Bloomsbury, the publishing group, yesterday basked in the success of writer Margaret Atwood, whose novel The Blind Assassin won the Booker prize at the start of the month.

A trading statement from Bloomsbury said sales of the book had soared since Ms Atwood took the prize at her fourth attempt. Around 120,000 copies of the hardback have been sold.

Nigel Newton, Bloomsbury chief executive said Ms Atwood's novel had been the retailer's choice because her work does not come with an impenetrability health warning.

The Blind Assassin tells the story of an industrial and political dynasty in Canada.

"The Booker prize is a big driver of sales," Mr Newton said. "But it also depends on the general verdict on whether the novel is readable. Winning can certainly lead to a more than doubling of sales."

Ms Atwood's back catalogue was also benefiting with a pick-up in sales. Her previous Booker shortlisted titles are The Handmaid's Tale (1986), Cat's Eye (1989), and Alias Grace (1996).

Shares in Bloomsbury rose 22.5p to 847.5p following the statement which said trading would be "signficantly" ahead of market expectations.

The company is already riding high because of its Harry Potter series of books which have become a worldwide phenomenon. The statement said there were also strong revenues from its US division.

Analysts have increased their full-year profit forecasts from £4.5m to £5.5m.