Latest News from The Bookseller

SoA urges government to follow EU copyright law after Brexit The Society of Authors has urged the UK to continue to follow European Union law even after Brexit as part of its formal response to the Intellectual Property Office yesterday on the European Commission's draft copyright directive.

Authors United warns of attacks on 'author livelihoods' under Trump administration The new US administration under Donald Trump could make things "very, very much worse" for authors, according to campaign group Authors United.

Walliams' Midnight Gang surpasses 400k as the Ladybirds fly up the chart David Walliams’ The Midnight Gang (HarperCollins Children's) has struck (number) one for a fifth consecutive week, shifting 80,968 copies for £466,987, according to Nielsen BookScan's Total Consumer Market.

Johnson, Bragg and Hodge win inaugural Parliamentary Book Awards Politicians Alan Johnson, Margaret Hodge, Melvyn Bragg and John Bew have been announced as the winners of the inaugural Parliamentary Book Awards, as voted for by MPs and members of the House of Lords.

Taskforce to research 'sustainability' of volunteer-run libraries The Libraries Taskforce has pledged to undertake research into community-managed libraries following concerns about their "long-term sustainability". It has also promised to create a new "peer support network" to ensure that libraries run by volunteers provide a “high quality service” to local people.

New Beacon Books to close after 50 years Afro-Caribbean bookshop New Beacon Books is to close on the eve of its 50th anniversary due to pressures from e-retailers such as Amazon, its owners have said.

McNab wins inaugural Ruth Rendell Award for promoting literacy Andy McNab has won the inaugural Ruth Rendell Award for the author who has done the most to champion literacy.

Calls for Swindon libraries intervention Shadow culture minister Kevin Brennan [pictured] has called on the Secretary of State for Culture, Karen Bradley, to intervene in Swindon Council’s plans to close two thirds of the borough's libraries.

Riddell and Blake illustrations auctioned at Sotheby’s Sotheby’s will next week auction artwork by illustrators Chris Riddell and Quentin Blake, as well as celebrities like Eric Clapton, Brian Eno and Peter Capaldi, to raise money for the House of Illustration, according to the Guardian.

Rebuck to step down as chair of Cheltenham Festivals Baroness Gail Rebuck, chair of Cheltenham Literature Festivals and member of the Cheltenham Festivals' board of trustees, is to stand down at the end of 2016 due to the pressures of work.

Helen Francis made commissioning editor at HoZ's Apollo Head of Zeus has appointed literary scout and former commissioning editor at Arcadia, Helen Francis, to the role of commissioning editor of its literary imprint Apollo.

LBF and Nielsen launch new Spring conference The London Book Fair and Nielsen Book are to combine the London Book Fair’s Quantum: Publishing & So Much More Conference and the Nielsen BookInsights Conference into one Spring event.