Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

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RiP Kat Muscat  Archive

Tuesday, 4 August 2015
Kat Muscat, a Melbourne writer and former editor of the magazine Voiceworks, has died, aged 25.Adolfo Aranjuez, who was deputy editor of Voiceworks during Muscat’s editorship, writes:‘I first met Kat...

‘SRB’ announces new editor  Archive

Monday, 3 August 2015
The Sydney Review of Books (SRB) has appointed Catriona Menzies-Pike as its new editor.Menzies-Pike is a former arts editor for the Conversation and managing editor of New Matilda. She has...

Bestsellers this week  Archive

Monday, 3 August 2015
Colouring books have taken over this week’s charts, with seven of the top 10 spots occupied by colouring titles, the largest number so far this year. The three non-colouring titles in the top...

Booktopia acquires Bookworld  Archive

Monday, 3 August 2015
Booktopia has acquired online book retailer Bookworld, which operates bookworld.com.au and angusrobertson.com.au, from Penguin Random House (PRH).The acquisition brings together Australia’s two largest online book retailers. Booktopia currently has 62%...

James Patterson NZ bookshop grants announced  Archive

Thursday, 30 July 2015
Four New Zealand bookshops have received grants of up to $5000 as part of James Patterson’s Australian and New Zealand bookshop grants.The recipients are: Hedleys Bookshop, Masterton Wardini Books, Havelock...

Davitt Awards 2015 shortlists announced  Archive

Thursday, 30 July 2015
Sisters in Crime has announced the shortlists for the 2015 Davitt Awards for the best crime books by Australian women.The shortlisted titles in each category are:Adult novel Through the Cracks...

Big W closes ebookstore  Archive

Thursday, 30 July 2015
Discount department store Big W has closed its ebookstore.The ebookstore closed on 15 June. A Big W spokesperson told Books+Publishing the company ‘will look to re-establish ebooks at an appropriate time...

James Patterson Oz bookshop grants announced  Archive

Wednesday, 29 July 2015
The Australian recipients of James Patterson’s Australian and New Zealand bookshop grants have been announced.In total, 70 bookstores received grants of up to $5000 to spend on projects to get...

Quote of the week  Archive

Wednesday, 29 July 2015
‘It seems strange that, given our geographical nearness and many cultural similarities, there aren’t stronger links between Australian and New Zealand writers and readers’—New Zealand writer Elizabeth Heritage on the tendency...

Industry responds to Lantern cuts  Archive

Wednesday, 29 July 2015
The Australian book industry has rejected reports that the Australian cookbook market is in decline following Penguin Random House’s announcement last week that its Lantern illustrated books imprint would be...

Rights round-up  Archive

Wednesday, 29 July 2015
SalesNonfiction—Spinifex Press has sold Brazilian-Portuguese rights to Bibliodiversity: A Manifesto for Independent Publishing (Susan Hawthorne) to Libre Book Publisher and online magazines Opera Mundi and Painel Academico.Children’s—Alex Adsett Publishing Services...

RiP Hugh Stretton  Archive

Wednesday, 29 July 2015
Australian author and social theorist Hugh Stretton has died, aged 91. Stretton was the author of several works on social theory and economics, including Australia Fair (UNSW Press), as well...

NZ company Booktrack raises US$5m in funding  Archive

Tuesday, 28 July 2015
New Zealand company Booktrack, which adds soundtracks and ‘ambient audio’ to ebooks and sells them from its website, has received US$5m (A$6.87m) in funding from investors COENT Centure Partners and Sparkbox...

PRH to publish new Tim Winton book in September  Archive

Tuesday, 28 July 2015
Penguin Random House imprint Hamish Hamilton will publish Island Home: A Landscape Memoir by Tim Winton on 23 September.The collection of nonfiction writing explores Winton’s relationship with the Australian landscape and ‘how it...

Bestsellers this week  Archive

Monday, 27 July 2015
Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman (William Heinemann) was the top-selling book in Australia in the week ending 17 July, landing in the number one spot on both the top 10...