Latest Book News from The Bookseller

'Phenomenal interest' in Rhodes memoir There has been "phenomenal interest" from media and retailers in James Rhodes’ Instrumental (Canongate), after the Supreme Court overturned an injunction preventing the release of the book, Canongate c.e.o. Jamie Byng has told The Bookseller. In Instrumental Rhodes tells of the sexual abuse he suffered as a child, and how music helped him.

Puffin editor Lewis-Oakes wins KSW Prize Children’s book editor Rebecca Lewis-Oakes has been named as the winner of the 10th Kim Scott Walwyn Prize.  Lewis-Oakes, an editor at Puffin, was one of the first people to commission a YouTube star, before vloggers became the rage, prize organisers said.

HarperCollins makes Ireland appointments HarperCollins has made two appointments to its team in Ireland, with Mary Byrne promoted and Anne-Marie Dolan joining the sales team. Byrne, formerly HarperCollins Children's publicity director, will now become PR director, Ireland, taking responsibility for for the publicity strategy for the publisher and its titles in Ireland, beginning on 1st July. Dolan, who previously worked at Dubray Books, has started at the HarperCollins sales team in Ireland as sales and marketing executive.

Chelsea Clinton pens book to inspire tweens Penguin Random House UK will this autumn publish a children’s book by Chelsea Clinton about the challenges the world is facing, and what young people are doing to combat these changes. It’s Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going! is aimed at young people aged 10-14 and addresses issues such as poverty, homelessness, food insecurity and gender equality. It will include visuals such as charts, graphs and photographs.

Garnons-Williams moves to 4th Estate HarperCollins has appointed Helen Garnons-Williams as publishing director of 4th Estate, moving from her role as publishing director at Bloomsbury. Meanwhile, at Bloomsbury, Alexa von Hirschberg has been promoted from commissioning editor to senior fiction editor.

McEwan defends freedom of expression Novelist Ian McEwan has defended free speech in an address to students at a US college, criticising the authors who pulled out of a PEN event that honoured the Charlie Hebdo journalists. Speaking at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania earlier this week, McEwan said freedom of expression “sustains all the other freedoms we enjoy”.

Francis to give Marketing and Publicity Conference keynote Will Francis, co-founder of creative digital agency Harkable, is the first keynote speaker announced for The Bookseller Marketing & Publicity Conference, to be held at the Southbank Centre in London on 30th June 2015.  Francis worked for MySpace before founding Harkable, which has created campaigns for brands such as Spotify, Samsung and Penguin Random House. He regularly appears on TV speaking about technology and digital culture. Bookings for the conference are now open, with three for two group booking rates available.

PRH to be global publisher for BBC audio Penguin Random House UK is to become the global publisher and distributor for all BBC-branded physical and digital audiobooks. The deal signed today with BBC Worldwide extends an agreement signed by Random House Audio and BBC Worldwide in 2013 to sell and distribute BBC audiobooks that had previously been available through the now-defunct AudioGO.

Robson Press signs advice columnist Mooney Biteback imprint The Robson Press has signed a book from veteran advice columnist Bel Mooney. Jeremy Robson, publisher at the Robson Press, acquired world rights to Bel Mooney's Lifelines: Words to See You Through. The book will draw on Mooney's years of columns, which have revised and updated to create what the publisher calls an "inspirational" collection. Mooney has been an advice columnist in the Daily Mail for several years, offering help on topics from grief to martial breakdown.

Sceptre signs book on Britain's Green Belt Sceptre has acquired a memoir exploring the origins of Britain’s Green Belt. Associate publisher Drummond Moir bought UK and Commonwealth rights, including Canada, to Outskirts: Living Life on the Edge of the Green Belt by John Grindrod at auction from Nicola Barr at Greene & Heaton.

Greystone Books publishes tropical forest investigation Greystone Books will today release On the Edge, a book providing an “up-to-date picture of the health of the world’s tropical forests”. On the Edge has been commissioned by the Club of Rome, a global think-tank whose remit is to identify crucial problems and improve the prospects for the future. The book, authored by scientist and conservationist Claude Martin, will be launched in association with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) at a press conference today in Berlin, and includes exclusive satellite images of deforestation provided by NASA.

Atwood and Future Library launch writing competition Margaret Atwood and Future Library will run a writing competition via online writing site Wattpad to mark the author being the first person to add her work to the Future Library project.