Latest news from The Bookseller

Indies call on government to ease impact of National Living Wage increase Independent bookshops have called on the government to "ease pressure" on rates for small businesses to ensure the rise in the National Living Wage does not have too adverse an impact. PRH's Shona Abhyankar joins Amazon Publishing Amazon has appointed Shona Abhyankar, currently head of PR at Penguin Random House Children’s and formerly senior publicist at Ebury, as publicity lead of Amazon Publishing. HarperCollins chooses its Indie winners Bookshops in Aberdeenshire, Norfolk and Yorkshire are among the winners of HarperCollins' Indie Development Fund, which offers independent bookshops funding for projects that grow community access to books and reading. Bologna Book Fair foreign attendees up 15% Foreign professionals flocked to Bologna Children’s Book Fair, official attendance figures have revealed, with overseas visitor numbers growing by 15%. Policewoman's open submission memoir to Two Roads John Murray Press imprint Two Roads has acquired a true crime police memoir, Girl on the Line: Life – and Death – in the Metropolitan Police by Alice Vinten. Romola Garai to star in BBC adaptation of 'The Miniaturist' Romola Garai is starring in the BBC adaptation of Jessie Burton’s “genre-bending” debut The Miniaturist. ________________________________________ Rosen returns for more LOL with Scholastic awards Former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen is to chair the judging panel selecting the shortlist for the Laugh Out Loud Awards (the Lollies), run by Scholastic UK, for a second year. Chicken House partners with Chinese-based Liaoning Publishing Group Chicken House has signed an “exclusive deal” with one of China’s largest publishing houses, Liaoning Publishing Group, which will publish all the forthcoming prize-winners of the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition. Exeter University ditches Pearson to launch online degrees with Keypath The University of Exeter has ditched its former partner Pearson for a new 10-year partnership with US-based ed-tech provider Keypath Education with whom it is launching online Masters degrees to UK and international students in September this year. Muriel Spark's centenary to be marked by string of events The National Library of Scotland and Creative Scotland are celebrating 100 years since the birth of Scottish writer Muriel Spark with a range of literary and cultural events, including a major exhibition, an international academic conference at the University of Glasgow, two BBC documentaries and plans to publish new editions of her work. I B Tauris signs Mackay on the Tudor court I B Tauris has signed two books on the Tudor court in the age of Anne Boleyn from historian Lauren Mackay, whom the publisher calls a "rising star".