Latest book news from The Bookseller

PRH UK and Amazon facing terms dispute Penguin Random House UK and Amazon are in dispute over terms, with a new contract under negotiation. If a deal is not reached Amazon could begin to pull or downgrade the availability of PRH titles from its ecommerce channels as it did with Hachette Book Group USA titles last year. With a number of PRH titles in Amazon's current bestseller chart, there is no indication as yet that Amazon is ratcheting up the pressure on PRH UK.

Amazon ends UK sales diversion to Luxembourg Amazon has started booking sales made to customers in the UK through the UK branch, instead of diverting sales through Luxembourg. The company’s new arrangements came into force on 1st May. Previously retail sales have been recorded in Luxembourg, where Amazon has its European headquarters, regardless of where in Europe the customer is. This means Amazon has been able to take advantage of Luxembourg’s lower tax rate. As of 1st May, Amazon is now recording retail sales made to customers in the UK through the UK branch, meaning it will be taxed by HMRC.

Penguin Verlag set up in Germany HarperCollins, which will start publishing German-language books in the autumn, is not the only international publisher to set up shop in Germany. Munich-based Verlagsgruppe Random House has just announced the launch of Penguin Verlag.

Hardbacks lead summer reading line-up Publishers and booksellers are expecting this year’s summer reading to be driven by key hardback releases, contrasting sharply to the focus in recent years on paperback and backlist. Nearly all retailers contacted by The Bookseller heavily tipped two of the most hyped books of the year to top the summer charts: Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird follow-up Go Set a Watchman (Heinemann, 14th July) and David Lagercrantz’s continuation of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, The Girl in the Spider’s Web (MacLehose Press, 27th August).

FBF invests in IPR License The Frankfurt Book Fair has made what it calls "a significant investment" in IPR License, a rights and licensing trading platform set up by Legend Press founder Tom Chalmers. As part of the deal, Frankfurt will take a minority shareholding in IPR License, with the two companies working together on a sales, marketing and tech licensing partnership, to "establish the IPR platform TradeRights as the industry standard tool for rights and licensing transactions."

Harlequin Audio formed in US Harlequin in the US is creating a new audio imprint, working in conjunction with HarperAudio. The new imprint, Harlequin Audio, will produce audio versions of Harlequin's print titles, with the aim of releasing 200 titles in its first year, with the first titles published on 30th June 2015. The move follows the acquisition of Harlequin by HarperCollins, a deal which concluded last year.

Goldsboro Books to expand in June Goldsboro Books is to expand in June, increasing its size by a third. The high-profile independent bookshop, founded in 1999, is currently based at 23–25 Cecil Court in the heart of London’s theatre district. It will expand into the adjacent premises, at 27 Cecil Court, in June. David Headley, co-founder of the bookshop which specialises in signed first-edition books, said the company plans to knock through the wall to give the bookshop 30% more space, with a refurbishment planned for the whole shop.

Transworld's Gaminara to retire Bantam Press publishing director Sally Gaminara is to retire this year. Gaminara’s publishing career has spanned nearly 40 years, and she joined Transworld’s Corgi imprint in 1987 from Penguin Books. She moved to the Doubleday team in 1989, where she published Prince Charles' book, A Vision of Britain.

SPCK to start children's list The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK), one of the oldest publishers in the UK, has launched a children’s list. The publisher, which has existed since 1698, has released the “odd” children’s book in the past, but this is the first time it has set up a dedicated list. It will publish eight titles this year, and around six books annually thereafter.

Virago plans new Du Maurier editions Virago Modern Classics is to release two new editions of three of Daphne du Maurier’s most famous novels to attract new readers for the author, who has “cross-generational appeal”. Rebecca, Jamaica Inn and Frenchman’s Creek will each be released in two editions: one to appeal to her “core readership”, and one for a young adult readership.

Lunn appointed c.e.o at Beanstalk Literacy charity has promoted Ginny Lunn, former director of programme development, partnerships and policy, to the position of c.e.o. Lunn will take up her new position on the 1st June and replaces Sue Porto, who left the charity on 30th April to become c.e.o. of St. John’s Hospital in Bath. Jamie Pike, Beanstalk chair of trustees, said: “Ginny has a wealth of experience gained across a range of organisations, which the board is fully confident will allow her to guide Beanstalk on its journey towards helping 18,000 children a year by 2018.”

Transworld to revisit Bryson’s travel classics Transworld is reissuing Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Small Island (August, £8.99) with artwork to match the author’s new title, The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes from a Small Island (October, £20).