Latest News from The Bookseller

Kate Mosse leaves Orion to join Mantle Kate Mosse is to leave Orion, which published her bestselling Languedoc trilogy, to join Pan Macmillan’s Mantle imprint. The author, who is also co-founder of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction, will write a new trilogy for Mantle, the first volume of which will be released in spring 2018. Publisher Maria Rejt, who has known Mosse for 30 years, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to the three books from Mark Lucas at LAW.

Ten titles to contest Book of the Year Children’s titles make up the rump of books nominated for The Bookseller’s inaugural Book of the Year, to be presented at The Bookseller Industry Awards at the Park Lane Hilton on 11th May. The first of its kind, the award recognises the publishing as well as the books, with both author and publisher as recipients.

Faber confirms eight roles to go Faber has confirmed that eight jobs will be lost from the company following a restructure. The Bookseller reported earlier in the week that the publisher was in consultation with staff over a number of roles. Chief executive Stephen Page said the net loss of eight roles was a result of a "particularly challenging" market in the UK for some parts of the company's publishing.

Biddulph wins Waterstones Children’s Book Prize Rob Biddulph was today (26th March) announced as the overall winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, as well as the best illustrated book category. Biddulph, who is also the art director of the Observer magazine, won the prize for Blown Away (HarperCollins Children’s Books), about a penguin’s perilous trip from the Antarctic to the jungle and back. Blown Away is only the second picture book to win the overall Waterstones children’s prize in its 10 year-history.

Strangers Have the Best Candy wins Diagram Prize Self-published title Strangers Have the Best Candy has won the Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year. In the closest vote since the prize was opened to public voting in 2000, Margaret Meps Schulte's travelogue won with 26.1% of the vote, just ahead of Diana Rajchel's Divorcing a Real Witch: For Pagans and the People who Used to Love Them with 25.1% of the vote.

V&A makes five redundant as it focuses on digital V&A Publishing has made five people redundant as part of a drive to have a “greater focus on digital output”. Among the people who have left are Mark Eastment, publishing director, two editors, a production controller and a rights manager, but the museum said “all those functions will be retained in the new structure”. The five staff members were part of V&A Publishing, which sits within the Victoria and Albert Museum’s commercial and digital development department, which operates under the trading name of V&A Enterprises Ltd.

IBW book award 2015 shortlist revealed Former Costa and Booker winners from Vintage have made it onto the Independent Booksellers Week (IBW) Awards shortlist for 2015.  H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald (Vintage) and The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan (Vintage) have been picked as two of the shortlisted books on the adult category of the IBW book award.

Laurel Remington wins Times Chicken House prize Lawyer Laurel Remington has won this year’s Times Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition for unpublished writers. Remington took the prize, winning a royalty advance of £10,000 and a contract with Chicken House, for her book The Secret Cooking Club for Girls. The story is aimed at readers aged 8-12 and is about a girl who discovers an escape from the embarrassing revelations of her 'blogger-mum' through baking.

Revenues up 2% for Scholastic US Scholastic Inc said revenues increased 2% in the third quarter to $382.1m (£257.6m), although overall sales were offset by “reduced local currency revenues” in the UK and Canada. For the period ending 28th February, operating income rose 2.6% to $35.2m (£23.7m) and operating costs were up, growing 2.3% to $417.3m (£281.4m). “We continued our positive trajectory of profitable year-over-year sales growth in the third quarter, which is typically a lower revenue quarter for the company,” said chairman, president and c.e.o. Richard Robinson.

Amazon approaches UK government about drones testing Amazon is investigating beginning trials of its drone delivery service in the UK, it has been reported.

Fifty Shades director won't return for second film Sam Taylor-Johnson will not return to direct the sequels to the "Fifty Shades of Grey" film. Taylor-Johnson reportedly clashed with Fifty Shades of Grey author E L James on set a number of times during filming of the first book, after James was given “creative controls…that were unprecedented for a first-time author”, reported Deadline.

John Murray acquires barrister biography John Murray has acquired a biography of renowned criminal barrister Jeremy Hutchinson, written by barrister and author Thomas Grant QC. Hutchinson, who is turning 100 this year, was instrumental in many high-profile cases such as the trials of Lady Chatterley's Lover and Fanny Hill to the sex and spying scandals which contributed to Harold Macmillan's resignation in 1963. He also defended figures including double agent George Blake, Christine Keeler, Great Train robber Charlie Wilson and drug dealer Howard Marks.