Weekly Book Newsletter (end March 2022)
2 March 2016

Craig resigns as Picador publisher x

Alex Craig has resigned from Pan Macmillan after 12 years with the company, including the past five years as publisher of its Picador imprint. Craig... Read more
 

Figgy in the World

 

Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature 2016 winners announced

The winners of the 2016 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature were announced at a ceremony on 27 February as part of Adelaide Writers’ Week. The... Read more
 

 

Readings to open two new stores x

Independent Melbourne bookseller Readings will open two new bookstores: a children’s and YA bookstore next door to its Lygon Street store in Carlton, and a... Read more
 

Ashurst Business Literature Prize 2015 shortlist announced

The shortlist for the 2015 Ashurst Business Literature Prize has been announced. The shortlisted titles are: The Rise and Fall of Gunns Ltd (Quentin Beresford, NewSouth)... Read more
 

OzCo VIP guests announced for 2016 SWF

The Australia Council for the Arts has announced the guests attending the 2016 Visiting International Publishers (VIP) Program, to be held during the Sydney Writers’... Read more
 

 

Garner wins $210k Windham-Campbell Prize

Helen Garner is one of nine winners of the Windham-Campbell Prizes, a US-based award that recognises English-language writers who ‘have left their mark on the... Read more
 

 

Malouf wins OzCo Lifetime Achievement in Literature Award

David Malouf has won the 2016 Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature. The award, formerly known as the Writers’ Emeritus Award, recognises ‘the... Read more
 

Australian, NZ publishers nominated for Bologna Prize

Australian publishers Wilkins Farago and Berbay Publishing and New Zealand publisher Book Island have been nominated in the Oceania region for the Bologna Prize for... Read more
 

Cattanach joins Hachette, Pilkington promoted to head of sales x

Andrew Cattanach, Booktopia’s head of digital content, promotions and community, is joining Hachette Australia as national account manager for Little, Brown and Orion. Cattanach will... Read more
 

Macdonald to leave HarperCollins NZ

HarperCollins New Zealand publisher Finlay Macdonald will leave the company in early April for a role outside of publishing. Macdonald, who previously worked as a... Read more
 

Stella Prize to examine diversity in reviews

The Stella Prize is expanding its annual Stella Count to include a Diversity Survey to examine review coverage of authors from various backgrounds, especially marginalised... Read more
 

New Macmillan Education website allows teachers to create custom workbooks

Macmillan Education’s custom publisher Flexibooks has launched a new website that allows teachers to create custom-made print and digital workbooks. Teachers can create custom workbooks... Read more
 

Fiction Uncovered prize seeking new sponsorship

In the UK, the Fiction Uncovered prize, which awards British mid-list writers, will not run in 2016 as it is seeking new sponsorship, reports the... Read more
 

Hachette buys Perseus Book Group’s publishing division

In the US, Hachette has entered into a binding agreement to buy Perseus Books Group’s (PBG) publishing division, reports Publishers Weekly. PBG, which comprises nine... Read more
 

Kinokuniya to sell graphic novels with exclusive covers

In the US, bookstore chain Books Kinokuniya will collaborate with publishers to bring out variant covers for a selection of English-language graphic novels, reports Publishers... Read more
 

Book adaptations honoured at Academy Awards

A number of book-to-film adaptations were winners at this year’s Academy Awards, reports the Guardian. The Revenant, which won awards in the categories of best... Read more
 

Pearson reports 30% profit increase from PRH in 2015

In the UK, Pearson has reported that its share of operating profit from Penguin Random House (PRH) was up 30% in 2015 compared to the... Read more
 

Shortlist announced for 2016 Diagram Prize for oddest book title

The shortlist for the 2016 Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year, presented by the Bookseller, has been announced. The seven titles selected... Read more
 

‘Girl Online’ voted UK schoolchildren’s favourite book; Kinney favourite author

In the UK, YouTube personality Zoella’s Girl Online (Puffin) has been voted the most popular book by secondary school children, reports the Guardian. The finding... Read more
 

S&S creates Muslim-themed children’s imprint

In the US, Simon & Schuster has created a new children’s book imprint dedicated to publishing books that feature Muslim characters and stories, reports the... Read more
 

Rights round-up x

Sales Fiction—A&U has sold rights to The Lake House (Kate Morton) in the following territories: Estonian to Varrak; Bulgarian to Colibri; Russian to Exmo; Turkish... Read more
 

awful auntie

 

Bestsellers this week

The paperback edition of David Walliams’ 2014 children’ s book Awful Auntie (HarperCollins) is the highest new entry in this week’s charts; the British author... Read more
 

Helen Garner’s ‘Everywhere I Look’ x

‘I’d probably give Helen Garner five stars for her shopping list; I’ve loved her work since Monkey Grip was published in 1977, the year I... Read more
 

Quote of the week

‘A lot of editors are women, particularly in Australia, and I think that comes down to women wanting to work in something they really love doing and being prepared to earn crap wages to do it’A&U publisher Jane Palfreyman, interviewed in an article on the craft of editing in the Australian Financial Review. Also interviewed are Penguin’s Ben Ball and Text’s Michael Heyward

 

New ‘Books+Publishing’ reviews out now

Books+Publishing’s latest Reviews newsletter contains 13 reviews of books publishing in April and May 2016. Two books received five stars from our reviewers: Helen Garner’s... Read more
 

RiP Louise Rennison x

English author Louise Rennison has died, aged 63. Rennison is best known for her YA book series ‘Confessions of Georgia Nicolson’, with the first two... Read more
 

New Perth city library opens x

The City of Perth’s new $60m, seven-storey library on Hay Street in the CBD has opened to the public, reports the West Australian. The 3500... Read more
 

Wavesound launches ComicsPlus digital platform in Australia x

Audiobook publisher Wavesound has launched its ComicsPlus digital platform for libraries. The digital service hosts around 18,000 comics, manga and graphic novel titles from international... Read more
 

Does publicity sell books? A case study x

Last year, Captain Honey publishers Roz Hopkins and Natalie Winter successfully crowdfunded their illustrated children’s book Mummy and Mumma Get Married. In a recent blog... Read more
 

Craig resigns as Picador publisher x

Alex Craig, publisher of Pan Macmillan’s Picador imprint, has resigned from the company to pursue her own creative projects. (See news.)
 

New chair for Copyright Licensing New Zealand

Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) has appointed crime writer Vanda Symon as chair of its board. Symon takes over from Adrian Keane, owner and chief... Read more
 

Staff changes at Hachette x

Hachette has promoted Daniel Pilkington, head of national accounts, to the newly created role of head of sales, and appointed Andrew Cattanach, Booktopia’s head of... Read more
 

Macdonald to leave HarperCollins NZ

HarperCollins New Zealand publisher Finlay Macdonald will leave the company in early April for a role outside of publishing. (See news.)
 

ABIA Business Awards 2016: Nominations open x

Nominations are open for the 2016 ABIA Business Awards. Judged by a panel of business experts, the ABIA Business Awards recognise excellence in several categories:... Read more

Simone Vasy Joins Bolinda x

Bolinda logoSimone Vasy has recently joined Bolinda as Sales and Marketing assistant. Simone will be the first point of contact for all trade enquires.

Please continue to place orders through sales@bolinda.com, all other enquiries can be directed to Simone via Simone@bolinda.com.

 

Submissions Open: Best Australian Writing 2016 x

Submissions for the Best Australian Writing 2016 anthologies are now open! Black Inc. is thrilled to announce that we have Charlotte Wood (Stories), Geordie Williamson (Essays) and Sarah Holland-Batt (Poems) on board as editors. Visit bestaustralianwriting.com.au for submission guidelines.

 

Alex Craig to leave Pan Macmillan x

After twelve years at Pan Macmillan, with the last five as Picador Publisher, Alex Craig has decided to resign her position so she can pursue her own creative projects from her new base in the Blue Mountains.

Publishing Director Cate Paterson says: ‘No one but Alex could have published Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites with as much passion and dedication. More recently she has published Miles Franklin shortlisted author Annah Faulkner, Stella Award winning author Carrie Tiffany, Lucy Treloar’s outstanding first novel Salt Creek which has been shortlisted for the Indie Debut of the Year, Shirley Barrett’s wonderful Rush Oh!, Debra Adelaide’s Stella longlisted The Women’s Pages and Emily Maguire whose best novel yet is published in April. I lose a colleague but keep a friendship. Here is one person who won’t be thinking “what could have been”.’

Alex Craig commented: ‘It’s been a joy to work at Pan Macmillan. To publish into Picador was always a dream of mine, and I thank Pan for giving me the opportunity to fulfil that, and to the wonderful authors who entrusted me with their books. This was not an easy decision, but I’m a wanderer at heart and the desire to work remotely and freelance won out in the end. I leave knowing I’ve made lifelong friendships so it’s not really goodbye.’

Alex’s last day at Pan Macmillan will be Friday April 15.

 

Exisle Publishing Introduces New Sales Team x

Now distributed by HEDS (email: orders@harpercollins.com.au (preferred) or fax: 1800645547), Exisle is pleased to announce the formation of a new sales force now in action.

Head office and Central Coast Kay Drury (0408485724), and Samantha Loadsman (02 4998 3327)

  • NSW – Amber Gilchrist (0414 503 801)
  • VIC – Debra Harrop (0409 265 885)
  • QLD – Keith Smyth (0432 482 005)
  • WA – Christine Jackson (0409 912 677)
  • SA – Julie Williams (0407 398 655)

All enquiries: sales@exislepublishing.com.

 

Quentin Beresford Shortlisted for the 2015 Ashurst Business Literature Prize x

NewSouth is very pleased to announce that Quentin Beresford has been shortlisted for the 2015 Ashurst Business Literature Prize. Launched in 2004, the prize is now acknowledged as Australia’s most important award for business literature. In The Rise and Fall of Gunns Ltd Beresford illuminates the dark corners of the Gunns empire for the first time. Our congratulations to Quentin Beresford and all the shortlisted authors. For orders, please contact TL Distribution (P: +61(2) 8778 9999, E: orders@tldistribution.com.au).

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

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