Sales of printed books rocketed to a 2013 high last week as shoppers hit bookshops in the hunt for Mother's Day gifts and World Book Day treats. Nielsen BookScan data reveals spending on printed books totalled £25.2m in the seven days to 9th March—up 12.5% (£2.8m) on the previous week and up 1.2% (£0.3m) on the...

A new prize for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year, the Petrona Award, has announced its first shortlist.

The award has been set up to celebrate the work of online crime fiction reviewer and blogger Maxine Clarke, who died last December. Clarke named her online persona and blog Petrona.

The shortlist for the 2013 award...

Children’s publisher Chicken House is planning to develop its media arm, Chicken House Entertainment, by recruiting script editors, as three of its titles get closer to a silver screen adaptation.

Publisher and managing director Barry Cunningham said the Scholastic-owned company would in the future look to develop scripts and...

Harlequin UK has partnered with biNu, the social enterprise with a mission to stimulate reading in growth markets, to make its e-books available for mobile phone users in India and Africa.

The publisher is the first to take part in the initiative.

Tablet, e-reader and even paperback penetration is low in large parts of the...