Latest from The Bookseller incl. Waterstones to open three storey shop on Tottenham Court Road

Waterstones to open three storey shop on Tottenham Court Road Waterstones is set to open a new three storey bookshop on London’s Tottenham Court Road in October. At 7,000 sq foot, the shop will be the largest Waterstones to open in the capital since the Oxford Street Plaza branch in 2009 and will stock the largest selection of new fiction titles in London outside of the flagship Piccadilly store. It will also contain a bar along with a Café W.

HarperCollins sales grow 8% in fourth quarter Growth in global book publishing at HarperCollins has helped News Corp beat analysts’ expectations and has seen shares rise 4% in the company. News Corp reported results for its fourth quarter and full fiscal year yesterday (12th August) to the 30th June, revealing that book sales at HarperCollins were up 8% to $390m for the fourth quarter, while EBITDA was flat at $33m.

Kerr pens first children’s novel since 1978 HarperCollins Children’s Books will publish Judith Kerr’s Mister Cleghorn’s Seal this September, her first children’s novel since 1978’s A Small Person Far Away. Mister Cleghorn’s Seal, which HarperCollins is fast-tracking for publication in September, is inspired by the author’s father, who once took in an abandoned seal pup. In the book, Mr. Cleghorn finds a seal pup called Charlie during a visit to the seaside and chaotic adventure ensues.

Publication plans for Franzen's Purity Plans to promote Jonathan Franzen's new novel Purity (Fourth Estate, 1st September) include a collaboration with Instagram artist Hey Reilly, a midnight opening on publication day, and an author visit to the UK at the end of September.

Birmingham Council confirms 'pause' on library book fund Birmingham City Council has confirmed it is making cuts to the number of books it will buy for libraries, after libraries in the area asked members of the public to donate titles. In a statement, city councillor Penny Holbrook told The Bookseller the council is stopping its book fund.

'Solid' Quarto half-year revenues rise 1% The chief executive of The Quarto Group, Marcus Leaver, said the company achieved a “solid” set of results in the first half of the year, with revenues rising 1% compared to the same period a year earlier. For the six months ending 30th June 2015, revenues totalled $66.2m (£42.4m), 1% higher than $65.6m (£42m) in the first half of 2014. Adjusted group operating profit was down to $0.2m (£0.13m) from $0.6m (£0.38m), although the dip reflects “an expected shift in seasonality”, said the firm.

Oyelowo named narrator for new Bond novel Actor and director David Oyelowo has been named as the narrator of the audiobook edition of Anthony Horowitz’s forthcoming James Bond novel, Trigger Mortis (Orion). Oyelowo is known for roles in theatre, film, radio and television. This year he received a Golden Globe Best Actor Award nomination for his portrayal of civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr in “Selma”. Trigger Mortis has been commissioned by Ian Fleming Publications and The Ian Fleming Estate, and includes original material by Bond creator, Ian Fleming.

MacDonald named first Scots Scriever Hamish MacDonald has been appointed as the first Scots Scriever. The role, a two-year residency at the National Library of Scotland supported with funding from Creative Scotland, will involve producing original creative work in Scots, its variants and dialects, across any art-form, as well as raising awareness, appreciation and use of Scots across the country and amongst all parts of the population.

Avery made editorial director at William Heinemann Tom Avery has been promoted to editorial director of William Heinemann. Avery joined the Cornerstone imprint in 2011 as editor, and was made senior editor in 2013. Before joining William Heinemann he was at Jonathan Cape and Vintage Books. Avery publishes non-fiction and some literary fiction, and his authors include Jamie Bartlett, Anna Bikont, Thomas Harding, Laurence Scott, Marci Shore and Adelle Waldman. He will continue to report to William Heinemann, Hutchinson and Windmill publisher Jason Arthur.

FT and McKinsey business book longlist revealed Books on the perils of technology, the gender gap in business and how to revive economies make the longlist of the 2015 Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year. The £30,000 prize is given for the book that “provides the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues, including management, finance and economics”. Among the 15 longlisted titles are Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping Our Future by Ashlee Vance (Virgin Books; Ecco), a biography of the entrepreneur.

Galley Beggar launches short story comp Independent publisher Galley Beggar Press is launching a short story competition this weekend. The Norwich-based publisher, which originally published Eimear McBride’s Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction winner A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing, said the competition built on the success of its monthly Galley Beggar Singles Club, which releases a new short story every month for readers. The Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize will run annually, and is open to published and unpublished writers.

Gillian Flynn short story to be published Weidenfeld & Nicolson is to publish Gillian Flynn’s short story The Grownup as a standalone book for the first time. The Grownup first appeared under the title What Do You Do? in Rogues (Titan Books), an anthology of short stories edited by George R R Martin and Gardner Dozois. It will be published as a standalone paperback and e-book this autumn. The Grownup tells the story of a young woman faking it as a cut-price psychic at Spiritual Palms.