Amazon responds to NYT feature alleging widespread sales of counterfeit books
27 June 2019
In the US, Amazon has responded to claims made in a New York Times (NYT) feature that the company takes a lax approach to policing counterfeit books, reports Publishers Weekly....
UK publishing revenue down two percent in 2018
26 June 2019
The UK Publishers Association (PA) has found the UK publishing industry’s revenues in 2018 fell two percent on the previous year, with a five percent drop in print book sales,...
Keefe, Burns win 2019 Orwell Prize
26 June 2019
In the UK, two authors writing about the conflict in Northern Ireland have been awarded £3000 each (A$5470) as part of the Orwell Prize, reports the Guardian. Patrick Radden Keefe,...
US book market contracts slightly for fifth year in a row
25 June 2019
The Association of American Publishers’ (AAP) annual StatShot report on the US book industry, published on 21 June, found the total US book market to have contracted slightly for the...
PEN America condemns death of Uighur author following detention in Chinese camp
21 June 2019
PEN America has condemned the death of prominent Uighur writer Nurmuhammad Tohti, who died after being held in one of Xinjiang’s internment camps, reports the Guardian. Tohti, aged 70, had...
Harjo becomes first Native American poet laureate
20 June 2019
Joy Harjo has been named the 23rd poet laureate of the United States, becoming the first Native American poet to hold the post, reports Publishers Weekly. Harjo is the author...
Adam wins 2019 Desmond Elliott Prize
20 June 2019
Claire Adam has won the 2019 Desmond Elliott Prize for first-time novelists for Golden Child (Faber). The winning novel, which follows the lives of a family living in rural Trinidad,...
Acevedo, Morris win 2019 Carnegie, Greenaway medals
19 June 2019
The UK Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) has announced the winners of the 2019 Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medals. Dominican-American writer and slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo won...
Robertson wins Walter Scott Prize for ‘The Long Take’
18 June 2019
In the UK, Robin Robertson has won the 2019 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction for The Long Take (Picador). The first Scot to win the award, Robertson’s book also...
Analysis of bestselling UK picture books shows ‘concerning’ lack of diversity
14 June 2019
In the UK, an analysis of bestselling picture books has found for the second year running that the most popular illustrated children's books are dominated by male characters and feature...
Ebury restructures staff around audience hubs
13 June 2019
In the UK, Penguin nonfiction imprint Ebury is restructuring its staff around four audience hubs to bring publicity and marketing closer to editorial, reports the Bookseller. Each hub—Smart, Entertainment, Self...
Ruskovich wins 2019 International Dublin Literary Award for ‘Idaho’
13 June 2019
US writer Emily Ruskovich has won the €100,000 (A$162,930) Dublin International Literary award for her debut novel Idaho (Vintage). Idaho follows a family living in the isolated Northern Idaho mountains whose...
Barnes & Noble sold to Waterstones owner Elliott Advisors
11 June 2019
In the US, hedge fund Elliott Advisors has agreed to buy bookselling chain Barnes & Noble (B&N), reports Publishers Weekly. Under the agreement, Elliott will acquire B&N for US$6.50 per...
South African publisher awarded AAP International Freedom to Publish Award
7 June 2019
In South Africa, NB Publishers has been awarded the Association of American Publishers' (AAP) International Freedom to Publish Award for its book The President’s Keepers by investigative journalist Jacques Pauw....
Jones wins 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction for ‘An American Marriage’
6 June 2019
American author Tayari Jones has won the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction for her novel An American Marriage (Vintage). The book follows newlyweds Celestial and Roy as their lives are...
Octopus buys indie publisher Short Books
5 June 2019
Octopus Publishing Group, part of Hachette Livre, has acquired independent publisher Short Books for an undisclosed sum, reports the Bookseller. Best known for health and diet publishing, Short Books has...
Sissay wins 2019 PEN Pinter Prize
4 June 2019
In the UK, poet and playwright Lemn Sissay has been awarded the 2019 PEN Pinter Prize. Prize judge Maureen Freely said: ‘In his every work, Lemn Sissay returns to the underworld...
Turkish prosecutors put novelists under investigation
3 June 2019
Turkish prosecutors have launched investigations into the country’s fiction writers, including award-winning novelist Elif Shafak, reports the Guardian, with Shafak calling on the international community to support Turkish authors, journalists...
‘Normal People’ to be adapted for TV
31 May 2019
Sally Rooney's novel Normal People (Faber) is being adapted into a 12-part half-hour TV series, reports the Guardian. The series is being produced by Element Pictures (The Lobster, The Favourite, Room) in...
Shortlist announced for 2019 UK Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize
27 May 2019
In the UK, the shortlist for the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, recognising the best science books for children, has been announced. The shortlisted titles are: 100 Things to...
PRH buys minority stake in US independent publisher Sourcebooks
24 May 2019
In the US, Penguin Random House (PRH) has bought a significant minority stake in independent publisher Sourcebooks. Sourcebooks will retain its majority ownership of 55% while PRH now owns a...
Wellcome Book Prize suspended after 10 years
23 May 2019
In the UK, the Wellcome Book Prize has been suspended after 10 years of being awarded, reports the Bookseller. Founded in 2009 by UK biomedical research charity the Wellcome Trust,...
Canadian parliamentary review recommends reform of Copyright Act
22 May 2019
A Canadian parliamentary committee has recommended the government undertake broad reform of the country’s copyright policies, following a review of the fallout following the implementation of the 2012 Copyright Modernization...
Alharthi wins Man Booker International Prize 2019
22 May 2019
Omani writer Jokha Alharthi has won the 2019 Man Booker International Prize for her novel Celestial Bodies (trans by Marilyn Booth, Sandstone Press). Alharthi is the first winner from the Arabian...
Antrobus wins Folio Prize for poetry collection ‘The Perseverance’
21 May 2019
In the UK, poet Raymond Antrobus has won the £30,000 (A$55,260) Rathbones Folio Prize for his collection The Perseverance (Penned In The Margins), becoming the first poet to win the...
New US tariffs on Chinese imports to include books
20 May 2019
The office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice that books are among the US$300 billion (A$435bn) in Chinese imports set to face a 25% tariff, reports...
Gunaratne wins 2019 Dylan Thomas Prize
17 May 2019
In the UK, British-Sri Lankan writer Guy Gunaratne has won the 2019 International Dylan Thomas Prize for his debut novel In Our Mad and Furious City (Tinder). In Our Mad...
Edemariam awarded 2019 Ondaatje Prize
15 May 2019
In the UK, Guardian journalist Aida Edemariam has won the Royal Society of Literature’s Ondaatje Prize for her memoir The Wife's Tale: A Personal History (Fourth Estate), which tells the...
Penguin General and Faber win at 2019 British Book Awards; ‘Normal People’ wins book of the year
14 May 2019
In the UK, the winners of the 2019 British Book Awards, known as the 'Nibbies', have been announced. In the trade section of the awards, Penguin General was named publisher...
Armitage named UK poet laureate
13 May 2019
English poet Simon Armitage has been named the UK's poet laureate, after Imtiaz Dharker turned down the position earlier this month. The Guardian reports that Armitage 'had no hesitation whatsoever about...
