Latest news from The Bookseller

Harkable's Francis: 'authors must take up challenge of social media' Authors must “take up the challenge” to excel at social media, building communities around their work, while publishers must build “meaningful digital experiences powered by social media, data and technology”, Harkable co-founder Will Francis has told The Bookseller’s Marketing and Publicity Conference in the first keynote speech of this morning (30th June). But Francis also said that he thought social media users were becoming more passive, and that while social media was not dead, it was “the end of the era of social media as we know, or knew, it”.

CUP closes Japan distribution company Cambridge University Press is set to close its distribution company in Japan - United Publishers Services - and has put its staff into consultation.  The publisher bought the 60-year-old Tokyo company, which distributes over 150 academic publishers in addition to CUP titles in 2007, and The Bookseller understands the company will be wound up by November this year. Its staff, thought to total around 40, have all entered consultation for redundancy.

E L James: 'more novels on their way'   Fifty Shades of Grey author E L James has written a new romance, and is halfway through writing a second, she revealed in a Twitter chat with UK fans. The writer took part in the online gathering yesterday (29th June), but the hashtag for the chat #AskELJames was hijacked by people criticising James' writing and her portrayal of people who practice BDSM. Asked how she dealt with negativity about her books, James said: "I think any writer just wants to be read... and for me I never thought that would happen - so I concentrate on that."

Marsh wins PEN Ackerley Prize Neurosurgeon Henry Marsh has won the £3,000 PEN Ackerley Prize 2015 for his memoir Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery (Weidenfeld & Nicolson). The prize, the UK's only literary prize devoted to memoir and autobiography, had also shortlisted Other People's Countries by Patrick McGuinness (Jonathan Cape), An Encyclopaedia of Myself by Jonathan Meades (Fourth Estate) and The Setting Sun by Bart Moore-Gilbert (Verso).

Wiley in data partnership with Figshare John Wiley has announced a partnership with data repository organisation Figshare, part of Macmillan's Digital Science business, to support authors who wish to openly share their data.

Penguin signs YouTuber Santoro Vlogger Matthew Santoro has signed a global deal with Penguin for a book featuring a “collection of weird, hilarious and crazy facts about the world around us”. Santoro has 4m subscribers on his YouTube channel, where he posts videos featuring collections of facts. In a co-publishing partnership, world rights for Santoro’s MIND=BLOWN went to Joel Rickett at Viking UK, Marian Lizzi at Perigee in the US and Justin Stoller at Penguin Canada.

YouTuber Butler to do UK book tour YouTube star Marcus Butler is to go on a 13-date book tour to support publication of his forthcoming book Hello Life (Headline). Butler has 3.7m subscribers to his YouTube channel and two million Twitter followers. Hello Life, released on 28th July, is part memoir, part self-help guide. The book signings will be ticketed, with the purchase price including a pre-signed book.

Amazon enhances Kindle sharing Kindle users can now share quotes with specific friends through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, Amazon has revealed.  Users of the Amazon device can now employ apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp as well as email, texting and more to share quotes, highlights and recommendations with specific friends. Friends who receive a share can instantly start reading a free book preview right from their phone, tablet, or PC—"no need to sign up, sign in, or install an app," the company said.

Little to replace Rice as EIBF chair Former BBC special correspondent is to take over as chair of the board of the Edinburgh International Book Festival from October, with current chair Lady Susan Rice, stepping down. Rice has been at the helm of EIBF since 2001.

Orchard to publish Ali Standish Orchard Books has acquired The Ethan I Was Before, the middle-grade debut about friendship and grief, from debut author Ali Standish. Jessica Clarke, editorial director at Orchard Books, brokered a five-figure two-book deal with Polly Nolan at the Greenhouse Literary Agency, acquiring UK & Commonwealth Rights. The book is about a boy who moves with his father to a seaside town, following the death of his best friend. While struggling to make sense of the past, a mysterious new girl enters his life.

Benji Davies creates Waterstones window Award-winning author and illustrator Benji Davies has created a bespoke window for Waterstones Hampstead based on his latest book Grandad’s Island (Simon & Schuster). The window features delicate handmade birds and characters from his new picture book, which tells the gentle story of little boy coming to terms with the loss of his much-loved grandfather.

Wicked Young Writers named Young people aged six to 20 were yesterday (29th June) announced as the winners of this years Wicked Young Writers Award. Launched by the production team behind the "Wicked" musical in 2010, the award encourages writing and creativity in young people aged five to 25. James ties down second consecutive number one, half-year market gains E L James’ Grey had its second straight 300,000-plus weekly sale while the overall UK print books market has experienced its half-year rise in seven years.   James’ Grey (Arrow) shifted an astonishing 302,343 copies through Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market and in just two weeks of sale has become the biggest-selling book of the last year.  Grey’s 688,323-copy total eclipses the almost 650,000 units the previous bestselling book of the last 52 weeks, David Walliams’ Awful Auntie (HarperCollins Children’s Books), has sold since being published in September 2014.