The information age: Children’s reference books
2 October 2019
In a time of internet fatigue, young readers are turning back to books as authoritative sources of information. Danielle Binks investigates. George Orwell is said to have stated, ‘In a...
We don’t need a map: The growth in illustrated travel titles
11 September 2019
Travellers are looking beyond traditional guidebooks for recommendations and inspiration—and publishers are finding new niche audiences in a shifting travel market. Andrea Hanke investigates the growth in illustrated travel titles....
Story you can hold: Tyson Yunkaporta on ‘Sand Talk’
21 August 2019
In Sand Talk (Text, September), researcher and arts critic Tyson Yunkaporta looks at global systems from an Indigenous perspective. Reviewer Karen Wyld said the book ‘offers fuel for timely discussions...
Is YA okay?: The state of Australian young adult literature
3 July 2019
With reports from the UK showing a sharp decline in sales of YA fiction, Jackie Tang explores whether the Australian market is experiencing similar changes. When UK trade publication the...
The freelance life
30 May 2019
Is freelancing as an editor all that it is purported to be? Marisa Wikramanayake investigates pay and working conditions for freelance editors. It is a common dream to work as...
Galleys and galleries: The art and design book market
15 May 2019
Australian art gallery attendance is at an all-time high and BookScan data suggests a correlation between gallery attendance and the sales of illustrated art and design books. Kelsey Oldham explores the...
Class act: Facilitating in-school author visits
8 May 2019
An inspiring in-school appearance from an author is often the key to getting kids interested in reading. Andrea Hanke spoke to four speakers’ agencies about facilitating these important interactions. For Victoria-based...
The prize is right: Authors on winning an unpublished manuscript prize
10 April 2019
How does winning an unpublished manuscript prize affect the careers of debut authors? Jackie Tang talks to two recent winners. It’s difficult to ignore the sheer number of unpublished manuscript...
The author next door: Stocking self-published books
19 March 2019
Kelsey Oldham talks to booksellers about stocking self-published books. Most Australian bookshops acknowledge that stocking self-published books is important—in theory. In practice, however, store policies are often opaque or ad-hoc,...
Waging battles: Author income in Australia
19 March 2019
The book industry begins with authors. They toil for hours to release their ideas on the page, but each day they also struggle with making ends meet. Elizabeth Flux looks...
The ASA: The story so far
19 March 2019
The Australian Society of Authors is the professional association for Australiaʼs authors and illustrators. CEO Juliet Rogers shares some history and future plans of the organisation. Once upon a time,...
For love or money: employment in the Australian publishing industry in 2018
21 November 2018
Books+Publishing surveyed over 300 readers to create a detailed picture of employment in the book industry in 2018. Small Press Network associate producer Jessica Harvie and Books+Publishing editor-in-chief Andrew Wrathall checked the stats. These results...
Lifelong learning: Younger readers editions
1 November 2018
Kelsey Oldham investigates the role played by younger readers editions in the growth of children’s nonfiction. It’s a well-established fact that adult nonfiction titles sell strongly in Australia. In 2018...
Pen to paper: Publishing the writing of the African diaspora
30 October 2018
African and African-Australian writers are finding a voice in Australian literature, but they continue to face many challenges. Marisa Wikramanayake investigates. Stories from people of African descent are ‘largely missing...
Making the deal: The state of rights sales in the UK
24 October 2018
While the UK remains a tough market for Australian publishers to break into, UK indies are showing an interest in Australian voices, reports Catherine Moller. Several Australian independent publishers have had...
Bridging borders: Philippa Donovan on working between Australia, the UK and the US
30 August 2018
Literary consultant and book-to-film/TV scout Philippa Donovan has recently returned to Australia after working in the UK and the US. She shares her career journey. In 2002 I was broke...
Tracking changes: Jacqueline Kent on ‘A Certain Style’
30 August 2018
Seventeen years after A Certain Style was first published, Jacqueline Kent’s biography of Australia’s first full-time book editor Beatrice Davis is being reissued for a new generation of publishing aficionados....
Mapping the future: The state of travel guidebooks
30 August 2018
Jackie Tang talks to Lonely Planet’s Chris Zeiher, APA Publications’ Agnieszka Mizak and former Dymocks category manager Ali Hammond about the state of the travel guidebook. Australians are travelling more...
From Bega to the big city: Myoung Jae Yi discusses Book Expo 2018
30 August 2018
Candelo Books owner Myoung Jae Yi embarked on a trip to the 2018 Book Expo in New York City as part of a prize sponsored by Simon & Schuster Australia....
Reading the audience: the LoveOzYA readership survey
5 July 2018
In 2017, the LoveOzYA committee conducted a survey into the reading habits of the Australian YA community. Committee chair Stacey Malacari reports on the survey’s findings. The LoveOzYA movement was...
Join the club: What makes a good book club program work?
3 July 2018
Rising numbers of book clubs at bookstores and libraries show there is still ‘a voracious appetite for concentrated group discussion’. Elizabeth Flux investigates what makes a good club work. In...
The winning ticket: The literary prize sales effect
3 July 2018
Nielsen Book associate director Julie Winters talks to Jackie Tang about the sales effect of Australia’s biggest literary prizes. How much does a literary award affect a book’s sales? It’s...
For the love of poetry: Looking beyond Instapoetry
3 July 2018
Angela Elizabeth finds out how local publishers are committing to poetry beyond the ‘Instapoetry’ trend. ‘Poetry is the medium of the moment,’ proclaimed UK National Poetry Day executive director Susannah...
Cover new ground: Rejacketing a children’s book series
3 July 2018
Nathania Gilson asks publishers and booksellers about the art of rejacketing a children’s book series. When Tristan Bancks, co-creator and author of the Tom Weekly junior-fiction series, was presented with...
Back to the drawing board: Publishing local board books
3 July 2018
Danielle Binks explores the rising demand for homegrown board books. In her Ten Commandments for reading aloud with children, author Mem Fox’s number-one rule is: ‘Spend at least ten wildly...
The perfect Foyles: ABA conference keynote speaker Paul Currie on the UK book industry
14 June 2018
Paul Currie, CEO of Foyles Bookshop in the UK, will deliver the keynote address at this year’s Australian Booksellers Association conference. He spoke to Jackie Tang about what Australian booksellers...
Acquiring new languages: Exploring the world of bilingual children’s books
6 June 2018
Jackie Tang asks publishers, booksellers and librarians if there is an increased demand in foreign-language children’s books. When Allen & Unwin published Joanne O’Callaghan and Kori Song’s Found in Melbourne,...
Up for promotion: Digital marketing strategies
24 April 2018
Danielle Binks investigates how publishers and authors are using digital marketing and promotional strategies to reach new readers. Word-of-mouth, it has been said, sells books. But the question remains: how...
Personal growth: 2017’s fastest growing categories
20 April 2018
This year Books+Publishing will publish a regular column from Nielsen BookScan Australia associate director Julie Winters on book data trends. In her first column, Winters looks at the fastest-growing subject...
Oh! The Horror! The rise of horror in children’s fiction
19 April 2018
Danielle Binks explores youth literature’s reanimated interest in the horror genre. Stephen King once said, ‘We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones’, and it certainly...
