THIS WEEK


News Review The headlines: in brief


Blackwell’s announces sale of the company for first time in its history


DAVID PRESCOTT: “THE SALE OF BLACKWELL’S REPRESENTS


A GENUINELY UNIQUE AND EXCITING OPPORTUNITY”


Family-owned bookseller Blackwell’s is up for sale for the first time in its 143-year history. The company, which has 18 shops, ended 2021 with a 1.9% increase in revenue year on year. Its management team had atempted to fund a move towards becoming an employee-owned business, but were hampered by uncertaint caused by the pandemic. Julian Blackwell, current owner and president, said: “I would have loved to have handed over the company to its staff, but I also accept that in order to grow and remain competitive in the future, it is time for new ownership, ideas and investment. I have always stood for innovation and transformation in the constantly changing world of bookselling. I am delighted to have supported, and now see, Blackwell’s become a significant


Rights deal


of the Week


150%


Pottermore Publishing, the digital content company for J K Rowling’s Wizarding World, saw revenues rise to £40.4m while pretax profits rocketed 150% to £9.5m in the 12 months to 31st March 2021. Revenues saw an uplift of 23% from £32.5m in 2020 and pretax profits rose from £3.8m the year before. Trading in the first part of the current year, to 31st March 2022, has been in line with expectations, with “solid” sales of Harry Potter e-books and digital audiobooks.


Rights deal


RASHFORD LEFT AND ANKA


10 4th February 2022


Macmillan picks up Rashford’s next title Macmillan Children’s Books has landed the follow-up to Marcus Rashford and Carl Anka’s bestselling You Are a Champion. Samantha Smith, publisher of fiction, non-fiction and picture books, and Cate Augustin, senior editor of non-fiction and fiction, bought world rights to You Can Do It: How to Find Your Team and Make a Difference from Kelly Hogarth at Thelma Gwen, who represents Rashford, and Becky Thomas at Lewinsohn Literary, who represents Anka. It will publish in July 2022.


Stat


player in online bookselling and to have helped keep alive the concepts of service and expertise so well embodied by our chairman and board and our wonderful staff.” David Prescot, Blackwell’s c.e.o., commented: “The sale of Blackwell’s represents a genuinely unique and exciting opportunit for any potential buyer to own a much loved and trusted bookselling brand. The business has been quietly and successfully transitioning itself in recent years to establish a substantial global online presence alongside a core portfolio of iconic shops. “We hope that a new owner and investment will help us to secure a long-term future for Blackwell’s and its booksellers for many years to come.” Blackwell’s is working with Begbies Traynor Group Advisory on the sale.


Michael Joseph signs Zhang’s début book Michael Joseph has pre-empted Four Treasures of the Sky, a “tour de force” début novel from Jenny Tinghui Zhang left. Editorial director Jillian Taylor acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Vanessa Kerr at Abner Stein. Flatiron’s Caroline Bleeke pre-empted North American rights from Stephanie Delman at Trellis Literary Management. The novel will be published in July 2022. Taylor described it as “one of the most heartrending and beautifully-told stories I have ever had the privilege to read”.


Scribe’s Braybrooke makes move to Bonnier Books Scribe UK publisher and m.d. Sarah Braybrooke above is joining Bonnier Books UK as publishing director of a new non-fiction imprint. Braybrooke will launch her


Te Bookseller @thebookseller


Trade publishing sales grow by 16% in Italy, according to the Italian Publishers Association https://bit.ly/33X6FGp


currently unnamed imprint in June when she joins Bonnier, reporting to c.e.o. Perminder Mann. The imprint will publish between 10 and 12 titles a year, spanning memoir, history, politics, current affairs, psychology, investigative writing and neuroscience. She said: “Leaving for Bonnier Books UK was a tough decision, but I’ve long admired Perminder’s leadership from afar, and I love the idea of being part of a dynamic, growing team at a company with such big ambitions.”


© Callum High


© Mary Kang


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40