This month saw a lively debate at the House of Lords about bookshops and libraries.

WHS’ sales have been boosted by vlogger Zoella, as the company launched a share buyback and opened four new stores in Helsinki airport. Blackwell’s is changing the face of university bookselling with a state-of-the-art shop in Liverpool.

Amazon pays less tax than an Austrian sausage stall apparently, and the EU may be poised to take action (and to settle with Amazon on ebook terms?). Amazon plans to open many more pop-up stores in the US, but Indies are not taking it lying down. Still in the States, audiobooks and paperbacks are thriving, while sales of ebooks are falling and ‘adult coloring books’ are on their way out (hurray).

In Ireland, book sales are up a massive 20%

The trend for literary spoofs continues apace. … and classic novels are selling well thanks to TV adaptations and beautiful new covers. In France, books from vending machines are becoming popular.

J K Rowling has responded to fans critical of the new HP ebooks.

A second Academic Book Week has been announced for 2017 and World Book Day has great plans to celebrate its 20th birthday.

How many books do you think have been published since the invention of the printing press?* An Increasing number are self-published.

Some shortlists: the £30,000 Baillie Gifford prize will be awarded on 17th November, as will the Guardian Children’s Fiction prize. The Goldsmiths prize shortlist ‘for fiction at its most novel’ has been announced. Doireann Ní Ghríofa was awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, and Vahni Capildeo won the Forward Prize for poetry. Bob Dylan does want his Nobel Prize after all, and there was a surprise winner of the 2017 Booker Prize.

In ‘the BA blows its own trumpet (modestly)’ news, the first Bookshop Day had positive coverage in the mainstream press; sales and footfall were both up. The IBW Best of the Best winners were announced and the BAMB Readers Prize shortlists were revealed. Don’t forget Civilised Saturday is on 26th November….

*134,021,533 but probably more now….