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Melbourne’s Dockland library to hold grand opening 

Wednesday, 28 May 2014
The City of Melbourne will hold a grand opening for The Library at the Dock in Melbourne’s Docklands on 31 May.The event will showcase the library’s new services, which include a recording...

In brief 

Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Thousands participate in National Simultaneous StorytimeOver 460,000 participants in 3100 libraries, schools and childcare centres took part in National Simultaneous Storytime at 11am on 21 May 2014. This year the Australian...

Quote of the week 

Wednesday, 28 May 2014
‘Consuming Australian culture is the best response to a deplorable budget’—Adam Ouston reflects on the community response to the arts budget cuts in an article in Crikey 

Bloomsbury Australia revenue up 14% 

Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Bloomsbury Australia’s revenue is up 14% for the year ended 28 February 2014. Bloomsbury Australia recorded revenue of £6.365 million (A$11.58 million), up from £5.583 million (A$10.16 million) in the...

Kobo to begin featuring book reviews 

Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Kobo has announced that it will begin featuring book reviews ‘in the near future’. ‘Customers will be able to write reviews and choose star ratings for your titles and post...

New location for Lesley McKay’s Bookshop

Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Lesley McKay’s Bookshop has moved to a new location in Woollahra, Sydney, after initially announcing plans to close.Owner Lesley McKay told Books+Publishing she was on the verge of selling her...

Rights round-up 

Tuesday, 27 May 2014
SalesFiction—Allen & Unwin has sold French rights to Requiem for a Species (Clive Hamilton); US English Language rights to No Goodbyes (Barry Eaton); UK and US English Language rights to...

Bestsellers this week 

Monday, 26 May 2014
Minecraft: The Official Combat Handbook (Egmont), a guide to the popular computer game, is in first spot on this week’s bestsellers chart, up from fifth spot last week. It is also...

Parv and Wheatley awarded 2014 ASA Medal 

Monday, 26 May 2014
Valerie Parv and Nadia Wheatley have been jointly awarded the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) Medal. Parv, a romance writer, and Wheatley, who has written for adults and younger readers,...

‘SMH’ 2014 Best Young Novelists announced

Monday, 26 May 2014
The winners of this year’s Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) Best Young Australian Novelists Awards were announced at the Sydney Writers’ Festival (SWF) on 23 May.The winners are: Hannah Kent (Burial Rites,...

Text and Pan Macmillan scoop 2014 ABIAs 

Monday, 26 May 2014
The winners of the 2014 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs) were announced in Sydney on Friday 23 May.It was a particularly successful night for Text Publishing, with Graeme Simsion’s The...

Amazon removes pre-order button on Hachette US titles 

Monday, 26 May 2014
Amazon has increased its pressure on Hachette US in its dispute over sales terms by removing the pre-order button on a number of forthcoming titles, reports the Bookseller. As Amazon and Hachette US negotiate...

Foyles launches literary tours 

Monday, 26 May 2014
UK bookselling chain Foyles will run literary tours to international and UK destinations from mid-2014, reports the Bookseller. The first international tour will be a 13-day trip to India with...

PM’s Literary Awards 2014 judging panels announced 

Monday, 26 May 2014
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has confirmed that the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards (PMLAs) will continue to be Australia’s richest literary prizes. Abbott made the announcement at the Australian Book Industry Awards...

New Tasmanian literary journal launched

Monday, 26 May 2014
Tasmania-based Walleah Press publisher Ralph Wessman and writer Jane Williams have launched a new online-only literary journal. The first issue of Communion is online now and features poetry, fiction, essays,...

Affirm to publish Gilchrist autobiography

Monday, 26 May 2014
Affirm Press has acquired the rights to publish former Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist’s illustrated autobiography.The self-titled book, which follows Gilchrist’s 2008 autobiography True Colours (Pan Macmillan), will feature ‘hundreds of...

Harrland wins 2014 Finch Memoir Prize 

Friday, 23 May 2014
Karen Harrland has won the 2014 Finch Memoir Prize for her entry Spinifex Baby.The memoir tells the story of Harrland’s year in the Simpson Desert with her husband ‘coping with...

Hachette launches ‘social selling’ campaign 

Friday, 23 May 2014
In the UK, Hachette will launch a number of ‘social selling’ campaigns across its divisions, reports the Bookseller. The publisher is teaming up with social commerce firm Buyapowa for the...

The Victorian Government Bookshop to close 

Friday, 23 May 2014
The Victorian Government Bookshop in Melbourne will close on 30 June after 28 years due to ‘insufficient demand’ for physical stock.The Victorian Department of State Development, Business and Innovation announced...

Blasim wins 2014 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 

Friday, 23 May 2014
In the UK, Iraqi author Hassan Blasim has won the 2014 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize for his short-story collection The Iraqi Christ, translated by Jonathan Wright (Comma Press). Blasim was...

Ley wins 2014 Pascall Prize 

Friday, 23 May 2014
The 2014 Pascall Prize for critical writing has been awarded to literary critic and Sydney Review of Books founding editor James Ley.Ley was awarded the $15,000 prize, which was judged by last year’s winner...

Death in July festival to run in Ballarat 

Thursday, 22 May 2014
The inaugural Death in July festival for Australian women’s crime writing will be held at the Museum of Australian Democracy in Ballarat, Victoria, from 4 to 5 July. Running in...