Latest News from The Bookseller

Waterstones launches 'Books for Syria' appeal to raise £1m Waterstones has launched an industry-wide campaign to raise £1m by urging people to “Buy Books for Syria”.

Egyptian chain opens first bookshop in London Egypt’s largest bookshop chain is opening a London outlet next month, which will be its first international branch. The 33-branch-strong chain Alef Bookstores has chosen London as the place to launch its international expansion, and will open a 2,000 sq ft store at 219 Baker Street, next door to 221B Baker Street, fictional home of Sherlock Holmes and home to The Sherlock Holmes Museum.

Wilkinson says publishers 'need to try harder' to innovate Former self-published writer Kerry Wilkinson pictured has laid down the gauntlet to traditional publishers, saying that they do not communicate with authors enough and that Amazon is “the main innovator in the book space”. Wilkinson also said that publishers were unlikely to change the way they worked any time soon, as the “only reason you change is if you’re forced to”.

Mollet will 'be missed' as head of PA Richard Mollet has spearheaded "unprecedented change" in the industry and given the Publishers Association "real energy and a sense of direction," publishers have said following the news he is to stand down from his position as c.e.o of the Publishers Association next year. Mollet is leaving to take on the role of head of European government affairs at RELX Group, an information and analytics company, it was announced today (25th September).

New Jung Chang book to Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape has acquired the new book by Jung Chang, author of Wild Swans (William Collins).

Auctions across Europe for debut novel A debut novel has sparked auctions across Europe. Two Roads in the UK won an auction for The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan, from Laura Macdougall at Tibor Jones & Associates. The book has sold to Rizzoli in Italy in a six-way auction, and Ullstein won a five-way auction in Germany. Tibor Jones’ Charlotte Maddox said the German offer was the largest received for a debut in the eight-year history of the agency.

Film deal for Hurley's The Loney Film rights to Andrew Michael Hurley’s The Loney (John Murray) have been optioned by DNA Films, with the support of Film4, after a five-way auction. The gothic novel is set on the Lancashire coast and follows a Catholic family who make an Easter pilgrimage from London to try and cure their mute son.

And Other Stories brings fourth Vladislavić title to UK And Other Stories is publishing its fourth title by South African author Ivan Vladislavić in November (The Folly, £10) as part of its bid to build his audience in the UK.

Walker shortlisted twice for Bookseller marketing competition Two campaigns from Walker Books are on the shortlist for this year’s Bookseller Children’s Marketing Competition, along with initiatives from Hachette Children’s, Macmillan Children’s Books, Simon and Schuster Children’s and Little Tiger Press.

Canongate acquires Nigerian novelist's debut Canongate has acquired a “haunting Kafkaesque narrative” from a debut Nigerian novelist. Louisa Joyner, editorial director of fiction at Canongate, bought Odafe Atogun’s Taduno’s Song and one other novel from Toby Mundy at Toby Mundy Associates. The novel follows African singer Taduno, who returns from political exile to the country of his birth to find that the dictatorship's efforts to erase all trace of him have been so successful that he has been entirely forgotten, even by his closest friends and neighbours.

Biteback orders 35,000 print run on Call Me Dave Biteback Publishing has ordered an intial print run of 35,000 copies of Lord Ashcroft and Isabel Oakeshott’s Call Me Dave.

Hot Key announced as Sutherland’s UK publisher Hot Key Books has acquired the UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Australia) to We Were Never Here by Australian YA author Krystal Sutherland. The story, which is a teen love story set in a high school, is described as like the film '500 Days of Summer', by way of Rainbow Rowell and John Green. Editor-at-large Emma Matthewson struck a deal for two books with Catherine Clarke at Felicity Bryan Associates, who was acting on behalf of Catherine Drayton at InkWell Management.