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Tree change: Melissa Lucashenko on ‘Mullumbimby’

Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Melissa Lucashenko’s novel Mullumbimby (UQP) is the story of one woman’s attempt to build a new life in country Australia. Reviewer Max Oliver describes it as ‘a modern tale of...

‘Sydney Review of Books’ launches 

Wednesday, 30 January 2013
The Sydney Review of Books, an online journal devoted to long-form literary criticism, has been launched. The pilot site, which can be found at www.sydneyreviewofbooks.com, was launched with reviews of...

Librarians on Australia Day honours list 

Wednesday, 30 January 2013
A number of librarians and library advocates have been recognised in this year’s Australia Day honours list. Brisbane librarian Janine Betty Schmidt was made a Member in the General Division...

In brief 

Wednesday, 30 January 2013
NZSA announces library grants recipients The New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) has announced the recipients of this year’s NZSA Auckland Museum Library Research Grants. Wellington writer Whiti Hereaka is...

RiP Jan Ormerod 

Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Jan Ormerod, Australian author and illustrator, has died aged 67. Hardie Grant Egmont and Little Hare write: ‘Jan Ormerod grew up in the fifties, in a series of small towns...

RiP Roger Horton

Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Roger Horton, sales manager at Scribe Publications, has died. Scribe writes: ‘Scribe Publications is devastated to announce that our dear colleague and sales manager, Roger Horton, passed away unexpectedly over...

Quote of the week 

Wednesday, 30 January 2013
‘It’s not going to save book shops or anything but you need to be able to demonstrate to your customers that you are up to date with what’s happening in...

Buttrose named Australian of the Year 

Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Author and former journalist Ita Buttrose has been selected as the 2013 Australian of the Year. Buttrose, author of A Passionate Life (Viking) and A Guide to Australian Etiquette (Penguin), received...

Bestsellers this week 

Tuesday, 29 January 2013
In the ninth ‘Captain Underpants’ book, Tippy Tinkletrousers shows up on a post-apocalyptic Earth and appears to be crushed to death by Zombie Nerds George and Harold. In the 10th book, Captain...

Bonnier to launch new nonfiction imprint 

Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Bonnier will launch a new nonfiction imprint in the UK this year called Red Lemon Press, reports the Bookseller. Bonnier will publish all new nonfiction titles under the Red Lemon Press...

Thayil wins DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 

Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Indian author Jeet Thayil has won the 2013 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature for his book Narcopolis (Faber). Narcopolis, which was shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize, was selected...

2012 ALA Awards: Caldecott, Newbery, Printz and Morris 

Tuesday, 29 January 2013
The American Library Association (ALA) has announced its 2013 awards for children’s and young adult literature, including the Caldecott, Newbery, Printz and Morris awards. The winner of this year’s Caldecott...

Authors on Australia Day honours list 

Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Several Australian authors were among those recognised in this year’s Australia Day Honours. UK-based writer and broadcaster Clive James was made an Officer in the General Division of the Order...

Indie Awards 2013 shortlists announced

Tuesday, 29 January 2013
The shortlists for the 2013 Australian Independent Bookseller Awards have been announced. The shortlisted titles in each category are: Fiction Nine Days (Toni Jordan, Text) Lost Voices (Christopher Koch, Fourth...

Nunn nominated for Edgar Award 

Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Australian-based author Malla Nunn has been nominated for the 2013 Edgar Allan Poe Awards for her novel The Silent Valley (Macmillan), published in the US as Blessed Are the Dead...

Amazon launches Kindle in Canada 

Friday, 25 January 2013
Amazon has launched a range of its Kindle ereaders in Canada, reports the Bookseller. The Kindle Paperwhite 3G and Wi-Fi models and the 6-inch basic Kindle are now available from the...

Australian author-illustrator Jan Ormerod dies 

Friday, 25 January 2013
Much-loved Australian children’s books author and illustrator Jan Ormerod has died in the UK. Ormerod died from a stroke on 23 January after battling cancer. Her daughter Laura announced the news...

Man Booker International finalists announced 

Friday, 25 January 2013
The finalists for the 2013 Man Booker International Prize have been announced. In the running for this year’s prize, worth £60,000 (approximately A$90,000) are UR Ananthamurthy (India), Aharon Appelfeld (Israel),...

Momentum launches $1.99 classics 

Friday, 25 January 2013
Pan Macmillan’s digital imprint Momentum has launched a range of science-fiction, romance and erotic classics, each priced at $1.99. There are currently seven titles in the Momentum classics range: We...

Nielsen BookScan figures: value and volume down 

Friday, 25 January 2013
This Christmas period has seen another drop in sales volume and value. According to Nielsen Bookscan, sales were down 4.5% in value and 2.7% in volume over the 13 weeks to 29...

The books: strong showing for fiction, children’s 

Friday, 25 January 2013
Despite a generally lukewarm response to the fiction on offer from booksellers in our pre-Christmas survey, many respondents reported that fiction titles outperformed the traditional Christmas favourites of biographies and cookbooks this year....

Online sales, ebooks and ereaders 

Friday, 25 January 2013
Gone are the days when the majority of Australian booksellers only sold books in-store. A large majority of booksellers who responded to our survey (82%) reported selling books online, either...