Saturday, March 09, 2013

Bloomsbury tops winners at IPG Awards


08.03.13 | Benedicte Page - The Bookseller

Bloomsbury's Academic and Professional Division has won the IPG Independent Publisher of the Year, the flagship honour at the annual Independent Publishers Guild Awards.

 Meanwhile there were also wins for Constable & Robinson, Nosy Crow, Crown House, Accent Press, Phoenix Yard Books, The History Press, Myriad Editions and Faber Factory.

 Judges singled out the Bloomsbury division for the lead award because of the "breadth of its academic and professional publishing and its clear vision for what it wishes to achieve", recognising "a company with a true entrepreneurial and independent spirit". The judges said: "Some people have been doubtful about Bloomsbury's move into academic and professional publishing, but it proved last year that it is already a big player in its sector. It has used its money wisely and made everything work exceptionally well."
Bloomsbury Academic and Professional Division also scooped the Frankfurt Book Fair Academic & Professional Publisher of the Year award for a year of "standout sales and profitability, and the release of a string of creative new print and digital products".
Meanwhile Constable & Robinson won the IPG Trade Publisher of the Year Award for the second year running. The judges praised its "enormous energy" in pushing ahead in many fronts in the last year. The publisher was described as moving "confidently into a range of digital projects while holding its print sales together in a declining market".
The publisher also won the Ingram Content Group Digital Publishing Award in recognition of "soaring" e-book sales and successfully monetised online publishing ventures.  "Constable & Robinson is doing things that many much larger publishers haven't even dreamed of," the judges noted.

 Also winning two awards was children's publisher Nosy Crow. The company was IPG Children's Publisher Of the Year for a second year in a row, after notching up "even stronger commercial success and particularly impressive export, rights and coedition business". Judges admired the company's "innovative products, marketing and can-do attitude".
Nosy Crow also won the London Book Fair International Achievement Award; the judges commented that: "The breadth of the global strategy is very impressive."
Crown House Publishing won IPG Education Publisher of the Year, after growing sales in a challenging market and picking up several awards. The judges said: "Crown House really cares about what it does and is passionate about making a difference in education," applauding its "good-looking physical books, growing e-book sales and strong   connections to authors and customers".

 Accent Press won PrintOnDemand Worldwide Specialist Consumer Publisher of the Year, for the success of its Xcite Books erotic fiction list. The judges noted Accent Press had got into the field long before the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon, and was well positioned to take advantage of the book,with "disciplined publishing and imaginative marketing".

 IPG Newcomer Award went to children's publisher Phoenix Yard for its attractive books and support of work in translation, billing its approach "professional and stylish".
The Nielsen Digital Marketing Award went to The History Press for its campaign around the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Judges were impressed by its social media work and said its achievements on a tiny budget had been "incredibly impressive".
The IPG Diversity Award went to Saqi Books, chosen for its cutting-edge books from numerous territories, particularly including the Middle East and North Africa. Judges also noted it had adroitly balanced scholarly and accessible publishing and had never been afraid to tackle controversial issues.

 IPG Young Independent Publisher of the Year went to Vicky Blunden of Myriad Editions for her "transformation" of the publisher's fiction list and sales. Judges noted clever acquisitions and editing and careful nurturing of authors. They said: "Getting literary fiction right is one of the hardest jobs in publishing, but the causal link between her contribution and the impact on the company is clear."

 Faber Factory was honoured with the GBS Services to Independent Publishers Award for its "deft" handling of e-book production and distribution, "generous" sharing of market knowledge and "first-rate" client care. Judges praised it for having "consistently provided an efficient, friendly and powerful service, so that independents can stay at the forefront of digital publishing and reap the rewards of collective representation with retailers."

 The IPG Independent Publishing Awards were run in association with The Bookseller and the London Book Fair.
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