Latest News from The Bookseller

Waterstones fine-tunes non-fiction focus Waterstones is making changes to the way it sells non-fiction books as part of a new drive to fine-tune its bookselling. James Daunt, the company’s m.d., said new non-fiction hardbacks would be brought to the front of the shop, range would be “scruntinised” to make sure every shop had a “credible core range”, and branches would be examined on a “shop-by-shop basis” to see how to improve sales of non-fiction.

'Watchman' is 'genuine literary event', says Lawson Two early reviews have been published for Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman, published tomorrow (14th July), with Mark Lawson in the Guardian billing it "in most respects, a new work, and a pleasure, revelation and genuine literary event."

Gove scraps prisoner book restrictions Justice secretary Michael Gove [pictured] has formally scrapped restrictions on the number of books prisoners are allowed, according to the BBC. The ban was ruled unlawful in December last year. From 1st September, prisoners will be allowed to have more than 12 books in their cell and relatives and friends can send books to inmates directly, Gove confirmed.

Picador buys 'deeply moving' father's story Picador has acquired the memoir of a fatherless man trying to be a father to his transgender child. Publisher Paul Baggaley acquired UK and Commonwealth rights for Fathers & Sons by Howard Cunnell from Patrick Walsh at Conville & Walsh on a partial manuscript.

Polish crime to H&S Hodder & Stoughton has acquired four novels in a series from the “queen of Polish crime writing”, Katarzyna Bonda [pictured]. Bonda is currently the biggest-selling female author in Poland, and acclaimed by readers and reviewers, the publisher said.

LexisNexis to buy Jordan Publishing Legal, government and business information provider LexisNexis is to buy legal publisher Jordan. LexisNexis will continue to offer Jordan's print titles, including Family Court Practice, but is expected also to develop them into an online offering. Christian Fleck, m.d. of LexisNexis UK, said: "Combining the two businesses will create value for customers by providing additional flexibility and choice." The deal is subject to regulatory review.

'Original' Levithan among UKLA winners Books by David Levithan, Philip Reeve, Sarah McIntyre, Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers were the winners of this year’s United Kingdom Literary Association (UKLA) Book Awards, announced today (10th July) at a ceremony in Nottingham. The awards are divided into three categories – 12-16+, 7-11 and 3-6 – and are the only UK children’s book awards that are voted for by teachers.

Horse-drawn tours from Stanfords Stanfords Bookshop is diversifying to run horse-drawn omnibus tours of London. The tours will run every Tuesday and Thursday, guided by an accredited Blue Badge Guide.  A spokesperson for the bookshop said: “It’s over 100 years since Covent Garden echoed with the sound of horse-drawn omnibuses, but today Stanfords, the world’s largest map and travel bookshop, plans to offer visitors to London tours of the city’s sights aboard a vintage Victorian omnibus.”

Girl on the Train…in New York The film version of The Girl on the Train will reportedly be set in New York as opposed to London. The bestselling title, published by Transworld, has been optioned for film, with a writer and director already lined up under the overall supervision of Steven Spielberg, the Sunday Times has reported.

Leroi wins London Hellenic Prize Biologist Armand Marie Leroi has picked up a second prize for books about Greece – the London Hellenic Prize – for his exploration of Aristotle’s involvement in science. The Lagoon: How Aristotle Invented Science (Bloomsbury) was awarded the £9,000 Runciman Prize, which is organised by the Anglo-Hellenic League and given to a work, published in English, about some aspect of Greece or the world of Hellenism, on the 18th June.

Virago to publish Aiken’s Armitage stories Virago Modern Classics will this August publish a collection of the Armitage Family stories by Joan Aiken. The Serial Garden will be the first collection of the stories ever printed in the UK, and will be published in paperback on the 8th August (£8.99).

Grub Street Spitfire sells for £3m A Spitfire P9374 , which is the subject of Andy Saunders’ book Spitfire Mark I P9734 (Grub Street) has been sold at Christie’s London for £3.1 million.