News | Books+Publishing

Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

News >

Sisters in Crime Scarlet Stiletto Awards 2018 winners announced Archive

Tuesday, 27 November 2018
The winners of the 2018 Scarlet Stiletto Awards, presented by Sisters in Crime, have been announced. Melbourne writer Philomena Horsley, a medical anthropologist who specialises in autopsies, won the $1500...

Serong wins inaugural Staunch Book Prize Archive

Tuesday, 27 November 2018
Australian author Jock Serong has won the inaugural Staunch Book Prize for his novel On the Java Ridge (Text). The UK-based prize aims to 'make space for an alternative to...

Publishers, authors welcome NZ Copyright Act review Archive

Tuesday, 27 November 2018
The New Zealand government’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has released an issues paper on the review of the Copyright Act, which has been welcomed by both the Publishers...

‘The Joy of Waterboiling’ wins 2018 Diagram Prize Archive

Monday, 26 November 2018
The Joy of Waterboiling (Achse Verlag) has won the 2018 Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year presented by the Bookseller. The German cookbook is a guide to the preparation of classic,...

Horne Prize 2018 shortlist announced Archive

Monday, 26 November 2018
The Saturday Paper and skin care company Aesop have announced the shortlist for the $15,000 Horne Prize for narrative nonfiction. The shortlisted writers are: Melanie Cheng for 'All the Other Stories', on...

Christmas predictions: James Redden from Harry Hartog in Canberra Archive

Friday, 23 November 2018
In the lead-up to Christmas, the busiest time of year on the bookselling calendar, Books+Publishing is asking booksellers across the country to predict their biggest sellers. In the this week's...

Collins Booksellers opens in Thirroul, NSW Archive

Friday, 23 November 2018
Collins Booksellers has opened a store in the town of Thirroul in New South Wales. Located 70km south of Sydney, Collins Thirroul is the only bookstore in the Northern Illawarra...

Costa Book Awards 2018 shortlists announced Archive

Friday, 23 November 2018
In the UK, the shortlists for the 2018 Costa Book Awards have been announced. Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award are: The Silence of the Girls (Pat Barker, Hamish Hamilton) The...

Pitt wins 2018 Walkley Book Award for ‘The House’ Archive

Friday, 23 November 2018
Journalist and author Helen Pitt has won the 2018 Walkley Book Award for The House (A&U). Chosen from a shortlist of three, Pitt's book explores the history of the Sydney Opera...

‘Living in Hope’ wins 2018 Most Underrated Book Award Archive

Friday, 23 November 2018
A memoir by a member of the Stolen Generations, Living in Hope (Frank Byrne with Gerard Waterford & Francis Coughlan, Ptilotus Press), has won the Small Press Network’s (SPN) Most Underrated Book...

‘The Dead Still Cry Out’ wins Nib Literary Award Archive

Thursday, 22 November 2018
Helen Lewis' The Dead Still Cry Out (Text) has won the Waverley Council’s Mark and Evette Moran Nib Literary Award for 2018. The book tells the true story of Lewis’...

Amazon unblocks Oz shoppers from US store Archive

Thursday, 22 November 2018
Australian consumers are now able to purchase and ship items from Amazon’s international website, according to a statement from Amazon. The retailer suspended shipping to Australian addresses from its international website...

Chinese author jailed for publishing gay erotic novel Archive

Thursday, 22 November 2018
In China, an erotic novelist has been sentenced to over a decade in prison for writing and selling a gay porn novel, reports the Guardian. The book in question, Gongzhan...

Book-to-screen projects receive Screen Australian funding Archive

Thursday, 22 November 2018
Two book-to-film adaptations feature among the projects receiving story development funding from Screen Australia. The projects, and their producers, are: A feature film adaptation of Finding Sanity: John Cade, Lithium and...

€98m Helsinki library to open in December Archive

Wednesday, 21 November 2018
In Finland, Helsinki's new public library Oodi is set to open in early December, coinciding with the country's Independence Day celebrations. Oodi, which translates to ‘ode’ in English, was commissioned as...

Children’s book boom: Alice Grundy on the China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair Archive

Wednesday, 21 November 2018
As part of the Shanghai Visiting International Publishers Project, Brio Books associate publisher Alice Grundy travelled to China to attend the China Shanghai International Children's Book Fair (9-11 November). She...

Motorbike-riding librarians visit Bega on annual library tour Archive

Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Motorbike library-tour group Biblio Turismo has visited Bega library as part of its annual tour of New South Wales libraries, reports Bega District News. Between 8-11 November the group visited libraries...

‘The Women in Black’ sells in multiple territories after translation rights made available after 12 years Archive

Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Text Publishing has sold rights in multiple territories to Madeleine St John’s The Women in Black, alongside several other books by St John, after translation rights were made available for...

Riwoe sells third Heloise Chancey novel to UK’s Legend Press Archive

Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Brisbane-based author Mirandi Riwoe has sold world rights to her historical crime fiction novel The Death of Me to UK publisher Legend Press. Rights were acquired by Legend commissioning editor Lauren...

For love or money: employment in the Australian publishing industry in 2018 Archive

Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Books+Publishing surveyed over 300 readers to create a detailed picture of employment in the book industry in 2018. Small Press Network associate producer Jessica Harvie and Books+Publishing editor-in-chief Andrew Wrathall checked the stats. These results...

Johnston awarded $5000 ALIA research grant for project on fake news Archive

Wednesday, 21 November 2018
The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) has awarded a $5000 research grant to Nicole Johnston, a lecturer in information science at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia. Johnston will...

Please complete our reader survey: Last chance to participate Archive

Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Books+Publishing is currently conducting a reader survey to help us improve our publications. The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete. To participate in the survey, click here. The final...

Christmas closing list: Submissions due Monday Archive

Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Publishers and distributors are asked to submit their Christmas closing dates by 5pm, Monday 26 November. A full list will appear in the Weekly Book Newsletter on Wednesday 5 December. This is...

‘Overland’ Fair Australia Prize 2018 winners announced Archive

Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Literary journal Overland has announced the winners for this year’s Fair Australia Prize. The Fair Australia Prize asks writers and artists to engage with the topics ‘What does unionism mean...

Edugyan wins Canada’s Giller Prize for ‘Washington Black’ Archive

Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Canadian author Esi Edugyan has won Canada’s Scotiabank Giller Prize—the country’s richest literary award—for her novel Washington Black (Serpent's Tail). Set in 19th century Canada, Washington Black tells the story of an 11-year-old boy who...