Day 2 of the London Book Fair with The Bookseller

Sporting hat-trick for Headline Headline has acquired books by former cricketer Phil Tufnell, ex-boxer Ricky Hatton and rugby union player Adam Jones. Non-fiction publishing director Jonathan Taylor was behind the trio of acquisitions. HC inks six-figure deals for Lawrence and Casey HarperCollins has signed six-figure deals with fantasy writer Mark Lawrence and crime author Jane Casey. HarperVoyager’s Jane Johnson signed UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) to a trilogy by Lawrence for a “substantial” six-figure sum, in a deal with Ian Drury at Sheil Land. New YALC authors announced Booktrust has announced the second round of authors appearing at this year’s Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC), including Darren Shan, Sally Green and Kevin Brooks. Booktrust announced the names of 13 new authors taking part at a London Book Fair seminar entitled YALC: Ten Things We Learned about Reaching Teen Readers. Other authors who will speak at the conference include James Dawson, shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2015 for Say Her Name (Hot Key Book), Samantha Shannon, writer of The Bone Season (Bloomsbury), and author and editor Amy Alward.

Albertine and Parker to Faber Faber creative director Lee Brackstone has secured world language rights to Harry Parker’s début, Anatomy of a Soldier, from Matthew Hamilton at Aitken Alexander. The novel is about the rehabilitation of a soldier following an IED blast, as told through 45 narrators, ranging from fellow soldiers to insurgents and inanimate objects such as prosthetic legs and a bag of fertiliser. Rights have sold in the US (Knopf), France, Germany, Holland, Italy and Spain. Academia less pivotal to recruiting publishers Qualifications are less important than they used to be when it comes to recruiting, with more emphasis on potential and inherent talent, Penguin Random House (PRH) HR director Neil Morrison said at a London Book Fair seminar entitled “Challenging Tradition: What Skills are Trending Now?” IPG launches skills foundation The Independent Publishers Guild is to launch a charitable body aimed at improving the skills and business practices of its members. The IPG Foundation will fund a series of programmes including one-on-one mentoring, leadership coaching, apprenticeships and “a whole package of professional development opportunities”. Perry to design BAMB tote bag The Turner Prize-winning British artist’s design will be revealed at the BAMB launch on 8th October, which is also “Super Thursday”, the day on which a large number of publishers’ key titles are published ahead of the Christmas period. Orion bags Alan Partridge Orion has bought a book by Alan Partridge, which will be written “with help” from Steve Coogan and Rob and Neil Gibbons. A follow up to I, Partridge (HarperCollins), the title will be a collection of diary entries, letters, “think pieces” and programme and business ideas.