New prize for translated poetry aims to tap into boom for international-language writing
theguardian.com – Tuesday June 24, 2025
A new poetry prize for collections translated into English is opening for entries next month.
Publishers Fitzcarraldo Editions, Giramondo Publishing and New Directions have launched the biennial Poetry in Translation prize, which will award an advance of $5,000 (£3,700) to be shared equally between poet and translator.
The winning collection will be published in the UK and Ireland by Fitzcarraldo Editions, in Australia and New Zealand by Giramondo and in North America by New Directions.
“We wanted to open our doors to new poetry in translation to give space and gain exposure to poetries we may not be aware of,” said Fitzcarraldo poetry editor Rachael Allen. “There is no other prize like this that we know.”
TikTok parent ByteDance is shutting down its short-lived book publisher
techcrunch.com – Monday June 23, 2025
TikTok parent ByteDance’s book publisher 8th Note Press is closing up shop, according to a report from The Bookseller.
Through its #BookTok community, TikTok has become an irreplaceable engine for publishers to drive book sales; even self-published authors have found unprecedented success by capturing a viral moment on TikTok. ByteDance took the next logical step in 2023, figuring that if the app was revolutionizing book sales, then it may as well cash in on selling its own books.
Romance and Fantasy Book Categories Soar in UK and US
authorlink.com – Sunday June 22, 2025
Romance and fantasy categories of books in the UK saw record sales last year, according to data gathered from more than 7,000 UK booksellers. Romance & Sagas, as they are officially categorized, increased from £62m in 2023 to £69m in 2024, while Science Fiction & Fantasy saw an even bigger bump – from £59m to £83m, the BBC reports. Both categories have seen these numbers skyrocket since the pandemic, growing year-on-year – back in 2019, romance’s sales sat at £24m, and fantasy at £29m.
We at Authorlink found a parallel boom in the US romance and fantasy markets, driven by the same cultural forces. While the reporting metrics differ—the UK often reports sales value (£) while the US tracks unit sales—the trends are strikingly similar.
Women under 35 years old make up more than half of romantasy purchases, figures show.
Literary agent Rebeka Finch, 28, told the BBC the “voracious” appetite among this demographic, largely driven by BookTok, reflects broader consumer habits. She likens romance readers to Swifties – Taylor Swift fans – known for owning multiple copies of the same album and wanting to feel a tangible connection to their favorite artist.
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.”
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:
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.
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."
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).
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.
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