Latest news from The Bookseller

Exclusive look at the new Foyles Birmingham The Bookseller can exclusively reveal the first image of Foyles’ new Birmingham store as the countdown to its opening begins in earnest [below]. The second of the company’s shops to open outside London, the 4,300 sq ft Foyles Birmingham will be a “model store for the future”, according to c.e.o. Paul Currie. It will open in just over three weeks’ time (24th September) when the new Grand Central Birmingham Station opens to the public.

Faber records loss in latest financial year Faber saw a drop in turnover for the year ending March 2015, with a significant increase in its operating loss from the previous 12 months. The publisher’s turnover was £15.9m, down 1.8% from £16.2m the year before. Faber made an operating loss of £813,000, up from £5,000 in the 12 months to March 2014. The operating loss including a “substantial one-off restructuring cost”, said the firm’s business review in its directors’ report and financial statements.

Eastenders’ Danny Dyer releasing book with Quercus Quercus is to publish a book by Eastenders’ actor Danny Dyer. The World According to Danny Dyer: Life Lessons from the East End will see Dyer tackling questions including 'where have all the old school boozers gone?', 'are there such things as ghosts?', and 'am I middle class?’. Editorial director Jane Sturrock bought world rights from Paul Stevens at Independent Talent.

Globe Business sells books division in management buy-out B2B content company Globe Business Media Group has sold its portfolio of law books to a management-led team for an undisclosed sum. The buyers of the division, Globe Law and Business, are a consortium led by Jim Smith, a publisher who spent a number of years on the board of Lexus Nexus. Sian O’Neill, the m.d. of Globe Law and Business and founder of the list, is also part of the team. All existing staff will transfer to the new company and O’Neill will maintain her role as m.d.

Stevens‘ boarding school mysteries set for big screen Robin Stevens’ children’s detective series Murder Most Unladylike has been optioned for television and film by independent production company Pilot Media. Pilot Media optioned the rights from Emily Hayward Whitlock, head of book to film at The Artists’ Partnership, who was acting on behalf of Stevens’ literary agent, Gemma Cooper at The Bent Agency.

Riddell doodles boost Book Trust Chris Riddell and Macmillan Children’s Books are raising money for Book Trust with a new Doodle-a-Day diary, featuring 366 pages of ideas to encourage doodling (one for each day of the year and another for leap years). Riddell’s Doodle-a-Day, due for publication on 22nd October (£9.99), is an “interactive diary” of things to draw, colour or doodle. Twenty pence from the sale of each book will be donated to the charity.

Poets for Corbyn gets 5,000 downloads in first week A collection of poetry inspired by the left wing Labour leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn has achieved 5,000 downloads in its first week. Altogether 20 poets including Michael Rosen, Pascale Petit, Nicholas Murray and Ian Pindar have submitted 20 poems for the free e-book Poets for Corbyn, which was published by online magazine Berfrois on August 19th, and produced by the publication's editor Russell Bennetts.

Broken China? The summer of 2015 has been generally a cheerful one for the UK domestic publishing market, with strong consumer publishing including, but extending well beyond, Harper Lee, E L James and adult colouring books. However, with over 40% of UK publishers’ sales generated by exports, there have also been some looming storm clouds.

Bear story to be Walliams’ next picture book The Bear Who Went Boo!, about a cheeky polar bear cub, will be David Walliams’ next picture book, published by HarperCollins later this year. Children’s publisher Ann-Janine Murtagh said the book, which will be released 5th November in time for Christmas, is a “deliciously funny new tale” that will be a “big hit” with Walliams’ younger fans. The book will be illustrated by his long-time collaborator Tony Ross, whose “joyful illustrations are the perfect partner – full of his inimitable mischief and fun”, said Murtagh.

Pictures of the week As the summer holiday draws to a close, the autumn rush begins, marked this week with the release of a number of big books. Among them was the late Sir Terry Pratchett's last novel, The Shepherd's Crown (Doubleday Children's), and we've got pictures from the midnight opening held at Waterstones Piccadilly to mark the launch of the book. We've also got pictures of Hanya Yanagihara at her event at Foyles for the Man Booker Prize-longlisted A Little Life (Picador), and you can see the special guest who visited The Bookseller offices this week.

Verso to donate books to Calais' Jungle refugee camp Verso London is to send books to the makeshift library created at the Calais migrant camp known as the 'Jungle'. Jungle Books, set up by British teacher Mary Jones, has been appealing for books to add to the library in the native languages of the migrants, refugees and asylum seekers there.

Fnac staff anger over Sunday trading Paris staff in the Fnac cultural products chain are up in arms over Sunday trading plans following recent legislation adopted by parliament to boost the economy. The two unions concerned—Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) and SUD—allege that six of the seven Fnac stores in Paris should be excluded from the newly defined international tourist zones that permit shops to open on Sundays. Only the Champs Elysées outlet qualifies, the unions said in a joint statement. The criteria defining the zones are international appeal, and crowds of big-spending foreign tourists.