The Big Scottish Book Club returns to BBC with Jackie Kay, Julian Clary and Elif Shafak to feature
I have always wanted to interview Elif Shafak who is one of the world’s finest writers and deepest thinkers—her latest novel is a future classic.
Atlantic Books confirms move to Macmillan Distribution
Having distributed for Atlantic’s sister company Murdoch Books here in the UK for over 20 years this feels like a perfect fit and a great opportunity for us to continue to develop our businesses together."
Puffin donates mini libraries to children’s hospitals for Adam Kay book campaign
Kay, along with Paker and publisher Puffin, will support charities MediCinema, offering cinema-based healthcare programmes in hospitals, and Starlight, which promotes children’s play in health settings.
Society of Authors writes to AI firms demanding ‘appropriate remuneration’ and consent for authors
This is the latest in a series of legal cases where AI firms stand accused of using authors’ material to teach large language models (LLMs) without their consent, or by using allegedly stolen copies of their books.
Anya Taylor-Joy to star in new Netflix adaptation of Bella Mackie’s How to Kill Your Family
British actress Anya Taylor-Joy will star in the Netflix adaptation of Bella Mackie’s bestselling How to Kill Your Family (The Borough Press), as part of a slew of new projects announced at the Edinburgh TV Festival.
Ebury’s Evangeline Stanford joins Viking Non-Fiction
Stanford will start on 27th August, reporting to Daniel Crewe, publishing director of Viking Non-Fiction, and will acquire female voices in areas including memoir, current affairs, sport and history, and nature writing.
Daily listens of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us audiobook soar 712% on Spotify
The audiobook of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us, narrated by Olivia Song (Simon & Schuster), has seen a 712% increase in average daily listening in the UK since the film starring Blake Lively was released on 9th August, in comparison with the same period the previous month.
Riposte launches new collection of literary journals
The creative team behind RiposteMagazine has launched the inaugural edition featuring poetry, short stories and essays from some of contemporary writers, including Amy Key, K Patrick, Sheena Patel, Kaliane Bradley, Charlie Porter and Halima Jibril.
Transworld promotes Beci Kelly to deputy art director in fiction
Over the past few years in my focused role as head of design at Doubleday, I have truly cherished the opportunity to oversee and shape the visual identity of our literary imprint.
Colleen Hoover claims a rare chart hat-trick while Yungblud’s You Need to Exist sings in Non-Fiction
While the Pinch of Nommers recorded their eighth non-consecutive HBNF summit last week, Stewart’s quest for an 11th pole position on the paperback list was arrested by Dominic “Yungblud” Harrison, the Doncaster-born singer-songwriter and provocateur to people who think Imagine Dragons is a bit too edgy.
David Nicholls and Harriet Walter to appear at Cambridge Literary Festival’s Winter Weekend
The organisers added: “With a range of talks to inspire audiences across a dazzling array of subjects – from the workings of the ocean to the legacy of James Baldwin – the festival continues to shine a light on the very best contemporary books and thinkers, leading the cultural conversation with over 35 speakers due to appear across the weekend.”
Bloomsbury announces all-female cast and production team for the audio version of Gillian Anderson’s Want
Sam Halstead, head of audio at the publisher, said: "We knew that creating a safe environment for this recording was crucial in getting the most sincere readings of the letters, so the entire production process has been a solely female endeavour.
Spellow Lane Library crowdfunder raises ÂŁ250k as council reveals plans for ‘ambitious’ future
Spellow Lane Hub has now raised around £250,000 towards its recovery and 300 writers have donated books, enabling a more “ambitious” future for the riot-damaged library, Liverpool County Council has told The Bookseller.
Hay Festival Global to ‘cross borders’ with renewed Lviv BookForum partnership
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, two hybrid editions of the Lviv BookForum have taken place in partnership with Hay Festival, featuring guests like Abdulrazak Gurnah, Margaret Atwood, Yuval Noah Harari and many others.
Ex-Channel 4 diversity lead Mel Rodrigues hired as Creative Access chief executive
With her deep expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion; in developing and supporting talent from historically underrepresented groups and leadership roles in both commercial and not for profit environments, Mel brings a wealth of experience to Creative Access.
First romantic fiction festival held in Manchester
Authors including Milly Johnson, Harriet Evans, Cesca Major, P J Ellis, Veronica Henry and Isabelle Broom took to the performance space, while workshops from literary agent Lisa Highton, the RNA and publishing staff helped inspire writers.
Emilia Clarke to narrate the audio version of The Instrumentalist
Senior editor Tom Skipp praised the actor’s "brilliance at bringing Anna Maria and the love of music that animates her world to life," adding: "It means such a lot to Harriet and everyone at Bloomsbury that Emilia has chosen to work on a book that is so important to all of us.