Waterstones buy Blackwell’s
Tuesday, 1 March 2022
In the UK, Waterstones has bought former family-owned chain Blackwell’s for an undisclosed sum, reports the Bookseller. The funds for the purchase came via Waterstones owner Elliott Advisors, which also...
Scribner launches in Canada
Thursday, 24 February 2022
In Canada, Simon & Schuster (S&S) has announced it is launching Scribner Canada, reports Publishers Weekly. Scribner Canada will publish literary fiction and nonfiction from Canada, as well as titles...
Opposition grows as Vivendi files Lagardère takeover bid
Wednesday, 23 February 2022
In France, media company Vivendi has filed its proposed takeover bid for Hachette Livre parent company Lagardère Group amid growing opposition to the merger, reports the Bookseller. In December Vivendi—which...
Record earnings, profits for Lagardère in 2021
Friday, 18 February 2022
Lagardère Publishing grew its revenue by 9.4% in 2021 while increasing profits by 42.7%, reports Publishers Weekly. Lagardère Group reported revenue from its publishing division totalled €2.6 billion (A$4.11b) with...
S&S revenue grows 10% in 2021, profit up 52%
Thursday, 17 February 2022
In the US, Simon & Schuster's (S&S) revenue grew 10% and its operating income was up 52% year-on-year in 2021, on the back of strong performance from its distribution and...
Record year for Bonnier Books
Monday, 14 February 2022
Bonnier Books reported a record year for sales in 2021, according to Swedish parent company Bonnier Group, reports the Bookseller. Bonnier Books’ 2021 sales totalled SEK 6.9 billion (A$1.04b), up...
Waterstones Children’s Book Prize shortlists announced
Friday, 11 February 2022
In the UK, the shortlists for the 2022 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize have been announced. Illustrated books Wolfboy (Andy Harkness, Bloomsbury Children’s) Alone! (Barr Falls, Farshore) The Viking Who Liked Icing (Lu...
Folio Prize 2022 shortlist announced
Thursday, 10 February 2022
In the UK, the shortlist for the £30,000 (A$57,000) Rathbones Folio Prize has been announced. The eight shortlisted titles are: Assembly (Natasha Brown, Hamish Hamilton) The Promise (Damon Galgut, Chatto & Windus) Men Who Feed Pigeons (Selima Hill,...
Waterstones reportedly in talks to buy Blackwell’s
Tuesday, 8 February 2022
In the UK, Waterstones is in exclusive talks to buy independent book chain Blackwell’s, reports Sky News. The acquisition would mean UK chains Waterstones, Foyles and Blackwell’s, as well as...
Book prices to rise in 2022: Ingram
Friday, 4 February 2022
In the US, Ingram Content Group has warned that price inflation is set to affect book publishers in 2022 due to higher shipping and printing costs, reports Publishers Weekly. Director...
Lowe wins Costa Book of the Year Award
Thursday, 3 February 2022
In the UK, Hannah Lowe has won the £30,000 (A$57,000) Costa Book of the Year for her poetry collection The Kids (Bloodaxe Books). Lowe, a former London teacher, drew on...
Blackwell’s up for sale for first time
Wednesday, 2 February 2022
In the UK, independent bookshop chain Blackwell’s is up for sale, reports the Bookseller. Blackwell’s comprises 18 shops including flagship stores in Oxford and Cambridge. It’s the first time the...
UK indie publishers rally for support as costs spiral
Tuesday, 1 February 2022
In the UK, independent publishers are rallying for support in the face of rising costs, including price hikes of up to 40% for printing, reports the Bookseller. Last week the...
Independent UK publishers post record sales despite data gaps
Monday, 31 January 2022
In the UK, four members of the Independent Alliance posted record annual sales in 2021, despite missing the first 10 weeks of sales data due to lockdowns, reports the Bookseller....
NBCC Awards finalists announced
Friday, 28 January 2022
In the US, the shortlists for the 2021 National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Awards have been announced. The finalists include: Fiction The Netanyahus (Joshua Cohen, NYRB) Second Place (Rachel Cusk,...
US publishing sales up 12%: AAP
Thursday, 27 January 2022
US publishers have recorded a 12.2% increase in sales for 2021, according to the latest data from the Association of American Publisher’s StatShot program, reports Publishers Weekly. Sales from the...
Newbery, Caldecott 2022 winners announced
Tuesday, 25 January 2022
In the US, the American Library Association (ALA) has announced the winners of its Youth Media Awards, including the Newbery and Caldecott medals, reports Publishers Weekly. Donna Barba Higuera’s middle-grade novel The...
UK book sales by value set new record: Nielsen
Monday, 24 January 2022
In the UK, Nielsen BookScan has recorded 2021 as the biggest ever year for print book sales by value, reports the Bookseller. In 2021, there was a total of £1.82...
UK government delays decision on copyright changes
Wednesday, 19 January 2022
The UK government has decided not to make changes to copyright exhaustion laws following a consultation period, reports the Bookseller. The Intellectual Property Office (IPO), which launched a consultation last...
Taylor wins 2021 T S Eliot Prize
Monday, 17 January 2022
In the UK, Joelle Taylor has won the 2021 T S Eliot Prize, worth £25,000 (A$47,360), for her collection C+nto & Othered Poems (The Westbourne Press), reports the Bookseller. C+nto & Othered...
Americans reading fewer books: Gallup poll
Friday, 14 January 2022
A new Gallup poll shows Americans read an average of 12.6 books during the past year, fewer than the average of 15.6 in 2016 and the smallest number Gallup has...
Pilkey tops US print bestsellers
Thursday, 13 January 2022
In the US, children’s book author Dav Pilkey’s Mothering Heights (Dog Man #10) was the bestselling print book in 2021—one of three of Pilkey’s titles to crack the top 25,...
UK, Ireland bookshop numbers grow for fifth consecutive year
Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Data from the UK Bookseller’s Association (BA) shows the number of independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland has grown for the fifth year in a row, reports the Bookseller....
US print book sales up 8.9% in 2021
Tuesday, 11 January 2022
In the US, print book sales were up 8.9% in 2021 compared to 2020, according to NPD BookScan data, reports Publishers Weekly. A total of 825.7 million print book were...
Vivendi confirms Lagardère takeover bid
Monday, 10 January 2022
In December, French media company Vivendi completed its purchase of Amber Capital's 17.5% stake in Hachette parent company Lagardère group, bringing its share to 45.1%, reports Publishers Weekly. Under French laws,...
UK supply chain challenges ‘most extreme’ seen: Hachette CEO
Thursday, 9 December 2021
Hachette UK CEO David Shelley has warned ongoing supply chain problems are causing the ‘most extreme’ challenges he’s seen in his career, reports the Bookseller. In his annual letter to...
US ed publishers sue Shopify over alleged selling of pirated material
Wednesday, 8 December 2021
In the US, educational publishers have filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for Eastern Virginia accusing ecommerce platform Shopify of selling pirated material, reports Goodereader. Pearson Education, Macmillan...
Perlroth wins FT and McKinsey Book of the Year, Keefe donates £10k over sponsor’s actions
Tuesday, 7 December 2021
In the UK, This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The cyber weapons arms race (Nicole Perlroth, Bloomsbury) has won the 2021 Financial Times and McKinsey Book of...
Kars wins Cundill History Prize for Blood on the River
Monday, 6 December 2021
Marjoleine Kars has won the US$75,000 (A$107,100) 2021 Cundill History Prize for Blood on the River: A chronicle of mutiny and freedom on the wild coast, reports the Bookseller. For Blood on...
McCartney wins Waterstones Book of the Year for ‘The Lyrics’
Friday, 3 December 2021
In the UK, Waterstones has named Paul McCartney’s The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present (Allen Lane) its Book of the Year for 2021, reports the Bookseller. Waterstones MD James Daunt said,...
