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Bloomsbury Acquire Two Books From Sarah Crossan

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Bloomsbury Publishing has acquired two new books from Sarah Crossan. The first of the two books will be published in 2016 and will be supported by a high profile, global marketing and publicity plan.
"I am thrilled. I have always felt at home at Bloomsbury and feel lucky to have such a wonderful family looking after me" Sarah Crossan

Sarah’s debut book, The Weight of Water, won The Eilís Dillon Award for a First Children’s Book (CBI Book of the Year Awards), the We Read Prize, a Coventry Inspiration Book Award and a UKLA Book Award in the UK and was published to glowing reviews and acclaim in the US. It was also shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the CLPE Poetry Award. Her latest novel, Apple and Rain, is nominated for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for The Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards 2014 and will publish in the US in May 2015.

Zoe Griffiths, Senior Commissioning Editor, Bloomsbury Children’s Books acquired World English language rights from Julia Churchill at AM Heath Literary Agency.

via Book Trade Announcements – Bloomsbury Publishing: The Global Home For Award-winning Author, Sarah Crossan.

Bloomsbury Launch New Clean-Teen YA Romance Series

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Bloomsbury to counter “dreary, end-of-the-world fiction” with new “happy” romances…

Bloomsbury has announced the worldwide launch of a new clean-teen If Only line of young adult romances. The first two titles, Fool Me Twice by Mandy Hubbard and Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae are launching in the US in May and the UK in June 2014.

The If Only novels centre on teens who fall for someone they shouldn’t. Each high-concept book will feature the If Only logo and design branding. Some titles will be stand-alone, while others will be the start of a new series within If Only. The novels will each highlight the theme “you want what you can’t have.”

Ellen Holgate, UK Editorial Director for Children’s Fiction said: ‘After a glut of new adult fiction, these “clean teen” romances are perfect holiday reading for those looking for a bit of real-life escapism. We are very pleased to have such a talented group of authors writing for this list.’

‘With all the dreary, end-of-the-world fiction out there, it’s refreshing to offer a series about new love, the tantalizing thrill of should-I-or-shouldn’t-I, and the exciting roller coaster ride of real life to our teen readers,’ says Cindy Loh, US Publishing Director for Bloomsbury Children’s Books. ‘It’s time to bring back the happy!’

The If Only titles will be supported by a global marketing campaign which will include a tumblr promotion, blog tour, social media outreach and more.

The line will continue with the next book, Not in the Script by Amy Finnegan, in Autumn 2014.

via Book Trade Announcements – Bloomsbury Launches If Only, A New Line Of YA Romances.

Harry Potter New Children’s Editions

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Bloomsbury Children’s Books are to repackage the children’s hardback and
paperback editions Harry Potter series. Redesigned inside and out, all seven books will feature covers by award-winning artist Jonny Duddle.

Along with the brand new artwork and an updated author biography, the editions will also be reset “to create a more child-friendly reading experience for a new generation of readers”.  All seven titles will be published on 1st
September 2014.

Pottermore will publish the eBook editions of all seven books with the Jonny Duddle jackets at the same time.

Duddle is best known for his award-winning picture books, including The Pirate Cruncher and The Pirates Next Door (winner of the Waterstones Children’s Prize and shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize). He has a background in the computer games industry and is highly skilled at character development. His work has appeared in Aardman films and Terry Pratchett novels.
Bloosbury added:

This is only the beginning of an exciting new era for the Harry Potter books. As previously announced Bloomsbury and Pottermore will publish Jim Kay’s fully illustrated colour edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in autumn 2015. The books will be available in hardback and eBook formats and the remaining titles will publish annually from then on. Even more exciting Harry Potter plans will be announced at the London Book Fair in April.

http://harrypotter.bloomsbury.com/magic

IPG 2014 Publishing Awards shortlists

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Just look at the number of times Nosy Crow features…

IPG Children’s Publisher of the Year
Barefoot Books, Nosy Crow, Usborne Publishing and Walker Books

The London Book Fair International Achievement Award
Advance Materials, In Easy Steps and Nosy Crow

IPG Diversity Award
Accent Press, Barefoot Books and Phonic Books

IPG Young Independent Publisher of the Year
Tom Bonnick, Nosy Crow; Ola Gotkowska, Nosy Crow;
and David Henderson, Top That! Publishing

Ingram Content Group Digital Publishing Award
Bloomsbury Publishing, Faber & Faber, Jordan Publishing and
Nosy Crow

Nielsen Digital Marketing Award
Constable & Robinson, Faber & Faber and Nosy Crow

IPG Trade Publisher of the Year
John Blake, Constable & Robinson and Summersdale

Frankfurt Book Fair Academic & Professional Publisher of the Year
Bloomsbury Academic & Professional, Edward Elgar Publishing, Liverpool University Press and SAGE

Librios Education Publisher of the Year
Bright Red Publishing and Crown House Publishing

PrintOnDemand Worldwide Specialist Consumer Publisher of the Year
Absolute Press, How2Become, Quiller Publishing and Search Press

The Nick Robinson Newcomer Award
Critical Publishing, Fine Feather Press and Sedition Publishing

GBS Services to Independent Publishers Award
Attwooll Associates, Bounce Sales and Marketing, Compass Independent Publishing Services, Faber Factory, powered by Constellation and Faber Factory Plus
http://www.thebookseller.com/news/ipg-release-2014-publishing-awards-shortlist.html

‘Why the swearing had to stay in When Mr Dog Bites’

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Following the Telegraph’s piece (by Martin Chilton) about the profanity in a young adult novel called When Mr Dog Bites, Bloomsbury’s Director of Children’s Books, Rebecca McNally explains why the publishers decided to allow the swearing

The book isn’t about Tourette’s, but it is very much about language – Dylan’s own curiosity and playfulness with words (not swear words) is part of the joy of the book, what makes it a-mayonnaise-ing, not shizenhowzen; you’ll all be using Dylan-isms by the time you’ve finished reading. The most offensive words in the book are those directed at Dylan and his friend Amir by the ‘normal’ kids in the park (Dylan goes to a special school, which again makes us think about language and the labels those in authority put on people, especially children). They’re offensive because they reduce, humiliate and dehumanise characters we care about. Those words: “Paki”, “spaz”, “mong”, are like verbal IEDs, and they don’t lose their power.

via ‘Why the swearing had to stay in When Mr Dog Bites’ – Telegraph.

Spark, Bloomsbury’s new digital imprint, will be “asking authors to be a voice for the imprint”…

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Spark, Bloomsbury’s new digital imprint, will be “asking authors to be a voice for the imprint”…

It wasn’t long ago that publishers thought of digital media primarily as a marketing tool for the books they were already publishing.

No longer. Digital is at the center of several new initiatives in young adult and children’s publishing.

“Ebooks are definitely different,” said Cindy Loh, publishing director of Bloomsbury Children’s Books, speaking at the Launch Kids conference at Digital Book World 2014 in New York today, “the way you experience them, the way you create them, the way you market them.” According to Loh, that new reality drove the launch last month of the digital imprint Bloomsbury Spark.

In addition to aggressively pushing translation rights to develop global markets on a local basis, Spark will also market its line of titles together to develop its brand profile. That means “asking authors to be a voice for the imprint,” said Loh, so that the imprint can serve as a virtual community for readers.

The key measure of success, though, is whether voracious young adult readers are coming back for more. Audience engagement is at least as critical to publishers’ success as are individual sales.

via Digital Engagement Is Key, Say Children’s and Young Adult Publishers | Digital Book World.

Submission Guidelines Begin Asking Authors For Social Media Status

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Mercy Pilkington, CEO and founder editor of Author Options, reporting for Good Ereader:

News came this week that Bloomsbury UK was the most recent publisher to realize that authors are tiring of the hoop-jumping, as the announcement that its new YA and New Adult imprint Bloomsbury Spark would accept submissions from unagented authors. But is this too little, too late for an industry in which authors are routinely thumbing their noses at giving up as much as 85% of their royalties for the privilege of being “accepted” by the traditional industry?
Some publishers, such as the ultra-disruptive Sourcebooks, have been accepting unagented submissions for some time, and have even welcomed the opportunity for authors to win the right to submit a manuscript as part of a writing contest. Tor UK, an imprint of Pan Macmillan SFF, announced its own policy earlier this year, encouraging authors to think that they have options besides self-publishing.
What is interesting to see in this new shift is that Bloomsbury’s submission guidelines for this new imprint include the requirement that authors provide information on their social media standings, meaning the publisher wants to see how much reach and influence (re: built-in consumer base) the author has before agreeing to publish the work. This is similar to the publishing houses who join sites like Wattpad, sweeping up authors whose books have a significant following on the free reading and sharing platform.

via More Publishers Begin to Accept Unagented Submissions.

Bloomsbury Children’s Sets December Launch for E-book Imprint

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Bloomsbury Children’s has announced the December launch of Bloomsbury Spark, its new e-book-first imprint. The line will kick off with the simultaneous release of seven titles, and the program will continue with two new titles each month.

“The majority of today’s digital imprints are genre-focused and narrow in scope, but teen and new adult readers have diverse interests and tastes,” says Cindy Loh, U.S. publishing director for Bloomsbury Children’s Books. “We have designed Bloomsbury Spark specifically with the reader in mind. It’s a place where science fiction sits alongside dystopian, mystery, contemporary romance, and more. It offers exciting, new books every month for every kind of reader.”

via Bloomsbury Children’s Sets December Launch for E-book Imprint.

Phile Earle Leaves Bloomsbury and joins David Fickling Books

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Bloomsbury children’s sales director Phil Earle is to join newly independent David Fickling Books as sales and marketing director.
The new appointment will be effective from January 2014.
Earle joined Bloomsbury last year, and was formerly at Simon and Schuster and before that at Random House. He is also himself a published author.
DFB founder David Fickling, who previously worked alongside Earle at Random House, said: “From our point of view, Phil is the perfect combination of author and industry expert, reflecting the dual insights and inspiration of others in our team. His relevant market knowledge and his strong customer relationships fully match our belief in working very closely with all our partners to create excellent books.”

via Earle joins David Fickling Books | The Bookseller.

The Bone Season Author, Samantha Shannon, Featured In Telegraph + Book Trailer

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The idea she had back in 2011 has grown into a 480-page novel, The Bone Season, for which Bloomsbury paid in excess of £100,000.

So far rights to the novel, published in Britain on 20 August, have been sold in 20 countries – and this is just the first in a seven-book series, which should keep her busy until she is well into her thirties.

What’s more, the film rights to The Bone Season have been bought by the actor Andy Serkis’s company, The Imaginarium.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10228287/21-year-old-novelist-Samantha-Shannon-set-to-emulate-JK-Rowlings-success.html