News | Books+Publishing

US print book sales down 10% last week Archive

Friday, 20 March 2020
In the US, NPD BookScan figures show print book unit sales fell 10% for the week ending March 14 compared to the previous week, after physical bookstores began closing their...

ABA asks publishers for support during Covid-19 outbreak Archive

Friday, 20 March 2020
The Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) is asking publishers to consider a range of assistance measures for member stores in response to the Covid-19 outbreak. In an email to members, ABA...

Mosley to host three-part SBS docuseries on diabetes Archive

Friday, 20 March 2020
Author and science journalist Michael Mosley will host a three-part SBS TV series with sports physiologist and health educator Ray Kelly, which investigates a new treatment for type 2 diabetes....

Tan shortlisted for 2020 Kate Greenaway Medal Archive

Thursday, 19 March 2020
Shaun Tan has been shortlisted for the 2020 Kate Greenaway Medal for distinguished illustration in a book for children and young people for his book Tales from the Inner City...

Pantera acquires Courtney Act memoir Archive

Thursday, 19 March 2020
Pantera Press has acquired ANZ rights to It’s All an Act, the debut memoir by Shane Jenek, the performer behind drag queen Courtney Act, via Wendy Richards at Working Management....

Macmillan lifts library embargo for new-release ebooks Archive

Thursday, 19 March 2020
In the US, Macmillan has abandoned its embargo on new-release ebooks in libraries, reports Publishers Weekly. ‘There are times in life when differences should be put aside,’ said Macmillan CEO...

Richardson wins Hazel Rowley Fellowship 2020 Archive

Thursday, 19 March 2020
Writers Victoria has announced that Lance Richardson has been awarded the $15,000 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship for his proposed biography of writer, naturalist and Zen Buddhist, Peter Matthiessen. ‘Lance’s subject...

Australian bookshops respond to Covid-19 Archive

Wednesday, 18 March 2020
Australian booksellers, like many retailers, are facing a big challenge right now. At this stage some shops have moved to online only, but many stores remain open and are trying...

ABA conference, BookUp postponed Archive

Wednesday, 18 March 2020
The Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) has postponed its annual conference, which was due to take place in Sydney on 21–22 June, with the following day’s inaugural BookUp event being postponed...

Australian Reading Hour expands, rebrands as Australia Reads Archive

Wednesday, 18 March 2020
The Australian Reading Hour campaign will expand this year to encompass 17 days of activities from 1–17 September, under the new name Australia Reads. The campaign will be headlined by...

US kids authors launch digital festival in wake of cancellations Archive

Wednesday, 18 March 2020
In the US, a group of children’s authors have launched a digital festival focused on children’s literature, after more than a dozen US literary festivals were cancelled in less than...

Morrissey awarded Boundless Indigenous Writer’s Mentorship Archive

Wednesday, 18 March 2020
John Morrissey, a Melbourne writer of Kalkadoon descent, has been awarded the 2020 Boundless Indigenous Writer’s Mentorship. Morrissey’s winning submission, ‘The Dig’, is described as ‘a riotous, page-turning short story...

Amazon deprioritises book sales Archive

Wednesday, 18 March 2020
In the US and Europe, Amazon has deprioritised book sales as the company works to meet the surge in demand for household staples, medical supplies and other high demand products,...

Hardie Grant Egmont sells ‘Your Planet Needs You’ to five territories Archive

Wednesday, 18 March 2020
Hardie Grant Egmont has sold rights in five territories to Philip Bunting’s forthcoming picture book Your Planet Needs You! (May). German-language rights were sold following a ‘significant’ pre-empt offer from...

CBCA NSW branch conference postponed Archive

Wednesday, 18 March 2020
The NSW branch of the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has postponed its professional development conference until 8 September, in line with government directions about mass gatherings. Originally scheduled...

McGuinness to leave NewSouth Archive

Wednesday, 18 March 2020
NewSouth publisher Phillipa McGuinness is leaving UNSW Press after 18 years to continue her career as an author. UNSW Press CEO Kathy Bail said McGuinness has made ‘a significant contribution'...

Year-to-date trade sales down 2.9% as academic sales see sharp decline Archive

Tuesday, 17 March 2020
Sales in the Australian book market are down 7.3% in value for the year to 7 March, with the trade sector down 2.9% over the same period, according to Nielsen...

Record book sales at Adelaide Writers’ Week Archive

Tuesday, 17 March 2020
Record book and catering sales at Adelaide Writers’ Week, which ran from 29 February to 5 March, indicate the highest recorded attendance numbers at the festival, according to director Jo...

Latest cancellations: SWF, the Wheeler Centre, MJBW and ABDA Awards Archive

Tuesday, 17 March 2020
A number of festivals and literary organisations made announcements overnight related to the Covid-19 outbreak. Sydney Writers’ Festival (SWF) organisers said the festival's cancellation was an ‘inevitable but nonetheless devastating...