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National Book Award 2015 shortlists announced

Thursday, 15 October 2015
In the US, the shortlists for the 2015 National Book Awards have been announced in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and young people’s literature. On the fiction shortlist are:...

James wins 2015 Man Booker Prize

Wednesday, 14 October 2015
Jamaican novelist Marlon James has won the £50,000 (A$105,550) Man Booker Prize for his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings (Bloomsbury). Set across three decades, the 686-page novel ‘uses...

‘Fishnet’ wins 2015 Not the Booker Prize

Tuesday, 13 October 2015
Kirstin Innes’ debut novel Fishnet (Freight Books) has won this year’s Not the Booker Prize, which is run by the Guardian in the UK. Chairman of the judges Sam Jordison...

Samuel Johnson Prize 2015 shortlist announced

Monday, 12 October 2015
The shortlist for the Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction has been announced. The six shortlisted titles, chosen from a longlist of 12, are: Ted Hughes: The Unauthorised Life (Jonathan Bate,...

Svetlana Alexievich awarded 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature

Friday, 9 October 2015
Belarusian journalist and author Svetlana Alexievich has been awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature for ‘her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time’. Alexievich was born...

Bonnier developing new ebook subscription service

Friday, 9 October 2015
Publisher Bonnier is developing a new ebook and audiobook subscription service in its native Sweden, with plans to expand the service internationally, reports the Bookseller. The Bookbeat service is still in the...

Iran to boycott FBF over Rushdie speech

Friday, 9 October 2015
Iran has announced it will boycott this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) after organisers invited author Salman Rushdie to deliver a keynote speech, reports the Guardian. Iran’s foreign ministry said...

Buckley wins £15,000 BBC National Short Story Award

Thursday, 8 October 2015
In the UK, novelist Jonathan Buckley has won the £15,000 ($A31,890) BBC National Short Story Award for his story ‘Briar Road’. Mark Haddon was named the runner-up and received £3000...

Canongate reports ‘extremely disappointing’ 2014 results

Thursday, 8 October 2015
Scottish independent publisher Canongate has reported ‘extremely disappointing’ results for 2014, with turnover down 24% to £7.9m (A$16.8m), according to the Bookseller. CEO Jamie Byng has blamed the results on...

Nobel Prize for Literature announced on Thursday

Tuesday, 6 October 2015
The winner of this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature will be announced this Thursday 8 October (7pm AEDT), reports the Guardian. Among the favourites at bookmakers Ladbrokes and Paddy Powers...

Goldsmiths Prize 2015 shortlist announced

Monday, 5 October 2015
In the UK, the shortlist for the 2015 Goldsmiths Prize has been announced. The shortlisted titles are: Beatlebone (Kevin Barry, Canongate), Acts of the Assassins (Richard Beard, Harvill Secker), Satin...

Apple launches iBooks in China

Thursday, 1 October 2015
Apple has launched iBooks, iTunes Movies and Apple Music in China, reports Reuters. Paid iBooks start at 0.5 yuan (A$0.11), although free iBooks are also available. iTunes movies range from...

Forward Prize for Poetry 2015 winners announced

Thursday, 1 October 2015
In the UK, the winners of the 2015 Forward Prize for Poetry have been announced at a ceremony in London. Jamaican-born writer Claudia Rankine won the £10,000 (A$21,570) Forward Prize...

UK Folio Prize will not run in 2016

Thursday, 1 October 2015
In the UK, the Folio Prize has announced it will not run in 2016, following The Folio Society’s decision to end its sponsorship of the award. The prize is currently...

UK children’s book sales up 3.2% YTD

Wednesday, 30 September 2015
In the UK, children’s book sales are up 3.2% this year thanks to strong sales in picture books, fiction and colouring-in titles, reports the Bookseller. According to Nielsen BookScan data,...

Egyptian bookshop chain expands to the UK

Tuesday, 29 September 2015
Egyptian bookshop chain Alef Bookstores will open its first international branch in London next month, reports the Bookseller. The store, which will be located next door to 221B Baker Street,...

UK book industry launches Buy Books for Syria campaign

Tuesday, 29 September 2015
Waterstones and the UK book industry are launching the Buy Books for Syria campaign, with the aim of raising £1 million (A$2.2 million) for Oxfam’s Syria Crisis Appeal, reports the...

UK Publishers Association chief executive to step down

Monday, 28 September 2015
UK Publishers Association chief executive Richard Mollet has announced he will step down from his position in 2016, reports the Bookseller. Mollet, who has been the association’s chief executive for...

Business Book of the Year 2015 shortlist announced

Wednesday, 23 September 2015
In the UK, the shortlist for this year’s £30,000 (A$65,080) Business Book of the Year Award has been announced, reports the Bookseller. The shortlisted titles are: The Rise of the...

UK National Book Awards cancelled this year

Tuesday, 22 September 2015
The UK’s National Book Awards will not run in 2015, reports the Bookseller. The consumer-focused awards are the country’s ‘only national literary prize that covers every genre of publishing’, and...

Oyster ebook subscription service to close

Tuesday, 22 September 2015
US-based ebook subscription service Oyster is shutting down its operations, reports Publishers Weekly. The company said in a statement on its blog: ‘We will be taking steps to sunset the...