Quick Reads Dr Who Book

Friday's edition of The Bookseller reports on the 'Quick Reads initiative', a campaign sponsored by the Department for Education and Skills and others and intended to encourage reading among adults with low reading ages and people with little time to read. The books will retail at £2.99, are written by high-profile authors and will be published in two waves in March (for World Book Day) and in May (for Adult Learner's Week). Among the May releases will be "a title based on Dr Who"; it seems likely that this new novel will feature the Tenth Doctor and be written by one of the new series novel or television authors. More information will soon be available at Quick Reads, the Literacy Trust and World Book Day.

Meanwhile, as reported in The Bookseller, the Doctor Who Annual 2006has moved into the top ten in children's books charts, with a further rise in sales. The Panini publication is now at number ten (up from 14 last week) in the list, having sold 4,272 copies in the seven days to 29 October (up from 3,432 in the seven days to 22 October). This week's chart is dominated by the Beano Annual and Lemony Snicket, each with sales of around 12,000 units.