Latest News from The Bookseller

Marlon James wins Man Booker Prize 2015 Marlon James has won the Man Booker Prize 2015 for his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings (Oneworld). James, who is the first Jamaican to have won the £50,000 award in its history, was announced as the winner at a ceremony in London’s Guildhall on Tuesday 13th October. Chair of judges, academic and author Michael Wood, called the novel "extraordinary" and said it was "very exciting, very violent and very funny". James' triumph also marks the first Man Booker Prize win for independent publisher Oneworld.

Retailers welcome James' Man Booker Prize triumph Oneworld is planning a large reprint and a special hardback edition of Marlon James’ Man Booker Prize winner A Brief History of Seven Killings, as booksellers praise the title for its “eye-catching use of language” and “amazing cast of voices”.

EC to assess Amazon complaint The European Commission is assessing a complaint about Amazon’s dominance of the print market in addition to its investigation into the company’s activity in the e-book market.

Ai Weiwei memoir to The Bodley Head The Bodley Head is to publish a “sweeping memoir” by artist and political activist Ai Weiwei. As yet untitled, the book will be simultaneously published in the UK and in the US by Crown in spring 2017. Stuart Williams, publishing director at The Bodley Head, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Crown. In his memoir, Ai Weiwei will “offer an extraordinary cultural history of China over the past 100 years, told through the prism of both his own life story and that of his father, Ai Qing”.

Walliams tops chart for third consecutive week Grandpa’s Great Escape (HarperCollins Children’s) has held the Official Top 50 number one for a third week running, despite an onslaught of new titles in the chart following Super Thursday. David Walliams' eighth Children’s Fiction title sold 51,363 copies for £310,525 last week according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market, 25% down on the previous week’s 68,741 copies sold but exactly 60 copies up on its debut week in the chart at the end of September.

Rushdie: Publishers front line in free speech battle Sir Salman Rushdie called freedom of speech not just a human right but a “universal of the human race” which must be defended. Rushdie was speaking today (13th October) at the official opening ceremony of the Frankfurt Book Fair. His talk was given amidst a heavy security presence after Iranian publishers pulled out of participating in this year’s FBF in protest of the author being invited to speak.

Scholastic launches prize for funny books Scholastic is launching a new series of awards for funny children’s books in the UK, with Michael Rosen taking on the role of head judge. The move follows the closure of the Roald Dahl Prize last month. The Laugh Out Loud Book Prize, or the “Lollies”, will be awarded in three categories: Best Laugh Out Loud Picture Book, Best Laugh Out Loud book for 6–8s and Best Laugh Out Loud book for 9–13s.

Picador in six-figure deal for new Rentzenbrink titles Picador has signed a two-book six-figure deal with Cathy Rentzenrbink. Rentzenbrink’s memoir The Last Act of Love was released by Picador earlier this year. The author is director of Quick Reads and associate editor at The Bookseller. Picador editorial director Francesca Main acquired world rights to two books by Rentzenbrink from Jo Unwin at Jo Unwin Literary Agency. The first book, A Manual for Heartache, will be a “comforting, wise and witty work of non-fiction that explores how to cope with life in the face of sadness or trauma”.

John Murray nabs New Scientist John Murray Press is partnering with New Scientist in a new three-year publishing deal. JMP m.d. Nick Davies bought world rights in 18 titles from Toby Mundy at Toby Mundy Associates and will publish them under the New Scientist branding, beginning in autumn 2016. The magazine’s titles have been published lucratively in the UK by Profile: 1.9 million print units earned £10.2m through Nielsen BookScan UK, led by the Christmas 2006 hit Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze?, which has sold over 750,000 copies.

Souad Mekhennet's memoir to Virago Virago has bought a "brave and powerful memoir" by Washington Post correspondent Souad Mekhennet.

Bluebird's big deals on eve of FBF Pan Macmillan’s lifestyle and wellness imprint Bluebird concluded three high-profile deals on the eve of the fair, including a book on paediatric care which has gone for a seven-figure sum in the US.

Jonasson’s Hitman to HC HarperCollins has snapped up world English rights the latest novel by Jonas Jonasson.