16.08.17 WBN

8/16/2017

Newsletters | Books+Publishing

The Lesser Bohemians , which depicts the relationship between an 18-year- old Irish girl living in London and an older actor, was described by the judges as ‘an extraordinary rendering of a young woman’s consciousness as she eagerly embarks on a new life in London’. Laura Cumming won the £10,000 biography prize for The Vanishing Man (Vintage), which explores the life of Victorian bookseller John Snare, who believed he had found a lost painting by Velázquez. Founded in 1919, the James Tait Black Prizes are awarded annually by the University of Edinburgh and judged by senior academics at the university with the assistance of postgraduate student judges. For more information, click here . Hugo Awards 2017 winners announced For the second year running, N K Jemisin has won the Best Novel category at the Hugo Awards for science-fiction and fantasy titles. Jemisin picked up the award for her novel The Obelisk Gate (Orbit), the follow-up to her 2016 Hugo award-winning novel The Fifth Season (Orbit). Other winners included Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com) for best novella; ‘The Tomato Thief’ by Ursula Vernon (Apex Magazine, January 2016) for best novelette; and ‘Seasons of Glass and Iron’ by Amal El-Mohtar (The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales, Saga Press) for best short story. The Hugo Awards are voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention (WSFS). The presentation ceremony was held at the 75th World Science Fiction Convention in Helsinki, Finland. See the full list of winners here . HarperCollins releases 2017 full-year results In the US, HarperCollins has reported a decline in revenue of US$10m ($A12.7m) in the fiscal year ending 30 June, a drop of 0.6% compared to fiscal 2016, reports Publishers Weekly . Despite the decline in revenue from US$1.65b (A$2.09b) in 2016 to US$1.64b (A$2.08b) in 2017, the publisher saw a 7.5% rise in EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), increasing to US$199m (A$252m) from US$185m (A$234m) in 2016. The revenue decline was attributed to several factors, including a shorter fiscal 2017 due to the extra week in 2016 and the negative impact of currency exchange. 2016 sales were also significantly boosted by sales of Go Set a Watchman , which the publisher was able to largely make up for in fiscal 2017 with strong frontlist and backlist sales, led by Hillbilly Elegy (J D Vance), The Magnolia Story (Chip and Joanna Gaines), and both Jesus Calling and Jesus Always by Sarah Young. HarperCollins US CEO Brian Murray reported double-digit gains for digital audio. The increase helped offset ebook declines, and total digital revenue was flat, accounting for 19% of consumer sales. Murray said the publisher will be producing digital audio formats for all of its titles to meet demand.

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