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Storylines NZ announces 2015 Notable Books List, awards

Tuesday, 31 March 2015
The Storylines Children’s Literature Charitable Trust in New Zealand has announced its list of notable books for 2015.The Storylines 2015 Notable Books List was announced on 30 March in Auckland....

New staff, bookseller for Byron Bay Writers Festival

Tuesday, 31 March 2015
The Byron Bay Writers Festival (BBWF) has announced the appointment of three new staff and a new festival bookseller.Joanna Trilling has joined the festival as communications manager, Mouche Phillips has joined...

RiP Betty Churcher 

Tuesday, 31 March 2015
Author and former National Gallery of Australia director Betty Churcher has died, aged 84.Churcher passed away on 31 March after being diagnosed with terminal cancer earlier in the year.Among her many achievements, Churcher...

Oz romance authors nominated for 2015 RITA Awards

Monday, 30 March 2015
Three Australian authors have been nominated for the Romance Writers of America (RWA) 2015 RITA Awards.The RITA Awards, which recognise excellence in romance novels and novellas, are divided into 12...

Bestsellers this week 

Monday, 30 March 2015
Pete Evans and Nora T Gedgaudas’ new cookbook Going Paleo (Plum) is at the top of this week’s bestsellers and fastest movers charts, while Evans’ other cookbook Family Food (Plum) remains in the...

Government report considers online GST threshold 

Monday, 30 March 2015
The federal government has indicated in its ‘Re:think’ Tax discussion paper that changes to the GST threshold for overseas online purchases will be considered as part of its ongoing taxation reform...

Dymocks reveals 101 Club list for 2015

Monday, 30 March 2015
Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief (Picador) has topped the Dymocks 101 Club list of the best 101 books of all time for 2015, as voted by members of the company’s Booklover...

New book show to air on regional WA TV station

Friday, 27 March 2015
WritingWA has teamed up with regional Western Australia TV station Westlink to present a monthly program on WA writers and books.‘Cover to Cover’ will be hosted by broadcaster Meri Fatin...

Sydney Writers Festival 2015 program launched

Friday, 27 March 2015
The 2015 Sydney Writers’ Festival (SWF) program has been launched and is now available on the website.Forty-five international authors will attend this year’s festival, which will be held from 18-24 May,...

‘The Bush’ wins Indie Book of the Year 2015

Thursday, 26 March 2015
The Bush by Don Watson (Hamish Hamilton) has been named Indie Book of the Year at the 2015 Indie Awards, presented by Leading Edge Books in Sydney on 25 March.Watson also won...

Carroll to present Miles Franklin Award Oration

Thursday, 26 March 2015
Author Steven Carroll will present the Miles Franklin Literary Award Oration at the State Library of Victoria on 18 May.As previously reported by Books+Publishing, the Australian Bookseller’s Association (ABA) will...

Adsett takes over management of Book Harvest Literary Agency 

Thursday, 26 March 2015
Brisbane-based literary agency Alex Adsett Publishing Services (AAPS) has taken over management of Ineke Prochazka’s Book Harvest Literary Agency (BHLA).  Prochazka will continue to manage BHLA’s existing authors and subsidiary rights, but will...

Second My Bookshop to open in Melbourne 

Wednesday, 25 March 2015
Bookseller Corrie Perkin will open a second My Bookshop store in the Melbourne suburb of Toorak in April.Perkin opened the first store in the nearby suburb of Hawksburn in 2009....

Rights round-up 

Wednesday, 25 March 2015
SalesFiction—Jenny Darling & Associates has sold the following rights to The Dressmaker (Rosalie Ham): US rights to Penguin; UK rights to Serpent’s Tail; world English-language audio rights to Bolinda; Czech...

Quote of the week

Wednesday, 25 March 2015
‘It seems that in cities like Sydney and Melbourne, wherever a bookshop closes, another opens. However, could it be that in the ACT bookshops will only end up existing in...

LIANZA Children’s Book Awards 2015 finalists announced

Wednesday, 25 March 2015
The finalists in the 2015 Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) Children’s Book Awards have been announced.The shortlisted titles are: Russell Clark Illustration Award Marmaduke Duck on the Wide...

SA retail workers union makes deal to cut penalty rates

Tuesday, 24 March 2015
In South Australia, the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (SDA) union and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Business SA have struck a deal to abolish some penalty rates...

New NZ publisher to focus on debut minority authors 

Tuesday, 24 March 2015
A new publisher specialising in titles by debut minority authors has launched in New Zealand.Connect the Dots Press founder and managing editor Catarina Gutierrez told Books+Publishing that she started the small...

‘The Hoopla’ closes citing competitive online market

Tuesday, 24 March 2015
Online women’s magazine the Hoopla has announced it is to close, citing an increasingly competitive online market as the cause. The Hoopla was launched in 2011 by Wendy Harmer and Jane Waterhouse,...

Electric Shadows bookstore to close

Tuesday, 24 March 2015
Canberra independent bookstore Electric Shadows will close before June as the store’s building has been sold for redevelopment and will be demolished.The store first opened in 1987 under owner Andrew Pike and named after the...

New award, rebranding for Tasmanian Literary Prizes

Tuesday, 24 March 2015
The biennial Tasmanian Literary Prizes have been rebranded as the Premier’s Literary Prizes and expanded to include an award for young Tasmanian writers.The Young Writer’s Prize, worth $5000, is open...

Bestsellers this week

Monday, 23 March 2015
Easter-themed children’s books have taken over this week’s fastest movers chart, with Peppa Pig: Peppa’s Easter Egg Hunt (Ladybird Books) sitting in top spot. Also in the fastest movers chart...

Readings Children’s Book Prize 2015 shortlist announced

Monday, 23 March 2015
Independent Melbourne bookseller Readings has announced the shortlist for its 2015 Readings Children’s Book Prize.The shortlisted titles are: Rivertime (Trace Balla, A&U) The Mapmakers Chronicles: Race to the End of...

Canongate acquires rights to Nick Cave title

Monday, 23 March 2015
Canongate has acquired the rights to a new book by musician Nick Cave The Sick Bag Song will be published on 8 April and will be sold online-only from a dedicated...

Inky Awards 2015 longlists announced

Thursday, 19 March 2015
The longlists for the 2015 Inky Awards have been announced. The awards are presented by the Centre for Youth Literature at the State Library of Victoria for local and international...

Tan shortlisted for 2015 Kate Greenaway medal

Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Shaun Tan’s Rules of Summer (Lothian) is one of eight titles shortlisted for this year’s Kate Greenaway Medal for distinguished illustration in children’s books.The shortlists for the Kate Greenaway Medal...

Murakami to headline 2015 Auckland Writers Festival

Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami will headline the 2015 Auckland Writers Festival, featuring in just one session on 16 May at the Aotea Centre.Joining Murakami will be more than 150 authors in...

Booksellers NZ conference program released

Wednesday, 18 March 2015
The theme of this year’s Booksellers NZ Conference is ‘Changing Hearts and Minds: Future Proofing Your Business’, to be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Auckland on 21 June.Confirmed sessions...