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Guinness takes Christmas number one and sets record for lowest-selling festive chart topper

The honour of 2024’s Christmas number one goes to the Guinness World Records 2025 which makes it to the top spot by just 1,900 copies.

Features

Manderley Press: meet the real Rebeka behind the heritage publisher

Philippa Sitters launches new agency

Industry bodies recommend consistency in AI audiobook narration terminology

Pottermore enjoys 'record year' as revenues increase to £48.8m

The British Book Awards

Got it Covered: Nibbies 35th anniversary special

Today's News Stories

The Bookseller team's favourite festive-themed books

Romantic Fiction tops the Christmas wish-list

France to have its own book sales tracker from 2025

Thames & Hudson announces Book Design Prize winner for students

Simon & Schuster staff brave Arctic challenge to raise £16,000 for National Literacy Trust

Creative Rights in AI Coalition responds to government AI consultation

Alex Cochran joins Greyhound Literary

HarperCollins UK donates 20,000+ books to charities, hospitals and hospices for Christmas

Independent publisher sees boxes of books returned from Europe amid GPSR 'mess'

Publishers Association wins High Court bid ordering internet service providers to block pirate websites

RHS to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram children's classic

German booksellers pinning hopes on Christmas shopping frenzy after slow start

Ana Maria Allessi promoted to president and publisher of Hachette Audio

Little, Brown Book Group supports Future Frontiers with careers advice and coaching

France's National Audit Office finds 'several faults' with €300 Culture Pass

Jobs in Books

Head of Key Accounts, UK Trade

Profile Books are looking for a Head of Key Accounts, UK Trade

Rights Report

Jamie Oliver announces new air fryer cookbook for the new year

Five Christmas-themed books acquired by publishers over the last year and released this winter

Hachette Children's signs three-book deal with Jim Beckett and Aurélie Lise-Anne

Penguin Modern Classics to publish Gerald Durrell's 'timeless' Corfu trilogy

Tidy! Transworld snags James Corden and Ruth Jones’ Gavin & Stacey memoir

Viking snares 'unputdownable' novel in three-book deal from Harriet Evans

#Merky Books lures back Derek Owusu in pre-empt

Latest Issue

13th December 2024

In this week's issue:

Editors of the Year: The Bookseller’s inaugural ranking of acquiring editors
Books in the Media: Review of the Year
Author Profile: Natasha Brown discusses her second novel Universality
Previews: Paperback and Children's – New titles publishing in March
Spotlight: Wellbeing – Publishers look to man
READ IN FULL

Comment

Opinion from The Bookseller and other columnists

You're not listening

by Nathan Hull

Publishing events are woefully failing audiobooks.

My AI forecast for 2025

by Nadim Sadek

Here’s what I think (hope) publishing can expect from AI in the year ahead.

The pitching paradox

by James Spackman

Why editors struggle with this vital publishing skill—and how to nail it.

Turning traditional

by Natasha Preston

Many indie authors still dream of being traditionally published — but if it happens, the adjustment can be tough.

Comment

Opinion from The Bookseller and other columnists

You're not listening

by Nathan Hull

Publishing events are woefully failing audiobooks.

The pitching paradox

by James Spackman

Bestsellers

Weekly print bestsellers based on data supplied by Nielsen BookScan. Other digital charts from Bookstat and Audible.

Romantic Fiction tops the Christmas wish-list

When it comes to Christmas, there are only two types of fiction: festive-themed romance and murder under the mistletoe.

PrinteBookAudio

1

Guinness World Records 2025

2

We Solve Murders

3

Orbital

4

The 1% Club

5

Butter

6

Murdle

7

Private Eye Annual 2024

8

In Too Deep

9

Big Jim Begins

10

Hot Mess

1

The Truth About Melody Browne

2

The Wives

3

The Midnight Hour

4

Red Line

5

The Christmas Cottage

6

The Bookshop Ladies

7

Midwinter Murder

8

The Evening and the Morning

9

No One Saw a Thing

10

A Christmas Murder

1

We Solve Murders

2

Wind and Truth

3

I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You

4

The Hotel Avocado

5

The Mind of a Murderer

6

Atomic Habits

7

Here One Moment

8

Unruly

9

Odyssey

10

The Satsuma Complex

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Books

Authors interviews, news and book previews

Books in the Media: Jeremy Strong's 'enchanting' children's book strikes a chord

This week critics turned to Jeremy Strong’s last children’s book, a history of the British railway and a short story by Kevin Barry was published in the Observer.

Books on BookTok: creators select their book of the year

This week BookTok creators were asked to select their BookTok Book of the Year based on visibility on the app.

Books in the Media: Annie Atkins and Fia Tobing's festive tale charms

This week a festive children’s book captured the heart of Lucy Bannerman at the Times while Peter Singer featured in reviews for his book on the life of a turkey.

Percival Everett tops the Books of the Year lists

More than 900 titles were mentioned in the press’ end-of-year highlights lists, with Booker favourites featuring prominently, fiction at the forefront, and US novelist Percival Everett leading the way with his reworking of Huckleberry Finn.