) parent company Paramount CEO Bob Bakish said the company still plans to sell the publisher, reports Publishers Weekly. Speaking at a UBS media...
HarperCollins addresses stalled union negotiations
Thursday, 8 December 2022
HarperCollins US CEO Brian Murray has written an open letter to authors and agents addressing details behind the publisher’s stalled negotiations with the union representing its striking workers, reports Publishers...
Miller wins FT Book of the Year for ‘Chip War’
Wednesday, 7 December 2022
In the UK, Chip War: The Fight for the world’s most critical technology (Chris Miller, S&S) has won the 2022 Financial Times (FT) Book of the Year Award. In Chip War, Miller unpicks the...
Hachette UK acquires Welbeck
Tuesday, 6 December 2022
Hachette UK has acquired independent Welbeck Publishing Group (WPG), reports the Bookseller. Welbeck’s adult trade, gift and illustrated titles will become part of Headline Publishing Group, while Welbeck’s children’s list...
Hessel wins Waterstones Book of the Year for ‘The Story of Art Without Men’
Monday, 5 December 2022
In the UK, Waterstones has named Katy Hessel’s The Story of Art Without Men (Hutchinson Heinemann) its Book of the Year for 2022, reports the Bookseller. Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in...
‘All That She Carried’ wins 2022 Cundill History Prize
Friday, 2 December 2022
Harvard professor Tiya Miles has won the 2022 Cundill History Prize, worth US$75,000 (A$110,000), for All That She Carried: The journey of Ashley’s sack, a Black family keepsake (Tiya Miles, Random...
Agents pledge to not submit work to HarperCollins US
Thursday, 1 December 2022
More than 150 literary agents have signed an open letter pledging not to submit new work to HarperCollins US in support of striking workers, reports the Bookseller. Approximately 250 unionised...
‘A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth’ wins Royal Society Science Book Prize
Wednesday, 30 November 2022
In the UK, Henry Gee has won the 2022 Royal Society Science Book Prize for A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 billion years in 12 chapters (Picador),...
Price fixing lawsuit against Amazon, publishers refiled in federal court
Friday, 25 November 2022
In the US, a class action lawsuit accusing Amazon and the Big Five publishers of colluding to fix ebook prices has been re-filed in federal court, reports Publishers Weekly. In...
BookTok helping young readers discover passion for reading: UK PA survey
Thursday, 24 November 2022
In the UK, a Publishers Association survey has found more than half of young readers have credited BookTok or book influencers with helping them ‘discover a passion for reading’, reports...
Rundell wins 2022 Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction
Wednesday, 23 November 2022
In the UK, Katherine Rundell has won the £50,000 (A$89,000) Baillie Gifford Prize for Super-Infinite: The transformations of John Donne (Faber & Faber). Judges described Super-Infinite as a ‘glorious celebration...
PRH, S&S deal scrapped
Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Penguin Random House (PRH) parent company Bertelsmann won’t appeal a US court’s decision to block its acquisition of Simon & Schuster (S&S). In a statement, Bertelsmann said it will ‘advance...
TikTok Shop UK launches books category
Monday, 21 November 2022
TikTok Shop UK has launched a new books category to enable users to buy titles from partner organisations via the social media platform, reports the Bookseller. Partner organisations at launch...
National Book Awards 2022 winners announced
Friday, 18 November 2022
In the US, the winners of the 2022 National Book Awards have been announced. The winning titles in each category are: Fiction The Rabbit Hutch (Tess Gunty, Oneworld) Nonfiction South...
Taylor, Zmith win 2022 Polari Prizes
Wednesday, 16 November 2022
In the UK, writers Joelle Taylor and Adam Zmith have won the 2022 Polari Prizes for work that explores the LGBT experience, reports the Bookseller. Taylor won the £2000 (A$3642) Polari Prize...
UK audiobook sales growth slows
Tuesday, 15 November 2022
In the UK, a Nielsen BookData report has found audiobook purchasing growth slowed in the first half of 2022, but sales are still expected to improve, reports the Bookseller. Nielsen’s...
Soobramanien, Williams win Goldsmiths Prize for ‘Diego Garcia’
Friday, 11 November 2022
In the UK, Natasha Soobramanien and Luke Williams have won the £10,000 (A$17,700) Goldsmiths Prize for their ‘extraordinary’ novel Diego Garcia (Fitzcarraldo). Soobramanien and Williams are the first duo to win...
HarperCollins earnings, global revenue drop in first quarter
Thursday, 10 November 2022
In the US, HarperCollins' global revenue was down 11% and earnings fell 54% in the first quarter of the 2023 fiscal year compared to the same period last year, reports...
Judge releases full decision blocking PRH acquisition of S&S
Wednesday, 9 November 2022
In the US, federal court judge Florence Pan’s 80-page written decision blocking Penguin Random House’s (PRH) acquisition of Simon & Schuster (S&S) has been published, reports Publishers Weekly. Pan found...
Court blocks PRH acquisition of S&S
Wednesday, 2 November 2022
Bertelsmann, the parent company of Penguin Random House, will appeal a ruling by a US federal court blocking its proposed acquisition of Simon & Schuster (S&S). In a two-page order,...
Kirkus Prize 2022 winners announced
Monday, 31 October 2022
The winners of the 2022 Kirkus Prize, worth US$50,000 (A$78,000) in each category, have been announced. Hernan Diaz won the fiction category for his novel Trust (Picador), which follows a...
Waterstones Book of the Year shortlist announced
Friday, 28 October 2022
UK bookselling chain Waterstones has announced the shortlist for its annual Book of the Year award. The 10 shortlisted titles are: The Marriage Portrait (Maggie O’Farrell, Tinder Press) Heartstopper Volume...
‘When Women Kill’ wins British Academy Book Prize
Thursday, 27 October 2022
In the UK, Chilean writer Alia Trabucco Zerán has won the £25,000 (A$44,770) British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding for When Women Kill: Four crimes retold (trans by...
Around 90,000 attend Frankfurt
Monday, 24 October 2022
Around 90,000 visitors from more than 100 nations attended Frankfurt Book Fair’s (FBF) official trade days, reports Publishing Perspectives. FBF president and CEO Juergen Boos said the number of visitors...
US$75K Cundill History Prize finalists announced
Friday, 21 October 2022
The finalists for the 2022 Cundill History Prize, which rewards ‘the best history writing in English’, have been announced. The finalists are: Cuba: An American history (Ada Ferrer, Scribner) All That...
Frankfurt Book Fair opens
Thursday, 20 October 2022
The first full-scale Frankfurt Book Fair in three years has opened. The Bookseller reported rights-traders have noted ‘an appetite for literary works’ and a ‘later’ Frankfurt season, with ‘more pre-empts...
HarperCollins US staff vote to strike
Wednesday, 19 October 2022
Representatives for unionised HarperCollins US employees will go on strike on 7 November, reports Publishers Weekly. Employees have been negotiating for 11 months for a new employment agreement but have...
Karunatilaka wins Booker Prize for ‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’
Tuesday, 18 October 2022
In the UK, Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka has won the 2022 Booker Prize, worth £50,000 (A$90,250), for The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (Sort Of Books). The Seven Moons of...
