Latest News from The Bookseller

BEA: women execs explore female leadership Penguin president Madeline McIntosh, Harper s.v.p. and director of creative development Lisa Sharkey, and Pearson Learning Services president Bethlam Forsa contemplated how they got to where they are and prospects for other women’s rise to the top in a Book Expo America panel on Thursday (28th) organized by the Women’s Media Group. McIntosh, the only “publishing native,” said that one of her 11-year-old twin sons, hearing that she would have to talk about her leadership style, informed her: “That’s easy - tell them you’re a tyrant.”

Hachette Children's looks to digital and licensing growth Hachette Children’s Group intends to increase its digital and licensed offerings as it looks for future growth. In an interview published in The Bookseller today (29th May), c.e.o. Hilary Murray Hill has said the whole industry is aware of the opportunities presented by successful licensing publishing, and that she is looking to hire both a licensing director and a digital manager.

James Patterson launches Hachette US kids' imprint At Book Expo America in New York today (Friday 29th May), Hachette Book Group c.e.o. Michael Pietsch, Little, Brown publisher Reagan Arthur, and bestselling author James Patterson are announcing the launch of “jimmy patterson,” a children’s imprint which "aims to save lives" by making kids into lifelong readers.

Author groups thriving as safe havens for writers Author groups such as Killer Women (pictured), The Prime Writers and The History Girls can help writers find new ways to connect with readers and provide them with a “safe space” to socialise and talk about the publishing process, authors have told The Bookseller.

ACE puts £1.2m into creative writing in schools Arts Council England (ACE) has launched a £1.2m fund to support creative writing in schools. Meanwhile, ACE's recently appointed chief executive Darren Henley has urged the government to cease cuts to art funding. Between October 2015 and October 2018, ACE will invest in three funding awards for organisations that send professional writers to do creative writing workshops in schools. The money will be given as three separate awards for projects aimed at children between the ages of 8-14 and at least one will go to an organisation in the North or South West.

Brian Davies to step down at PRH UK Brian Davies, chairman of Penguin Random House UK’s distribution companies, is to leave Penguin Random House in September. Davies will also step down from the PRH executive. He will move to a four-day week until his departure at the end of September.

Michael Joseph to publish Gerrard memoir this autumn Michael Joseph will release an autobiography by footballer Steven Gerrard this autumn. The book, called Steven Gerrard: My Story, promises to be an “intimate and revelatory account” of Gerrard’s career. Gerrard joined Liverpool at the age of eight and went on to play more than 700 games for the club, which he has just left. Gerrard has also captained England, winning 114 caps. He will now play in America for LA Galaxy.

Hodder pre-empts 'Team Terminal' memoir Hodder & Stoughton has pre-empted a memoir of caring for terminally ill parents which manages to be "funny and outrageous" despite its subject matter. Publisher Hannah Black bought UK and Commonwealth rights to Dan Marshall’s Home is Burning from Jenny Meyer at Jenny Meyer Literary Agency.

Darf Publishers looks to make UK impact Darf Publishers, which focuses on Arabic fiction in translation, is looking to make an impact on the UK market with its 2015 list. Although managing director Ghassan Fergiani relaunched the publishing company last year, it is actually a much older family business, one that originated in Tripoli, Libya, in 1952, when Fergiani’s father Mohammed opened his first bookshop. As the shops flourished, Mohammed began dealing with publishers and importing books from abroad which led him into publishing.

EU consults on cross-border delivery The European Commission has launched a consultation on delivery across borders, as part of its work on creating a digital single market. The digital single market aims to “tear down regulatory walls and finally move from 28 national markets to a single one”. Earlier this month the European Commission announced 16 actions which would help create a digital single market, and among these was the need for more efficient and affordable parcel delivery.

Transworld to publish story collections This autumn will see Transworld imprint Doubleday publish the first short-story collections of four high-profile authors.  August sees the publication of John Boyne’s Beneath the Earth (£14.99) and Adam Johnson’s Fortune Smiles (£15); September will mark the release of Donal Ryan’s A Slanting of the Sun (£12.99, on the Doubleday Ireland list); and Rachel Joyce’s A Snow Garden and Other Stories (£9.99) will be published in November. All are hardbacks.

Literary-themed club night launched A new literary-themed East London club night, called Late Night Library Club, is being launched, with the first event celebrating Sarah Waters’ Tipping the Velvet (Virago). Late Night Library Club has been set up by the team behind The Amy Grimehouse cinema and arts club night that celebrates the “trashy, camp, cult and transgressive”. The new club night for book lovers aims to “add a touch of trash and a splash of camp” to the traditional monthly book club.