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Writers' News

UK audiobook revenue up by almost a third last year

theguardian.com – Wednesday June 18, 2025

Income from audiobooks reached a record £268m in 2024, according to figures from the Publishers Association

Whether it’s plugging in to Benedict Cumberbatch reading Austen while doing the washing up or listening to Meryl Streep narrate Nora Ephron’s Heartburn on the way to work, the UK is increasingly getting into audiobooks.

Audiobook revenue generated by UK publishers rose by 31% between 2023 and 2024, with income from audiobooks reaching a record £268m last year, according to the Publishers Association (PA), the body representing UK publishers.

“We’re seeing a real demand for audiobooks given the unique way they fit into our increasingly busy lives,” said Debbie Hicks, creative director at The Reading Agency charity. “Audiobooks make reading more accessible, whether that’s for people with dyslexia or visual impairments, or simply those who struggle to find time to sit down with a traditional book.”

Many listeners value “the ability to multitask” that comes with audiobooks, added Hicks. “You can listen to audiobooks while commuting, exercising or doing chores. For young adults especially, audiobooks are a natural fit with how they live and read.”

Audiobooks have “soared in popularity over the past 10 years”, said Dan Conway, chief executive at the PA. “The same is true of podcasts, so clearly audio content in general is hugely on the rise.”

[Read the full article]

Hailsham Festival launches 2025 creative writing competition

sussexexpress.co.uk – Saturday June 14, 2025

CALL FOR ENTRIES! -SUBMISSION DEADLINE 1ST AUGUST. Creative writing has always played a big part in the Hailsham Festival and once again the Creative Writing team at Hailsham Festival is running their annual competition for writing short stories and poetry.

This year we are inviting submissions from junior, teenager and adult writers in the following short story and poetry categories:

[Read the full article]

Allow the writing inspiration to flow

fortmyers.floridaweekly.com – Friday June 13, 2025

Round 4 of Florida Weekly Writing Challenge begins

The 15th annual Florida Weekly Writing Challenge launches its fourth round this week, offering photo prompts to inspire readers to write short stories. For Round 4, you have until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, June 24, to email us your original story. You may submit only one story per each two-week round.

Writing Challenge rules for this year

1. For each round, you have until 11:59 p.m. of the listed deadline date to email us your original story using only one of the two photographs shown for the round as your starting point.

2. Type your first and last name, email address, phone number and city/state of residence above your story.

3. Next, type a title at the top of your masterpiece.

4. Keep your entry to a maximum of 750 words, which includes your contact information and title (no minimum word count). No poetry, please.

[Read the full article]

Bloody Scotland crime-writing festival line-up announced

bbc.co.uk – Friday June 13, 2025

Authors Kate Atkinson, Kathy Reichs and Jo Nesbo will be among those appearing at this year's Bloody Scotland crime-writing festival in Stirling.

Rebus creator Sir Ian Rankin is the first guest programmer for the festival, which runs in the city from 12 to 14 September.

The festival also includes Horrible Histories author Terry Deary and broadcasters Steph McGovern, Jeremy Vine and Rev Richard Coles.

Sir Ian described the event as "the world's friendliest and most-inclusive crime fiction festival."

[Read the full article]

Last call for entries to Wells Festival of Literature writing competitions

glastonbury.nub.news – Thursday June 12, 2025

Writers of all stripes have until 30 June 2025 to submit their work for this year's Wells Festival of Literature competitions.

With entries already pouring in from across the globe, the contest is drawing everyone from creative writing students to young rappers and poets.

There are four categories this year, each judged by a respected figure in the literary world: Open Poetry (Camille Ralphs), Short Story (Judith Heneghan), Book for Children (Fleur Hitchcock), and Young Poets (Sanah Ahsan).

[Read the full article]

Popcorn Writing Award opens submissions for 2025

westendtheatre.com – Thursday June 12, 2025

Submissions for the Popcorn Writing Award, run by film and theatre production company Popcorn Group, are now open for 2025.

The award celebrates bold, imaginative new writing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, offering a £6,000 prize fund that goes directly to writers recognised for their notable, groundbreaking scripts.

In addition to the prize fund, winners are also granted valuable support from the Popcorn Group and BBC writers, offering mentorship meetings and consideration for the BBC Writers Voices 2026 programme.

Established in 2019 by the Popcorn Group, the Popcorn Award champions fearless writing that “playfully and artistically tackles current affairs, questions societal norms, and contributes positively to public debate.”

To be eligible, plays must be new writing with fewer than seven preview performances prior to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe and must be staged at one of the award’s partner venues.

As part of the award, all shortlisted writers are offered valuable mentorship meetings with the Popcorn Group. In addition, those based in the UK and Ireland will be eligible for a one-to-one meeting with the BBC Writers team. Eligible longlisted writers from the UK and Ireland will also be invited to submit their scripts for consideration as part of BBC Writers Voices 2026.

[Read the full article]

Introducing Nation Books, a New Progressive Publishing Imprint

thenation.com – Monday June 9, 2025

The partnership with OR Books brings the magazine’s indispensable voice and rich roster of talent to a longform format.

New York, NY—The Nation, America’s leading source of progressive politics and culture, together with OR Books, today announced that they are joining forces in a new book publishing imprint: Nation Books. Launching this fallthe imprint, which will be distributed by OR, will release four to six titles a year with new, younger Nation writers complementing more established voices from the magazine’s rich roster.

Katrina vanden Heuvel, publisher and editorial director of The Nation, welcomed the initiative: “At this perilous moment, The Nation’s indispensable voice and legacy has never been more essential. Our partnership with OR is a great opportunity to deepen the reach and impact of The Nation’s most exciting writers and thinkers, past and present—and inspire a new generation.” 

Colin Robinson, publisher at OR, adds: “The first book we published when we started OR was a searing anthology by Nation editors and writers about Sarah Palin, which went on to the New York Times bestseller list. With plentiful new targets, we are very much looking forward to repeating that experience, drawing on the terrific journalists at a superb progressive magazine.” 

On Tuesday, June 17, they will celebrate the launch of the new collaboration with a conversation between vanden Heuvel and Ross Barkan, a frequent contributor to The Nation and the author of CUOMO, published by OR Books, at The Francis Kite Club in New York City.

[Read the full article]

U.K. Publishing in 2025: The U.K.’s Graphic Novel Boom Comes Stateside

publishersweekly.com – Sunday June 8, 2025

British graphic novel publishers are making their presence felt in the U.S., racking up critical acclaim and commercial success with titles for all ages.

Since the late 1980s, creators from the U.K. have played a major role in shaping the American comics industry. And today, British publishers of comics and graphic novels are making a bigger splash than ever in the U.S. market, racking up levels of critical acclaim and commercial success that allow their titles to sit comfortably beside those of established stateside rivals on shelves in American bookstores and comics shops.

London’s Titan Publishing Group is one major player on the scene. A key Titan strategy has been to publish licensed TV, film, and video game tie-in comics, including Blade Runner, BloodborneDoctor Who, and—since a 2022 partnership with Heroic Signatures—Conan the Barbarian titles. Its Titan Manga and Statix imprints have also introduced work from Asia and Europe to the English-language market, and the company has actively sought creators worldwide to flesh out its line of original graphic novels. One recent star pickup has been Canadian animator Norm Konyu, best known for the graphic novels Downlands and The Junction. Titan is distributed to the U.S. book trade by Penguin Random House, with Diamond covering the direct market.

[Read the full article]

U.K. Publishing in 2025: The U.K. and U.S. Publishing Industries Are Growing Closer

publishersweekly.com – Saturday June 7, 2025

The U.K. and U.S. book markets are symbiotic, with many authors, industry professionals, and publishers active on both sides of the Atlantic. This interconnection is evident at the highest levels of the book business: James Daunt is CEO of both Waterstones, the U.K.’s largest bookstore chain, and Barnes & Noble, America’s largest; David Shelley is CEO of Hachette U.K. in London and Hachette Book Group in New York City; J.K. Rowling and now American author Sarah J. Maas have made U.K. publisher Bloomsbury into a bicontinental powerhouse.

The bestselling book of the year so far in both countries is American author Suzanne Collins’s Sunrise on the Reaping, which is just ahead of Rebecca Yarros’s Onyx Storm in the U.K., and U.S. streamers have propelled U.K. manosphere podcaster Steven Bartlett, the bestselling author of Diary of a CEO, into stardom alongside Joe Rogan and company.

This relationship translates into significant economic activity. “The appetite for U.K.-published content by U.S. readers will always be strong, and vice versa,” says Dan Conway, CEO of the U.K. Publishers Association. “Our latest figures actually show that the U.S. export market for U.K. publishers is growing faster than that of any other country.”

[Read the full article]

PRH Acquires Wonderbly, One of the UK’s Fastest-Growing Independent Publishers and Leader in Personalized Gift Books

global.penguinrandomhouse.com – Wednesday June 4, 2025

Acquisition Underscores Penguin Random House’s Commitment to Innovation and Growth 

Penguin Random House, a leading global trade book publisher, has acquired Wonderbly, one of the UK’s fastest-growing independent publishers and the global leader in personalized gift books, including its Historic Newspapers business. The acquisition was announced today by Nihar Malaviya, CEO of Penguin Random House; Paul Kelly, CEO of DK; and Asi Sharabi, CEO of Wonderbly. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

Wonderbly will continue to operate independently within Penguin Random House, maintaining its entrepreneurial culture, brand identity, and leadership team. Asi Sharabi, Wonderbly’s co-founder and CEO, will remain in his role and continue to lead the business from its London headquarters. No changes are planned to Wonderbly’s locations as a result of the transaction. Together, the companies will collaborate on a range of new initiatives and publishing ventures designed at accelerating growth, expanding reach, and attracting new audiences.  

Founded in 2013, Wonderbly has pioneered a direct-to-consumer publishing model that blends proprietary technology with best-in-class creative, marketing, and print-on-demand production capabilities. With a catalog of over 150 personalized children’s and adult titles, Wonderbly has sold more than 11 million books in over 140 countries.

[Read the full article]

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