Latest News from The Bookseller

Authors debate digital-first publication Publishing digitally first can help authors to learn about the publishing process, make writers more critical of their own work and help reinvent an author. However, the author Stark Holborn warned that the format should only be used in the right context as there is “a difficulty in marketing something that has no physical presence”.

Swainson to depart Bloomsbury Senior commissioning editor Bill Swainson is to leave Bloomsbury in a cost-cutting restructure at the publishing house. Swainson, who has been at Bloomsbury for 15 years, will depart at the end of June. Bloomsbury editor-in-chief Alexandra Pringle said the company was having to "restructure and reduce the costs of its trade editorial department" in response to "the changing publishing environment." The announcement of Swainson's departure was made "with great sadness", she said.

S&S signs YouTuber Oakley Simon & Schuster UK will this October publish a collection of essays by American YouTuber and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activist Tyler Oakley. Oakley currently has 6.9m followers on his YouTube channel, where he campaigns for LGBT rights and discusses social issues such as education and healthcare. In Binge, a collection of essays, Oakley will “spill his best untold off-camera moments and allow his fans an intimate look at his life away from the screen”, said S&S.

Buenos Aires sees publishers bet on niche markets Publishers have been upbeat at the 41st Buenos Aires International Book Fair, which concludes today (11th May), highlighting strong sales in the Argentine market of adventure, fantasy and self-help books. They told The Bookseller that they planned to focus on these genres as they sign new talent.

HC Australia in Keating apology HarperCollins Australia has apologised to former Australian prime minister Paul Keating and agreed to pulp unsold copies of a book about him following a legal battle, according to the Australian press.

Gill Lewis wins Little Rebels award Scarlet Ibis by Gill Lewis (OUP Children's) has won this year’s Little Rebels Children’s Book Award for radical fiction. The award, which is for children’s fiction for readers any age up to 12 that promotes social justice, went to Scarlet Ibis because it “raises awareness of the care system, mental health issues and the challenges facing young carers”, said the judges.

App glitch hits Deyes promo A "Golden Ticket" competition launched by Blink and Alfie Deyes on Friday night (8th May) had to be cancelled on Sunday (10th) after a technical problem that informed hundreds of entrants that they had won. Deyes announced the competition on his YouTube channel on Friday evening. Viewers who had bought The Pointless Book 2 with the corresponding app were able to scan a designated set of pages in the book using the app to see if they had won a golden ticket.

Coronet buys sequel to Hancock bestseller Coronet is to publish a sequel to Graham Hancock’s Fingerprints of the Gods, which was published 20 years ago. Fingerprints of the Gods was a “radical re-evaluation of man’s past” and has sold nine million copies worldwide since its 1995 release, said Coronet. To coincide with the 20th anniversary, Hancock has written Magicians of the Gods, which is “set to reveal explosive new research and evidence to support his sensational claims of a lost civilisation”.

Quadrille to launch The Knowledge series Quadrille is launching The Knowledge, a new series of non-fiction pocket guides to a variety of subjects.

Bluebird buys self-published book on wellbeing Pan Macmillan’s Bluebird is to publish “an enchanted illustrated enquiry into the pursuit of happiness”, which was first self-published. The Well of Being: A Children’s Book for Adults by Jean-Pierre Weill is a pictorial narrative which “tells the story of a man as he searches for the wellbeing he longs for and dimly remembers yet no longer believes in”.

B&N's Roth joins Kortext A former Barnes & Noble digital strategy executive, Jade Roth, has joined Kortext as senior vice-president. Roth will join the Bournemouth-based e-textbook platform and use her experience in North American higher education market to support Kortext’s international expansion. Roth worked at B&N for over 30 years and was most recently vice-president for books and digital strategy and chief product officer for digital education.

Colwyn Bay's Bay Bookshop closes The Bay Bookshop in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, has closed after 30 years. Owners Andy and Debbie Morley have closed the long-lived store after a three-month closing-down sale. It was originally opened by Andy’s parents Rachael and Raymond Morley in 1972. Morley told News North Wales that competition from the internet had impacted on sales.