THIS WEEK


News Review The headlines: in brief


Penguin General promotes Ridley amid comms team changes


Penguin General has announced a series of changes and promotions to its communications team as a result of the growth of the division and changes in the market


ANNA RIDLEY HAS BEEN PROMOTED TO ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER


Anna Ridley, currently communications director, has been promoted to associate publisher in recognition of her wider contribution to the division’s publishing strategy. Meanwhile, Amelia Fairney, also communications director, will move to working three days a week. Ridley will take on additional management responsibilities from Fairney as well as heading the communications team. She will also work closely with Penguin General’s publishers to build the strategy for their imprints and areas of publishing, with a particular focus on fiction and memoir, and continue to work with key


of the Week


£4,000


M H Ayinde pictured has won the £4,000 Future Worlds Prize for Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers of Colour with her novel A Shadow in Chains. Founded by author Ben Aaronovitch, the prize aims to find new UK talent writing in the SFF space. Ayinde was named the winner at a ceremony at the London Library on 16th February. The £2,000 runner-up was Salma Ibrahim with her novel Frankincense.


Rights deal 36 18th February 2022


Welbeck lands two books from Kate Gray Welbeck has landed two books by Kate Gray left in a six-figure deal follow- ing a four-way auction. Editorial director Rosa Schierenberg bought UK and Commonwealth rights to The Honeymoon and one other from Juliet Mushens at Mushens Entertainment. Described as a “thrilling summer read”, it will be a lead hardback for Welbeck in July 2023. Gray has previously published six commercial women’s fiction novels with HQ as Katy Colins. This is her first psychological thriller.


Rights deal Stat


authors including Ali Smith, Bernardine Evaristo, Deborah Levy, and Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris. Rose Poole, head of campaigns, will be running the marketing team with Fairney on her return from maternit leave on 25th February. Meanwhile, Annie Moore, senior campaigns manager, sees her temporary contract with Penguin General extended to the end of 2022. Julia Murday is promoted to associate publisher for Penguin Life and Penguin Business, while Poppy North is promoted to associate communications director, taking on additional management responsibilities on the team. Jane Gentle is also promoted to head of campaigns. Penguin General said it was “confident” these changes to the senior team will “future-proof” its communications strategy going forward.


Coronet lines up Graham Norton’s fourth book Graham Norton’s fourth and “darkest, funniest” novel is scheduled from Coronet for this September. Publisher Hannah Black bought world rights from Melanie Rockcliffe at YMU. Forever Home will be published in hardback, trade paperback, e-book and audio narrated by Norton left, in the UK and Ireland on 29th September. Coronet described it as “a tense and darkly comic” novel in which Norton casts a light on the relationship between mothers and daughters.


Icon to launch UK imprint with Boraine at the helm Icon Books is launching a new imprint in the UK, spearheaded by Jonathan Ball publishing director Jeremy Boraine above. Jonathan Ball Publishers, a division


of the South African media group Media24, acquired Icon in April 2020, and the imprint will take its name from the division. Boraine, currently based in South


Te Bookseller @thebookseller


We are elated to reveal this year’s #BritishBookAwards Independent Bookshop of the Year Regional and Country finalists /bit.ly/3JqZ9SY


Africa at Jonathan Ball, will join Icon’s London office in April, commissioning non-fiction with a focus on current affairs, biography and history. He said: “Jonathan Ball Publishers’


reputation for publishing truth to power was forged under Apartheid and the decades that followed, and I hope to bring some of this investigative tradition to the books I publish in the UK.” C.e.o. Philip Cotterell added: “We


are delighted that Jeremy has agreed to head the list.”


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