M2 Best Books articles from May 2006

M2 Best Books archives from May 2006

Steven Keslowitz sells UK and US rights to The World According to The Simpsons.(Wheatmark Inc.)(Brief article)
May 2, 2006

Tim Waterstone withdraws bid for Waterstone's.(Waterstone's Booksellers Ltd.)(Brief article)
May 2, 2006

Date for Quills Awards announced.(Brief article)
May 2, 2006

Kaavya Viswanathan's novel pulled from shelves by publisher.(Brief article)
May 2, 2006

Shortlist for James Tait Black Memorial Prizes announced.(Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McEwan and Ali Smith)(Brief article)
May 3, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The nominees for the GBP10,000 James Tait Black Memorial Prizes have been announced and the shortlist includes Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McEwan and Ali Smith. The shortlist for the awards,...

Pramoedya Ananta Toer dies, aged 81.(Brief article)(Biography)
May 3, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Indonesian author Pramoedya Ananta Toer died on Sunday (30 April) after suffering from chest pains and respiratory problems. According to Reuters Pramoedya, who was 81, died at his...

PEN award goes to Philip Roth.(PEN/Nabokov Award)(Brief article)
May 3, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The USD20,000 PEN/Nabokov Award for lifetime achievement has been presented to Philip Roth. Roth's published novels have included The Plot Against America and Portnoy's Complaint. ...

Starbucks to expand into books.(William Morris Agency Inc., contract)(Brief article)
May 3, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Coffee chain Starbucks is to branch out into the sale of books as part of an agreement with William Morris Agency. According to The Book Standard, William Morris will work with Starbucks...

Independent Foreign Fiction Prize goes to Per Petterson.(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Norwegian author Per Petterson has been named as the winner of this year's GBP10,000 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize for his fifth novel, entitled Out Stealing Horses. The Independent...

Revised edition of Kaavya Viswanathan novel will not be published, says Little, Brown.(Little, Brown and Company Inc.)(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A revised edition of How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life by Kaavya Viswanathan will not be released by the book's publisher Little, Brown. The revised edition was...

Hodder and Stoughton signs book deal with Billie Piper.(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Publisher Hodder and Stoughton has revealed that it has entered into an agreement with 23-year-old Doctor Who actress Billie Piper for the publication of her autobiography. Piper began...

Borders appoints George Martinez to merchandising team.
May 4, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Bookseller Borders has announced that it has appointed Ernesto Martinez to its merchandising team as a buyer specialising in Spanish and foreign-language titles, effective 22 May. ...

Shortlist for Orange Award for New Writers announced.(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The shortlist for the Orange Award for New Writers, an off-shoot of the Orange Prize for Fiction, has been announced and it includes British author Naomi Alderman. Alderman has been...

Sale of 'golden books' banned in China.(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD As of 1 May the publication authority of China has banned the sale of books printed on gold foils. The most common 'golden book' is reportedly a collection of poems by the late Chinese...

Barnes & Noble to open new store in California.(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc (NYSE:BKS) is to open a new bookstore on 17 May in Atrium Court at Fashion Island at 401 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach in California, US. The new...

Hougton Mifflin reports first quarter results.(Brief article)
May 5, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Publisher Houghton Mifflin Company has reported an increase in revenue for the first quarter of 2006. The company reported net sales from continuing operations of USD134.4m, showing an...

Hughes & Hughes to open three new stores.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Three new bookshops are to be opened in May by Ireland-based book chain Hughes & Hughes, taking the total number of stores operated by the company to 18. According to Publishing News,...

Cats Protection supports new book on cattery design.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD UK-based feline welfare charity Cats Protection has announced that it is supporting a new book entitled Cattery Design - The Essential Guide to Creating your Perfect Cattery for anyone...

Shortlist for Carnegie medal announced.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The shortlist for the Carnegie medal has been announced, with four out of the five nominees having previously won the award before. This year's shortlist includes the late Jan Mark for...

Pearson to acquire Italy's PBM.
May 8, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Educational publisher Pearson has announced that it is to acquire an 80% stake in Italian-based textbook publisher Paravia Bruno Mondadori Editori (PBM). According to Reuters, PBM has...

New international book fair to be held at Earls Court.(Frankfurt Book Fair )(Brief article)
May 9, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The organisers of the Frankfurt Book Fair have secured Earl's Court Exhibition Hall in London, UK to host a new international trade book fair next year. The Book Fair Earl's Court,...

New book published that links with Lost plot.(Bad Twin takes number one spot)(Brief article)
May 9, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A new novel that is linked with the plot of cult television series Lost was published last week and has taken the number one spot on the Amazon bestseller list. The book, entitled Bad...

Turkish author Erdal Oz dies aged 71.(Obituary)(Brief article)
May 9, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Turkish author Erdal Oz died on Friday (5 May) at the age of 71. The author's first book of short stories entitled Yorgunlar was published in 1960, as was his first novel Odalarda. He is...

New online service to be launched by Waterstone's.(Waterstone's Booksellers Ltd.)(Brief article)
May 9, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A new online book service is to be launched by bookseller Waterstone's in autumn 2006. According to the company the website will offer more than 3 million titles to choose from, together...

Triumph Books purchased by Random House.(Brief article)
May 10, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Publisher Random House has announced that it has purchased Triumph Books, a US-based based publisher of sports titles. According to Publishers Weekly, Triumph will now exist as an...

HMV issues trading update.(HMV Group)(Brief article)
May 10, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Retailer HMV Group Plc, the operator of the Waterstone's book chain, has revealed in a trading update that its pre-tax profit before exceptional costs will be in the centre of a range of...

New store opened by Books-A-Million in Indiana.(Brief article)
May 10, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD US-based book retailer Books-A-Million Inc (NASDAQ/NM:BAMM) has announced that it is to open a 16,642-square-foot store in Muncie, Indiana, located in the Muncie Mall on McGalliard Road and...

US book production down in 2005.(Brief article)
May 10, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Bowker, a provider of bibliographic information, has published new statistics on US book publishing compiled from its Books In Print database. Based on preliminary figures from US...

Faber & Faber named Publisher of the Year.(2006 British Book Trade Awards)(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The 2006 British Book Trade Awards has named Faber & Faber as KPMG Publisher of the Year. Faber & Faber has reportedly been responsible for the publishing of books including The...

New children's book to address bullying released.(Julie Hegarty)(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A new children's book aimed at tackling the issue of bullying, entitled Michelle In: Crabbit Comes to Stay, has been written by Julie Hegarty. The book is reportedly aimed at pre-school...

Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing made by Intervisual.(Intervisual Books Inc.)(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Intervisual Books Inc, a children's publisher, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Intervisual mainly publishes through its Piggy Toes Press and Baby Piggy Toes imprints. ...

Human rights book fair opens in Gambia.(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies' (ACDHRS) 13th Human Rights Book Fair commenced last weekend at the Kairaba Hotel, Gambia. The book fair reportedly aims to help...

Winner of The Big Gay Read announced.(Brief article)
May 12, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The winner of The Big Gay Read has been named as Armistead Maupin's story of straight and gay life in San Francisco entitled Tales of the City. The award, which was reportedly launched...

Castle Harlan to acquire Baker & Taylor.
May 12, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Book wholesaler Baker & Taylor is to be sold to private equity company Castle Harlan for USD455m. According to The Book Standard another private equity firm, Willis Stein & Partners, is...

Waterstone's/Ottakar's merger cleared by UK competition authority.
May 12, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The UK Competition Commission has announced that it has formally cleared the acquisition of bookseller Ottakar's by music retailer HMV, the owner of the Waterstone's chain of book stores. ...

Countess of Wessex to launch book giveaway for children's charity.(Brief article)
May 12, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A book give-away for a children's charity is to be launched by the Countess of Wessex. The Children's Party at the Palace/National Literacy Trust Book Pool, which is to give away over...

Cookbook to be released by frontman of Franz Ferdinand.(Brief article)
May 15, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Alex Kapranos, the lead singer of Franz Ferdinand, is to release a new cookbook entitled Sound Bites. The new book will reportedly feature Kapranos' food columns that he writes for The...

Dutton & NAL signs new deal with Harlan Coben.(Dutton's Brentwood Books, New American Library)(Brief article)
May 15, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Dutton and New American Library has announced that it has signed a new agreement with author Harlan Coben for two books. According to Publishers Weekly the deal was negotiated by Dutton...

Alan Bennett made freeman of the city of Leeds.(Brief article)
May 15, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Author Alan Bennett was made a freeman of the city of Leeds, his home town, on Friday (12 May). The author was born and grew up in Armley and is best known for his collection of Talking...

Harry Potter author asks for halt to paper deluge.(Brief article)
May 15, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Harry Potter author JK Rowling has asked fans to stop sending her writing paper, in a message posted on her website. According to The Guardian, the deliveries began in April after the...

Frankfurt Book Fair loses out in battle for London Book Fair.(Brief article)
May 16, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD London sites operator EC&O Venues has leased space and a slot for a London book fair at Earls Court on 16-18 April to Reed Exhibitions, rather than the organisers of the Frankfurt Book Fair....

Saddam Hussein's novel to be printed by Japanese publisher.(Tokuma Shoten Publishing Co.)(Brief article)
May 16, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A novel that was reportedly completed by Saddam Hussein the day before the US-led invasion of Iraq is to be released on Friday (19 May) by Tokuma Shoten Publishing Co, a publisher based in...

Ryden to manage Amazon's Fife warehouse.(Brief article)
May 16, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Online book retailer Amazon's warehouse in Fife, Scotland is to be run by city property agent Ryden. According to The Scotsman, the company will be employed mainly in an advisory...

Book to be released by Pete Doherty's mother.(Jacqui Doherty)(Brief article)
May 16, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A new book is reportedly to be released by Jacqui Doherty, the mother of British rock star Pete Doherty. According to The Sun newspaper, a source revealed that Doherty "wants the world...

Shortlist for Caine Prize for African Writing announced.(Brief article)
May 17, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The shortlist for the 2006 Caine Prize for African Writing has been released. The GBP15,000 prize is awarded for a short story published in English by an African writer whose work...

New indicative offer from HMV will not be recommended by Ottakar's.(Brief article)
May 17, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD UK-based bookseller Ottakar's has revealed that another offer has been made for the company by HMV Group Plc. The HMV Group currently owns the chain of HMV music stores and the...

Black Dog & Leventhal to relaunch range of Agatha Christie books.(Brief article)
May 17, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD New York-based publisher Black Dog & Leventhal has announced that, in conjunction with the Christie Estate, the Penguin-Putnam Group and Chorion Plc, it is to relaunch a range of books by...

National Short Story Prize awarded to James Lasdun.(Brief article)
May 17, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The GBP25,000 National Short Story Prize has been won by British author James Lasdun for his story entitled An Anxious Man. Michel Faber was awarded the runner-up prize for The Safehouse....

Love Libraries campaign enlists help of authors.(Brief article)
May 18, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The Love Libraries campaign has enlisted the help of authors including JK Rowling and Jacqueline Wilson in an attempt to revitalise the image of public libraries in the UK. According to...

Random House to increase use of recycled paper.(Random House Inc.)(Brief article)
May 18, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Publisher Random House has revealed that it is to dramatically increase its use of recycled paper. According to Publishers Weekly, the company has provided details of a four-year plan to...

Winner of Aventis Prize for popular science writing announced.(Brief article)
May 18, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD This year's GBP10,000 Aventis Prize for popular science writing has been won by social science lecturer David Bodanis' Electric Universe: How Electricity Switched on the Modern World. ...

New Zealand Post Book of the Year winner revealed.(Brief article)
May 18, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The New Zealand Post Book of the Year award has been won by Joy Cowley, a children's author. Cowley was also named as the winner of the junior fiction category for her novel Hunter. ...

Barnes & Noble posts Q1 2006 financial results and declares quarterly dividend.
May 19, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc (NYSE:BKS) on Thursday (18 May) reported sales and earnings for the first quarter of 2006 ended 29 April 2006. Sales for the first quarter of 2006 were...

Bill Clinton to release new book.(Alfred A. Knopf)(Brief article)
May 19, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Former US President Bill Clinton has entered into a deal with publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, to release a second book. Clinton has previously released an...

BookExpo America opens in Washington.(Brief article)
May 19, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Book trade show BookExpo America is due to open on Friday (19 May) at the Washington Convention Center in Washington DC, US. The show will be comprised of over 2,000 exhibitors, including...

Release date for next Narnia movie put back.(Walt Disney Studios)(Brief article)
May 19, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A spokesperson for Disney has revealed that the launch of the second movie in the Narnia series, Prince Caspian, is to be put back until the summer of 2008. The film, which is based on...

Clarkson Potter signs book deal with The Knot Inc.(Brief article)
May 19, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A four-book deal has been signed by The Knot Inc, the creators of wedding brand The Knot, with Clarkson Potter, a publisher of books on cooking and lifestyle. The deal will bring The...

Tesco appoints Gaynor Allen as books buying manager.(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Gaynor Allen has reportedly been appointed by Tesco as the supermarket chain's books buying manager. According to Publishing News, Allen is currently books category manager at Borders UK...

Fiscal 2006 results announced by Indigo Books & Music Inc.(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Canadian book retailer Indigo Books & Music Inc has announced an increase in its net income for fiscal 2006. The company reported net income of CAD25.3m or CAD1.02 per diluted share, as...

Books to be printed on demand by Amazon.com.(Booksurge L.L.C.)(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Online retailer Amazon.com has launched a new programme as part of its BookSurge unit to enable titles that are lower volume or out of print to be printed and shipped when ordered by...

Book deal for Johnny 'Mad Dog' Adair.(Brief article)
May 22, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Publisher John Blake has signed a book deal with Johnny 'Mad Dog' Adair, a former terrorist leader. Adair, who is the former head of the C Company faction of the Ulster Defence...

David McWilliams enters into EUR500,000 publishing deal.(Gill and Macmillan)(Brief article)
May 23, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Broadcaster David McWilliams has entered into a deal valued at EUR500,000 with Gill and Macmillan for two more books. According to The Sunday Times Ireland, the advance is the largest...

Cuba sends Hemingway papers to US.(Brief article)
May 23, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Copies of over 20,000 papers which relate to the US author Ernest Hemingway are to be sent to the US Library of Congress by Cuba. The documents reportedly include copies of the author's...

Book deal for Oprah Winfrey.(Simon & Schuster Inc.)(Brief article)
May 23, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Oprah Winfrey has entered into a deal with Simon & Schuster for a new book about weight control. According to The Guardian, the deal is claimed to be the largest signed for a non-fiction...

Winner of the Mind Book of the Year award announced.(Brief article)
May 24, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The Mind Book of the Year award has been won by Valerie Mason-John for her first novel, Borrowed Body. According to The Guardian, Mason-John's book is a fictionalised account of her own...

Children favour Internet over reading books, study shows.
May 24, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A new study conducted by the Schools Health Education Unit in the UK has revealed that fewer children are reading books for enjoyment. Instead they are engaging in other activities such...

Fall in sales revealed by Ottakar's.(Ottakar's)
May 24, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A drop in like-for-like sales of 8.0% has been reported by UK bookseller Ottakar's. According to Sharecast, the company also revealed that total sales during the 16 weeks to 20 May 2006...

Books-A-Million reports first quarter sales figures.(Bookseller Books)(Brief article)
May 24, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Bookseller Books-A-Million has reported fall in same-store sales of 0.3% for the first quarter of the year. Total sales increased by 1% to USD113.8m, while net income grew by 36% to...

Ondaatje prize awarded to James Meek.(Brief article)
May 25, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The GBP10,000 Ondaatje prize has been awarded to James Meek for his third novel, The People's Act of Love. Meek's novel takes place in 1919 in Siberia and follows a renegade Czech army...

Shortlist for BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction announced.(Brief article)
May 25, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The shortlist for the BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction has been announced and it includes UK author and playwright Alan Bennett. Bennett has been shortlisted for his...

Lemony Snicket partners with Barnes & Noble for summer reading programme.(Brief article)
May 25, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Bookseller Barnes & Noble has revealed that it is partnering with the author of A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket, as part of its 10th annual summer reading programme. The...

Random House children's audio books to be sold at Starbucks.(Brief article)
May 26, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Audio versions of Random House's The Velveteen Rabbit and The Night Before Christmas are to be sold at outlets of coffee house Starbucks Corp (NASDAQ: SBUX). Margery Williams' The...

Methuen Drama acquired by Bloomsbury.(Bloomsbury Publishing PLC)(Brief article)
May 26, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Publishing house Bloomsbury Publishing Plc has acquired Methuen Drama Ltd in a deal valued at GBP2.35m. According to AFX News, Nigel Newton, chairman of Bloomsbury said that the company...

Borders announces first quarter results.
May 26, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Results for the first quarter have been announced by bookseller Borders Group Inc (NYSE: BGP). The company reported total revenues for the period of USD860m, showing an increase of 1.5%....

HarperCollins and Fox enter into agreement.(Fox Television Studios)(HarperCollins Publishers Inc.)(Brief article)
May 26, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD HarperCollins Publishers and Fox Television Studios, two companies owned by News Corp, have announced that they have entered into an agreement to develop content based on the publisher's...

Running Press acquires rights to Cathy's Book sequel.(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Publisher Running Press Book Publishers has acquired worldwide rights to the sequel to Cathy's Book, an interactive novel aimed at young people. Cathy's Book, written by Sean Stewart and...

New book explains how to build scalable web applications.(Brief article)
May 29, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A new book on building web applications has been written by Cal Henderson, lead developer on the Flickr photo sharing website. Building Scalable Web Sites, published by O'Reilly, explains...

Longlist for Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2006 announced.(Patrick Cave and Siobhan Dowd)(Brief article)
May 30, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The longlist for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2006 has been announced and it includes Patrick Cave and Siobhan Dowd. Cave has been longlisted for his novel Blown Away and Dowd...

Big Brother's Chantelle to release autobiography through Random House.(Brief article)
May 30, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The Random House Group has announced that it has acquired rights to the autobiography of Chantelle Houghton, the first non-celebrity to feature in Celebrity Big Brother on Channel 4 in the...

Timber Press acquired by Workman.(Workman Press.)(Brief article)
May 30, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Timber Press Inc, a publisher of illustrated country living books based in Portland, Oregon in the US, has been acquired by Workman Press. According to Publishers Weekly, Timber Press...

Shortlist for Wales Book of the Year award announced.(Kitty Sewell, Robert Minhinnick and Ifor Evans.)(Brief article)
May 30, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The shortlist for the GBP10,000 Wales Book of the Year award has been announced at the Hay Festival. The award, which is Britain's only bilingual literary prize, provides prizes for an...

Andy McNab makes first ever public appearance.(Brief article)
May 31, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Author Andy McNab, a former SAS soldier, has revealed his identity in public for the first time at the Hay literature festival. McNab is the author of Bravo Two Zero, a novel set during...

Winner of Le Prince Maurice literary prize announced.
May 31, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Louise Dean was awarded the Le Prince Maurice literary prize on Saturday (27 May) for her novel Becoming Strangers. According to The Guardian, Dean wins an all-paid writer's retreat...

Mine blast leads to death of Sri Lankan author.(Brief article)
May 31, 2006... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A mine blast at the Wilpattu wildlife sanctuary on Saturday (27 May) killed the Sri Lankan novelist Nihal de Silva. The Wilpattu sanctuary is located 180km north of Colombo. Seven...