17.10.19 Free


At the Frankfurt Book Fair 2019.


Hall 6.0, C95


Publishers braced for no-deal Brexit as the trade prepares for hard exit from Europe


This is a dynamic situation and there are still material uncertainties... we are working hard to mitigate any disruption


Hachette statement


DEAL OR NO DEAL? PARLIAMENT HAS SO FAR FAILED TO AGREE ON HOW THE UK WILL LEAVE THE EU


E


ven as the British government and the European Union wrangle on a with- drawal agreement UK publishers have begun warning staff of the dire consequences of a no-deal Brexit, fearing it could lead to book stock being held up at ports, paper supply to UK printers threatened, and a fall in the value of rights deals in the long-term as European markets become a contested territory. Hachete UK sent an email to its staff before Frankfurt, offering guidance on a hard Brexit. Penguin Random House and Pan Macmillan both say they have prepared for the possibilit of the UK crashing out of the EU on 31st October. Hachete would not reveal the exact contents of its leter, but confirmed it had issued “updated Brexit advice to colleagues and stakeholders” in anticipation of no deal. The publisher said: “This includes information and advice on topics including people, supply chains, market access, data flows, copyright and business travel, based on contingency planning around the business. We are


also actively engaged with the Publishers Association (PA), Creative Industries Federation and government departments on Brexit issues. This is a dynamic situation and there are still material uncertainties, but colleagues across the business are working hard to mitigate any disruption.” PRH said its stance was unchanged from the last time the UK faced an impossible- looking Brussels deadline, and it has exten- sively planned for all scenarios across its supply chain, distribution and publishing schedules. The company has secured several months’ worth of UK paper stocks and has a monochrome printer in place in Europe to provide local printing for titles with high European sales, should it be required. It also brought forward backlist printings earlier this year. “We will continue to be in very close dialogue with our printers to ensure we remain ahead of any unforeseen challenges,” a spokesperson said. “We have worked closely with retail partners to manage


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stock-ups where we might expect supply chain delays.” Pan Macmillan publishing operations direc-


tor James Long said his team were “monitor- ing events closely and planning for a possible no deal”, adding: “We are in touch with our customers and suppliers and, where neces- sary, we are making decisions to increase stock or print earlier on relevant titles. We distribute through our sister company MDL and we have a long experience of mitigating against challenges in international supply.” The PA stepped up its activities last week,


with a forum for presses on no-deal planning. Atendees were told companies faced a raſt of extra costs to keep goods flowing, and many indies warned of the impact of such costs. In its end-of-year results this week, Faber


director Mary Cannam noted: “A hard exit from the EU could cause issues with export supply, as well as delays to inbound paper supply to printers in the UK.” Faber c.e.o. Stephen Page told The Bookseller every effort had been made to mitigate the risks, stating: “We’ve been preparing for the worst for a very long time but hoping for the best... whatever that is.”


Reporting Mark Chandler


Six-way auction


Raina’s Garam Masala goes to Little, Brown


Little, Brown/Abacus and Virago editorial director Ailah Ahmed has won a “fierce” six-publisher auction for the début of 27-year-old Rahul Raina. Ahmed bought UK and Commonwealth rights for


Little, Brown/Abacus to Garam Masala from Sam Copeland at Rogers, Coleridge & White. Copeland himself was able to secure representation of Raina by fighting off seven other agents. Garam Masala centres around Ramesh, who takes


exams for the sons of India’s elite. His life changes when he sits an exam for a particularly hapless rich kid, and gets the best marks in India. As his client becomes wealthier and famous, securing endorsement deals, Ramesh decides to blackmail the family for a percentage of the profits. His life then becomes a “maze of kidnappings and corruption”.


Ahmed said: “Garam Masala is one those books


that you read within 24 hours: wild, outrageous, funny, piercingly accurate on class and ambition, and emotionally gripping.”


Thursday


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