Latest from The Bookseller

Wattpad launches After Dark app Online writing site Wattpad is launching a free app that offers romance writing for adults, called After Dark. After Dark gives readers access to thousands of romance stories written by published authors and popular Wattpad writers. It contains content-specific channels such as LGBTQ, Urban, and Fanfiction to connect readers to relevant stories. Readers can comment and vote on After Dark stories in the same way that they can on Wattpad.

Banville and Moggach for London Book and Screen Week Authors including John Banville [pictured], Deborah Moggach and Louisa Young will take part in the inaugural London Book & Screen Week (LBSW). The London Book Fair will run the celebration of books and the films, TV programmes and the virtual worlds they have inspired from 13th to 19th April with the Mayor’s official promotional company for London, London & Partners, as a strategic partner.

B&N to separate its businesses Barnes & Noble has announced it will separate its Nook and retail arm from its education business by August this year. The US bookseller said the planned separation will create two independent publicly traded companies, one comprising of its B&N College stores and the other comprising of its general retail stores and Nook digital businesses. The company said it had filed a Registration Statement detailing the planned move with the US Securities and Exchange Commission with the completion expected by the end of August 2015.

Amazon hires former White House press secretary Amazon has hired former White House press secretary Jay Carney as senior v.p. for worldwide corporate affairs. Carney, who served as press secretary for US President Barack Obama for more than three years until 2014, will begin in his new job on Monday, Politico reported.

Headline signs title from comedy writer Shaw Headline has acquired a humour title by comedy writer Dale Shaw. Editor Richard Roper pre-empted world rights to F**k This Journal (Betterness Through Bitterness) by Dale Shaw from Jamie Coleman at Greene & Heaton. Headline is describing the book as a “hilarious and subversive take on the creative journal phenomenon”. Roper said: “I am absolutely thrilled to have acquired Dale’s book. Every page of the proposal made me laugh out loud, and I can’t wait to publish something so brilliantly realised and wickedly funny this autumn.”

Atlantic signs Rowson's carol retellings Atlantic has signed a multi-year project from cartoonist Martin Rowson, retelling classic Christmas carols. Each year will see the artist release a pun-laden carol, converted line-by-line into "silliness, filth and fun". The first carol to be released will be God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, which will be published as a fully illustrated hardback in November 2015. Editor James Roxburgh acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from David Miller at Rogers, Coleridge and White.

Film adaptation for Where'd You Go, Bernadette Maria Semple’s 2012 novel Where’d You Go, Bernadette (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) is being adapted into a film, with Oscar-nominated Richard Linklater lined up to direct.

US publisher Lerner acquires Egmont USA’s list Minneapolis-based Lerner Publishing Group has acquired nearly 100 Egmont USA titles, following Egmont’s decision to close its US office. Lerner said it has published Egmont’s remaining US assets, including books by Ilsa J Bick, Patrick Jennings, Jon and Pamela Voelkel, Lex Thomas and Len Vlahos. The titles will be incorporated into Lerner’s imprints including Carolrhoda Books, Carolrhoda Lab, Darby Creek, and Millbrook Press.

Nick Esson dies Nick Esson has died following an illness. Esson, who worked in academic book publishing for almost 40 years, passed away following a few months’ illness surrounded by his family on 20th February. Esson worked in senior sales positions, including for Allen & Unwin / Unwin Hyman, before setting up UCL Press, becoming marketing director. He founded Combined Academic Publishers in 1988, later advising the group on business strategy as chairman of the board.

Michael Joseph to publish Jojo Moyes sequel Michael Joseph will publish a new book by Jojo Moyes this autumn, a sequel to her novel Me Before You. After You, which will be published in e-book and hardback on 24th September, will pick up the story of Lou and her family, and the Traynors. UK and Commonwealth rights were signed from Sheila Crowley at Curtis Brown.

Transworld to publish first travel book from Bryson in 15 years Bill Bryson’s first travel book in 15 years will be published by Transworld in autumn. The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes from a Small Island will be a new journey around Britain by the writer. The book was announced today (26th February) at the Penguin Random House sales conference.

'Cooked' subscription site comes to UK Bloomsbury, Hardie Grant and Quadrille have launched Cooked, a subscription site featuring full cookbooks from the publishers' lists, in the UK. The site, originally launched in Australia, goes live today (26th February) in the UK, and features 22,000 recipes, alongside additional content such as videos and news updates. Authors such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Antonio Carluccio, Jason Atherton and Mark Hix are all included on the site. Food writer Eve O'Sullivan has been appointed as editor of the Cooked site.