When you think back over our experience of the pandemic so far, it is hard avoid bumping into the buzzwords. 2021 has been marked by many and frenzied discussions around topics such as representation and inclusion. And while there have been significant leaps and strides in these areas in the publishing industry - such as the landmark disability issue of The Bookseller – there’s a palpable worry that these advancements will be reversed or at least slowed as we move back to something more like ‘normal.’
Damon Galgut wins Booker Prize with ‘spectacular’ novel The Promise
Damon Galgut has won the Booker Prize with The Promise (Chatto & Windus), hailed by judges as “a spectacular demonstration of how the novel can make us see and think afresh”.
Bookstat: Childs complete chart double
Lee and Andrew Child’s Better Off Dead (Transworld) has done the double, notching up both the print and e-book number ones for the week ending 30th October.
Dorries challenges publishers to increase accessibility for underprivileged
Nadine Dorries has challenged publishers to do more to support libraries and open up access to the industry for those from underprivileged backgrounds.
Book Riot’s Children’s Book Deals for November 3, 2021

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Nelson joins UTA Publishing as its first UK agent
The United Talent Agency (UTA) has recruited its first UK-based agent with Zoe Nelson taking on the role of foreign rights director.
IPG unveils ‘vital goals’ to fight climate change
The Independent Publishers Guild (IPG) has published the results of new research into environmental impacts on the supply chain, setting five key targets to make the industry more sustainable.
Amazon Charts: The Couple at No 9 holds the top as Dune rises
Claire Douglas' The Couple at No 9 (Penguin) has held the Amazon Charts' Most-Sold: Fiction number one spot for a second consecutive week, as Frank Herbert's Dune (Gateway) and Lee and Andrew Child's Better Off Dead (Transworld) rocket into the top three.
Granta signs second ‘exhilarating’ novel from Desmond Elliott winner Blakemore
Granta Books has signed a second "electric" novel from A K Blakemore, whose debut The Manningtree Witches won the Desmond Elliott Prize 2021 and is a Waterstones Book of the Month for November.
FutureBook Awards shortlists revealed
The shortlists for the 2021 FutureBook Awards have been revealed, featuring the likes of BookBar, the Feminist Book Box, Bad Form Review and the Working Class Writers’ Festival as well as a strong showing for Penguin Random House across various categories.