Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Blackwell's and Little, Brown scoop top BIA Awards

13.05.14 | Bookseller staff

Blackwell’s has been crowned Book Retailer of the Year while Little, Brown scooped the coveted Publisher of the Year title at the Bookseller Industry Awards this evening (12th May).

 The chain bookseller was commended for responding to digital challenges faced by bricks and mortar booksellers with its digital development hub in London’s Shoreditch, growing its share of the TCM physical book sales despite challenging conditions and forging partnerships with festivals and universities.

 Little, Brown, meanwhile, was lauded for its stellar line up of bestsellers throughout 2013, including Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch and The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith/J K Rowling, as well as for breaking new names such as Deborah Rodriguez, who wrote The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul. It is the second time Little, Brown has won the top publishing title in four years and judges commended the company for being “consistently prominent, profitable and creative” since it last won in 2010.

 Pan Macmillan was also recognized with The Bookseller Special Award for its work with Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, with an  impressive 22% year-on-year sales increase since 2013, which saw the publisher profit from film spin-offs, theatre productions and gift ranges. Macmillan Children’s Books publisher Belinda Rasmussen said of winning the Special Award: “We are thrilled to have won the inaugural Bookseller Special Award for our unique and long standing partnership with Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler on the beloved children's favourite picture book, The Gruffalo! It feels really important that the first of these awards has recognised a No 1 children's brand partnership - and coming on the 15th Anniversary of The Gruffalo's publication just makes it even more perfect for all of us involved in the books. Macmillan Children's Books is honoured to publish The Gruffalo - a brilliant marriage of Julia Donaldson's words and Axel Scheffler's perfect illustrations  - we are thankful to both of them for everything and proud to have shared in introducing generations of children around the world to their now favourite monster. Long may The Gruffalo reign!”

 Dame Gail Rebuck, chair of Penguin Random House UK, was given the Booksellers Association’s award for Outstanding Contribution to the Book Trade for her devotion to the Books Are My Bag campaign. Tim Godfray, c.e.o of the BA, said: “It started with an aspiration – just a blank sheet of paper and no money. Without Gail Rebuck that is all it might have been.”

 More
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)