First UK festival for east and south-east Asian writing announced
The ESEA Lit Fest promises a ‘a joyful, thought-provoking celebration of ESEA culture that’s open to all people’
September 2021
Booksellers warn over Christmas supplies amid UK lorry driver shortage
Shops build up stocks early to offset bottlenecks as publishers warn Brexit and pandemic are delaying distribution
October 2019
Books blog
'Animals feared him': fake David Cameron memoir cover spotted in bookshop
Complete with endorsements from Donald Trump and Judy Murray, the parody jacket turned up in a branch of Foyles
August 2019
Foyles sets up libraries for high-end retirement homes
The bookseller is moving into lending for the first time, supplying ‘hospitality-led’ luxury developments
June 2019
Waterstones owner buys US chain Barnes & Noble
James Daunt will be chief of both chains after deal hailed as boost for real-world bookshops
January 2019
'Leading the entertainment pack': UK print book sales rise again
Bestsellers including Michelle Obama’s Becoming cited as reasons for success, with industry voices praising sector for fourth consecutive year of growth
December 2018
Michelle Obama topples David Walliams to secure Christmas No 1
The former first lady’s memoir Becoming sold 92,000 copies last week – well ahead of Walliams, who was the bestselling author for the previous two years
September 2018
Bookshops threatened with legal action over book about Malaysian 'playboy banker'
Free speech campaigners say letters sent to booksellers are attempt to ‘short-circuit legal process’
Waterstones buying Foyles isn't necessarily a bad thing – at least it's not Sports Direct
James Smythe
The giant company’s acquisition of the smaller chain continues the monopoly of British bookshops – but as long as booksellers are protected, it’s a good thing
Waterstones buys Foyles 'in face of Amazon's siren call'
Takeover will make business better able to ‘champion pleasures of real bookshops’
August 2018
Books interview
Guy Gunaratne: ‘I read writers who make me feel brave’
The London-born novelist talks about evoking the rhythm of the city, being longlisted for the Booker prize, and why Foyles means so much to his dad
July 2018
Book sales boom but authors report shrinking incomes
Arthur C Clarke award goes to 'classic' novel exploring the limits of pregnancy
May 2018
'I thought I was a bad son’: the emotional distance between migrants and their children
In 1951, Guy Gunaratne’s Sri Lankan father learned English by reading in a London bookshop. Almost 70 years later, the same shop sells his son’s novel. The author considers their very different journeys
April 2018
Foyles points to higher business rates and shop flood for poor 2017
Bookseller says footfall declined after terrorist attacks, as it posts £88,791 loss on sales of £26.6m
March 2018
Booksellers remove racist and Holocaust denial titles from their websites
Anti-racist group Hope Not Hate says Waterstones, Foyles, WH Smith and Amazon are lending respectability to offensive books, but retailers say listings come from uncurated feed
October 2017
Dan Brown's Origin makes a strong start in UK bookshops
Although not quite the sensation of previous Robert Langdon thrillers, The Da Vinci Code author’s latest mystery sold 100,000 copies in its first week
May 2017
Colson Whitehead leads Arthur C Clarke award shortlist
The Underground Railroad heads up finalists for science fiction honour in wake of Pulitzer prize win and presidential endorsement
January 2017
JK Rowling and Joe Wicks powered 2016 surge in UK book sales
