Latest news from The Bookseller

Roald Dahl sales soar 34% in centenary week Roald Dahl’s print book sales soared 34% in the week which saw the “biggest ever” global celebration of the loved children’s author’s birthday as part of a year-long celebration of his centenary year.

Trade bodies blast 'unjust' business rates proposals A coalition of trade bodies is urging the government to abandon “unjust” changes to the business rates appeals system that could leave businesses over-paying tax.

Bill Massey to leave Orion Bill Massey, deputy publishing director for fiction, is leaving Orion Books to become a freelance editorial consultant from 1st November 2016.

Salt seeks to double turnover following PGUK partnership Buoyed by a publishing “crack team” and a new sales relationship with PGUK, independent publisher Salt is going from strength to strength, and its directors hope an increased focus on fewer, bigger titles will help this success to continue.

Anguish as 'oldest bookshop chain in Greece' to close The owner of the oldest bookshop chain in Greece has told of her devastation at closing her last store after the financial crisis in the country hit the business “like an avalanche”. The 118-year-old Athens bookstore of Eleftheroudakis, run by Sofika Eleftheroudaki, will close on 30th September following a seven-year debt crisis. In that time, turnover at the company has plummeted from €24m in 2008 to €0.5m today, with employees falling from 130 to 10 as it was forced to shut all but one of its two dozen stores.

Hundreds pay to attend launch of debut Mama Can’t Raise No Man More than 600 people have paid to attend the book launch for debut black British novelist Robyn Travis, published by storytelling lifestyle brand OWN IT! Jordanian writer Hattar killed over 'offensive' cartoon A Jordanian writer, Nahid Hattar, has been shot dead ahead of a trial in which he faced charges of insulting Islam over an "offensive" cartoon.  Charkin joins UCL as 'honorary' staff member Bloomsbury’s executive director Richard Charkin is set to take up an honorary role at UCL university this month. W&N signs 'epic' finale to Cemetery of Forgotten Books series Weidenfeld & Nicolson is publishing a new novel by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Labyrinth of the Spirits, the last in his "epic" The Cemetery of Forgotten Books series that spans more than a decade. Walker to fund £25k WoBoD prize The 2017 World Book Day Award, launched by author James Patterson in 2015, will be funded by publisher Walker Books, which will provide £25,000 of books for the winning schools. Oxford Brookes lecturer Franklin's debut to Bonnier Zaffre Bonnier Zaffre is publishing Shelter, a debut novel by Sarah Franklin, senior lecturer in publishing at Oxford Brookes. Astronaut Tim Peake signs non-fiction debut Penguin Random House is publishing British astronaut Tim Peake's non-fiction debut, Hello, is this planet Earth? in November.