Latest News from The Bookseller

Booker shortlist is 'solid' and 'full of delights' The Man Booker Prize 2015 shortlist is “full of delights and surprises”, with retailers tipping Hanya Yanagihara as the favourite to win. Yanagihara’s A Little Life (Picador) is among six books shortlisted for the £50,000 prize.

Jamie Oliver claims 55th number one chart spot Jamie Oliver earned a UK Official number one for the 55th time last week, while vlogger Joe Sugg’s title became the fastest selling graphic novel since records began. Oliver’s Everyday Super Food (Michael Joseph) sold 38,021 copies for £484,458 last week, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market, a 117% rise on the previous week’s 17,521 copies, as the chef’s Channel 4 show “Jamie’s Super Food” began airing last Monday (7th September).

Hazra appointed publisher of Pan Macmillan India Pan Macmillan has appointed Diya Kar Hazra as publisher of Pan Macmillan India, where she will be responsible for the company's imprints in the country, including Picador India, Pan and Macmillan. Hazra, who took up the role on 14th September, will report to Pan Macmillan India's senior vice president Rajdeep Mukherjee.

Picador acquires 'deeply personal' McCrum book Picador has acquired a "deeply personal narrative" by Observer writer and former Faber & Faber editor-in-chief, Robert McCrum. Sophie Jonathan, editor at Picador, bought UK and Commonwealth rights to Every Third Thought: Observations on the Inevitable End-Game from Jonathan Lloyd at Curtis Brown.

Children's marketing competition deadline extended The deadline for the first Bookseller marketing competition has been extended until the 18th September, giving publishers until this Friday to enter their campaigns.

Holroyde and Cartey launch agency Claire Cartey and Penny Holroyde have teamed up to launch a new agency for authors and illustrators of both adult and children’s books.

Amazon founder invests $200m in space project Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has revealed plans to build a rocket manufacturing plant and launch site from Florida’s ‘Space Coast’, the area around Kennedy Space Centre and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Bezos’ space start-up, Blue Origin, will invest $200m in new manufacturing facilities and take control of the Launch Complex 36 pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the BBC has reported.

Egmont signs YouTube star Stampy Cat Egmont has signed a book deal with Joseph Garrett, the YouTube star who posts videos about the game Minecraft as the character Stampy Cat. Garrett has signed a two-book deal and the first title, Stampy’s Lovely Book (h/b, £7.99), features comics, jokes and activities based on Stampy and his friends. Publication is set for 22nd October and a second book, as yet untitled, will follow in 2016. Emma Cairns Smith, director of global licensing acquisitions at Egmont Publishing, acquired world rights from Garrett’s network Maker Studios.

Oneworld appoints Christofi as commissioning editor Oneworld has appointed Alex Christofi as commissioning editor for non-fiction, following the departure of Mike Harpley. Christofi will report to Oneworld’s publisher, Juliet Mabey, and focus on acquiring "big-ideas" books across a range of narrative non-fiction. Christofi was previously an agent at Conville & Walsh Ltd, representing authors including Lisa O’Donnell, author of The Death of Bees.

Amazon row over explicit e-books Amazon has come under fire from the NSPCC after a 12-year-old girl stumbled across explicit material on its website while searching for free e-books. The girl’s mother, referred to only as Nicola, has complained to Trading Standards and The BBC her daughter typed “free Kindle books for teenagers” into the retailer’s search engine and discovered titles such as Being Bad and Bad Babysitter, which contained X-rated material.

Doherty and Sheppard made D H H directors Broo Doherty and Hannah Sheppard have become new directors of the D H H Literary Agency. David Headley, founder of the agency, said he invited the pair to become directors after they helped to grow the business across a variety of genres since joining as agents in 2012. Both accepted and the directorships begin with immediate effect. Doherty has had success with authors such as Paul Hardisty, who was shortlisted for the John Creasy Debut Dagger, and bestselling author Anna Jacobs as well non-fiction writer Stephen Moss.

Evaristo to launch centre for black and Asian writers Author Bernardine Evaristo is to launch The British Centre for Black and Asian Writers in the coming month. The centre will be an archive and a resource “established for the advancement of education in the arts and to promote racial equality and diversity”. The launch of the centre was announced by coach Mel Larsen at Spread the Word and Words of Colour’s Writing the Future event. The centre, said Larsen, will be “the first