Latest from The Bookseller

Pan Mac buys Collector's Library Pan Macmillan has bought Collector’s Library for an undisclosed sum. Harriet Sanders, currently rights director at Pan Macmillan, has been appointed publisher of Collector’s Library, which will become an imprint within Pan Macmillan under adult books publisher Jeremy Trevathan. The three founders of Collector’s Library - Marcus Clapham, Clive Reynard and Ken Webb - will work with Pan Macmillan to “support a smooth transition of the business to its new owners”, before retiring from the business. No other staff work for Collector's Library.

WHS' Kobo partnership gives Mills & Boon boost Mills & Boon has seen a sharp rise in sales of its e-books after Kobo matched W H Smith’s in-store offer online. W H Smith has been running a “five for the price of four” offer on Mills & Boon titles throughout February, and its digital partner Kobo applied the offer to the same titles’ digital editions, giving customers five for four on a range of frontlist Mills & Boon e-books.

Kennedy to be Connect Group chair A former banker will become the new chairman of The Connect Group in May. The Connect Group, formerly Smiths News PLC, which owns Connect Books, formerly Bertrams, has hired Gary Kennedy [pictured] as chairman-designate and non-executive director from 1st May 2015. He replaces the current non-executive chairman Dennis Millard, who will step down and retire on that date.

Two UK redundancies for 'smarter' Blurb Blurb, which employed seven people in full-time roles in the UK, has made two redundancies and shut its UK office premises. However the self-publishing and marketing platform has four employees remaining in the UK, founder, president and c.e.o. Eileen Gittins told The Bookseller, saying the company is "just getting smarter" on efficiency.

Peters reveals its top sellers Perennially popular authors such as Allan Ahlberg and multi-authored series such as Rainbow Magic top the charts of children’s books sold to libraries, according to Peters Books & Furniture. The library supplier revealed exclusive sales data to The Bookseller, which showed that the bestselling picture book title this year to date was Ahlberg’s Peepo!, first published by Viking Kestral in 1981.

Authors call for PLR to be applied to remote e-loans Authors have called for Public Lending Right (PLR) to be extended to all e-book loans from libraries.

Women dominate Sunday Times Short Story Award shortlist Five women have made the shortlist for the £30,000 Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award. British newcomer Rebecca F John, whose first book will be published by Parthian this year, has been nominated for her story "The Glove Maker's Numbers", about a woman grieving over her brother, alongside previous nominee Yiyun Li's, whose story "A Sheltered Woman" follows a Chinese-American nanny.

Thrillers shift focus to unhappy families The domestic noir genre is moving its focus away from subjects such as toxic marriages into the realms of parents who are forced into extreme circumstances. While missing children have always been a stalwart of the genre, this year’s titles are exploring different angles, with teenage children and the impact of social media featuring more prominently.

Zed appoints Mahey-Morgan and Biswas Crystal Mahey-Morgan is to join Zed Books as digital sales and marketing director. Meanwhile Vidisha Biswas joins as sales director. Mahey-Morgan [pictured] left Penguin Random House, where she was group online/digital account manager, last year to work as a freelancer “specialising in “traditionally hard to reach audiences”.

Nick Hern Books to publish Sher's Falstaff diaries Performing arts publisher Nick Hern Books is publishing Sir Antony Sher’s acting memoir, Year of the Fat Knight: The Falstaff Diaries (April, £16.99).

Freud longlisted for New Angle Prize Esther Freud is among the authors longlisted for the 2015 New Angle Prize for literature that celebrates East Anglia.  Freud’s Mr Mac and Me (Bloomsbury), set on the Suffolk coast, is on the longlist [full details below], as are non-fiction titles by David Gentleman, Ronald Blythe, Mark Cocker and Alex Monroe. Four debut authors - Jason Hewitt, Sarah Perry, Jo Riccioni and Kate Worsley – also feature.

Publishers, filmmakers and gamers to pair at LBF The London Book Fair (LBF) will seek to pair publishers with other media companies at a Creative Industries Day. On Thursday 16th April at Olympia, LBF will host the day, which aims to boost partnerships and generate collaboration between publishers and other companies such as games manufacturers and filmmakers.