Latest from The Bookseller

Independent Bookshop of Year shortlists and winners revealed The regional shortlists and winners of The Bookseller Industry Awards’ Independent Bookshop of the Year category, sponsored by Gardners Books, have been praised by the judging committee for their “creativity, passion and [for] demonstrating the very best the sector has to offer”. The judges — who whittled down the 24-strong shortlist from a field of more than 60 entries, with one winner coming from each region — hailed the “extraordinary depth and calibre” of this year’s entries.

Facebook Focus for IPG Day One Facebook was a focus of the first day of the IPG spring conference in Chipping Norton yesterday (4th March), which saw Perseus reveal the inside story on having a book selected for the Facebook Book Club, while publishers told they are "too nice" and need to develop more attitude if they are to compete with industries like film and music. The conference began with a welcome from IPG chairman Oliver Gadsby, c.e.o. of Rowman and Littlefield.

Government promotes child library membership The government has announced plans to improve literacy by promoting public library membership in primary schools. But the move has had a mixed reaction, with campaigner Laura Swaffield describing the news as a “bad joke for World Book Day”. The government has put together an action plan, entitled Reading: The Next Steps, that urges all primary schools to arrange library membership for year 3 pupils (aged 7-8).

Doncaster primary wins Patterson WBD award Hexthorpe Primary School in Doncaster is set to receive £10,000 of books for its library after winning the inaugural World Book Day Award (WoBoD). The award, which was launched by World Book Day in January, is funded by James Patterson, who donated £50,000 of his own money to fund the prize for two years.

Scott Pack to launch Gallic Books imprint Scott Pack, previously publisher at HarperCollins imprint The Friday Project, has joined indie Gallic Books to set up a new imprint named Aardvark Bureau.

Funny books win at Blue Peter awards Humorous titles published by Nosy Crow and Bloomsbury have won prizes at Blue Peter Book Awards 2015, voted for by hundreds of schoolchildren. Nosy Crow’s The Spy Who Loved School Dinners, written by Pamela Butchart and illustrated by Thomas Flintham, won the best story award, while Bloomsbury’s The Silly Book of Side-Splitting Stuff, by author Andy Seed and illustrator Scott Garrett, got the prize for best book with facts.

Horobin to leave Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster’s group sales, marketing and publicity director James Horobin is to leave the company at the end of this week. The publisher said Horobin, who joined the company in 2010, intended to “seek challenges in his career outside of Simon & Schuster.” His departure is the latest in a recent cluster, including children's m.d. Ingrid Selberg, who announced her departure in December, non-fiction publishing director Mike Jones, who left last June, and senior commissioning editor Jessica Leeke, who departed to join Michael Joseph in September.

Miriam Robinson to direct Marketing & Publicity Conference Miriam Robinson, former head of marketing at Foyles, is to become programme director for The Bookseller’s annual Marketing & Publicity Conference, to be held in June. Robinson led Foyles' widely-admired strategy to involve trade partners in the creation of the new Charing Cross Road flagship store culminating in a series of workshops reported on by The Bookseller. She also launched the Charing Cross Road Festival of Books and Music and in 2013 won the Kim Scott Walwyn Prize for women in publishing.

Diana Beaumont to join Agency Group Diana Beaumont is to join The Agency Group, taking her clients with her. Beaumont, who worked as a senior commissioning editor at Transworld before joining the Rupert Heath Literary Agency in 2011, represents clients including crime writer Claire McGowan, TV chef Reza Mahammad, The Pizza Pilgrims, the Vagenda and wellness guru Xochi Balfour. She will work alongside Juliet Mushens, the company's current literary agent.

Freedom of expression to dominate Paris Book Fair Freedom of expression following the terrorist attack on the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in January, human rights and the looming European copyright reform will be recurrent themes at the Paris Book Fair on 20th-23rd March, according to Vincent Montagne, president of the French Publishers Association (Syndicat National de l’Edition, SNE).

Richardson appointed to Bonnier's twenty7 Joel Richardson has been appointed as publisher at twenty7, the new digital-first adult fiction imprint of Bonnier Publishing. Richardson joins from Quercus, where he held positions including audiobook publisher and editor, where he worked with authors including Joel Dicker and Hester Browne.

Yellow Jersey buys Millar memoir Yellow Jersey Press has bought the memoir of British cyclist David Millar. Matt Phillips, editorial director at Yellow Jersey Press, acquired World All Language rights from David Luxton at DLA.