The owners of Eclipse Commerce Pty Ltd, operators of the Boomerang Books and Booku (eBooks) online bookstores, have decided to sell the business. As a ‘virtual’ business, Eclipse Commerce represents an attractive acquisition prospect for a bricks-and-mortar bookstore seeking a strong online presence; a B2B book supplier with established supply chains; or a publisher/distributor seeking to enter the B2C retail space.

• Has operated for 10 years+; established brands
• Only Australian carbon neutral bookstore
• Custom-built turn-key e-commerce websites
• Seamless integration with third-party suppliers
• Mature admin support systems and processes
• Circa 4,000 visitors per day
• 21,000+ email subscribers
• 4,888 Facebook Fans
• 2,478 Twitter followers
• Popular multi-author WordPress blog with 2,118 articles
• A ‘virtual’ business, small profits, no debts, no inventory, no capital equipment, no leases, no employees

Expressions of interest should be directed to Managing Director, Clayton Wehner (Mobile 0438-925-613 or contact@boomerangbooks.com.au), by 5pm AEST on Wednesday 10 April 2013.

Effective 1 June, NewSouth Books will be distributing publishers currently distributed by Alpa Books through MDS. MDS will authorise eligible returns until 31 August and books must be received at MDS by 30 September for credit. Books invoiced in May are eligible for return from 1 August. A full list of ISBN’s is available from andrew.easton@alpabooks.com.au. Backorders on file at MDS will be transferred to NewSouth who will commence selling June and July new titles shortly.

Colleen McCullough is the bestselling Australian fiction writer of all time, with a staggering 30 million copies of her most famous 1977 novel, The Thorn Birds, sold around the world.  She has always sworn that she would never write The Thorn Birds 2, enjoying instead the creative challenge of writing across genres – from crime novels to a memoir to a sequel to Pride and Prejudice.  The bestselling novels Morgan’s Run and The Touch have been the closest she has come to satisfying the millions of fans around the world who have long been clamouring for more in the same vein.

But now Colleen McCullough, at 75, has written a page-turning novel to rival The Thorn Birds in scope and romance – and called it Bittersweet. As the Norfolk Island-based author says, ‘the tears, crises, sorrows and ecstasies young women suffer when they fall in love is a fascinating subject – love, I think, is always bittersweet.’

Set in the Southern Highlands of NSW in the years leading up to and including the Great Depression, Bittersweet is the story of four sisters who are both of and ahead of their time. Colleen explains further: ‘When one has written some pretty famous books, great care must be taken to have time, place and characters bear no resemblance to books already written. Instead of one heroine of an age, four seemed like a challenge, so were born Edda and Grace, the senior twins, and Kitty and Tufts, the junior twins, plus the mixture of men who were important to them. What emerged was a big story of days gone by, when women had a far harder time of it than they do today, and the world hovered between depression and war.’

Publisher Anna Valdinger says, ‘This engrossing historical saga has all the elements that made The Thorn Birds so unforgettable – a complex and fascinating family, the epic sweep of history and an exploration of love in all its forms.  From the first page I was gripped, living each moment of the sisters’ lives alongside them – from love and loss to betrayal and redemption. It’s an emotional rollercoaster which has already captured the hearts and imaginations of everyone who has read it – men and women alike. This will be one of the biggest titles on the shelves this Christmas.’

Bittersweet will be published by HarperCollins in October 2013 in hardback (RRP: $45.00) and e-book.

HarperCollins is pleased to announce that Digital Editor Rochelle Fernandez has been promoted to Commissioning Editor for the Voyager list, effective immediately.  Rochelle’s responsibilities will also include managing the Impulse direct-to-digital publishing program which will be launched later this year to mirror similar programs of HarperCollins US and UK.  HarperCollins Publishing Director Shona Martyn said: ‘HarperCollins is proud of the Voyager list which covers not only international stars such as George RR Martin, Ray Feist and Robin Hobb but has long been the leader in fantasy and science fiction in Australia.  Rochelle’s enthusiasm for the genre – plus editorial skills that span print and digital – make her perfect for this important role.’

Hachette Australia congratulates Mark Wilson on being a finalist in the Children’s Fiction (told primarily through pictures) category of the 2012 Aurealis Awards for Inside the World of Tom Roberts.

To order copies of Inside the World of Tom Roberts (ISBN:  9780734411440) please contact Alliance Distribution Services customer service on toll-free fax 1800-664-477 or tel (02) 4390-1300.

Hachette Australia is thrilled to congratulate Bronwyn Parry on Dead Heat being shortlisted for a RITA Award in the Romance Writers of America awards. 

To order copies of Dead Heat (ISBN:  9780733625497) please contact Alliance Distribution Services customer service on toll-free fax 1800-664-477 or tel (02) 4390-1300.

Text Publishing is aware that some copies of Graeme Simsion’s best-selling The Rosie Project (ISBN 9781922079770) have been misbound, and include pages from The Happiest Refugee. The affected section is from pp. 89-139.
Booksellers please check your stock and seek replacement stock directly from UBD if required.