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 | 'From big tech stealing our work to the right’s reframing of free speech, the book industry is under attack.'

2 weeks 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'

3 weeks 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'

4 weeks 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'

1 month 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'

1 month 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'

2 months ago | 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'

2 months ago | 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.
Time for the CMA to admit that Amazon wields too much power?

2 months ago | thebookseller.com | Philip Jones

Last week we noted that Bloomsbury was the market leader in 2024, with growth through Nielsen BookScan of 8.4%, more than double that of Penguin Random House. This was not luck: its bull-run has been long orchestrated and well-judged, doubling down in the mass-market just as that sector was heating up, with its star author Sarah J Maas first published in 2012. Last week, too, Amazon threatened to drop this lead performer after failing to agree new terms.
Anthony Cheetham | 'We can reinvent ourselves as luxury boutiques catering to a limited but well-heeled readership of fellow bibliophiles'

2 months ago | thebookseller.com | Philip Jones

You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles. “We can reinvent ourselves as luxury boutiques catering to a limited but well-heeled readership of fellow bibliophiles”The veteran publishing fire-starter is back in the world of books, and believes there is still much to be achieved in the business, both by looking back and forwards. I last interviewed Anthony Cheetham in 2018.

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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

Mr Philip Jones

Mr Philip Jones @philipdsjones

24 Jan 25

Plot twist: https://t.co/5Lshm4YwwX

Mr Philip Jones

Mr Philip Jones @philipdsjones

Big: Amazon to remove Bloomsbury titles from sale after trade terms negotiations broke down https://t.co/NuU9QC4H4T