Macfarlane wins nature writing prize for ‘Underland’
In the UK, Robert Macfarlane has been awarded the Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize for his eighth book Underland (Hamish Hamilton). Judges called Underland ‘a passionate book which celebrates the...
UK sales of Booker Prize longlisted titles up nearly 200%
In the UK, the titles longlisted for the Booker Prize sold a combined 4740 copies according to Nielsen BookScan, up 198% on the week before the announcement, reports the Bookseller. Oyinkan...
Analysis of bestselling UK picture books shows ‘concerning’ lack of diversity
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...
Report shows 127 UK libraries closed last year
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has found that 127 libraries closed in the UK last year and a continued decline in overall spending and staff levels,...
UK Society of Authors issues ‘Brexit Briefing’
The UK's Society of Authors (SoA) has issued a report outlining the vulnerabilities faced by the UK's creative industries during the government's Brexit negotiations, reports Publishers Weekly. Representing 10,500 members,...
Costa Book Awards 2018 shortlists announced
In the UK, the shortlists for the 2018 Costa Book Awards have been announced. Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award are: The Silence of the Girls (Pat Barker, Hamish Hamilton) The...
Making the deal: The state of rights sales in the UK
While the UK remains a tough market for Australian publishers to break into, UK indies are showing an interest in Australian voices, reports Catherine Moller. Several Australian independent publishers have had...
EU council allows VAT-free status for ebooks and audiobooks
The European Union’s (EU) Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) has agreed to allow all EU member states to reduce the amounts of value-added tax (VAT) on ebooks and audiobooks,...
UK family halts library closures in high court challenge
In the UK, a family has halted plans to close 21 libraries, after winning a high court challenge against Northamptonshire county council, reports the Guardian. The council is technically insolvent...
Brown, Williams win 2018 James Tait Black Prizes
The winners of the James Tait Black Prizes for fiction and biography—the UK’s oldest literary awards—have been announced. Craig Brown’s Ma'am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret (HarperCollins) has won the...
UK working class writers’ festival planned for 2020
In the UK, authors, publishers and trade professionals will launch a working class writers’ festival, reports the Bookseller. Author Natasha Carthew initially tweeted to her followers in July: ‘Comrades! This is a call...
Bowers to participate in UK exchange program Intersect
Writer and multidisciplinary artist Candy Bowers has been announced as one of the 2018 participants in the British Council's inaugural UK exchange program, Intersect. Bowers is one of three culturally...
Connect Books sold for just £6 million
UK book wholesaler and distributor Connect Books has been sold to private equity firm Aurelius for £6 million ($A10.6 million), which is nearly half of the sale price originally agreed...
Waterstones partners with UK podcast
In the UK, bookselling chain Waterstones has announced a year-long partnership with the podcast Mostly Lit to produce a series of in-store events and online content, reports the Bookseller. The...
Aussie, NZ writers make shortlists for UK Romantic Novel Awards
Australian author Janet Glover and New Zealand author Soraya M Lane have both been included in the 2018 Romantic Novel Awards (RONA) shortlists, administered by the UK Romantic Novelists’ Association. Glover’s...
Krien wins British Sports Book New Writer Award
Anna Krien has won the Cross British Sports Book ‘New Writer of the Year’ Award for her book Night Games: Sex, Power and a Journey into the Dark Heart of...
Alan Turing Institute for Data Science to be based at British Library
In the UK, a new £42m (A$79m) Alan Turing Institute for Data Science will be based at the British Library at the centre of a new Knowledge Quarter, reports the...
International library news
US appeals court reverses e-reserves copyright ruling In the US, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has issued its long-awaited ruling in the Cambridge University Press vs. Patton case, also...
Forward Prize for Poetry winners announced
In the UK, the winners of the 2014 Forward Prize for Poetry have been announced. The Forward Prize for Best Collection was awarded to The Cartographer Tries to Map a...
Former Book Depository MD launches Best Little Bookshop
UK-based online bookstore Best Little Bookshop, the brainchild of former Book Depository MD Kieron Smith, has launched in beta form, reports the Bookseller. Smith announced plans to create the bookstore in February 2014 after leaving...