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International library news

Wednesday, 4 March 2015
US libraries concerned about lack of Kindle ebook titles through OverDriveA number of US libraries have expressed concern that the majority of new ebook titles from library supplier OverDrive are...

Melbourne Cricket Club Library expands online services

Wednesday, 4 March 2015
The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) Library has replaced its library management system with Softlink’s Australian-based cloud-hosting service, Liberty. The new service provides online access to the library’s extensive collection of...

Proposal to cut WA state library hours

Wednesday, 4 March 2015
The State Library of WA (SLWA) is considering cuts to its opening hours, including closing the library on weekends and earlier during the week, in a bid to meet the...

Lisa Gorton’s ‘The Life of Houses’

Wednesday, 4 March 2015
Gorton’s ability to describe the inner worlds of her characters creates moments of breathtaking insight on almost every page. The writing is graceful and accessible, and Gorton’s skill with plot is particularly...

Quote of the week

Wednesday, 4 March 2015
‘Newman condemned himself to being published outside of Queensland when he axed the Awards. Perhaps his future memoir will reflect on this with the benefit of hindsight’—Macquarie University creative writing...

‘WBN’ published Thursday next week

Wednesday, 4 March 2015
Please note that, due to the public holiday on Monday in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT, the next Weekly Book Newsletter will be published on Thursday 12 March.The deadline for classifieds and...

Beveridge appointed BWF festival director, acting CEO

Wednesday, 4 March 2015
The Brisbane Writers Festival has appointed Julie Beveridge as 2015 festival director and acting CEO. She replaces Kate Eltham, who is taking maternity leave from mid-March. (See news.)

Burrell wins Ashurst Business Literature Prize

Wednesday, 4 March 2015
Andrew Burrell has won the 2014 Ashurst Business Literature Prize for his book Twiggy: The High Stakes Life of Andrew Forrest (Black Inc.).Burrell was presented with the $30,000 prize at an event in...

New festival director, board chair for BWF

Tuesday, 3 March 2015
The Brisbane Writers Festival (BWF) has appointed a new festival director and acting CEO for 2015.Julie Beveridge replaces current festival director and CEO Kate Eltham, who is taking maternity leave from mid-March. Beveridge has...

Petition against WA Premier’s Book Awards cuts

Tuesday, 3 March 2015
A petition against the WA government’s decision to cut funding and move the WA Premier’s Book Awards to a biennial format has been launched online.The petition, which is addressed to Liberal premier...

Baum wins 2015 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship

Tuesday, 3 March 2015
Caroline Baum has won the 2015 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship.Baum, a freelance journalist, broadcaster and editorial director of Booktopia, was announced as the winner at the Adelaide Writers Festival on 4 March. Writers...

‘Island’ magazine partners with MONA

Monday, 2 March 2015
Tasmania-based literary magazine Island has announced it will form a ‘literary partnership’ with Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA).The partnership initially involves the magazine being promoted by the...

‘West Australian’ cuts book coverage

Monday, 2 March 2015
The West Australian newspaper will cut its Tuesday-edition book coverage by 50%, reducing the double-page spread to a single page.In a statement, writingWA said it was ‘dismayed’ to learn about...

Inaugural London Book & Screen Week announced

Monday, 2 March 2015
The London Book Fair (LBF) has announced its first London Book & Screen Week (LBSW) to celebrate books, film and television. The event will run from 13-19 April to coincide with LBF...

Bestsellers this week

Monday, 2 March 2015
American Sniper (Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen & Jim DeFelice, HarperCollins) is back at number one this week as last week’s number one, The Ruby Circle (Richelle Mead, Viking), drops to...

Aurealis Awards 2014 finalists announced

Monday, 2 March 2015
The finalists for the 2014 Aurealis Awards, presented for science-fiction, fantasy and horror writing in Australia, have been announced.Among the categories are:Fantasy novel Fireborn (Keri Arthur, Hachette) This Shattered World...

Canberra’s Noted writers’ festival launches program

Friday, 27 February 2015
Canberra’s ‘experimental’ writers’ festival Noted has launched its first program.The program is divided into three streams—live, digital and professional development—and features a range of emerging writers and artists.The live stream...

Wattpad releases romance and erotica app After Dark

Friday, 27 February 2015
Online writing platform Wattpad has released the After Dark app, which offers readers a curated selection of romance and erotica stories, reports Publishers Weekly. The app features thousands of erotic stories...

Australian recipe site Cooked launches in the UK

Friday, 27 February 2015
Local Australian recipe subscription website Cooked has expanded into the UK, reports the Bookseller. The new site was launched by Hardie Grant, Quadrille and Bloomsbury and will feature over 22,000 recipes, including full...

UQP rejects Campbell Newman memoir over awards axing

Thursday, 26 February 2015
The University of Queensland Press (UQP) has declined to publish former Queensland premier Campbell Newman’s memoir, citing Newman’s axing of the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards as the reason, reports the...

On tour: Meet the author Elizabeth Gilbert

Thursday, 26 February 2015
Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of The Signature of All Things (Bloomsbury). She is attending Adelaide Writers’ Week and touring Australia and New Zealand in February and March.What would you...

On tour: Meet the author Tom Rob Smith

Thursday, 26 February 2015
Tom Rob Smith is the author of the psychological thriller The Farm (S & S). He is a guest of Adelaide Writers’ Week in February and March.What would you put...