Weekly Book Newsletter (end March 2022)
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21 November 2018

 

An Elephant on Your Nose

MI6-trained former Australian intelligence operative Warren Reed has released his third spy novel, An Elephant on Your Nose, throwing the spotlight on Asia’s emerging influence in... Read more
 
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Please complete our reader survey: Last chance to participate

Books+Publishing is currently conducting a reader survey to help us improve our publications. The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete. To participate in the... Read more
 

Christmas closing list: Submissions due Monday

Publishers and distributors are asked to submit their Christmas closing dates by 5pm, Monday 26 November. A full list will appear in the Weekly Book Newsletter on... Read more
 
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Lester wins $60,000 Melbourne Prize for Literature; Tumarkin wins Best Writing Award

Children’s author and illustrator Alison Lester has won the 2018 Melbourne Prize for Literature, presented every three years to a Victorian author ‘whose body of... Read more
 

 

Australian, NZ authors on 2019 Dublin Literary Award longlist

Fourteen books by Australian authors and six by New Zealand authors have been nominated for the 2019 International Dublin Literary Award. Longlisted books by Australian... Read more
 
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‘The Women in Black’ sells in multiple territories after translation rights made available after 12 years x

Text Publishing has sold rights in multiple territories to Madeleine St John’s The Women in Black, alongside several other books by St John, after translation... Read more
 

 

Blake among 2019 Zev Birger Editorial Fellows to attend Jerusalem International Book Forum

Penguin Random House (PRH) publisher Cate Blake has been announced as one of 34 recipients of the Zev Birger Editorial Fellowship, a week-long professional seminar... Read more
 

 

Tim’s Bookshop Canterbury to close x

The Canterbury branch of family-owned independent bookstore Tim’s Bookshop, in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, will close in January 2019. Owner Tim Warmington told Books+Publishing: ‘It’s the... Read more
 

 

Dymocks opens new store in Melbourne; regional WA store to close

Chain retailer Dymocks has opened a new store at Highpoint Shopping Centre, in Melbourne’s inner west. The Highpoint store is the first Dymocks to open... Read more
 

 

Douglas-Kinghorn wins 2018 Scribe Nonfiction Prize

Zowie Douglas-Kinghorn has won the 2018 Scribe Nonfiction Prize for Young Writers for her entry ‘The Invisible Sea’. Douglas-Kinghorn was selected from a shortlist of nine... Read more
 

 

‘Overland’ Fair Australia Prize 2018 winners announced

Literary journal Overland has announced the winners for this year’s Fair Australia Prize. The Fair Australia Prize asks writers and artists to engage with the... Read more
 

 

Harry Cook’s debut YA novel acquired by Scottish small press x

Scottish independent publisher Black & White Publishing has acquired world rights to the debut novel by Australian actor and LGBTQIA+ activist Harry Cook. A romance... Read more
 

 

Chapman wins HGE Ampersand Prize for YA novel ‘What it Takes’

Sydney-based journalist Frances Chapman has won Hardie Grant Egmont’s (HGE) Ampersand Prize for an unpublished manuscript for her ‘vibrant’ YA novel, What it Takes. Chosen... Read more
 

 

‘Invisible Boys’ wins T A G Hungerford Award

Perth-based YA writer Holden Sheppard has won the 2018 City of Fremantle T A G Hungerford Award for an unpublished manuscript for Invisible Boys, a... Read more
 

 

Riwoe sells third Heloise Chancey novel to UK's Legend Press x

Brisbane-based author Mirandi Riwoe has sold world rights to her historical crime fiction novel The Death of Me to UK publisher Legend Press. Rights were acquired... Read more
 

 

Pascoe receives Person of the Year honour at 2018 National Dreamtime Awards

Bunurong and Yuin writer Bruce Pascoe has won the Person of the Year award at the 2018 National Dreamtime Awards. The Dreamtime Person of the... Read more
 

ABA announces 2018 Vic, NSW reps of the year

Mandy Wildsmith from Hardie Grant Books has been named Victorian Rep of the Year by the Australian Booksellers Association (ABA), while Simon Rannard from Penguin... Read more
 

 

UWAP announces 2019 Dorothy Hewett Award shortlist

UWA Publishing has announced the shortlist for the 2019 Dorothy Hewett Award for an unpublished manuscript. The shortlisted authors and their works are: Angela Rockel... Read more
 

 

National Book Award 2018 winners announced

The winners of the 2018 US National Book Awards have been announced. Sigrid Nunez has won the fiction award for her novel The Friend (Riverhead),... Read more
 

Hachette Book Group reorganises divisions, dozens made redundant

In the US, the Hachette Book Group (HBG) has reorganised its Hachette Books and Nashville divisions, resulting in a number of layoffs, reports Publishers Weekly.... Read more
 

 

‘Chernobyl’ wins 2018 Baillie Gifford Prize for nonfiction

Ukrainian-American author and historian Serhii Plokhy has won the £30,000 (A$53,880) 2018 Baillie Gifford Prize for nonfiction for his book Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy (Allen Lane). Chosen... Read more
 

 

Edugyan wins Canada’s Giller Prize for ‘Washington Black’

Canadian author Esi Edugyan has won Canada’s Scotiabank Giller Prize—the country’s richest literary award—for her novel Washington Black (Serpent’s Tail). Set in 19th century Canada, Washington Black tells the... Read more
 

 

Jasanoff wins US$75,000 Cundill Prize in History

US author and academic Maya Jasanoff has won Canada’s 2018 Cundill Prize in History—the largest international prize for a work of history, worth US$75,000 (A$102,500)—for... Read more
 

 

Robertson wins 2018 Goldsmiths Prize for ‘The Long Take’

In the UK, Robin Robertson has won the £10,000 (A$17,970) 2018 Goldsmiths Prize for The Long Take (Picador). The prize, established in 2013, rewards British and... Read more
 

 

Canadian literary prize suspended after authors protest Amazon sponsorship

In Canada, a Québécois literary prize has been suspended by organisers after prize finalists and the public protested the sponsorship by Amazon, reports the Guardian. The... Read more
 

 

‘Optical Illusions’ wins Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize

In the UK, Optical Illusions by visual artist and author pair Gianni A Sarcone and Marie-Jo Waeber (Quarto) has won the Royal Society Young People’s... Read more
 

 

‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ wins BAMB Readers’ Choice Award

Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (HarperCollins) has won the Books are My Bag (BAMB) Readers’ Choice Award in the UK. Honeyman’s bestselling debut... Read more
 

Rights round-up x

Sales Fiction Echo Publishing has sold German- and French-language rights to And Fire Came Down and Resurrection Bay (both Emma Viskic). HarperCollins has sold North... Read more
 

 

Bestsellers this week: ‘The Meltdown: Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ takes out top spot x

Number one on this week’s bestsellers chart is The Meltdown (Puffin), book 13 in Jeff Kinney’s ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ series, which has moved up... Read more
 

 

Australian bestsellers in October: Moriarty debuts at number one; Pape breaks record for nonfiction sales x

Liane Moriarty’s latest novel Nine Perfect Strangers has debuted at number one in the Australian fiction bestsellers chart, while three of her previous titles—The Husband’s Secret,... Read more
 

Justin D’Ath’s ‘47 Degrees’

‘An action-adventure that rings with truth, 47 Degrees is also a story about courage, empathy, the importance of family and communities, and how the worst times can... Read more
 

Quote of the week

‘I love the industry but it’s incredibly underpaid. I might have to think about moving to a different industry in a few years if I ever want more from my lifestyle—like travelling overseas or buying an apartment.’—An anonymous respondent reflects on low wages in the Australian publishing industry.

 

Johnston awarded $5000 ALIA research grant for project on fake news

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) has awarded a $5000 research grant to Nicole Johnston, a lecturer in information science at Edith Cowan University... Read more
 

 

Motorbike-riding librarians visit Bega on annual library tour

Motorbike library-tour group Biblio Turismo has visited Bega library as part of its annual tour of New South Wales libraries, reports Bega District News. Between 8-11... Read more
 

 

€98m Helsinki library to open in December

In Finland, Helsinki’s new public library Oodi is set to open in early December, coinciding with the country’s Independence Day celebrations. Oodi, which translates to... Read more
 

 

For love or money: employment in the Australian publishing industry in 2018

Books+Publishing surveyed over 300 readers to create a detailed picture of employment in the book industry in 2018. Small Press Network associate producer Jessica Harvie and Books+Publishing editor-in-chief Andrew Wrathall... Read more
 

 

Open Your Eyes: Jax Jacki Brown on access and inclusion in publishing

Writers Victoria and Arts Access Victoria are offering disability awareness training tailored specifically to the publishing industry at the upcoming Independent Publishing Conference in Melbourne. The... Read more
 

 

Children’s book boom: Alice Grundy on the China Shanghai International Children's Book Fair

As part of the Shanghai Visiting International Publishers Project, Brio Books associate publisher Alice Grundy travelled to China to attend the China Shanghai International Children’s... Read more
 

 

Podcast spotlight: The ‘Good Reading’ podcast

The Good Reading podcast, launched in July 2018, publishes episodes weekly with the aim of helping readers ‘discover [their] next favourite read’. Hosted by Emma Harvey, Angus... Read more
 

Publishers Association of NZ: Christmas drinks

The end of the year is fast approaching and PANZ invites you and your colleagues to join us for a festive drink and nibbles to... Read more

Be part of Harry Potter Book Night February 2019

Harry Potter Book Night 2019 will be held Thursday 7th February. With the theme of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it’s perfectly timed for back-to-school season in Australia!

Bookstores and libraries all over the world are invited to host events—big or small—to celebrate the Harry Potter series.

It’s easy! Register at www.harrypotterbooknight.com to receive a free kit with activity suggestions, event ideas and resources and start planning your own magical event.

 

Allen & Unwin congratulates Alison Lester

Allen & Unwin is thrilled to congratulate Alison Lester on winning the prestigious Melbourne Prize for Literature 2018.

This is the first time a children’s author has won the prize, and is well-deserved recognition for Alison’s outstanding body of work, and the contribution she has made to Australian literature.

‘Many of Alison Lester’s titles including Magic Beach, Imagine and Noni the Pony have become Australian classics, beloved by children and adults alike. Allen & Unwin is proud to be one of her publishers, and we are over the moon that her wonderful books have been celebrated with the 2018 Melbourne Prize for Literature.’—Eva Mills, publishing director, books for children and young adults.

To view books by Alison Lester please click here.

 

‘A Memoir of a Male Escort’ to be withdrawn

This is to be withdrawn from sale by New Holland Publishers.

Please be advised that should any retailers have copies of A Memoir of A Male Escort (IBSN 9781760790028) it’s to be returned for a credit to TLD immediately as this book has been withdrawn from sale.

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

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