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.
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 fall, the 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.
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, Bloodborne, Doctor 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.
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.”
New Writing Contest Offers $100,000 and Publishing Support to Aspiring Writers
booktrib.com – Thursday June 5, 2025
Do you dream of being a novelist but lack the resources or motivation? Well, this groundbreaking writing contest may be just what you need!
Enter for a chance to win $100,000 and make your dream novel a reality. And the best part? All you need to do is write three pages.
“The Next Big Story” is designed to discover fresh new talent, including occasional readers who need encouragement to begin, individuals with limited time or means, and those who have been historically overlooked by the publishing industry.
Chosen by a panel of high-profile judges, the winner will receive $100,000 along with a year of support from The Novelry team to develop their idea for a novel into a fully realized book.
The Novelry is an online creative writing school with an in-house editorial team of former Big Five publishing editors linked to literary agencies. We had a chance to talk with The Novelry’s founder, Louise Dean, about The Next Big Story.
“If I wasn’t so f*cking angry, I’d laugh”: Boundless delays author payments
printweek.com – Wednesday June 4, 2025
Boundless, the post-pre-pack reincarnation of crowd-funded publisher Unbound, will delay paying owed royalties to authors until it is “cash stable”, according to The Bookseller.
Authors were informed of the decision in an email from Boundless CEO Archna Sharma, who took the reins of Unbound shortly before its administration in a doomed attempt to revive the publisher’s fortunes.
Newco Boundless, which will operate like a traditional publisher, will be unable to pay historic royalties unless it “survives and thrives”, the email read.
“This decision, while incredibly difficult, reflects the reality of the company’s cash position. We simply do not have the cash at the moment to make further historic goodwill payments. What cash we have is focused on paying the salaries of our employees, ensuring our current committed publishing programme is a success, and ensuring all royalties arising from the inception of this new company are paid on time,” Sharma said.
She added: "We are acutely aware of the disappointment this causes for authors and partners, and for the delayed timing of this message as we were trying until the last minute to avoid this outcome. We do not take these delays lightly. This is not a matter of choice, but of survival."
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.
After Unbound’s Collapse, Boundless Faces Uphill Battle to Rebuild Trust
publishersweekly.com – Tuesday June 3, 2025
With the collapse of U.K. crowdfunding publisher Unbound leaving a trail of unpaid authors, suppliers, and industry partners, its successor company, Boundless Publishing Group, will likely struggle to convince stakeholders it can survive where its predecessor failed.
Unbound, once heralded as an innovative alternative to traditional publishing, filed for bankruptcy in March after losing approximately £9 million for shareholders (revised down from initial calculations of £30.4 million) and owing an estimated £2.4 million to creditors, according to the bankruptcy administrator reports. The company was sold through a pre-pack administration for just £50,000 to Boundless Publishing Group, led by CEO Archna Sharma and cofounder John Mitchinson.
But Mitchinson has since resigned from the company, and in an email to authors last week, Sharma announced that Boundless would suspend "goodwill payments" to cover Unbound's past debts, citing cash flow constraints. The decision affects 238 authors and agents owed £657,000, nearly 8,000 website customers who pre-ordered books owed £391,000, and other trade creditors owed £829,000.
"We simply do not have the cash at the moment to make further historic goodwill payments," Sharma wrote. "What cash we have is focused on paying the salaries of our employees, ensuring our current committed publishing program is a success, and ensuring all royalties arising from the inception of this new company are paid on time."
In an interview with PW, Sharma emphasized that she inherited Unbound's problems rather than caused them. "I would just like to put on record that I did not create the mess that we're in, though I am the person trying to fix it,” she said. “The only way that we can fix it is if we can keep our business going and move ahead.”
Audio Publishers Association: US Audiobook Sales Reach $2.22 Billion
publishingperspectives.com – Tuesday June 3, 2025
Digital audio accounted for 99 percent of 2024’s US audiobook revenues, per newly released survey results.
General Fiction Holds the Largest Genre Usership
Always helpful in observing the evolving strength of the audiobook market in the United States, the Audio Publishers Association (APA), led by executive director Michele Cobb, has released its annual surveys on sales and trends in 2024—cheering many audiobook fans with a 13-percent gain over 2023.
Digital audiobooks—the “born again” format that has given audiobooks new life after dark decades of unwieldy tape cassettes and CDs—are the clear vehicle of success here: the association’s information indicates that in 2024, digital audio accounted for 99 percent of 2024’s US audiobook revenues, growing year-over-year by 14 percent.
Those points are from the APA’s Sales Survey, which was conducted by Toluna.
The APA’s 2025 Consumer Survey, conducted again by Edison Research, reports that 51 percent of Americans responding who are aged 18 and older—representing an estimated 134 million people—told researchers that they have listened to an audiobook.
Thrillers celebrated as crime writers tour county
bbc.co.uk – Monday June 2, 2025
Crime novelists will be visiting libraries across East Yorkshire in June to talk about writing thrillers.
Eight authors, including Hull's Nick Quantrill, will be taking part in a series of talks as part of National Crime Reading Month.
Hayley Clark from East Riding Libraries said the county was "so lucky to have such brilliant local authors" and she was excited to be involved in the events.
The free talks take place between Wednesday 4 June and Friday 27 June.
National Crime Reading Month is an initiative by the Crime Writers' Association and is funded by Arts Council England.
Eight writers will appear at the county's libraries, including Mr Quantrill, who authored the Joe Geraghy series of crime novels.
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