Knots and Crosses free audio download with The Sunday Times

All readers of The Sunday Times on Sunday 7th September will be offered a free audio download of Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin, via http://www.audible.co.uk./.

Grab a copy of The Sunday Times this week and check out the Culture supplement. Each claimant of the free title will need to register with an email address to claim the download. 

Ian Rankin’s new book, Doors Open, is out now in hardback. 

 The Clutter Clinic on ITV1

Romaine Lowery, author of The Clutter Clinic, will be presenting a new decluttering segment on This Morning on ITV1. The segments air from Wednesday 10th September and run for the following four weeks.

On the program Romaine will make dramatic changes to cluttered and out of control homes, and will demonstrate how you don’t have to move to improve your home as well as how to achieve ’credit crunch chic’.

The Clutter Clinic is out now in hardback.

 ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards - Ian Rankin nominated

ITV3 are launching the Crime Thriller Awards season - 6 weeks of suspenseful programming culminating in a grand finale: the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards 2008 in October.

Every week ITV3 will profile one of the authors and show their best TV crime drama to date. First up is Ian Rankin on the 18th August, with a documentary profile followed by an episode of Rebus. Further episodes of Rebus will be screened until the 22nd August.

 You can vote for Ian Rankin to win the ITV3 Award for Classic Crime Drama online at www.itv.com/crimethriller

 Olympic success for Orion authors!

Cyclist Bradley Wiggins has wone his second gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The British team took home the gold in the team pursuit, where the British team beat the world record by an amazing 3 seconds! Bradley Wiggin’s autobiography, In Pursuit of Glory, is released in October 2008.

Orion authors William Fox-Pitt and Mary King also took home the bronze in the horseriding 3 day event. William Fox-Pitt’s autobiography, What Will Be, is out now, while Mary King’s autobiography is released in August 2009.

 Joe Hill also nominated for British Fantasy Awards

The nominations are in for the 2008 British Fantasy Awards and Joe Hill has been nominated in the Best Novel category for his novel Heart-Shaped Box. The award winers will be announced at Fantasycon 2008 in September.

 Joe Hill wins 2008 International Thriller Award

The International Thriller Writers have given this year’s Award for Best First Novel to Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. The International Thriller Writers celebrated and announced the winner for their literary awards at a gala celebration in New York City on July 12th.

Joe Hill’s new novel, 20th Century Ghosts, is published in paperback in October.

 Trinny & Susannah are back on ITV1

Our favourite fashion duo Trinny and Susannah return to television this week with a new series of TRINNY & SUSANNAH UNDRESS THE NATION. The series starts Wednesday 30th July at 9.00 pm on ITV1.  

Trinny & Susannah’s The Body Shape Bible was published in paperback earlier this year and their new hardback, Who Do You Want to Be Today? is released in November this year.

 Life’s Not Too Short to Judge Cupcakes!

Here at Orion, we believe life’s too short for a lot of things, but definitely not too short to eat cake! So to promote our new book Life’s Too Short to Frost a Cupcake by Rosie Wilde, we held a company-wide bake-off to see who had the tastiest recipe for cupcakes. We’re pleased to announce that Jenny Glencross from our Children’s department was the winner of the best cupcakes, with her Red Velvet and Lemon Meringue cupcakes going down a treat!

 Not to be outdone, runner-up Alex Hardy from the Contracts team cooked up a storm of cupcakes in Horrid Henry, Charmseekers and Gus & Waldo themes.

Congratulations to both winners and we hope they enjoy their delicious champagne and cupcake prize!

 Gus and Waldo have Pride!

Everyone’s favourite partnered penguins Gus and Waldo, the cheeky stars of Gus and Waldo’s Book of Love and Gus and Waldo’s Book of Fame, made a surprise appearance at London’s Gay Pride on Saturday July 5th. Their creator Massimo Fenati who writes and draws their cheeky adventures set up a stall to sell the books and T shirts featuring the penguins and said he had a “fantastic response.”

“There were even a couple of big Gus and Waldo fans whose eyes popped out as soon as they saw there was a whole stall dedicated to their feathered heroes!” he said. Watch out for Gus and Waldo’s naughtiest adventure yet - Gus and Waldo’s Book of Sex which is published in October by Orion.

 Kate Mosse’s Sepulchre exhibition showing at the Southbank Centre

Sepulchre is the latest international bestseller from Kate Mosse, author of Labyrinth. The Sepulchre Tour is an exhibition of inspiring photographs from the novel’s key locations, including Rennes-le-Bains, the ancient spa at the hear of the mystery. Interwoven with excerpts from the novel are Mosse’s own comments and original Tarot card artwork created for the book.

The exhibition is free and will be showing in the Festival Riverside Foyer, Southbank Centre during the London Literature Festival from 5th - 19th July. Click here to find out more about the exhibition.

 New Michael Palin picture gallery now live

Visit the New Europe Online Gallery to see exclusive photographs taken by Basil Pao as he accompanied Michael Palin on his recent trip through all the countries that formerly lay behind the Iron Curtain. The photographs displayed here have not appeared in print anywhere – not even in the stunning hardback book that accompanied the TV series.
The paperback edition of New Europe is now available.

 Graham Hurley shortlisted for Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year

For the second year in a row Graham Hurley has been shortlisted for Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year Award. Hurley’s acclaimed novel, One Under, has been chosen by the general public as one of this year’s outstanding British crime novels, he has been hailed as:

‘One of the great talents of British police procedurals. Every book he delivers is better than the last and ONE UNDER is no exception. I can’t recommend it highly enough’ INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

’There is no-one writing better police procedurals today than Graham Hurley. He gives an almost cinematic quality to the narrative, creating a convincing sense of watching a team of real detectives at work’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

The winner of this year’s Crime Novel of the Year will be announced at the Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival on Thursday 17th July. For more information and to book your tickets visit: http://www.harrogate-festival.org.uk/crime/index.html

 Jaine Fenn signing at The Little Green Dragon bookshop

Jaine Fenn, whose debut novel Principles of Angels was released last month by Gollancz, did a signing at her local bookshop The Little Green Dragon in Alton to meet readers and sign books. Here are a couple of photos of the day!

 The Siege of Krishnapur voted Best of the Booker by The Culture Show viewers

The well-read villagers of Comrie in Perthshire have chosen JG Farrell’s incredibly funny The Siege of Krishnapur as their choice to win the Best of The Booker Award! BBC’s THE CULTURE SHOW supplied the small Scottish village with copies of all 6 shortlisted books and the results of the read-off were broadcast on June 24 (episode repeats on June 26). You have until July 8 to register your vote for the award via the Man Booker website.

 A backlash from Jeff Lindsay’s creation!

Jeff Lindsay and ‘Dexter’ at the special preview screening in London of the new series of Dexter. (June 2008) 

The paperback of Dexter in the Dark is out 26 July 2008.

The new series of Dexter is starts in early July on FX Channel.

 Authors longlisted for Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year

One Under by Graham Hurley and Shifting Skin by Chris Simms have both been longlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. 
The shortlist will be decided by public vote - click here to vote for your favourite.

 Exit Music wins CrimeFest audio award

Exit Music by Ian Rankin won the  Sounds of Crime Award at CrimeFest on Saturday 7th June. The award was sponsored by Audible.co.uk, the Internet’s leading audio download website. Published in 2007, Exit Music is read by Ian MacPherson and was one of 5 audio titles nominated.

 New novel from cult SF writer Greg Bear

Readers who have been waiting for more than a decade for another Greg Bear novel will not be disappointed in July when his new book City at the End of Time is released.

The SF publishing event of the year, Bear’s new novel is a visionary epic well worth the wait.

 Major crime writers nominated for the Barry Awards

Four Orion crime authors have been nominated for the Barry Award’s Best British Crime Novel. The Barry Awards are sponsored by the US’s top crime magazine, DEADLY PLEASURES. Our nominated authors are RJ Ellory for A Quiet Belief in Angels, Graham Hurley for One Under, Steve Mosby for The 50/50 Killer and Edward Wright for Damnation Falls.

 Duncan Lawrie Dagger shortlist announced

The Duncan Lawrie Dagger prize is the UK’s most prestigious crime award we’re pleased to announce that we have three authors nominated for the shortlist this year: James Lee Burke for The Tin Roof Blowdown, Steve Hamilton for Night Work and Laura Lippman for What the Dead Know. The winner will be announced on the 10th July.

 Carlos Ruiz Zafon now published exclusively by Orion

Orion will now publish Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s new adult novel, The Angel’s Game, in June 2009 PLUS his previous four young adult novels.

Carlos Ruiz Zafon was born in Barcelona and is the award-winning author of five books. After Don Quixote, The Shadow of the Wind is the most
successful Spanish novel ever, and has sold ten million copies worldwide. It has been translated into over forty languages, received numerous international
awards and has been on the bestseller lists of several countries for more than four years.

 Children’s authors nominated for Queen of Teen prize!

Here’s your chance to nominate your favourite female author and see her crowned Queen of Teen! The Book People are running a competition to find the best female writer as voted for by young female readers. So who’s your favourite? Could it be Michelle Paver with her thrilling Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series, Caroline Lawrence for her Roman Mysteries adventures or Sally Gardner for her beautiful historical novels? Get on over to the Queen of Teen site and let them know in 200 words why you think you’re favourite author should be nominated. Nominations close on July 10th and by entering you automatically get placed into a prize draw to win a special ticket to the ultra glamorous coronation party in September!

 Phillp Pullman loves Firmin!

Philip Pullman is raving about Firmin, a darkly comic rat’s tale of exile, unrequited love and the redemptive power of books, published in August 2008 and written by debut author Sam Savage. Pullman describes Firmin as ’one of the most enjoyably surprising books I’ve read for a long time. It’s a work of great originality: whenever I thought it was going to be one sort of book, it gently swerved aside and became another. It’s held together by the character of the narrator himself, a rat of deep humanity and intelligence, and the final impression is one of delicate tragedy. This really is a book like nothing else. ’

 Audio books chosen for the Guardian’s 40 Best Audiobooks

Four Orion audiobooks have been chosen in the Guardian’s 40 Best Audiobooks promotion. Our featured titles include Agent Zigzag by Ben MacIntyre, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday, Exit Music by Ian Rankin and Horrid Henry’s Stinkbomb by Francesca Simon. The audiobooks will feature in a supplement in the Guardian on 28th June and will be promoted 3 for 2 in all Waterstone’s bookstores.

 Gollancz wins the prestigious Yellow Pencil design awards

Orion Publishing has won a Yellow Pencil design award for the Gollancz Future Classics cover design. The prestigious Yellow Pencil awards are awarded to the best in the art and design world - the equivalent to the Oscars in status. The judges look for highly original and inspiring ideas that are highly executed. Well done to the design team at Orion!

The Orion design team accept the Yellow Pencil award

 Orion marketing campaign wins at the British Book Awards

Orion Marketing Manager, Jessica Mead, has won the prestigious Guardian Marketing Campaign of the Year for her campaign to promote Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore, published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. The award was announced at the British Book Awards gala dinner, held on the 13th May, where winners were announced in categories such as Campaign of the Year, Publisher of the Year and Editor of the Year.

 Alastair Reynolds book signings in Scandinavia

Alastair Reynolds recently held several book signings in Scandinavia for his new latest book House of Suns - a spectacular, large-scale space opera, the ultimate galaxy-spanning adventure. Check out our photos from the event below.

PHOTOS: Robert Brown, SF-Bokhandeln, Stockholm, Sweden

 Ilario & Rome Burning nominated for Sidewise Awards

Ilario by Mary Gentle and Rome Burning by Sophia McDougall have been shortlisted for the Sidewise Awards for Alernate History. The winners will be announced at Denvention 3, the 66th World Science Fiction Convention, the week of August 6-10 in Denver, USA.

 Who Killed Nancy? Sid Vicious author directs documentary

A new documentary directed by Sid Vicious fan and author Alan Parker is set to be released in October this year. Exploring the truth behind who killed Nancy and where Sid was on the night of her death, the documentary will premiere at cinemas on the anniversary of Nancy’s death.  Alan’s new book, Sid Vicious: No One is Innocent, will be released in September.

 Black Man wins the 2008 Arthur C Clarke Award

Black Man by Richard Morgan, published by Gollancz, has won this year’s Arthur C Clarke Award. This was Richard’s second nomination for the award and fellow Gollancz author Stephen Baxter was also on the shortlist. This is the third year in succession Gollancz has scooped both major Science Fiction awards in this country – the Arthur C Clarke Award and the BSFA Award. Congratulations to Richard!

 Eagle Annual drawings feature at the London Science Museum

Following the huge success of The Eagle Annual last Christmas, the Science Museum in London has opened a new exhibition called “Dan Dare and the Birth of High-Tech Britain”, which runs until October 2009.

The exhibition explores the birth of technology and how it shaped post-war Britain in all areas of society and features many of the famous ‘cutaway’ drawings that were a popular staple of the Eagle comic. These cutaways were featured in the Eagle Annual and in September 2008 will be reproduced in The Eagle Annual of the Cutaways, sure to induce a wave of nostalgia, even in a hard-hearted Mekon! Dan Dare fans are in for even more of a treat with the release of the first Dan Dare Audio CD “Voyage to Venus” in May 2008, complete with multi-voice cast and thrilling sound effects.

For more information on the “Dan Dare and the Birth of High-Tech Britain” exhibition, visit http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/galleries/dan_dare_and_the_birth_of_high-tech_britain.aspx

 Young Stalin Wins the Los Angeles Times Book Prize

Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore has won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, one of America’s most prestigious prizes. Young Stalin has also been shortlisted for the biography section of The James Tait Black Memorial Prize, with the winner announced at the Edinburgh Book Festival in August 2008. 

Young Stalin will be published in Phoenix paperback on 1 May 2008.

 New Carlos Ruiz Zafón Novel to be published by W&N

Weidenfeld & Nicolson are delighted to announce the acquisition of Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s eagerly-awaited second novel, The Angel’s Game, a prequel to the bestseller The Shadow of the Wind, which was an international phenomenon in over forty countries, selling well over a million copies in the UK alone. It will be publishd in late Spring 2009, following the Spanish publication in April 2008.

The Angel’s Game is set in Barcelona in the 1920s and 30s and follows a young writer who is approached by a mysterious figure to write a book.  Carlos Ruiz Zafón has revealed it includes a return to The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, the mythical building nestling deep within Barcelona’s Raval district, as well as the Sempere & Sons bookshop. 

Watch the coverage of The Angel’s Game’s Spanish publication.

 Horrid Henry wins Children’s Book of the Year at the Galaxy British Book Awards

Congratulations to Francesca Simon, who has won Children’s Book of the Year at the Galaxy British Book Awards for her book Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman. The Galaxy British Book Awards are voted for by the public.

 Saul Friedlander wins Pulitzer Prize

We are delighted to announce that Saul Friedlander has won the general non-fiction Pulitzer prize for his book The Years of Extermination: Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939-1945.

The Pulitzers, created by the will of newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, have occupied a prestigious place in American letters since the awards were first presented in 1917. They are judged by Columbia University on the recommendation of an 18-member board.

  Orion authors Guests of Honour at CrimeFest

Orion is delighted to announce that Jeff Lindsay author of the acclaimed Dexter novels will be American Guest of Honour at CrimeFest 2008. CrimeFest will be taking place 5-8 June in Bristol. Jeff will be joining our own Ian Rankin who is the UK Guest of Honour as well as a plethora of crimewriters and fans from across the UK.

 Visit the CrimeFest website

 Adam Foulds named Sunday Times Best Young Writer 2008!

Congratulations to Adam Foulds, author of The Truth About These Strange Times, who has won the Sunday Times Best Young Writer Award of 2008. The prize was announcd on April 6th at the Oxford Literary Festival. Past winners include Zadie Smith, Sarah Waters and William Dalrymple. 

 Download an extract of The Truth About These Strange Times

 Read an interview with Adam Foulds

 Linwood Barclay and Robert Crais nominated for ITW

Congratulations to Orion authors Linwood Barclay and Robert Crais who have both been nominated in the best novel category of the International Thriller Writers award. Linwood is nominated for No Time For Goodbye and Robert Crais is nominated for The Watchman. The winner will be announced at Thrillerfest in New York in July.

 Visit the Cole & Pike Watchman microsite

 Download an extract of No Time For Goodbye

 Brasyl wins BSFA Best SF Novel of the Year

Gollancz swept the board at ‘Orbital’ – this year’s Easter SF Convention. Ian McDonald’s Brasyl won the British Science Fiction Award for Best SF Novel of the Year, and Brian Aldiss’s Non-Stop won the Retrospective Best SF Novel of 1958 (still in print as No. 33 of the Gollancz SF Masterworks, some 50 years after publication!).



Ian Mcdonald with Gollancz Editorial Director Jo Fletcher

 2007 Philip K. Dick Award

M. John Harrison’s Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning SF novel Nova Swing has won the 2007 Philip K. Dick Award (for the best original science fiction paperback published for the first time during 2007 in the U.S.A.)

 Best-selling authors auction new characters for autism charity

If you are a fiction fan who has dreamt of appearing as a character in a best-selling novel...your chance has finally come! For from 23 March, literary lovers around the world have the opportunity of a lifetime - to have their favourite author name a character after them in an upcoming novel.

The unique fundraiser, which is the brainchild of Henley based charity Autism Speaks, will take place on eBay.

R.J. Ellory, author of A Quiet Belief in Angels, is among fifteen top-selling writers from across the globe taking part in the event titled ’Authors for Autism Research’, and all the money raised at the online auction will be used to fund bio-medical research into the causes of autism.

To see a full list of the authors taking part or to bid in the auction please visit www.autismspeaks.org.uk

 British Army Military Book of the Year Award shortlist

Three Weidenfeld & Nicolson titles have been shortlisted for the first British Army Military Book of the Year Award. Swords and Ploughshares by Paddy Ashdown, Tip and Run:The Untold Tragedy of the Great War in Africa by Edward Paice and Washington’s War: From Independence To Iraq by Michael Rose are among ten contenders for the award, which is being organised by the British Army Library and Information Service. The eventual winner will be decided by a vote open to all Army personnel. The result will be announced in October.

 Gollancz titles sweep Gold, Silver and Bronze on Bookgasm list

Bookgasm.com has listed its top 5 SF titles of 2007, with Gollancz titles taking the top 3 slots! The bronze position was taken by Black Man by Richard Morgan, silver by 9Tail Fox by Jon Courtenay Grimwood and the gold by Ian McDonald for Brasyl

 Read the complete list

 Watch Ian McDonald and Richard Morgan in conversation

 Team England named BBC Sport’s Team of the Year

Congratulations to Team England  who were named as BBC Sport’s Team of the Year after their remarkable achievement in defying the odds at this year’s Rugby World Cup. The award was presented as part of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards broadcast live on Sunday 9th December. Read the inside story of their journey to the final.

 Gollancz titles in Amazon’s top 10 of 2007

Amazon.com have announced their top ten SF and Fantasy titles of 2007 and we’re proud to say that three out of ten are Gollancz titles! The list in full:

1. The Terror by Dan Simmons
2. Brasyl by Ian McDonald
3. Territory by Emma Bull
4. The Traitor by Michael Cisco
5. Spaceman Blues: A Lovesong by Brian Francis Slattery
6. Shelter by Susan Palwick
7. The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
8. Black Man by Richard Morgan
9. Tin House: Fantastic Women by Aimee Bender
10. The Coyote Road edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

 Marcus Sedgwick wins Booktrust Teenage Prize 2007

Marcus Sedgwick was today named as the winner of the Booktrust Teenage Prize 2007 for his gothic novel My Swordhand is Singing, published by Orion. The prize was established by Booktrust in 2003 to recognise and celebrate contemporary fiction written for teenagers.

Marcus Sedgwick was delighted to win this prestigious award and said at the award cememony, “I am thrilled and surprised to win. It is such an important award which had a very strong shortlist this year.” 

Anthony McGowan, judge and winner of Booktrust Teenage Prize 2006:
“The 2007 Booktrust Prize turned up some stunning novels. But one novel stood out for its utterly gripping narrative, its brilliantly created atmosphere of terror and suspense, and the subtle poetry of its language. Marcus Sedgwick’s My Swordhand is Singing hooks the reader from the opening sentence, and, like the Gypsy music at its core, resonates still in the imagination long after the last note is sounded.”

(L - R) from back row next to Marcus and Anthony: Matthew Sawyer, Angela Wilkinson, Sam Audet, Zita Abila, Isabelle Ellis-Cockcroft, Katherine Flach, Francesca Grape

 Laura Lippman wins Anthony Award
Congratulations to Orion author Laura Lippman, winner of a prestigious Anthony Award at this year’s Bouchercon Crime Book Convention in the States for No Good Deeds.

 The Thirteenth Tale wins Yorkshire Book of the Year
Congratulations to Diane Setterfield, who has won the first annual Yorkshire Book of the Year Award for her debut novel, The Thirteenth Tale. The Award was announced on 21 September by William Hague MP on the opening night of the Richmond Book Festival. The other shortlisted titles were The Curse of Salamander Street by GP Taylor and North Yorkshire 199 by Richard Jemison, et al.

Download a PDF extract from The Thirteenth Tale

Listen to an audio extract read by Juliet Stevenson

Audio interview: Diane Setterfield and Juliet Stevenson discuss the magic of books and storytelling (full transcript also available)

 ‘Pirates’ books to be made into an adventure film by Aardman Features

Aardman Features (who produced the film ‘Chicken Run’) will be producing a comedy adventure film based on Weidenfeld & Nicolson author Gideon Defoe’s series of ‘Pirates’ books which include: The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Whaling, and The Pirates! In an Adventure with Communists.

Aardman co-founder Peter Lord will return to the director’s chair for the first time since ‘Chicken Run’ in 2000. Peter Lord, Gideon Defoe and writers Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil, whose credits include the sitcom "Hyperdrive" and animation series "Slacker Cats", are working on the screenplay.

 Nova Swing wins Arthur C. Clarke Award

Nova Swing by M. John Harrison has won this year’s Arthur C. Clarke Award. Harrison’s much acclaimed novel of SF noir scooped the most prestigious prize in British science fiction literature at the award ceremony held on 2 May. The prize was a special bookend trophy and £2007. The shortlist also featured two other Gollancz titles, End of the World Blues by Jon Courtenay Grimwood, which won the BSFA Award in April, and Gradisil by Adam Roberts. This is the second year in a row that a Gollancz title has taken the award after last year’s win by Geoff Ryman for his novel Air.

 Boris Akunin novel to be filmed
Paul Verhoeven will begin shooting The Winter Queen (from the novel by Boris Akunin), to be called AZAZEL in summer, 2007.  Shooting will take place in St. Petersburg and in London and the film will star Milla Jovavich.

Listen to an extract

 Ian Rankin podcast guide to Edinburgh
Ian Rankin has recorded an exclusive podcast city guide for The Guardian which takes you on the author’s personal tour of Edinburgh. Visit http://travel.guardian.co.uk/audio to download Ian Rankin’s podcast or

find out more about the photographic book: Rebus’s Scotland
read an interview with Ian Rankin: Ian Rankin talks about how his perception of Edinburgh differs from that of Rebus
listen to the Rebus’s Scotland CD/booklet pack. No 1 crime writer Ian Rankin’s exclusive insight into the world of his books. It’s read by the author himself, unabridged – recording an audiobook for the first time – with incidental music by Jackie Leven and excerpts from the novels read by Rebus’s alter ago, actor James Macpherson. Its three CDs are packaged into a new-design pack with a booklet containing 30 pages of stunning photographs of the places Rebus inhabits and that inspired the author, taken from the book published by Orion.