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Australian author Bryce Courtenay dies

Friday, 23 November 2012
Much-loved Australian author Bryce Courtenay has died aged 79. Courtenay died at his home in Canberra on Thursday 22 November. The bestselling author had been suffering from terminal gastric cancer. Courtenay’s publisher...

Facebook changes news feed algorithm 

Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Recent changes to Facebook’s news feed algorithm could mean that messages posted by company pages will reach fewer customers. Facebook has confirmed that changes to its ‘Edgerank’ news feed algorithm...

UNSW Press celebrates 50 years 

Wednesday, 21 November 2012
University of New South Wales (UNSW) Press has celebrated 50 years in publishing this year. ‘Every day we publish a new book is worth a celebration,’ chief executive Kathy Bail...

CLNZ Educational Publishing Awards winners announced 

Wednesday, 21 November 2012
The Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) Educational Publishing Awards were announced on 15 November at a ceremony in Auckland. The winners in each category are: Best Book or Series in...

Collins celebrates 90 years with 90 favourite books

Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Several weeks after Collins Booksellers’ flagship store, Hill of Content Bookshop in Melbourne, celebrated its 90th birthday, the Collins family and friends gathered at Melbourne’s Abbottsford convent this month to celebrate...

Oz publishers discuss future of publishing at Macquarie Uni 

Wednesday, 21 November 2012
The Future of Writing Symposium took place at Sydney’s Macquarie University on 13-14 November. The second day, which focussed on the future of publishing, featured several presentations by Australian publishers. In a...

Quote of the week 

Wednesday, 21 November 2012
‘It’s not a question of clout—more of practicalities. It means that we’ll have more chance of overcoming the ANZ rights-splitting problem that I and other Australian publishers have been complaining...

Booktopia launches new website 

Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Online bookseller Booktopia has launched a new website with a redesigned Booktopia logo. Booktopia CEO Tony Nash told Bookseller+Publisher that Booktopia has received ‘amazing, humbling and inspiring’ feedback from customers...

ABA announces Vic Sales Rep of the Year 

Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Amanda Wildsmith from Hardie Grant and Anthony Pizzinga from Random House were named joint winners of Victorian Sales Rep of the Year Award at the Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) Victorian branch Christmas Party last night. This...

RiP Ian Pearce 

Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Ian Pearce, director and floor manager of Fullers Bookshop from the mid-1950s until 1982, has died in Hobart aged 90.

2012 COOL Awards winners announced

Tuesday, 20 November 2012
The winners of the 2012 Canberra’s Own Outstanding List (COOL) Awards have been announced. The winning titles are: Picture Storybooks: The Terrible Plop (Ursula Dubosarsky & Andrew Joyner, Viking) Fiction...

Scribe to establish UK office in 2013

Tuesday, 20 November 2012
Independent Melbourne-based publisher Scribe Publications has announced that it will expand to the UK next year. Scribe said in a statement that it will establish an office in the UK...

Fishpond pulls out of Nielsen BookScan panels 

Tuesday, 20 November 2012
New Zealand-based online retailer Fishpond has confirmed to Bookseller+Publisher that it is no longer participating in Nielsen BookScan panels in Australia and New Zealand. Fishpond promotions manager Dean Oelofse told...

Keele to leave Australia Council 

Tuesday, 20 November 2012
The Australia Council for the Arts has announced that CEO Kathy Keele will step down from her role at the end of the year. The Australia Council said in a...

2012 KOALA winners announced

Tuesday, 20 November 2012
The winners of the 2012 Kids Own Australian Literature Awards (KOALAs) have been announced. The winning titles are: Picture Storybooks: Fearless in Love (Colin Thompson, illus by Sarah Davis, ABC Books) Fiction...

Neil takes on Asia Pacific responsibilities for Kobo 

Monday, 19 November 2012
Kobo’s Malcolm Neil has taken on responsibility for the ebook provider’s vendor relations in the Asia Pacific region. Neil is now Kobo director of vendor relations for the Asia Pacific,...

RiP Boris Strugatsky 

Monday, 19 November 2012
Russian science-fiction writer Boris Strugatsky has died, aged 79. Strugatsky wrote 27 novels with his late brother Arkady, as well as two novels on his own, Search for Designation or...

Rights round-up 

Monday, 19 November 2012
Sales Nonfiction—Black Inc. has sold world rights (excluding ANZ) to On the Abolition of All Political Parties (Simone Weil; first English translation by Simon Leys) to The New York Review...

Bestsellers this week 

Monday, 19 November 2012
Cookbooks dominate the top end of the bestsellers chart and fastest movers charts this week with Jamie’s 15-Minute Meals (Jamie Oliver, Michael Joseph) in first place and Donna Hay’s Fresh...

Lohrey wins 2012 Patrick White Award

Friday, 16 November 2012
Amanda Lohrey is the winner of the 2012 Patrick White Literary Award. Lohrey was presented with the award in Sydney on 16 November. This year’s award is worth $23,000, up from...

New $40,000 Australia Council grants for any art form 

Thursday, 15 November 2012
The Australia Council has announced new grants of up to $40,000 ‘to support a small number of two-way creative partnerships between artists working in Australia and Asia’. The grants will...

Reading Matters 2013 dates, new features announced 

Thursday, 15 November 2012
The State Library of Victoria will hold its 10th annual Reading Matters conference from Thursday 30 May to Saturday 1 June 2013. The conference, which focuses on children’s and YA...