Philip Jones

London

Editor at The Bookseller

Editor of The Bookseller. In denial. In case of emergency smash screen.

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Articles

Philip Jones | 'The Data (Use and Access) Bill is another moment to firm up copyright law'

6 days ago | thebookseller.com | Philip Jones

According to Mark Price, there are “two grounds” on which a legal case could realistically be pursued against Meta in the UK for the company’s alleged use of pirated books to train artificial intelligence (AI) models. Just two you might say, that seems too few for such an egregious act.
Philip Jones | 'It is about how we value our creative output, what others see in what we do and how we stand up for it'

2 weeks ago | thebookseller.com | Philip Jones

Before Easter, the Society of Authors (SoA) led a demonstration outsidethe London office of Facebook’s parent Meta, protesting at the company’s alleged theft of copyrighted books to train its artificial intelligence bot Llama 3. “Get the Zuck off our books” read one sign. Other terms were available.
Philip Jones | 'From big tech stealing our work to the right’s reframing of free speech, the book industry is under attack.'

1 month ago | thebookseller.com | Philip Jones

A few years ago, in 2019,the thriller writer Lee Child told the audience at The British Book Awards that we were good people. “When I started in this business, the first thing I noticed was how lovely you all are. What I really care about is what you do,” said the Author of the Year. He had previously worked in television, so the bar was set low but, he assured, “you soared effortlessly above it”.
Philip Jones | 'The absence of books from the fictional universe of Adolescence is entirely consistent with what is also happening in reality'

1 month ago | thebookseller.com | Philip Jones

Owen Cooper and Stephen Graham in Adolescence © Wikimedia There are no books in Adolescence. The much-talked-about Netflix drama that details the aftermath of a murder of a young girl by a 13-year-old boy in an English town is an arresting watch that has focused attention on social media and how misogynistic messages are spread online. But both within the four-part series, and also around the conversation that has followed, books are pretty much absent.
Philip Jones | 'Since 2022, of the 300 (or so) author profiles we have run, 57 have been of Black writers'

1 month ago | thebookseller.com | Philip Jones

Earlier this month the writer Alex Wheatle died. Known as “the Brixton Bard”, Wheatle began writing after serving a prison sentence following the Brixton riots in 1981. His time inside turned him onto writers such as CLR James and James Baldwin. Before that, he grew up on comics such as the Beano and Whizzer and Chips. His first novel, Brixton Rock, was published by BlackAmber Books in 1999, and he was picked up by Fourth Estate, before turning to Young Adult fiction where he made his reputation.
Philip Jones | 'LBF does many things very well. It gathers a truly international crowd, and, being the first of the year, helps set the agenda for those that follow'

1 month ago | thebookseller.com | Philip Jones

London Book Fair 2025 © Daisy Game First the good news. London Book Fair was a triumph. The halls were busy, business was brisk, agents were in abundance, and the Americans came. The parties were generous, the mood upbeat and determined, and even the weather, a challenge for everyone in the UK in early March, was becalmed. The slightly less good news?
Philip Jones | 'The Nibbies unashamedly celebrates success, but not at the expense of excellence'

2 months ago | thebookseller.com | Philip Jones

At times like these it is worth remembering the power of books. In Alexei Navalny’s Patriot – shortlisted at The British Book Awards – the Russian dissident recounts his political awakening, his life as an opponent to Vladimir Putin, and the period following his poisoning in 2020. Reader, the book’s trajectory could hardly be bleaker – Navalny died in a Siberian jail in 2024, and Putin reigns on. Nevertheless, the activist offers a message of hope.
Philip Jones | 'LBF will also be our first moment to gather since the election of Donald Trump as US president, with the first weeks of his new administration deeply worrying'

2 months ago | thebookseller.com | Philip Jones

String theory suggests a universe (or many) in which there are hidden joins between the different parts: in more everyday terms it helps to explain how we come together, bond, but also fall apart, and what the implications of all this toing and froing can be. At the fast-approaching London Book Fair, we will once again see this activity writ large, as publishers, agents, authors and other book trade professionals mingle at Olympia for another year.
Philip Jones | 'In a plot twist worthy of Jeffrey Archer, the government's preferred route is not one that defends creativity, but an opt-out system'

Feb 14, 2025 | thebookseller.com | Philip Jones |Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Defending copyright means defending the rights of creators and ensuring a sustainable future for the creative and knowledge-based economy. Not my words, but those of the artificial intelligence box ChatGPT. On this, we should obey. On 25th February, the government’s consultation into copyright reaches a conclusion. Although some regard it as foregone, now is the moment to engage. Once lost, this opportunity will not come again.
Philip Jones | 'WHSmith was once a great bookseller, its own history intertwined with that of the wider trade'

Feb 7, 2025 | thebookseller.com | Philip Jones

For as long as I have been at The Bookseller, the future of WHSmith has been up for debate. With the announcement that the high-street division has been placed on the block, it may have finally run out of road. For those with short memories, WHSmith was once a great nationwide bookseller, its own history interwined with that of the wider trade. At its height, it could make or break books, and many authors and publishers today owe their livelihoods to its ability to shift vast quantities of stock.

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Mr Philip Jones

Mr Philip Jones @philipdsjones

23 Apr 25

RT @KatieFr3: We've been working on this new award tirelessly. So glad to finally announce I'll be chairing the New Adult Book Prize in its…

Mr Philip Jones

Mr Philip Jones @philipdsjones

2 Apr 25

RT @Soc_of_Authors: 📢Join us tomorrow at Granary Square 1pm for a protest Meta following revelations of pirated books being used to train t…

Mr Philip Jones

Mr Philip Jones @philipdsjones

30 Jan 25

Nibbies deadline day!! https://t.co/h0eK7pbaYL