Here’s what’s happening this week in the book industry:

Despite initially raising the alarm last week, U.K.’s Publishers Association has now confirmed that the new tariff the U.S. is levying on the category of printed books [5] will not, in fact, encompass bound books, and therefore will not affect their members. The Association of American Publishers has told The Bookseller they agree that “finished books do not seem to be currently affected.”

Square has announced it is changing its standard processing rate [6] for tapped, dipped, and swiped transactions from 2.75% to 2.6% + 10¢, effective November 1, 2019, for all sellers currently on the standard rate.

The Today Show will be announcing Reader’s Digest’s Nicest Places in America [7] contest winner live on the air on Friday, October 11. The show has also issued a call [8] to viewers for more stories of kindness and community.

Sourcebooks is creating an enhanced international sales program [9] to drive global sales and exposure for its authors, to be named Sourcebooks International. Shawn Abraham will join the company as director of international sales and lead the team.

Mango Publishing has acquired Conari Press  [10]from Red Wheel/Weiser. Conari was founded in 1987 and publishes titles on topics such as spirituality, personal growth, parenting, and social issues. Both Mango and Conari are distributed by Ingram Publisher Services.

Arcadia Publishing has launched the Local First Publishing Internship [11] program. The paid internship program for college students will hire at least three interns per semester to work out of the publisher’s Charleston, South Carolina, offices. The semester-long program will provide students with a first-hand look at the publishing process.

In 2021, Abrams will launch Surely, a new graphic novel imprint [12] featuring fiction and nonfiction that will highlight the writers, artists, and stories of the LGBTQIA community. Skim author Mariko Tamaki will curate the new imprint.

American publisher Europa Editions and Italian publisher Iperborea will co-publish the new Passenger travel series [13]. Iperborea, which launched Passenger in Europe last year, edited the volumes, which present “the best long-form essays, investigative journalism, literary reportage, and visual narratives in order to tell the story of a country or city and to portray its shifting culture and identity, its public debates, the sensibilities of its people, its burning issues, conflicts and open wounds.”

Ingram Content Group has announced several new hires and promotions [14], including Benjamin Hughes, who has joined Ingram as key account sales manager for Lightning Source U.K. in Ingram’s U.K. office. In addition, Jayme Heffler has joined Ingram as senior manager of marketing services for VitalSource Technologies in Ingram’s New York office, and Jason Rice has joined the company as a sales representative for Ingram Content Group.

At HarperCollins Children’s Books, Jacquelynn Burke has been promoted [15] to associate director of publicity, and Lindsey Karl has been promoted to senior manager of conferences and conventions. In addition, Talia Chaves has been promoted to marketing associate, and Tyler Breitfeller has been promoted to marketing associate.

At Penguin Random House, Skip Dye has been promoted to senior vice president of library sales and digital strategy. He will carry on his duties as senior vice president and director of sales operations.

At Little Bee Books, Matthew Sciarappa has been promoted [16] to marketing coordinator from executive assistant.

The National Book Foundation has announced the book selections for its [17] Literature for Justice program’s second year. Each of the five titles “explore the criminal justice system and aim to help advance public understanding of mass incarceration in the United States.”

The shortlist [18] has been announced for the Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice, which honors a book that “celebrates the power of the written word to create change in the name of justice for all.” The winner of the prize, which is sponsored by Goddard Riverside, will be announced on October 22.

The winners [19] have been announced for the New England Independent Booksellers Association’s (NEIBA) New England Book Awards. The annual awards honor books written by a New England author or that are set in New England.

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