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Egyptian bookshop chain expands to the UK

Tuesday, 29 September 2015
Egyptian bookshop chain Alef Bookstores will open its first international branch in London next month, reports the Bookseller. The store, which will be located next door to 221B Baker Street,...

UK book industry launches Buy Books for Syria campaign

Tuesday, 29 September 2015
Waterstones and the UK book industry are launching the Buy Books for Syria campaign, with the aim of raising £1 million (A$2.2 million) for Oxfam’s Syria Crisis Appeal, reports the...

UK Publishers Association chief executive to step down

Monday, 28 September 2015
UK Publishers Association chief executive Richard Mollet has announced he will step down from his position in 2016, reports the Bookseller. Mollet, who has been the association’s chief executive for...

Business Book of the Year 2015 shortlist announced

Wednesday, 23 September 2015
In the UK, the shortlist for this year’s £30,000 (A$65,080) Business Book of the Year Award has been announced, reports the Bookseller. The shortlisted titles are: The Rise of the...

UK National Book Awards cancelled this year

Tuesday, 22 September 2015
The UK’s National Book Awards will not run in 2015, reports the Bookseller. The consumer-focused awards are the country’s ‘only national literary prize that covers every genre of publishing’, and...

Oyster ebook subscription service to close

Tuesday, 22 September 2015
US-based ebook subscription service Oyster is shutting down its operations, reports Publishers Weekly. The company said in a statement on its blog: ‘We will be taking steps to sunset the...

Samuel Johnson Prize 2015 longlist announced

Tuesday, 22 September 2015
The longlist for the Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction has been announced. The longlisted titles are: Ted Hughes: The Unauthorised Life (Jonathan Bate, Flamingo) This Divided Island (Samanth Subramanian, Atlantic...

Children’s book growth analysed at Nielsen Summit

Monday, 21 September 2015
Insights into the growth in the children’s book market were presented at the Nielsen Children’s Book Summit in New York on 15 September, reports Publishers Weekly. From January 2014 to...

Amazon launches new low-cost tablet

Friday, 18 September 2015
In the UK and US, Amazon has introduced a low-cost tablet priced at £49.99 (A$108.26) and US$49.99 (A$69.52) in the two markets, reports the Bookseller and the Wall Street Journal....

BBC National Short Story Award 2015 shortlist announced

Friday, 18 September 2015
In the UK, the shortlist for the BBC National Short Story Award 2015 has been announced. The shortlisted writers and their stories are: Jonathan Buckley for ‘Briar Road’, Mark Haddon for ‘Bunny’,...

Booker Prize 2015 shortlist announced

Wednesday, 16 September 2015
The shortlist for this year’s Man Booker Prize has been announced. The shortlisted titles are: A Brief History of Seven Killings (Marlon James, Oneworld Publications), Satin Island (Tom McCarthy, Jonathan...

Pearson plans to keep stake in PRH 

Tuesday, 15 September 2015
Pearson is likely to maintain its stake in Penguin Random House (PRH) until at least 2017, according to statements from Pearson CEO John Fallon, reports Bloomberg Business. Speaking to Bloomberg TV...

Authors Guild survey reveals 24% drop in income

Monday, 14 September 2015
In the US, a new Authors Guild survey has found the median writing-related income of its members has declined 24% in the past five years, reports Publishers Weekly. According to...

Perseus exploring sale of business

Friday, 11 September 2015
In the US, Perseus Books Group (PBG) has hired investment banking firm Greenhill & Co to initiate ‘a formal process to explore a potential sale of the business’, reports Publishers...

Amazon appoints director of social responsibility

Thursday, 10 September 2015
Amazon has appointed a director of social responsibility amid recent criticism of its business practices, reports the Bookseller. Christine Bader, the author of The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist: When...

Tel wins 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize

Wednesday, 9 September 2015
UK author Jonathan Tel has won the 2015 Commonwealth 2015 Short Story Prize for his story ‘The Human Phonograph’. The £5000 (A$10,987) prize is presented annually to the best piece...

Authors raise over £500,000 for Syrian refugees

Tuesday, 8 September 2015
A group of authors, led by Patrick Ness, have raised over £500,000 (A$1.1m) for Syrian refugees, reports the Bookseller. Ness launched the fundraising campaign on 3 September, pledging to match...

US publishers take part in staff diversity survey

Wednesday, 2 September 2015
In the US, more than 30 publishing houses, including Macmillan, Abrams, Lerner, Bloomsbury, and Chronicle have agreed to take part in the ‘Diversity Baseline’ survey, reports Publishers Weekly. The survey,...

German bookseller alliance launches ebook bestseller chart

Monday, 31 August 2015
The German bookseller alliance Tolino has introduced an ebook bestseller list, with data received from all alliance member stores, reports Publishing Perspectives. The list tracks ebooks that are traditionally published...

Amazon ebook deal with NYC schools postponed

Friday, 28 August 2015
In the US, New York City education officials have delayed a US$30m ($A41.7m) deal with Amazon for the company to provide students with ebooks after advocates highlighted the program would exclude...

Author Solutions lawsuit discontinued after out-of-court settlement

Wednesday, 26 August 2015
In the US, a lawsuit brought against Author Solutions, the self-publishing service provider owned by Penguin Random House, has been discontinued following an undisclosed out-of-court settlement, reports Publishers Weekly. The case was...