Black Inc. has appointed Kelly Fagan to the newly created role of Head of Marketing and Publicity for Nero books. Fagan will leave her role at HarperCollins Publishers to take up this new position on 16 February 2015.

Black Inc. CEO Sophy Williams is thrilled to have Kelly on board. ‘Nero’s highly successful first year has enabled expansion of our team and with Kelly’s expertise we will continue to build what has become a major new imprint in Australian publishing.’

Nero publisher Jeanne Ryckmans says: ‘Nero publishes exciting and entertaining commercial mass market titles. Our authors include the iconic Diane Keaton, Oscar-winner Diablo Cody, sporting legends John Sattler and Ray “Rabs” Warren. Kelly’s media and marketing savvy is a perfect fit for our dynamic, fast-growing list.’ 

Kate Flood will be returning to Hachette Australia from maternity leave in early March to take up the position of Children’s National Account Manager, a part time role. We are delighted to welcome Kate back to Hachette, and delighted too that Chris Sims will be joining Hachette Australia on a permanent basis as National Account Manager – Hodder, Headline and Quercus.

Oxford University Press is delighted to announce we will commence distribution of Nelson Thornes titles from 1 February 2015. This exciting list covers resources for the Australian and New Zealand markets.

From 1 February 2015, all orders and any queries relating to Nelson Thornes resources, including backorders, should be placed with the Oxford University Press Customer Service team on P: 1300 650 616; F: 1800 813 602; E: cs.au@oup.com

All enquiries in relation to existing returns should be directed to Cengage Learning Australia Customer Service PH: 1300 790 853 or email: anz.customerservice@cengage.com

For more information, please visit www.oup.com.au/nelson-thornes 

Faber Writing Academy at Allen & Unwin are offering two free places on their six-month flagship course ‘Writing a Novel’. One worthy person on the Sydney course and one on the Melbourne course will have their entire course fee waived.

Entries close 6 February.

For more information, visit the Faber Writing Academy website here.

Chat to our award winning novelists who teach this course at our Info Nights in Sydney on 2 February 6.30pm and Melbourne on 4 February 6.30pm

Following the success of GR39: Tasmania – The Tipping Point?, Griffith Review turns the spotlight on WA in GR47: Looking West. Contributors include Carmen Lawrence, Shaun Tan, Brooke Davis, Nick Allbrook, David Whish-Wilson, Kim Scott, Ashley Hay, John Kinsella, Steve Kinnane, Terri-ann White and Helen Trinca. With an exclusive interview with Tim Winton.

Confirmed media includes interviews on ABC TV News, ABC RN and local stations, Radio 6PR, and extracts in The Guardian, The Conversation and The West Australian. Events include a launch at Perth Town Hall by the Governor of WA, writers festivals, and public events in Sydney and Canberra.

Griffith Review will award the bookseller who sells the most copies of Looking West with a Relish hamper valued at $150.

Looking West (9781922182678, $27.99) is published 28 January. Booksellers, order through UBD.

Please note the distribution of Nelson Thornes titles will be transferred to Oxford University Press as at 1 February 2015.

All enquiries in relation to existing backorders orders should be directed to Cengage Learning Australia Customer Service.

Phone: 1300 790 853
Fax:     1300 790 852
Email:  anz.customerservice@cengage.com
Hours: Monday to Friday 7.00am to 6.00pm AEDT

Returns will only be accepted if the stock has been invoiced by Cengage Learning Australia as at 31 January 2015.

All returns must be in accordance with our existing returns policy.  Authorised returns must be finalised with Cengage Learning by 1 March 2015.

Return requests for stock purchased after this date should be directed to Oxford University Press.

The National Board of the Children’s Book Council of Australia congratulates Jackie French on being Senior Australian of the Year, recognising her passionate and tireless work promoting children’s reading. Jackie is also a regular recipient of CBCA awards and is Australia’s Children’s Laureate for 2014-15. She richly deserves this recognition and the CBCA board acknowledges and thanks her for all that she does.

HarperCollins congratulates Rosie Batty on being named Australian of the Year 2015 at the Australian of the Year Awards, held in Canberra on Sunday, 25 January. Previously honoured with being named Victorian Australian of the Year, Rosie has been recognised for her extraordinary efforts to fight domestic violence.

In an incident that shocked not only the nation but the world, Rosie Batty’s eleven year old son was killed by his father in a violent incident in February 2014.  Rosie had suffered years of family violence, and had intervention and custody orders in place in an ­effort to protect herself and her son. She believes the killing was his final act of control over her. The National Australia Day Council said Ms Batty ‘gave voice to many thousands of victims of domestic violence who had until then remained unheard’ and said her ‘incredible strength and selfless efforts’ were an inspiration to many other victims of family violence.

On Sunday, she dedicated the award to her son, saying, ‘I would like to dedicate this award to my beautiful son, Luke. He is the reason I have found my voice and I’m able to be heard.’

She also added, ‘Family violence may happen behind closed doors but it needs to be brought out from these shadows and into broad daylight.’

HarperCollins will publish Rosie’s Story in October 2015.

HarperCollins Children’s Books congratulates the truly remarkable author Jackie French, who has been named Senior Australian of the Year 2015. Chosen from an impressive group of nominations, this well-deserved award recognises the tireless hard work and dedication Jackie has invested in over many years, from her wide-ranging writing to her advocacy for children with learning difficulties. Well known for her love and knowledge of wombats, Jackie is also passionate about the conservation of wildlife and the planet and is a director of the Wombat Foundation that raises funds for wombat research. Jackie has published over 140 books in 32 languages and received more than 60 literary prizes. She is also one of the few writers to win both literary and children’s choice awards. Jackie is also the Australian Children’s Laureate and in that role ‘Share a Story’ is the primary philosophy behind Jackie’s two-year term.

In talking about the Australian of the Year awards, Jackie said, ‘The young finalists in particular were inspiring, and that is perhaps why children’s authors write for young people – to help them create the dreams and challenges and the future.’