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Bestsellers this week

Monday, 9 February 2015
The film tie-in of American Sniper (Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen & Jim DeFelice, HarperCollins) has stayed at the top of the bestsellers chart this week, with Family Food (Pete Evans, Plum)...

Woodberry and Allen awarded ALIA fellowships 

Monday, 9 February 2015
Eve Woodberry and Margaret Allen were awarded fellowships by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) at the 2015 Information Online Conference last week.The ALIA board confers fellowships to members...

Penguin and Random House merge UK social media

Friday, 6 February 2015
In the UK, Penguin Random House has announced it will use the Penguin brand for its consumer activity across all social media, reports the Bookseller. From 4 July, all consumer-facing...

Ashurst Business Literature Prize shortlist announced

Friday, 6 February 2015
The shortlist for the 2014 Ashurst Business Literature Prize has been announced. The shortlisted titles are: Twiggy: The High Stakes Life of Andrew Forrest (Andrew Burrell, Black Inc.) Stop the Presses:...

Editorial changes at ‘Overland’ 

Thursday, 5 February 2015
Literary journal Overland has announced changes to its editorial staff.Journalist and 3CR radio presenter Bec Zajac—who has also managed Overland’s publicity for the past two years—has been appointed associate editor.As...

Inaugural Ubud Food Festival announced 

Thursday, 5 February 2015
The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) will run the inaugural Ubud Food Festival from 5-7 June in Bali, Indonesia. The food festival will include a line-up of local and international chefs for...

HarperVoyager acquires trilogy in six-figure deal 

Thursday, 5 February 2015
Australian fantasy author Mitchell Hogan has sold world English-language rights to two previously self-published novels and a third unreleased title in a six-figure deal with HarperVoyager.Hogan’s novel A Crucible of...

Harper Lee to publish second book

Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Harper Lee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of To Kill a Mockingbird (various imprints), will publish her second book in July, reports Publishers Weekly. Go Set a Watchman, published by HarperCollins in the US...

A&U acquires rights to ‘Zeroes’ trilogy 

Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Allen & Unwin has acquired the Australian and New Zealand rights to the ‘Zeroes’ YA trilogy by Sydney-based authors Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti.The trilogy follows six Californian teens with...

NZ booksellers awarded US conference scholarship

Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Booksellers NZ is sending two booksellers to the US for the American Booksellers Association’s Winter Institute conference (Wi10).Unity Books Wellington bookseller Matt Bialostocki and Anita Kingston from Paper Plus Remuera are...

Cuts to physical books hit New Zealand schools 

Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Teachers in New Zealand schools will not be able to request specialist National Library nonfiction books from July, reports stuff.co.nz.  In 2014, 16,000 teachers made 40,000 requests for almost a million...

Digital Writers’ Festival launches 2015 program 

Wednesday, 4 February 2015
The second annual Digital Writers’ Festival (DWF) has launched its 2015 program. The online-only festival, which is hosted by the Emerging Writers’ Festival (EWF), will run from 11-22 February and feature over...

Quote of the week

Wednesday, 4 February 2015
‘We can sell up to 50% of total sales in e-book edition in the first couple of weeks of a book’s life’—Allen & Unwin digital publisher Elizabeth Weiss outlining the...

RiP Colleen McCullough 

Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Australian author Colleen McCullough has died aged 77.The author passed away on 29 January in hospital on Norfolk Island.McCullough’s publisher HarperCollins has released a statement paying tribute to ‘one of Australia’s most...

Newcastle Writers Festival launches 2015 Kids Program 

Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Newcastle Writers Festival has launched its 2015 Kids Program, running from 16-21 March 2015. Guest speakers include Melina Marchetta, Garth Nix, Susaire Dunn and Kaz Delaney. The festival will include...

International in brief 

Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Book Industry Study Group and American Library Association announce library surveyA major survey of public library patrons’ use of digital content will be produced as a result of a new...

Rights round-up 

Wednesday, 4 February 2015
SalesFiction—Black Inc. has sold German rights to She's Having Her Baby (Lauren Sams) to Egmont Ink.Nonfiction—Exisle Publishing has sold Polish rights to Change the Way You Eat (Leanne Cooper); and...

Penguin to publish Little Black Classics range 

Tuesday, 3 February 2015
Penguin will publish a series of 80 short classics to celebrate the publisher’s 80th birthday. The Little Black Classics range, published by Penguin UK, aims to showcase the diversity of the Penguin...

ALA Awards 2015: Printz, Newbery, Caldecott, Stonewall

Tuesday, 3 February 2015
The American Library Association (ALA) has announced its awards for children’s and young adult literature, including the Printz, Newbery, Caldecott and Stonewall. The Michael L Printz Award for excellence in...

Roy Morgan study finds more Australians buying ebooks

Tuesday, 3 February 2015
More Australians are buying ebooks according to a study from Roy Morgan Research. The study found that over the past two years, online sales of ebooks have increased across most age...

Controversy over Canadian YA award-winner

Tuesday, 3 February 2015
When Everything Feels Like the Movies by Raziel Reid, a YA book about a transgender teen that won Canada’s 2014 Governor General’s Literary Award, is proving controversial, reports Publishing Perspectives....