News from The Bookseller

LATEST NEWS Scotland school libraries campaign from CILIP CILIP Scotland will later this month launch an advocacy strategy for school libraries, pledging to campaign for libraries at national level. In the document, CILIP Scotland pledges to commission research on the impact of school libraries and librarians, provide advice and support to individual librarians, and advocate for school librarians at a national level.   Japan officials ask McGraw-Hill to 'correct' history textbook In the latest salvo from an increasingly confident conservative regime in Tokyo bent on revisionism, officials have requested that a US author and his publisher remove historic references to Japan's war time sex slaves from a history textbook. The publisher of Traditions & Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past by Jerry H Bentley and Herbert Ziegler, McGraw-Hill Education, has declined the request, according to a statement issued to the Wall Street Journal. Memoir ban 'threatens freedom of speech' Lawyers for free speech groups have argued that a ban placed on a performing artist preventing him from publishing his memoir is an “unpredictable threat to freedom of expression”. The artist’s ex-wife was granted a temporary injunction after saying that the contents of the memoir would be distressing for his son to read. The artist cannot be identified for legal reasons, and his publisher is known only as STL during the case. WoMentoring leads to Borough buy HarperCollins imprint the Borough Press has signed a new novel after publisher Katie Espiner mentored the author through the WoMentoring programme. New Year's resolutions boost from Yellow Kite Hodder & Stoughton's personal development  imprint Yellow Kite is to host a two-day online festival to help people stay on track with their New Year’s resolutions. This is the Year, which takes place this Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd January, will help “transform your body and mind, get you back on track with your resolutions and guarantee to make 2015 the year that you live a better life”. Authors contribute to Charlie Hebdo fundraiser Le Livre de Poche, the paperback subsidiary of Hachette Livre, will soon publish a compilation of texts from some of its authors in tribute to the victims of the shooting at Charlie Hebdo nearly two weeks ago. The publisher’s profits from sales of the as-yet-untitled book, which will retail for €5, will go to the satirical weekly. Culture minister Fleur Pellerin also announced yesterday (Monday 19th January) that the government would provide funds to ensure the financially-strapped magazine survive. Filer wins at Writers' Guild Awards Nathan Filer has added the Writers’ Guild Award for Best First Novel to the accolades for his debut The Shock of the Fall (The Borough Press). The awards were held last night (Monday 19th January) at RIBA in London and presented by writer and comedian Sandi Toksvig. Filer won the Best First Novel award, beating shortlisted novels A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride (Faber & Faber) and Barbarians by Tim Glencross (John Murray). Lawrence made H&S comms director Eleni Lawrence has been promoted to the new role of Hodder and Stoughton communications director, among several staffing changes in the publisher's press office. Former publicity director Lawrence will now be focusing on Hodder's corporate PR strategy, as well as continuing to work on a portfolio of titles. Other changes see Veronique Norton promoted from publicity manager to senior publicity manager and Rebecca Mundy promoted from publicist to press officer. Mental illness memoir to PCR Little, Brown’s Piatkus Constable Robinson division has acquired a “beautifully written” memoir about mental illness. Publishing director Andreas Campomar bought UK and Commonwealth rights in The Spaces In Between: A Memoir of Mental Illness by Caroline Jones from Kerry Glencorse at Susanna Lea Associates. Jones, who grew up mainly in east Africa, developed bulimia at the age of 17. She suffered for 14 years before finding a therapist who was able to help. Tinder Press to accept unagented manuscripts in March Headline imprint Tinder Press has partnered with The Reading Agency to hold an open submissions period for unagented manuscripts. Unagented authors will be able to send their manuscripts direct to the imprint for two weeks in March, with the event being held to celebrate two years of Tinder Press. Second Facebook Book Club choice looks at violence Mark Zuckerberg’s second book for his Facebook book club is The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker (Penguin). The book is currently showing as not in stock on Amazon.co.uk until January 21st, and on Amazon.com until January 24th. The book is showing as available on the Waterstones’ website, and is showing as available for despatch in two days via Foyles. Costa Short Story Award identities revealed The identities of the finalists for the Costa Short Story Award 2014 have been announced, with writers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland making the shortlist. The shortlist was chosen by a panel of judges including writers Patrick Gale and Victoria Hislop; Richard Beard, director of the National Academy of Writing; Fanny Blake, novelist, journalist and Books Editor of Woman & Home magazine; and Simon Trewin, agent at William Morris Endeavor.