A Sky of a Thousand Colors release dates, Ghost of a Feeling acquisition, Kiss Away the Goodbye cover reveal, the International Booker Prize longlist and more in this week’s edition.
A Sky of a Thousand Colors release
Angeli Dumatol’s A Sky of a Thousand Colors will hit shelves in Singapore, Malaysia, and digital bookstores this April, but Angeli has also shared when the book will be out in different markets. According to her tweet, June 15 is the tentative release for the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, India, the Americas, and Europe, while Australia and New Zealand will get the book on August 15. Look out for it on your physical and digital bookstores!
Little, Brown launches New Adult imprint
Publishers Weekly reports that Little, Brown Books for Young Readers is launching a New Adult imprint called Requited, which will publish 10 to 20 titles per year. People involved in the imprint expound on it in the article but I feel like the time has passed to be starting a New Adult imprint? But I’m no publishing expert so what do I know?
Kiss Away the Goodbye cover reveal
Blush Books announced the acquisition of H. Bentham’s Kiss Away the Goodbye last month and now he’s revealed the cover on his Instagram account. The cover art is by Rye Quizon and will be launched at this year’s Philippine Book Festival.
2025 International Booker Prize longlist
The Booker Prize Foundation has announced the longlist for the International Booker Prize on its website. This year’s longlist includes Anne Serre’s A Leopard Skin Hat, Astrid Roemer’s On a Woman’s Madness, Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp, Vincenzo Latronico’s Perfection, Christian Kracht’s Eurotrash, Hiromi Kawakami’s Under the Eye of the Big Bird, Saou Ichikawa’s Hunchback, Vincent Delacroix’s Small Boat, Dahlia de la Cerda’s Reservoir Bitches, Mircea Cărtărescu’s Solenoid, Gaëlle Bélem’s There’s a Monster Behind the Door, Solvej Balle’s On the Calculation of Volume I, and Ibtisam Azem’s The Book of Disappearance.
The International Booker Prize’s current format was launched in 2015 and “celebrates the best works of long-form fiction or collections of short stories translated into English and published in the UK”. The £50,000 prize money for the winner is divided equally between the author and the translator/s. Shortlisted titles also get £5,000, also divided equally between the author and translator/s.
Vibal acquires Celestine Trinidad’s Ghost of a Feeling
Vibal Publishing has acquired another RomanceClass book, namely Celestine Trinidad’s Ghost of a Feeling. It’s set to be released this year and joins the other acquisitions in Vibal’s New Adult imprint where Mina V. Esguerra is editor-at-large. Previous acquisitions include Carla de Guzman’s Blooming Love and Mina V. Esguerra’s Interim Goddess of Love.
Next Witcher novel finds publisher
Publishers Weekly reports that Orbit, Hachette’s speculative fiction division, has acquired the English rights to Crossroads of Ravens, the latest book in Andrzej Sapkowski’s bestselling Witcher series. According to Publishers Weekly, the new book will feature an 18-year-old Geralt setting of on his first mission.
In a statement, Sapkowski called on readers to imagine a younger Geralt. Not like that, you pervert.
“Imagine Geralt, but younger, with fewer scars and a bit more haughtiness. This is a story of growth, of idealism meeting harsh reality, and of choices that forge a legend. It’s about finding your place in a world that’s constantly challenging you to be more than you thought you could be.”
Ines Bautista-Yao book signing
If you’re at the Philippine Book Festival on March 16, Ines Bautista-Yao will be signing her book My Lola’s Love Letters from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Find her at the Ateneo Press booth.
Hunger Games theater adaptation
If you’re a fan of the Hunger Games and happen to be in London in October this year, then you might want to to catch The Hunger Games: On Stage, which adapts the book as a stage play. You can sign up for pre-sale access starting on March 25.
NBDB call for grants for the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair
The National Book Development Board (NBDB) is calling on civil society organizations, government agencies, and individuals to apply for a grant to represent the country at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
In its Facebook post, the NBDB writes that chosen applicants will “ead the organization of the Philippine delegation, facilitate industry networking, and engage with key stakeholders and literary agents and shall be entitled to a grant covering travel and participation expenses such as but not limited to airfare, travel tax, terminal fee, booth rental, collaterals, among others.”
Applications will be accepted until March 14, 2025 and results will be announced on March 24, 2025. Check out the link in the Facebook post for more details.
Insular Yet Global book launch
The Vibal Foundation, the Ateneo de Manila Dr. Rosita G. Leong School of Social Sciences and the Ateneo Department of Sociology and Anthropology will launch Insular Yet Global: Selected Essays of Fernando Zialcita this March 11 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM at the Ben Chan Art Suite, 2F Ateneo Art Gallery, Ateneo de Manila University. Click the link on the Facebook post to reserve a slot!
Publishing platform for AI-generated audiobooks launched
Publishers Weekly reports that software company ElevenLabs has launched ElevenReader Publishing, a platform that offers free audiobook production and distribution. Authors/rights holders who avail of the service can “upload their books as ePub, DOCX, or PDF files, which are then converted to AI-generated audiobooks, for which authors and publishers can choose the voice of the narrator.” Readers can then listen to it for free on the ElevenReader App.
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