Latest News from The Bookseller

ESCO acquires YBP EBSCO Information Services has bought YBP Library Services from Baker & Taylor. Ahead of a public announcement, EBSCO - headquartered in Ipswich, Massachussetts - revealed the buy to customers, saying: "This acquisition ensures YBP's continuing role as the primary book supplier to academic libraries in the years to come.

Export markets 'mixed' for children's Children’s publishers and agents have said that the maturation of many book markets globally, in addition to the economic downturn, has meant that the number of deals made with international publishers is slowing.

B Closure for Harlequin's Dellarte Dellarte Press, the self-publishing imprint Harlequin US launched with the now Penguin Random House-owned Author Solutions, has been shut down. Harlequin told The Bookseller that Dellarte Press was “not an active imprint”, while Andrew Phillips, c.e.o. of Author Solutions said that Author Solutions has “never actively promoted” the imprint and that it was closed to new authors. Work by writers currently published with Dellarte Press will remain live.

Positive Planeta looks ahead Grupo Planeta, the world’s largest Spanish-language publisher, unveiled a new president this week, with the announcement that José Creuheras Margenat will succeed José Manuel Lara Bosch, who passed away in January.  Barcelona-based Planeta is family-owned: José Manuel Lara Bosch took over the company from his father, who founded it in 1949. Continuity will be ensured by the promotion of his eldest son, José Lara Garcia, to the position of c.e.o. He will work alongside the new president, as well as vice-president Carlos Fernandez.

Walliams and Jeffers win Red House awards Books by Sophie McKenzie, David Walliams and Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers were today (21st February) announced as winners at the Red House Children’s Book Awards 2015. Walliams’ Demon Dentist (HarperCollins Children’s Books) won the Books for Young Feaders category, while Split Second by Sophie McKenzie was the victor among Books for Older Readers (Simon & Schuster). The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers was the winner in the Books For Younger Children category. It was also named the overall winner.

Bloomsbury discontinues politics list Bloomsbury Academic is to stop signing new book projects in politics, international relations and sociology. The publisher has written to its authors in the field, saying: "We're very proud of the work we've published in these areas since 2008 but have decided to focus our publishing energies on our other existing subjects in the Humanities and Social Sciences."

Life After Life for Atkinson backlist Transworld is repackaging Kate Atkinson’s backlist to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the publication of Behind the Scenes at the Museum, as well as the release of her latest novel, A God in Ruins (May, £20). All of Atkinson’s backlist, including the Jackson Brodie series, will be repackaged in a consistent style, designed in-house at Transworld. The new look was inspired by the paperback cover of Life After Life, which was created by Canadian designer Kelly Hill.

Memorial service for Simon Master A memorial service for former Random House group deputy chairman Simon Master will take place on Friday 17th April. The service will take place at at St Luke’s Church, Sydney Street, London SW3 6NH at 11 a.m. and will be followed at 12.15p.m. by a reception in the Culford Room, Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ. Master died at the age of 70 on 16th January while on holiday in Central America.

Reconstruction for fire-damaged Russian library The Russian government is considering restoring the fire-damaged library of the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INION), a major centre for research in social studies and humanities.

Library groups support Shakespeare initiative Library groups including CILIP and The Reading Agency are supporting an initiative to promote Shakespeare to children aged five to 11 in public libraries. Shakespeare Week 2015 – Celebrate in Libraries (16th-22nd March) was organised by the charity The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and funded by an Arts Council grant. The trust will encourage libraries to host events such as mask making, designing costumes and sets, or writing plays, and has made a short film, based on the life of young Shakespeare, which will be shown exclusively in libraries.

Maigret films to star Rowan Atkinson ITV has commissioned two films featuring the French fictional detective Jules Maigret, created by Georges Simenon. Rowan Atkinson will play Maigret, who featured in 75 books by Simenon. Penguin is currently reissuing all 75 books as new translations in the Penguin Classics range.

SYP renews mentoring scheme The Society of Young Publishers (SYP) has renewed its mentoring scheme for 2015, with Hodder & Stoughton editor Anne Perry and BookMachine founder Laura Summers among those confirmed to mentor. The scheme, launched in 2014, was designed to meet the needs of young people working in publishing who are reaching for the next step in their career. It aimed to provide them with a set of tools to guide career progress through the experience and expertise of a successful publishing professional and the support of peers.