Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

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New online bookshop for self-published authors 

Monday, 18 February 2008
Self-published authors have a new outlet to sell their books, with the launch of an online store by print-on-demand company BookPOD. ‘Many of our customers have taken the advantage of our book...

Three changes to VIP program 

Monday, 18 February 2008
Three changes have been announced this year's Visiting International Publishers (VIP) program at the Adelaide Writers Week.New guests Andreas Campomar (commissioning editor, Constable & Robinson, UK), Patrick Janson-Smith (literary agent,...

New judge for Miles Franklin Award 

Monday, 18 February 2008
Lesley McKay has joined the judging panel for this year's Miles Franklin Literary Award. The Sydney historian and bookshop owner replaces Eve Abbey, who retired in late 2007 after three...

Writers call for intervention in Darfur 

Monday, 18 February 2008
Dave Eggers and Tom Stoppard have joined the chorus of Nobel Peace Prize laureates, politicians, sportspeople and artists calling on China to help bring peace to Darfur in Sudan's western...

Sophie Cunningham new ‘Meanjin’ editor 

Monday, 18 February 2008
Sophie Cunningham has been appointed as the editor of literary journal Meanjin.Cunningham took the reins this week, promising longer essays, more cultural politics and a website that ‘promotes lively debate'....

Readers feast on convent festival 

Monday, 18 February 2008
Melbourne's Abbotsford Covent served as a shrine to literature last weekend, as Reader's Feast held its inaugural Writers at the Convent festival. With thousands of Melburnians entertained by the likes...

Dymocks store undamaged in shopping centre fire 

Monday, 18 February 2008
Dymock's Ultimo ‘superstore' has emerged unscathed from last week's fire at Broadway Shopping Centre, aside from a damaged air conditioner. Staff and customers were forced to evacuate last Tuesday, after...

ACCC will not oppose A&R Borders bid 

Wednesday, 13 February 2008
As reported in a WBN Special Bulletin last week, after a number of delays, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced that it will not oppose the proposed...

Edgar wins 2007 Dromkeen Medal 

Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Patricia Edgar, who established the Australian Children's Television Foundation and was the force behind acclaimed television series such as 'Touch the Sun' and 'Round the Twist', has been named the...

Around the world 

Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Among the many items added to our Around the World blog in the past week:Tolkien estate sues film companyAuthors protest at UK PLR funding cutBradt pips LP in travel guide...

Quote of the week 

Tuesday, 12 February 2008
'Most book consumers are not yet aware that it is possible to download books, let alone interested in the prospect of doing so'--according to a new report from UK marketing and...

Bestsellers this week 

Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Crime is prevalent and ever-popular--in the book world at any rate. James Patterson's 7th Heaven comes in at number one again this week, indicating readers just can't get enough of...

Forthcoming events 

Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Trade events coming up over the next week, as shown on our events calendar, include: Writers at the Convent, Melbourne, 15-17 FebruarySCBWI Conference Perth, 16-17 FebruaryThe 2008 Overstock & Remainder...

RiP Kate Jones 

Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Kate Jones was a literary agent with ICM in London and was about to sign a deal for a co-venture with Curtis Brown UK when she passed away. Fiona Inglis of...

Bolinda title on Audies shortlist 

Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Bolinda's audiobook of Ogre in a Toga, written and narrated by Geoffrey McSkimming, has made the shortlist for the 2008 Audies awards.Ogre in a Toga is nominated in the children's--up...

Earls to head Queensland Writers Showcase in Taipei 

Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Author Nick Earls will spearhead a new push to sell more Queensland-authored books in the growing Asian market.Earls has been named as the face of the Queensland Writers Showcase at...

Underbelly books unaffected by TV ban 

Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Despite a court injunction preventing the screening in Victoria of the 13-part Channel Nine true-crime TV series Underbelly, on the basis that it could prejudice an upcoming murder trial, the...

Pearson buys Tertiary Press 

Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Pearson Education has acquired Swinburne University's publishing arm, Tertiary Press.‘It is a pretty simple story,' said Pearson Education's managing director, David Barnett. ‘Swinburne put the business on the market and...

No turning back for Boomerang 

Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Boomerang Books is promising some ‘major changes' this year. The Adelaide-based online bookstore will take its website ‘to a new level by adopting some exciting Web 2.0 initiatives that have not been...

McGraw-Hill Education bounces back 

Monday, 11 February 2008
Total international revenue for McGraw-Hill Education rose 7.2% in 2007, and operating income increased 21.5% to US$400 million (A$430 million), according to annual results just released by the company. The figures...

Parragon launches local list 

Monday, 11 February 2008
One of the world's biggest licensing publishers is getting set to enter  the Australian market with 30 books based on the children's TV show, Hi-5. Self-described ‘supermarket specialists', Parragon Publishing...

Design Awards shortlist released 

Monday, 11 February 2008
The Australian Publishers Association (APA) has released the shortlist for the 2008 Book Design Awards. Penguin leads the way with 13 finalists across its various divisions, while Random House features...

OzCo emeritus awards for Koch and Murnane 

Monday, 11 February 2008
The Australia Council's annual accolade for writers over 65, the $50,000 writers' emeritus award, will be shared by Christopher Koch and Gerald Murnane. Koch is a two-time winner of the Miles...

In brief 

Monday, 11 February 2008
Lowry and Morris share NZ fellowshipThis year's NZ$40,000 (A$38,890) Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship will be shared by authors Brigid Lowry and Paula Morris. The writers will spend five months each...

‘Running Man’ in new race 

Monday, 11 February 2008
The Running Man (Scholastic) is in the running for another prize. Brisbane author Michael Gerard Bauer's 2004 YA novel has been nominated for the Katholischer Kinder-und Jugendbuchpreis, one of Germany's...

OzCo, CAL and Bloom Partners look to the future 

Monday, 11 February 2008
The Australia Council and Copyright Agency Ltd have commissioned book industry consultants Bloom Partners to conduct a new study into the future impact of digital technology on the publishing industry....

Booktrade unfazed by newspaper’s attack on boy soldier memoir 

Monday, 11 February 2008
Continuing efforts by the Australian newspaper to discredit former boy soldier Ishmael Beah appear to have fallen flat, with customers continuing to purchase his memoir, A Long Way Gone (HarperCollins).While acknowledging that Beah...