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Guinness launches pop-culture annual

Friday, 4 March 2016
Guinness World Records is launching a new pop-culture annual in March. Blockbusters!, aimed at children aged eight to 12, will focus on ‘the year’s biggest smash hits from the world...

WH Smith to launch book club with Zoella

Thursday, 3 March 2016
In the UK, WH Smith is launching an ‘exclusive book club’ with YouTube star and Girl Online author Zoella, reports the Bookseller. The club, which will launch in mid-2016, will...

Fiction Uncovered prize seeking new sponsorship

Wednesday, 2 March 2016
In the UK, the Fiction Uncovered prize, which awards British mid-list writers, will not run in 2016 as it is seeking new sponsorship, reports the Bookseller. The prize is administered...

Hachette buys Perseus Book Group’s publishing division

Wednesday, 2 March 2016
In the US, Hachette has entered into a binding agreement to buy Perseus Books Group’s (PBG) publishing division, reports Publishers Weekly. PBG, which comprises nine imprints and has partnerships with...

Kinokuniya to sell graphic novels with exclusive covers

Tuesday, 1 March 2016
In the US, bookstore chain Books Kinokuniya will collaborate with publishers to bring out variant covers for a selection of English-language graphic novels, reports Publishers Weekly. The titles include the...

Book adaptations honoured at Academy Awards

Tuesday, 1 March 2016
A number of book-to-film adaptations were winners at this year’s Academy Awards, reports the Guardian. The Revenant, which won awards in the categories of best director, best actor (Leonardo DiCaprio),...

Pearson reports 30% profit increase from PRH in 2015

Monday, 29 February 2016
In the UK, Pearson has reported that its share of operating profit from Penguin Random House (PRH) was up 30% in 2015 compared to the previous year, reports Publishers Weekly....

Shortlist announced for 2016 Diagram Prize for oddest book title

Monday, 29 February 2016
The shortlist for the 2016 Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year, presented by the Bookseller, has been announced. The seven titles selected for the shortlist are: Reading...

‘Girl Online’ voted UK schoolchildren’s favourite book; Kinney favourite author

Friday, 26 February 2016
In the UK, YouTube personality Zoella’s Girl Online (Puffin) has been voted the most popular book by secondary school children, reports the Guardian. The finding was released as part of...

S&S creates Muslim-themed children’s imprint

Thursday, 25 February 2016
In the US, Simon & Schuster has created a new children’s book imprint dedicated to publishing books that feature Muslim characters and stories, reports the New York Times. Salaam Reads...

Penguin to introduce ‘Pocket Penguins’ series in May

Wednesday, 24 February 2016
In the UK, Penguin is releasing a new classics series called Pocket Penguins in May, reports the Bookseller. The series, which the publisher is calling ‘the future of Penguin Classics’,...

Nebula Awards 2015 nominees announced

Tuesday, 23 February 2016
In the US, the 2015 Nebula Awards nominees have been announced. Seven books are nominated in the fiction category: Raising Caine (Charles E Gannon, Baen Books); The Fifth Season (N...

IRS reportedly seeking $2.1b from Amazon

Monday, 22 February 2016
In the US, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is seeking to recover more than US$1.5b (A$2.1b) in back taxes, reports the Guardian. The report reveals details of Amazon’s ‘elaborate avoidance...

Scribd drops unlimited ebooks model

Friday, 19 February 2016
In the US, ebook subscription service Scribd has refined its subscription model by moving from an unlimited model to a two-tiered service, reports Publishers Weekly. Customers will have unlimited access...

PEN Pinter Prize opens to Commonwealth writers

Thursday, 18 February 2016
The PEN Pinter Prize, awarded annually to a writer of ‘outstanding literary merit’, has extended its eligibility to include Commonwealth and Irish writers, after previously being open only to British...

Rakuten writes off $96m from Kobo

Wednesday, 17 February 2016
Kobo parent company Rakuten has revealed a ¥7.8bn (A$96m) write-down on Kobo in its 2015 financial report, reports the Digital Reader. The A$96m ‘goodwill impairment’ on Kobo, which the company...

US bookstore sales rise in 2015 after eight-year decline

Tuesday, 16 February 2016
In the US, annual bookstore sales have risen for the first time since 2007, with sales up 2.5% in 2015, reports Publishers Weekly. Based on preliminary figures released by the...

S&S sales up slightly in 2015

Monday, 15 February 2016
Simon & Schuster has recorded global sales of US$780m (A$1,098m) in 2015, up 0.25% from US$778m (A$1,095m) the previous year, report Publishers Weekly and the Bookseller. Parent company CBS released...

Hachette US and UK sales drop in 2015

Friday, 12 February 2016
Hachette parent company Lagardere Publishing has reported a rise in sales for 2015, despite a drop in sales at Hachette US and UK that was attributed to declining ebook sales. Overall,...

Cassandra Clare sued for copyright infringement

Friday, 12 February 2016
US fantasy author Sherrilyn Kenyon is suing Cassandra Clare, author of the ‘Mortal Instruments’ and ‘Shadowhunters’ series (Walker Books), for alleged copyright infringement, reports the Guardian. In a lawsuit filed...

Harry Potter play to be published in July

Thursday, 11 February 2016
The script of J K Rowling’s forthcoming play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will be published on 31 July following the play’s opening in London on 30 July. Harry...

Ferrante’s ‘Neapolitan Novels’ to be adapted for TV

Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Elena Ferrante’s bestselling ‘Neapolitan Novels’ are being adapted for television, reports the Hollywood Reporter. Italian TV production company Wildside and US-based Fandango Productions will co-develop and co-produce the adaptation, which...