Books in the media this weekend, 20–21 April
19 April 2024
A round-up of the books being reviewed and mentioned in key media this coming weekend. National The Saturday Paper Deep Water (James Bradley, Hamish Hamilton) The End of the Morning (Charmian Clift,...
Yvonne Sewankambo recommends
17 April 2024
I’m currently reading and loving Mawunyo Gbogbo’s Hip Hop & Hymns (Penguin), which has been on my bookshelf since it was published in 2022. Finding the mental capacity to read that...
Yvonne Sewankambo on ‘Good Hair’
16 April 2024
Sydney-based Yvonne Sewankambo is a Ugandan-Canadian writer and publicist whose debut picture book, Good Hair (Walker, June 2024), is ‘a wonderfully inclusive book representing various cultures and subcultures, showcasing the...
Books in the media this weekend, 13–14 April
12 April 2024
A round-up of the books being reviewed and mentioned in key media this coming weekend. National The Saturday Paper Amma (Saraid de Silva, Moa Press) The White Cockatoo Flowers (Ouyang...
AI and publishing: Concerns beyond copyright
10 April 2024
The publishing sector’s response to last year’s revelations about the materials used to train generative AI has been characterised by concern over the unauthorised use of pirated books in these...
Explainer: What is generative AI, and what does it have to do with books?
10 April 2024
Millicent Weber, Julienne van Loon and Bronwyn Coate write: The term generative artificial intelligence, or generative AI, refers to algorithms that can be used to generate text, images, and audiovisual...
Books in the media this weekend, 6–7 April
5 April 2024
A round-up of the books being reviewed and mentioned in key media this coming weekend. National The Saturday Paper 36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem (Nam Le, Scribner) ACT The...
Bleedthrough: censorship and book banning in Australia
3 April 2024
When Australian writers, publishers, and librarians look at the state of US book banning, we are shocked at the violence and scale of book banning groups. Could attempts to fire...
Books in the media this weekend, 30–31 March
28 March 2024
A round-up of the books being reviewed and mentioned in key media this coming weekend. National The Saturday Paper Grief Is for People (Sloane Crosley, Serpent's Tail) Lead Us Not (Abbey...
Asian-Australian booksellers championing diversity
20 March 2024
Emma Pei Yin is a British-born Hong Kong-Chinese author. She was also nominated for Bookseller of the Year in 2023. In this feature, Emma writes for Books+Publishing on the insights of three Asian-Australian...
Cristy Burne on ‘Ultra Violet’
19 March 2024
Cristy Burne is an award-winning author of children's books published worldwide. She loves mixing science, adventure and creativity in her stories; holds degrees in biotechnology and science communication; and has...
Books in the media this weekend, 16–17 March
15 March 2024
A round-up of the books being reviewed and mentioned in key media this coming weekend. National The Saturday Paper Kind of, Sort of, Maybe... But Probably Not (Imbi Neeme, Viking)...
The party’s over: Publicists, burnout and a ‘far more creative’ role
13 March 2024
Last week, Books+Publishing heard why book publicists are picking and choosing when (or, more often, when not) to put efforts into TikTok coverage. Here, they argue against big launch parties—and...
Shankari Chandran on ‘Safe Haven’
12 March 2024
Australian Tamil lawyer and author Shankari Chandran, who won the 2023 Miles Franklin Award for her novel Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens (Ultimo), returns with her fourth novel, Safe Haven (Ultimo,...
Books in the media this weekend, 9–10 March
8 March 2024
A round-up of the books being reviewed and mentioned in key media this coming weekend. This week's round-up will be updated as information becomes available. National The Saturday Paper Breath (Carly-Jay...
Book publicity in the TikTok age: What moves the needle now?
6 March 2024
With the consolidation of print reviews that appear in some of Australia’s key newspapers and a reduction in the number that appear in others, how much effort should publishers expend...
Bri Lee on ‘The Work’
27 February 2024
Bri Lee is a celebrated author, academic and activist known for nonfiction titles Eggshell Skull (2018), Beauty (2019) and Who Gets to Be Smart (2021). Her debut fiction novel, The...
Can ChatGPT edit fiction? Four editors put it to the test
21 February 2024
Editors Rose Michael, Sharon Mullins, Renée Otmar and Katherine Day have previously explored how AI tools might work, or be made to work, for editorial. In this extract from an...
How international markets performed in 2023
7 February 2024
In the US, a fall of 'only' 2.6% in unit sales was a relief, while many European markets achieved modest growth despite falling volume sales, thanks to price increases. In...
Romantasy, audio and b-format: Bookseller and publisher predictions for 2024
31 January 2024
Booksellers and publishers who responded to Books+Publishing's Christmas survey were asked to predict what trends and developments might unfold in 2024. From buying habits to trendy genres, we share some...
Publishers on Christmas 2023: Black Friday changes buying patterns as fiction holds strong
31 January 2024
Publisher responses to this year's Books+Publishing Christmas survey show the key selling season was better than expected for half of respondents, and close to expectations for the remaining 50% of...
Books in the media this weekend, 27–28 January
25 January 2024
A round-up of the books being reviewed and mentioned in key media this coming weekend. This week's round-up will be updated as information becomes available. National The Saturday Paper The...
‘Better than expected’ Christmas for booksellers, despite almost a quarter reporting sales dropped
24 January 2024
While a small number of booksellers (4.4%) reported an ‘excellent’ Christmas in 2023, sales for the period were down on 2022 for almost a quarter of booksellers who responded to...
Explainer: Why did the costs of printing a book go up?
17 January 2024
In 2022 when Books+Publishing reported on the increasing costs of print in Australia, IVE Group CEO Cliff Brigstocke said he had 'never witnessed such a challenging set of circumstances’ in...
POD and the pandemic: How are publishers using print on demand now?
17 January 2024
For many publishers around the world, the supply-chain chaos of the pandemic drove a move to print on demand (POD). Books+Publishing asks what role POD plays for publishers and booksellers...
Inclusive publishing leaders at the Sharjah Publishers Conference
10 January 2024
Each year, the Sharjah International Book Fair brings publishing professionals to the United Arab Emirates through its fellowship program. Agata Mrva-Montoya, from the University of Sydney, attended the 2023 conference....
Explainer: What is accessible publishing?
10 January 2024
Accessibility and inclusivity are broad terms that can have different meanings in different contexts. In the book industry, these terms have surfaced at many conferences and events as people come...
New year, new books: Children’s and young adult stories from local publishers
13 December 2023
Australian children's and young adult publishers are excited to welcome 2024—and with it, a bright array of forthcoming books. Here are the titles publishers are highlighting for younger readers in...
The facts on 2024’s nonfiction releases
6 December 2023
From big names and literary subjects, to politics, the environment and history, from personal development to crochet, sex guides to cookbooks, publishers pick their top nonfiction titles for 2024. Familiar...
Reading into the year ahead: 2024 fiction and poetry preview
29 November 2023
Debuts, historical fiction, crime and thrillers, contemporary fiction, romance and fantasy, literary fiction and shorter works—Australian publishers share their top picks in fiction and poetry for 2024, from intergenerational family...
