Friday, January 30, 2015

Latest News from The Bookseller

LATEST NEWS
There has been an outpouring of support in the trade for Robert Harris's public call for a dedicated BBC TV books programme.
German e-reading company txtr has filed for insolvency proceedings, with a provisional administrator Olswang Restructuring Solutions appointed to oversee a sale.
The Berlin-based company, which operates in 25 countries, will continue to operate its e-book stores and e-reading platform during its restructure of the company and its operation. A number of potential buyers have already expressed interested in the company, said txtr.
Stanfords is relaunching the Dolman Travel Book of the Year prize, doubling its prize money, and creating a new award for travel writing.
From 2015, the renamed Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year award will carry a prize fund of £5,000. The revamped awards will also include the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing, and Stanfords said that in future years the awards will expand to include other areas of print and online travel writing.
Matthew Goodwin and Robert Ford’s Revolt on the Right: Explaining Support for the Radical Right in Britain (Routledge) has won the top honour at the Paddy Power Political Book Awards.
Academics Goodwin and Ford won the Political Book of the Year honour at the award ceremony in London last night (28th), receiving £10,000 donated by Lord Ashcroft.
Crime writer Ian Rankin is working on a new Rebus novel.
The author gave hints about the new book to his Twitter followers, writing: “So much *plot* in this new book I'm doing, I'm having to focus on that so it doesn't wriggle away from me. Character/nuance/etc for later.” He continued: “Once I know plot works, I can go back and fix/polish everything else. That's the plan for now.”
Following questions from fans, he revealed that the book will be set in Edinburgh and feature his detective Rebus, who has been in 19 novels.
More than 50 representatives of the book industry met yesterday (28th January) to discuss a new diversity charter for children’s publishing.
A Place At The Table was organised by Inclusive Minds, a collective that is drawing up a charter, entitled Everybody In, to encourage publishers to release more diverse and inclusive children’s books.


The shortlist for the first James Herbert Award for Horror Writing “exemplifies the diversity of modern horror fiction", according to the chair of judges Tom Hunter.
The award, set up in honour of the late horror writer who died in 2013 [pictured], is worth £2,000 to the winning writer.
Musician John Lydon – formerly Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten - has recorded a message for National Libraries Day, imploring the UK to value its libraries.
In the audio recording, which will be made live on National Libraries Day on Saturday 7th February, Lydon urges people to show their support for their libraries and says: “Libraries are the most important essential part of our culture and civilisation.”
The singer credits libraries and librarians for his recovery from memory loss after he contracted meningitis at the age of eight.
Sanrio, the licensor of the Mr Men and Little Miss brands, have secured a film deal with Fox animation.
The film will be produced by Shawn Levy, producer and director of "Night at the Museum". No release date has been announced.
The Mr Men and the Little Miss series began in 1971 with Mr Tickle. The books are now published  by Egmont, which said one of the books is sold every 2.5 seconds across the world
India Knight will chair the judging panel for the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize 2015.
The prize, now in its fifth year, highlights the works of eight British fiction authors. The prize is worth £5,000 to each winning writer.
Knight, author of four novels as well as non-fiction, will chair the judging panel for the 2015 award. The full panel will be announced shortly.
E-book subscription site Oyster has partnered with Pottermore to make all 10 Harry Potter-related titles available via a subscription service.
The offering, only available in the US, includes the seven Harry Potter novels by J K Rowling, and also her three Hogwarts Library Books – The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Quidditch Through the Ages, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Pavilion has signed a book by “The Great British Sewing Bee” finalist Chinelo Bally.
Bally was a runner-up in the second series of the show, aired on BBC Two in 2014.
Amy Christian, senior commissioning editor at Pavilion, bought world rights from Stuart Cooper of Metrostar Media Limited.

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