Purcell appointed head of Amazon Publishing UK
Amazon has hired Eoin Purcell, former editorial director of New Island Books in Dublin, to lead Amazon Publishing in the UK, reports the Bookseller. Amazon first advertised the role in March 2014, saying...
Creative Industries Council to highlight contribution of publishing to UK economy
In the UK, the Creative Industries Council (CIC) has released the ‘Create UK’ report with a strategy for growth across the creative sector, which will include a poster campaign highlighting the contribution of...
Audiobook initiative wins FutureBook Hack prize
An audiobook initiative that allows people to record their own audiobook clips and be rated for their performance online has won the UK publishing industry’s FutureBook Hack Prize, reports the...
Self-publishing sales increase by 79% in UK
In the UK, the market share for self-published books grew by 79% in 2013, according to Nielsen statistics, reports the Guardian. UK consumers bought 18 million self-published books last year...
‘Books are my Bag’ campaign to send an author to every UK bookshop
In the UK, organisers of the trade-wide ‘books are my bag’ (BAMB) campaign are aiming to send an author to every bookshop in the UK for the campaign’s launch, reports...
McBride wins Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction 2014
Irish author Eimear McBride has won the 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction for her debut novel A Girl is a Half-formed Thing (Text). McBride’s book was chosen from a...
Ebook novels to overtake print book novels in the UK by 2018
In the UK, a new report has found that ebooks will overtake print books as the preferred option for reading novels by 2018, reports the Bookseller. According to the report by accounting organisation PwC, the UK ebook...
Blasim wins 2014 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize
In the UK, Iraqi author Hassan Blasim has won the 2014 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize for his short-story collection The Iraqi Christ, translated by Jonathan Wright (Comma Press). Blasim was...
Ondaatje Prize winner announced
In the UK, the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize has been awarded to This Boy by Alan Johnson (Bantam), reports the Bookseller. The £10,000 (A$18,200) prize is presented annually for ‘distinguished work...
International library news
OverDrive to distribute Smashwords titlesIn the US, ebook provider OverDrive will distribute titles from self-publishing platform Smashwords, reports Publishers Weekly. As part of a new deal, OverDrive will distribute more...
BBC expands books coverage
The BBC is expanding its website to include more coverage of books in a dedicated books section called ‘Books at the BBC’, reports the Bookseller. The section, which has been launched in...
The Book People launches international delivery
UK retailer The Book People has launched an international delivery service, reports the Bookseller. The Book People now delivers to customers in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada and Europe, with...
Hugo Awards nominees criticise Orbit for ebooks decision
In the UK, three authors nominated for this year’s Hugo Awards for science-fiction have criticised their publisher Orbit for not allowing their whole books to be distributed to voters as...
Bookseller Industry Awards winners announced
In the UK, the winners of the Bookseller Industry Awards (BIA) have been announced, reports the Bookseller. Bookselling chain Blackwell’s won the Book Retailer of the Year Award for its...
Publishers Association appoints new president
In the UK, the Publishers Association has appointed Palgrave Macmillan chairman Dominic Knight as its new president, reports the Bookseller. Knight, who was previously vice-president, replaces outgoing president Nick Fowler, director...
PA Statistics Yearbook shows UK sales fell by 2% in 2013
In the UK, the Publishers Association (PA) has released its Statistics Yearbook, which shows that the invoiced value of UK publishers’ annual sales in 2013 fell by 2% to £3.39...
Leckie wins 2014 Arthur C Clarke Award
US author Ann Leckie has won the 2014 Arthur C Clarke Award for science-fiction writing for her debut novel Ancillary Justice (Orbit). Leckie’s book was chosen from a shortlist of...
Hodder Children’s Books to launch digital-only sci-fi imprint
In the UK, Hodder Children’s Books is launching a digital-only science-fiction classics imprint, reports the Bookseller. HodderSilver will launch on 1 May with a list of five out-of-print sci-fi books:...
International library news
The British Library opens £33 million newspaper reading roomThe British Library in London, England, has opened a newspaper reading room worth £33 million (A$59.9 million), reports the Guardian. The British...
Orwell Prize 2014 shortlist announced
In the UK, the shortlists for the 2014 Orwell Prize for political writing have been announced. The titles shortlisted for the Book Prize are: Coolie Woman (Gaiutra Bahadur, Hurst); The...