Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

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Baker & Taylor to buy AMS? 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
Advanced Marketing Services (AMS), the US-based parent company of Australian distributor Bookwise, has entered into a letter of agreement with book distributor Baker & Taylor to allow B&T to purchase the...

Overstock and Remainders Fair comes to Melbourne 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
The annual Overstock and Remainders Fair (OARF), facilitated by Bookwise Australia, was this year held in Melbourne at the Rydges Hotel on 11 and 12 February. The third OARF, which...

Forthcoming events 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
Trade events coming up over the next week, as shown on our events calendar, include: the Writers at Como festival, which runs from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 February; and...

‘Online’ conference ‘a great success’ 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
More than 1000 library and information professionals gathered in Sydney from January 30 until 1 February for Online, the biennial conference examining the future of the industry. Conference convenor Kay...

Libraries get cuddly for Valentine’s Day 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
Two of Australia's leading library bodies have combined to launch a special promotion for Valentine's Day, highlighting Australians' dedication to libraries.Public Libraries Australia and ALIA are holding Library Lovers Day...

Pearson subject of private-equity takeover? 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
Speculation has been mounting in recent weeks over a possible takeover bid for Pearson, parent company of Penguin and Pearson Education. A Reuters report on 17 January 2007 noted that...

DataPage delay shelves TitlePage NZ launch 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
‘Small technical issues' that have emerged in the final development of DataPage have delayed the service's launch in Australia and put back the proposed launch of the TitlePage service in...

Change of date for ABIAs 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
The second annual Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA), previously scheduled for 25 July 2007, will now be held the evening before on 24 July. The decision was a joint one...

NZ Post Book Awards finalists 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
The finalists in the annual New Zealand Post Book Awards have been announced. The 2007 finalists are: Picture book: Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck! (Kyle Mewburn, Ali Teo and John O'Reilly,...

Hardie Grant Egmont in NZ 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
Australian publisher Hardie Grant Egmont and its sister company Egmont UK have announced they will be setting up a New Zealand sales and marketing operation. The New Zealand operation will...

Catran wins Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
Children's and young adult writer Ken Catran has been announced as the winner of the 2007 Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal, New Zealand's most prestigious award for children's writers. Catran, who...

George wins Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
Novelist and short story writer James George has been announced as the 2007 Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellow in New Zealand. The fellowship honours New Zealand author Frank Sargeson and includes...

Asialink writers’ residencies announced 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
The Asialink Literature Program has announced the writers who will be awarded grants and residencies as part of Asialink Literature Residency Program, which offers Australian writers the opportunity to experience...

Perth writers’ week on the way 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
The annual Perth Words & Ideas Festival, part of the Perth International Arts Festival, will be held from 22 February to 28 February. Beginning with a schools day on the...

Jolly becomes chairman of Scholastic Oz and NZ 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
Scholastic has announced the appointment of Ken Jolly AM, formerly managing director of Scholastic Australia, to the position of chairman, Scholastic Australia and New Zealand. Jolly, who held the position...

Changes mean ISBNs can never be reused 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
The change to 13-digit ISBNs on 1 January 2007 was accompanied by rule changes to the use of ISBNs. Among these, it is now forbidden to reuse an ISBN, even...

Cambridge Information Group acquires ProQuest 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
The Cambridge Information Group (CIG), parent company of library resource provider CSA (and of WBN's publisher Thorpe-Bowker), has announced the finalisation of its acquisition of ProQuest Information and Learning. The...

Dymocks fires first shot in HP price wars 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
The first shot has been fired in this year's Harry Potter price showdown with Dymocks announcing it will sell J K Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Bloomsbury) for...

Bestsellers this week 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
There's an eclectic mix of new titles in this week's top 10 bestsellers: some crime fiction, some crime nonfiction and a new diet book (no, it's not the CSIRO Total...

RiP Sue Williams 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
Working Title Press writes: ‘Sue Williams, the co-founder of Omnibus Books and Working Title Press, children's author, publisher, designer and art director extraordinaire, died peacefully on Sunday 4 February after...

RiP Noel David McLachlan 

Tuesday, 13 February 2007
Australian historian Noel David McLachlan, author of Waiting for the Revolution: A History of Australian Nationalism (Penguin), has died from pneumonia at the age of 79.

Around the World 

Tuesday, 6 February 2007
Among the global booktrade stories in our Around the World blog this week:Is private equity firm KKR about to launch a takeover for Pearson/Penguin? Wiley closes Blackwell deal Hachette 'gives' European rights to the...

Register now for LBF 

Tuesday, 6 February 2007
Those attending The London Book Fair, which will run from 16 April to 18 April 2007 in Earls Court, London, are being encouraged to pre-register before 12 April to receive...

Bestsellers this week 

Tuesday, 6 February 2007
It's a tale of two Pattersons in this week's highest new entries chart. James debuts at number 13 with Step on a Crack (with a little help from his pal...

RiP Sidney Sheldon 

Tuesday, 6 February 2007
Bestselling author Sidney Sheldon has died from complications arising from pneumonia, aged 89. Sheldon first achieved success as a Broadway playwright and Hollywood scriptwriter before turning his attention to novels,...

RiP Molly Ivins 

Tuesday, 6 February 2007
American newspaper columnist, political commentator and author Molly Ivins has died of breast cancer, aged 62. Ivins turned ‘Bush-bashing' into an artform with books such as Shrub: The Short But...