Latest News from The Bookseller

Loose Women to launch TV Book Club ITV daytime chat show Loose Women is today (March 24th) launching a new book club, with Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train (Doubleday) picked as the first title. The book club, called Loose Books, will see a different Loose Women panellist pick a book to read each month, which will be announced on the show and on the website. A month later there will be a discussion about the book on air, with viewers invited to send in their thoughts. Books can be fiction or non-fiction, in any genre, and will range from classics to new releases.

Politicians vie for author votes at lively hustings Copyright, fair contracts for authors, and libraries were among the points addressed by politicians at a hustings hosted by the Society of Authors (SoA) and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) last night (24th March). The event saw writers given the opportunity to question Martin Horwood from the Liberal Democrats, Labour’s Chris Bryant, culture, communications and creative industries minister Ed Vaizey from the Conservative Party, and Green Party candidate Hugh Small.

IPA Congress: publishers urged to join subscription There is "an enormous business to be built in the book subscription space," similar to that in music and film, but more titles need to be made available by publishers, Scribd c.e.o. Trip Adler told the IPA Congress in Bangkok yesterday (24th March). Meanwhile HarperCollins chief digital officer Chantal Restivo-Alessi told the Congress it was very important for publishers to participate in new models, saying: "Only then can you sit at the table and define the business models. If you don't, others will, and it may not be to the advantage of your authors or content."

PRH Children's reveals titles in first combined presentation A “scratch and sniff” front cover for The Twits and more details about Jacqueline Wilson’s reworking of What Katy Did Next were some of the highlights of a Penguin Random House Children’s showcase, held yesterday (25th March) at Foyles Charing Cross. The event was the first media presentation from PRH Children’s as a combined company and m.d. Francesca Dow said that “when two fantastic publishers come together, the sum of the whole is better than the parts”.

Censorship criticism at IPA Congress Criticism of the Thai government's crackdown using the lese majesté law forbidding insults against the monarchy was voiced at the International Publishers Congress in Bangkok today (25th March). Article 112 of the Thai penal code carries a maximum of seven years imprisonment for anyone insulting the king, queen or crown prince.

Family Life paperback publication brought forward Faber & Faber is to bring forward the paperback publication of Akhil Sharma’s Family Life after the book won the Folio Prize for Fiction yesterday (23rd March). The paperback was originally due to be released on 23rd April, but Faber will now release the title on 2nd April “to give retailers the best opportunity to sell copies”, said fiction publisher Hannah Griffiths.

Del Toro pens first children’s book Film director Guillermo del Toro has teamed up with author Daniel Kraus to write a children’s book. Trollhunters is set in San Barnardino, California, where a 14-year-old boy called Jim is one of the few inhabitants to believe the rumours there are trolls in the area. The book will be published in the UK in June this year by Hot Key Books, who acquired the UK and commonwealth rights in a “hotly contested” auction. The deal was brokered by Creative Works Group with Fletcher and Co.. and rights have already sold to 11 translation territories.

Blackstaff Press 'devastated' to have Arts Council funding withdrawn Northern Ireland publisher Blackstaff Press  said it is “devastated” to learn its Arts Council funding has been withdrawn and is “absorbing the shock” of the news. The independent press, which has been running since 1971, said it found out its funding had been slashed from £82,200 to zero for the 2015-16 year through the Arts Council Northern Ireland (ACNI) website yesterday (23rd March).

IPA Congress probes future role of publishers Bloomsbury chief executive Nigel Newton has compared the state of publishing to the bus teetering half-way off a cliff edge at the end of the film "The Italian Job", on the opening day of the 30th International Publishers Congress in Bangkok (today, 24th March). But HarperCollins c.e.o. Brian Murray demurred, saying a better comparison was to a Formula One racing car, since the industry was entering a new "golden age".

Walter Scott shortlist announced Martin Amis and Hermione Eyre are among the authors on the shortlist for this year’s £30,000 Walter Scott Prize.

Orchard to publish book inspired by Pooh Orchard Books will this autumn publish a picture book about the real-life bear that inspired A A Milne’s Winnie the Pooh. Winnie was a real bear rescued from a train station by Harry Colebourn, a vetenarian on his way to fight in the First World War. He sent Winnie to London Zoo, where she inspired Milne to write his beloved children’s book.

Firefly Press acquires first children's book from Horatio Clare Wales-based children’s and YA publisher Firefly Press has acquired the first children’s book from author Horatio Clare. Penny Thomas, publisher at Firefly Press, acquired world English language rights to Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot from Zoe Waldie at Rogers, Coleridge & White Ltd.