News

The new year blues

Judy PiatkusWhether you have had a great Christmas season or a tough one, come January there is nowhere to hide. Even when you have had... Read more

Sense and stupidity

It is a truth universally acknowledged that idle hacks in want of a kick-off for a couple of hundred words about Jane Austen will always... Read more

Clary ponders further passage

Ebury held a comedy night in Soho last week to cheer up booksellers with the January blues--and to flag up some forthcoming titles in the... Read more

Clary ponders further passage

Ebury held a comedy night in Soho last week to cheer up booksellers with the January blues--and to flag up some forthcoming titles in the... Read more

HMV's case for the proposed acquisition of rival bookseller Ottakar's may be strengthened by the Competition Commission's consideration of the consequences of blocking the merger.City... Read more

'Pay for your own libraries' says Bucks council after protests

Buckinghamshire County Council has asked residents to take financial responsibility for local libraries, after proposals to close eight branch libraries were met with protests.In a... Read more

Games Workshop to launch list

Alison BoneInternational games giant Games Workshop is launching a science fiction and fantasy imprint in spring 2007, through subsidiary BL Publishing.The Solaris list will début... Read more

Blackwell's can grow, says new chairman

Blackwell's new executive chairman Gerry Connolly has an "open mind" about the future direction of the academic chain.He told The Bookseller there were "no plans... Read more

WHS claims margin firm

W H Smith has claimed that it maintained margin on books at the expense of market share in the final two weeks before Christmas.The chain's... Read more

Summit thrashes out digital issues

Alison BonePublishers have started to hammer out digital rights issues with authors and agents, as they look to exploit their backlists online.The Publishers Association met... Read more

Penguin makes Matisse print pledge

Penguin has pledged to get 10,000 copies of Hilary Spurling's groundbreaking biography of modernist painter Matisse to wholesalers and booksellers by next Thursday (2nd February)... Read more

Christmas arrives worldwide

A roller-coaster year ended positively internationally, with festive sales spreading much-needed cheer . . .USGayle FeldmanIt was not a bad Christmas for US independents and... Read more

Branson cuts Moss deal

Richard Branson has persuaded press-shy supermodel Kate Moss to write her autobiography for Virgin Books. Branson is believed to have done the deal with... Read more

Batch plans site to connect indies

Batch is planning to develop a website connecting independent publishers and retailers. Emma Barnes of Snowbooks announced plans to create virtual hub i-2-i last October,... Read more

Competition Commission outlines wide-ranging investigation

The Competition Commission has outlined a wide-ranging investigation into the proposed merger of HMV's Waterstone's with rival chain Ottakar's. The CC said that its inquiry... Read more