Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

Image. Advertisement:

Local news >

Microsoft shuts down book search 

Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Microsoft has announced it is ending its book search programs Live Search Books and Live Search Academic and that ‘both sites will be taken down next week.' While the company...

Fremantle Press makes e-book available free online 

Tuesday, 27 May 2008
In an unusual move for an Australian publisher Fremantle Press has announced it will make e-book copies of Hal Spacejock 1 available free online from June. The e-book giveaway coincides...

‘Snake and Lizard’ wins NZ Post Book Award 

Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Snake and Lizard by Joy Cowley is the winner of this year's New Zealand Post Book of the Year prize. The title, which is illustrated by Gavin Bishop, ‘impressed the...

Freedom to publish key concern at IPA congress 

Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Among the resolutions made at the recent congress of the International Publishers Association (IPA) in Korea was one calling on the ‘Burmese, Chinese, Iranian and Vietnamese governments to engage and implement...

In brief 

Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Author behind Gun Alley murder pardonResearch by author Kevin Morgan and used for his book Gun Alley: Murder, Lies and Failure of Justice (S&S) has led to the pardoning of...

Around the world 

Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Among the stories added to our Around the World blog in the past week:Hachette UK clashes with AmazonBarnes & Noble CEO keen to see an end to returnsPoD publishers sue...

Media Extra: What’s Hot? 

Sunday, 25 May 2008
Three years after Richard Nixon's resignation from office, he was paid $1 million to participate in a series of interviews with David Frost, a prominent television personality. The interviews were...

SWF kicks off 

Tuesday, 20 May 2008
This year's Sydney Writers Festival officially kicked off with an address by Jeanette Winterson at the Sydney Opera House last night, with an opening party held later in a newly re-purposed space at Pier...

Around the World 

Tuesday, 20 May 2008
To see the details of all the international booktrade stories we've noted in the past week, see our Around the World blog. 

Bestsellers this week 

Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Somewhat predictably, Tim Winton's Breath hit number one in the Bestsellers and Fastest Movers charts this week. Fellow Australian icon, albeit in the musical sense, Jimmy Barnes' self-titled book came...

Forthcoming events 

Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Trade events coming up over the next week, as shown on our events calendar, include: Sydney Writers' Festival, Sydney, 19-25 MayAPA Book Design Awards presentation, Sydney, 22 May'Story of the...

Vale Nuala O’Faolain 

Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Mary Dalmau manager of Reader's Feast writes on the passing of Nuala O'Faolain: 'When Nuala O'Faolain visited our bookstore in Melbourne, Australia on the release of her book, Are You...

‘Lost Dog’ has its day 

Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Michelle de Kretser pocketed $50,000 at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards on Monday, winning both the Christina Stead Prize for fiction ($40,000) and Book of the Year ($10,000) for her third...

Hartnett to take Sweden by storm 

Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Sonya Hartnett flies to Sweden this week to collect the Astrid Lingren Memorial Award--and around A$844,000--from HRH Crown Princess Victoria in a lavish awards ceremony. The fuss won’t stop there for...

Prize money doubled at NSW Premier’s Literary Awards 

Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Total prize money across the 11 award categories in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards has been doubled to $290,000, the state’s arts minister announced at the awards on Monday night.‘It is appropriate that the...

In brief 

Tuesday, 20 May 2008
More Ozlit in NSW schools?Future NSW Year 10 students will have to have studied at least four Australian books, poems or plays under changes proposed by state education minister, John...

70,000 take part in National Simultaneous Storytime 

Monday, 19 May 2008
This year's National Simultaneous Storytime took place around Australia at 11am today. The national event, which sees 70,000 Australian children at almost 900 locations enjoy storytime with the same book,...

Carroll and Foxlee miss out on 2008 CWP 

Monday, 19 May 2008
The overall winners of the 2008 Commonwealth Writers' Prizes were announced on Sunday 18 May at the Franschloek Literary Festival in South Africa. The Book of Negroes by Canadian author...

Media Extra: What’s Hot? 

Sunday, 18 May 2008
The Best Australian Political Writing 2008, edited by Tony Jones got the most mentions this week. Following closely was Stephanie Meyer's The Host. Having accumulated a substantial young adult fan...

ABC denies plan to close shops 

Tuesday, 13 May 2008
The ABC has flatly denied a report in the Sydney Morning Herald that it would be closing its 43 stores around Australia. The report in the SMH and the Age...

Big names in running for Gold Medal 

Tuesday, 13 May 2008
Several big names are in the running for the Australian Literary Society's 2008 Gold Medal. The award for an 'outstanding Australian literary work', which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year,...

Budget 08: ABA, ASA response 

Tuesday, 13 May 2008
The 2008 federal budget contained no ‘significant new measures' that would affect booksellers, according to the new CEO of the Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) Malcolm Neil Neil told WBN that...

Bestsellers this week 

Tuesday, 13 May 2008
Tim Winton's lauded Breath gets pipped at the post by the relentless 4 Ingredients in the Bestseller charts this week, though it does come first in the Highest New Entries....

Forthcoming events 

Tuesday, 13 May 2008
Trade events coming up over the next week, as shown on our events calendar, include: Last day of the International Publishers Association's 28th Congress, Seoul, 15 MayAuckland Readers and Writers...

RiP Charles Ellis 

Tuesday, 13 May 2008
Charles Ellis, who served as president and CEO of John Wiley & Sons from 1990 to 1998, has died aged 72.

RiP Nuala O’Faolain 

Tuesday, 13 May 2008
Irish journalist and memoirist Nuala O’Faolain has died in Dublin aged 68. Her novels included My Dream of You and The Story of Chicago May.

Five Mile recalls Farquharson true crime title 

Tuesday, 13 May 2008
The Five Mile Press has issued an urgent recall of the title Killer in the Family by true crime author Lindy Cameron. The book explores 19 criminal cases including that...