Latest News from The Bookseller

Ann Betts to leave Nielsen Book Data specialist Nielsen Book has announced that Ann Betts, the current m.d. of client services for Book International, will step down from her role at the end of the month. It is understood that Betts' role has been made redundant following the company’s leadership changes, announced in April, when Jonathan Nowell stepped down and Jonathan Stolper was promoted to the position of senior vice president and m.d of Nielsen Book.

Sargent promoted at Holtzbrinck Publishing Group Holtzbrinck Publishing Group has reorganised its management structure following the formation of Springer Nature earlier this year, with Macmillan's John Sargent assuming the role of HPG's executive vice president, reporting to group c.e.o. Stefan von Holtzbrinck. Springer Nature chief scientific officer Annette Thomas, formerly c.e.o. at Macmillan Science and Education, has resigned from her duties as a member of the HPG executive board.

E L James wrestles number one spot from Harper Lee E L James has retaken the Official Top 50 number one from Harper Lee, as Grey (Arrow) sold 17,171 copies to Go Set a Watchman's (William Heinemann) 15,476 in the chart this week. Grey’s sales were down 25.8% week on week, but Watchman dropped further, with a 42% decrease in volume. Despite James beating Lee into second place by 1,695 units, Watchman actually made over £100,000 more than Grey, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market.

Lownie to release Cambridge spy biography with Hodder Hodder & Stoughton will publish literary agent Andrew Lownie’s biography of Cambridge spy Guy Burgess this autumn. The book draws on research from archives around the world and interviews with more than 100 people who knew Burgess, among other sources. It will chart Burgess’ life from “naval cadet and Eton schoolboy to brilliant Cambridge undergraduate, from BBC producer, diplomat, and agent working for the Soviet government, MI5 and MI6, to his lonely tragic-comic exile in Russia”.

HarperCollins to publish Tolkien 'legend' story HarperCollins is set to release The Story of Kullervo by J.R.R. Tolkien as a novel for the first time later this month. The publisher said the text was edited by Verlyn Flieger, a US Tolkien scholar who has worked with the publisher on other Tolkien texts.

Gibbons reissues call for head-to-head debate with Vaizey Author and library campaigner Alan Gibbons has issued an open letter to culture minister Ed Vaizey, renewing his call for the politician to engage in a full public debate on the future of the public library service as the “situation is critical”. Gibbons first issued a challenge to Vaizey earlier this year, with the government minister telling the Guardian via email that he would “happily debate Alan”.

WHS urged to pass on VAT airport savings Airport shops such as WH Smith have been urged to pass on VAT savings they can claim from passengers’ duty free purchases. The Independent uncovered that major airport retailers – such as WH Smith, Dixons and Boots - pocket millions of pounds by saving 20% VAT on purchases made by customers travelling outside the European Union.

Pearson sells Economist stake for £469m Pearson has agreed to sell its 50% stake in The Economist Group for £469m in cash, and is now “100% focused” on its global education strategy. Investment company Exor has agreed to purchase 27.8% of The Economist Group's ordinary shares and all of its B special shares, with the remaining ordinary shares to be repurchased by The Economist Group.