10 Books MARKS

TOP SPOT

Scots crime writer Val McDermid is the UK No 1 with new thriller Out of Bounds.

DOING THE DOUBLE

Sebastian Barry has won the Costa book of the year award for a second time for his novel Days Without End.

TAKING TRUMP TO TASK

Online book seller Amazon is funding a legal challenge against US President Donald Trump’s controversial ‘travel ban’ on behalf of its employees.

LENDING A HAND

Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh is backing the Libraries Matters campaign against council cuts.

CLEEVES ACCLAIM

Shetland author Ann Cleeves is to receive the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger award for excellence.

POWER LIST

Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson is to write a book about the lessons learned by the world’s most powerful women.

NE’ER THE TWAIN?

An unfinished children’s book by Mark Twain is to be published by Doubleday. Twain began telling The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine to his daughters in 1879. It has been completed by writer Philip Stead.

PRIZE UP FOR GRABS

Amazon UK has launched a prize for new authors. The Kindle Storyteller Award is open to all writers who publish their books through Kindle Direct Publishing. The winning author will receive £20,000.

MARR-VELLOUS

Journalist and broadcaster Andrew Marr will chair the jury for the 2017 Forward Prizes For Poetry. The judging panel will also include Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell. The awards will be held at London’s Royal Festival Hall in September.

HALL OF FAME

JK Rowling, EL James and Julia Donaldson are among the authors who have made Nielsen Book’s first bestseller hall of fame. The list comprises 97 titles by 64 authors who have sold more than one million copies between 1998 and 2015.