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Manuscript Assessor Conference kicks off

Tuesday, 2 September 2014
The inaugural two-day Writers Victoria Manuscript Assessor Conference kicks off today in Melbourne.The conference, which is open to emerging and established assessors, will host discussions on the best practice, professional...

‘Island’ launches mentoring program

Tuesday, 2 September 2014
Literary journal Island has announced the launch of the WD Booth Charitable Trust/Island Emerging Writer Mentoring Program to ‘build the resilience and capacity of the writing sector in Tasmania’.The program...

Down wins 2014 Elizabeth Jolley Prize

Monday, 1 September 2014
Jennifer Down has won the Australian Book Review (ABR) 2014 Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize. Down, who won the $8000 prize for her story ‘Aokigahara’, was selected from a shortlist of three that included Cate...

McIlvanney wins 2014 Ngaio Marsh Award

Monday, 1 September 2014
Liam McIlvanney has won the 2014 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel for Where the Dead Men Go (Faber).McIlvanney won the NZ$1000 (A$895) award ahead of fellow shortlisted authors Paul Cleave (Joe...

German and French publishers reject Martin Amis book

Monday, 1 September 2014
Martin Amis’ usual publishers in Germany and France have refused to publish his most recent novel The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Cape), a ‘brutish comedy’ set in a fictionalised Auschwitz,...

Stella Prize to launch secondary schools program

Monday, 1 September 2014
The Stella Prize Schools Program will launch in Melbourne on 10 September with a free event for teachers, librarians, educators and students. The event will feature Australian authors Carrie Tiffany, Cate Kennedy...

Educational Publishing Awards 2014 shortlist announced

Monday, 1 September 2014
The titles shortlisted for the Australian Publishers Association Educational Publishing Awards have been announced.The shortlisted titles in each category are: Primary EducationPrimary Student Resource: Mathematics (Numeracy) Cambridge HOTmaths FUNdamentals iPad...

Kobo to sell waterproof ereader

Thursday, 28 August 2014
Kobo has unveiled the ‘world’s first premium waterproof e-ink ereader’, reports Digital Book World. The Waterproof Aura H2O Reader can be submerged in one metre of water for up to...

NZ Post Book Awards 2014 winners announced

Thursday, 28 August 2014
The winners of this year’s New Zealand Post Book Awards have been announced. The winners in each category are:Book of the Year Peter McLeavey: The Life and Times of a...

Catton to set up reading grant for NZ writers

Thursday, 28 August 2014
Eleanor Catton will use her prize money from this year’s New Zealand Post Book Awards to set up a new reading grant for New Zealand writers, reports stuff.co.nz.Catton made the...

New website, membership program for Text

Thursday, 28 August 2014
Text Publishing has launched a new ‘responsive design’ website and membership program.Digital manager Michelle Calligaro told Books+Publishing that the website has been designed to be ‘really mobile friendly’.‘Before we created...

Seaton and Herft join ABA management committee

Thursday, 28 August 2014
Jane Seaton from Beaufort Street Books in Perth and Laura Herft from Dillons Norwood Bookshop in Adelaide have joined the Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) management committee.‘I believe both Jane and...

‘Overland’ Story Wine Prize shortlist announced

Wednesday, 27 August 2014
The shortlist for Overland’s inaugural Story Wine Prize has been announced. The shortlisted stories are: ‘I thought maybe I could be a lounge singer’ by Lauren Aimee Curtis ‘Parts per million’...

Scribe acquires crime thrillers

Wednesday, 27 August 2014
Scribe has acquired world rights in two crime thrillers by Melbourne writer and librarian J M Green. Good Money was shortlisted in the 2014 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an...

New website to list Australian releases

Wednesday, 27 August 2014
A new website promises to list new book releases by Australian authors ‘and nothing more’. The publishers of the website told Books+Publishing their identities are ‘purposely not being published as...

International library news

Wednesday, 27 August 2014
No print books for Florida Polytechnic University libraryThe newly opened Florida Polytechnic University (FPU) in the US includes a library without print books, reports Library Journal. The university library, called ‘the Commons’, covers...

‘Buy it now’ buttons planned for libraries

Wednesday, 27 August 2014
The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) and Public Library Services South Australia (PLS SA) have announced plans to trial ‘buy it now’ buttons for library...

Madman acquires film rights to ‘Quota’

Wednesday, 27 August 2014
Film rights to Quota by Jock Serong (Text) have been optioned by Madman. ‘We are delighted that Madman has optioned Jock Serong’s acclaimed debut Quota, and look forward to working closely...

Hinkler sells Engage Literacy to Capstone

Wednesday, 27 August 2014
Hinkler has announced it has sold its international literacy program Engage Literacy to US publisher CapstoneCapstone is the exclusive distributor of the Engage Literacy program in North America, the UK...

Quote of the week

Wednesday, 27 August 2014
‘We hope that the “buy it now” button will deliver real benefits to users and revenue to authors, publishers, booksellers, and libraries’—ALIA chief executive Sue McKerracher on plans for libraries...

Berkelouw to open new Port Macquarie store

Wednesday, 27 August 2014
Work on a new Berkelouw Books store in Port Macquarie, NSW, will begin in September. The store, which will open in Port Central Shopping Centre, will focus on ‘providing value to...

Crace, Lee win 2014 James Tait Black Prizes

Tuesday, 26 August 2014
In the UK, Jim Crace has won this year’s James Tait Black Prize for Fiction for Harvest (Picador) and Hermione Lee has won the James Tait Black Prize for Biography for Penelope...