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WA Premier’s Prize now worth $110,000 

Monday, 21 April 2008
The West Australian Premier's Literary Award has become Australia's richest. Re-launched this week, the $110,000 award, now to be known as the West Australian Premier's Australia Asia Literary Award, is now also open...

Movie ticket giveaway closed 

Wednesday, 16 April 2008
After an overwhelming response, 30 WBN subscribers have scored themselves free double passes to see The Edge of Heaven. Look out for more ticket giveaways for subscribers in future.

Around the world 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Among the stories added to our Around the World blog in the past week:'Misha' publisher fights to overturn US$33 million judgementPenguin frontlist goes digitalMore ISBNs needed for new formatsMacmillan pays...

Aussie publishers demand rights at LBF 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
At one of the opening sessions at this year's London Book Fair (LBF), a number of Australian publishers have called for an end to British publishers' insistence on Commonwealth rights,...

In Brief 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
New NZ book review websiteNZ-based Scoop Media has launched The Scoop Review of Books online at http://books.scoop.co.nz. The site, edited by Jeremy Rose, will promote books and authors with reviews,...

Bestsellers this week 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
This Charming Man, the new offering from Marian Keyes--the Irish writer who can do no wrong in the chick-lit world--takes top spot in the Highest New Entries chart this week....

Forthcoming events 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Trade events coming up over the next week, as shown on our events calendar, include: London Book Fair ends today, 16 AprilTo view these and more forthcoming events, and submit...

RiP Greg Dening 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Australian historian and writer Greg Dening who was described an 'inspiring teacher and passionate scholar' has died aged 76.

Giveaway for subscribers: free film tickets! 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Be the first to see The Edge of Heaven - a German/Turkish film that won the Best Screenplay prize and the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival....

Shortlist for Kibble and Dobbie Awards announced 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
This year's shortlists for the Nita B Kibble Literary Award for Women Writers and the Dobbie Encouragement Award have been announced.Shortlisted for the awards are:Kibble Literary Award:Sorry (Gail Jones, Vintage) Nights...

Aussie cookbooks score in Gourmand Awards 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
The Gourmand Awards for 2008 have been presented at a ceremony in London, with seven Australian food and wine books receiving prizes, placing Australia ‘in the top 10 countries in...

OzCo committed to supporting ‘the literary sector’ 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
The Australia Council's market development section has reiterated its commitment to ‘an increased investment in literature that responds to the growth and current momentum of the Australian literary sector.'VIPs supportedOzCo...

Miles Franklin shortlist announced tomorrow 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
The shortlist for this year's Miles Franklin Award will be announced on Thursday 17 April. Look out for a WBN Special Bulletin as soon as possible after the shortlist has...

ABA Conference: registrations close this Friday! 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Registrations for the 2008 Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) conference close this Friday, 18 April. This year's conference will be held over three days, 15-17 June, at the Sebel Albert Park...

Poetry Centre Anzac festival 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
The recently established Australian Poetry Centre will host its inaugural National Festival in Castlemaine, Victoria, this Anzac Day weekend. Each year the festival will move to a regional town in a...

Quote of the week 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
‘I spend more on alcohol and catering than I ever have on placing an ad in the newspaper'--ABA president and Avid Reader proprietor Fiona Stager reveals her bookshop marketing secrets...

‘Capote’ screenwriter to adapt Nix book? 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Author Garth Nix looks set to bring his novel Sabriel to the big screen, with plans the possible film of the first book in the ‘Old Kingdom' trilogy to Hollywood...

Children’s authors call for action in Darfur 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Fourteen children's authors, including J K Rowling, Michael Morpugo, Judy Blume and R L Stein, have written an open letter calling for politicians to ‘act on Darfur.' The letter, which...

NSW Prem’s awards shortlist announced 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
The NSW Premier's Literary Awards shortlist was announced today. The shortlisted titles in each category are: Christina Stead Prize for fiction ($20,000):Diary of a Bad Year (J M Coetzee, Text)The...

Lonely Planet defends guidebooks 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Claims that a Lonely Planet contributor plagiarised and made up large sections of three guidebooks, widely reported in the mainstream media in recent days, have been ‘taken out of context,' according to...

Lonely Planet launches YouTube channel 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Lonely Planet has launched a travel channel on YouTube. Located at www.youtube.com/lonelyplanet, the channel will feature the best of the travel videos currently showing on LonelyPlanet.tv, the publishers' video-sharing website.‘We...

Dymocks reopens in Doncaster 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Dymocks has reopened its ‘bigger and better' Doncaster store after renovations. The ultra-modern design is intended to complement the ‘new contemporary look' of the Westfield Shopping Centre, which is undergoing...

Overington wins business writing award 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Australian journalist Caroline Overington has won this year's $30,000 Blake Dawson Prize for Business Literature for her account of the $290 million Iraqi oil-for-food scandal.KICKBACK: Inside the Australia Wheat Board...

Biographies of Napoleon and ‘nobodies’ share prize 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Biographies of Napoleon and two of ‘history's nobodies' have been named joint winners of this year's National Biography Award. University of Newcastle historian Philip Dwyer received $10,000 for Napoleon, 1769-1799:...

Random House launches new children’s imprint 

Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Random House Australia unveiled its new children's imprint last week. To be headed up by former UQP publisher Leonie Tyle, ‘Woolshed Press' will be ‘courageous, risky and passionate'. ‘Woolshed Press...

Around the world 

Wednesday, 9 April 2008
Among the items added to our Around the World blog in the past week:Anger growing at Amazon PoD movesNew global list for HarperCollins 'rewrites rules'Amazon launches SMS buyingBloomsbury annual results:...

ABA Conference: register now! 

Tuesday, 8 April 2008
Registrations are now open for the 2008 Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) conference, to be held in Melbourne from 15--17 June.‘Early-bird' discounts have been extended to Friday 18 April. Delegates can...