Latest from The Bookseller

Pan Mac to publish Nelson Mandela sequel Pan Macmillan is to publish the sequel to the late Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom (Abacus). An incomplete draft of the new book, which does not yet have a title and which was started by Mandela before his death last year, is in the archives of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

Folio winner Family Life 'deserves recognition' says trade Akhil Sharma’s Family Life (Faber) has finally gained the recognition it deserves by winning the Folio Prize, trade figures have told The Bookseller. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the prize said there will be conversations about the future of its funding this summer. Sharma’s novel, based loosely on real life events in the author’s life, took 13 years to write and was nine years overdue.

Faber consults on job roles Faber is in consultations with staff over a number of redundancies at the publisher. The Bookseller understands that the company is undergoing a restructure, with 14 positions likely to go across both the sales and editorial departments. Faber confirmed it is currently in a consultation process with staff and said an announcement would be made later this week, but declined to give any further details.

PA rallies MEPs over copyright The Publishers Association (PA) has sent a rallying cry to the UK’s European members of parliament urging them that copyright is not in need of reform.  The PA has developed a paper called Publishing and the Digital Single Market, which it is sending to all UK MEP’s this week, underlining the value of publishing and arguing that the digital single market is already a reality and therefore copyright is not in need of reform.

Paris Book Fair ends with author protest The four-day Paris Book Fair closed last night after an unprecedented protest demonstration by authors and with lower exhibitor, visitor and sales numbers.

Presenter Neil Oliver pens debut historical novel Orion has acquired the debut novel of historian and television presenter Neil Oliver entitled Master of Shadows. Jon Wood, managing director Orion Fiction, bought British Commonwealth (excluding Canada) and European rights from Eugenie Furniss of Furniss Lawton in the book and a sequel. Master of Shadows is a historical novel set in the days leading to the Fall of Constantinople. It follows the fortunes of John Grant, a young Scottish man who possesses skills that make him invaluable to an emperor facing invasion.

Titan Books' Lewis lands deal with Borough Press The Borough Press has signed two books from Beth Lewis, a managing editor at Titan Books. Deputy publishing director Sarah Hodgson signed UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, for two literary thrillers in a deal with Euan Thorneycroft at A M Heath. The first book in the deal, The Wolf Road, is set in a remote land ravaged by an unnamed disaster, where a young girl is being brought up by a taciturn animal trapper. When she discovers the dark secret he is hiding, she flees to the frozen north to find her true parents.

Second Alfie Deyes book released early The follow-up to YouTube star Alfie Deyes’ The Pointless Book is to be released a week earlier than scheduled to coincide with the Easter holidays. Blink Publishing will release The Pointless Book 2 this Thursday (26th March) instead of next week to meet “unprecedented demand”, said the publisher.

La Plante, Almond and Shafak to headline WBN event Authors including Lynda La Plante, David Almond and Elif Shafak, will headline the World Book Night flagship event in London on 23rd April. The event, which marks the fifth anniversary of World Book Night, will take place at the Shaw Theatre in central London. Now run by charity The Reading Agency, it will see authors sharing their reading journey, the books that have shaped them and those they would like to share with others. Other figures taking part include Sarah Winman, Elizabeth Fremantle and Annabel Pitcher.

UK's Watson wins Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize UK author Alexander Watson has won this year’s Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize in Military History for his title Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary in World War I (Allen Lane). Watson received the $50,000 (£33,452) annual prize, awarded in recognition of the best book in the field of military history published in English during the previous calendar year, at a ceremony at the New-York Historical Society last night (23rd March).

Man Booker International Prize finalists revealed Ten authors have been named as finalists for the Man Booker International Prize 2015, representing countries including Hungary, Guadeloupe, and the Republic of Congo. Each writer is now in the running to win a £60,000 prize, with the winner announced in a ceremony at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London on 19th May.

Scholastic acquires stake in UK's Make Believe Ideas Scholastic US has acquired a minority stake in Make Believe Ideas (MBI), a UK-based publisher for children aged 0-5, for an undisclosed sum.  The companies will showcase a co-branded series – Early Learners ages 0-5 – at the Bologna Book Fair next week and a global English language release is set for autumn 2015. The range incorporates brightly coloured, interactive books in formats such as lift-the-flap, finger tracing, sound-enriched, touch-and-feel, and write-and wipe.