Books+Publishing is currently conducting its annual pre-Christmas survey of booksellers and publishers. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey by Friday, 7 December. Booksellers... Read more
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Company Last day of business in 2018 First day of business in 2019 Alliance Distribution Services Closed public holidays Allen & Unwin Friday, 21 December... Read more
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The winners of the 2018 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards have been announced. The winning titles in each category are: Fiction Border Districts (Gerald Murnane, Giramondo)... Read more
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Leading Edge Books has announced the longlists for the 2019 Indie Book Awards for books published in 2018. The longlisted titles in each category are:... Read more
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Online retailer Booktopia is seeking up to $10 million in equity to help expand warehouse automation, buy more stock and fund the liquidity of the... Read more
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Australian paper prices are set to increase in February 2019, following price rises by paper suppliers in 2018, reports Print21. Three major Australian paper suppliers,... Read more
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Australian booksellers have been experiencing slower than usual order turnaround times from HarperCollins Entertainment Distribution Services (HEDS), as the Christmas retailing period gets underway. In... Read more
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The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund has awarded a total of $240,000 for three fellowships. Melbourne writer Jeff Sparrow was awarded the $80,000 author fellowship for... Read more
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Affirm Press has engaged international agency Rights People to represent its kids list. Affirm sales and marketing director Keiran Rogers says he is anticipating more... Read more
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Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) has sold North American rights to Jacqueline Harvey’s children’s book series ‘Kensy and Max’ to Kane Miller Publishers. The four-book... Read more
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Big Sky Publishing has sold UK rights to Alan Leek’s history book Frederick Whirlpool VC to UK military history publisher Pen & Sword. Leek’s book tells... Read more
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Blogger and appearance activist Carly Findlay will edit the forthcoming anthology Growing Up Disabled in Australia, to be published by Black Inc. in 2020. Black Inc.... Read more
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Leading Edge Group has appointed Charlie Davey as head of category. Davey has held senior positions at Big W and WHSmith, and has more than... Read more
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Fremantle Press is partnering with social-purpose organisation the Fogarty Foundation to launch an unpublished manuscript award for young writers in Western Australia, worth $20,000. The... Read more
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Billy Griffiths’ Deep Time Dreaming: Uncovering Ancient Australia (Black Inc.) has won the John Mulvaney Book Award, which recognises significant contributions to the publication of... Read more
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The recipients of the 2018 Next Chapter grants for developing writers, each worth $15,000, have been matched with their mentors, who will work with them... Read more
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A new online store for self-published Australian picture books has launched as a pilot project. Self-published author Suzanne Barton launched the retail pilot, called Top... Read more
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Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) has partnered with RightsTech Project (RTP) to launch a new conference called RightsTech: Europe, to be held in Frankfurt, Germany, on... Read more
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US author James Frey has received the 2018 Bad S-x in Fiction Award, the Literary Review’s annual prize for ‘poorly written, perfunctory or redundant passages of... Read more
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In the UK, the Literary Review has announced the Bad S-x in Fiction Award shortlist for 2018. The seven shortlisted books are: Scoundrels: The Hunt for Hansclapp (Major Victor Cornwall... Read more
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UK bookselling chain Waterstones has selected Sally Rooney’s Normal People (Faber) as its book of the year for 2018. Chosen from a shortlist of eight,... Read more
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The winners of the 2018 Irish Book Awards have been announced. Chosen from shortlists announced in October, the winners include: Novel of the year Normal... Read more
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Sales Fiction Pantera Press has sold French-language rights to The Crossing (B Michael Radburn). Nonfiction Big Sky Publishing has sold UK rights to Frederick Whirlpool... Read more
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For the third week running, book 13 in the ‘Diary of A Wimpy Kid’ series The Meltdown (Jeff Kinney, Puffin) is number one on the weekly bestsellers chart and... Read more
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‘The historical and continued insistence by almost all big publishers to acquire audio rights for term of copyright is locking up these books up in a lead box and throwing away the key. It is totally unacceptable in a publishing environment that is desperate to attract new readers.’—Curtis Brown UK literary agent Cathryn Summerhayes says it is ‘totally unacceptable’ for publishers to be sitting on audio rights in the current market environment.
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Australian poet Judith Rodríguez has died, aged 82. Rodríguez’s first poetry appeared in the 1962 collection Four Poets, under the pseudonym Judith Green, alongside poetry by David... Read more
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Australia’s first public prime ministerial library, dedicated to former prime minister John Howard, has opened in Canberra, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. The Howard Library,... Read more
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In the UK, Cheshire West and Chester council has been awarded the top prize at the 2018 Guardian Public Service Awards (PSA) for the transformation... Read more
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In the US, the Libraries Ready to Code program has announced funding of US$500 (A$648) for 250 schools and public libraries to implement coding activities during Computer... Read more
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The Small Press Network’s (SPN) seventh Independent Publishing Conference was held at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne on 22-24 November. SPN general manager Tim Coronel... Read more
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Launched in 2016, Sisteria is a Melbourne-based podcast about ‘women’s experiences as creators and consumers of arts and culture’. Hosted by Stephanie Van Schilt and Veronica Sullivan,... Read more
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In the lead-up to Christmas, the busiest time of year on the bookselling calendar, Books+Publishing is asking booksellers across the country to predict their biggest... Read more
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‘In her eighth novel, Andrea Goldsmith depicts Australia through the eyes of a new arrival: the abundance of Victoria Market contrasted with Soviet-era poverty. Written... Read more
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Deb Stevens is retiring as Allen & Unwin’s Canberra-based account manager. Louise Pearce will be the new account manager for the ACT region as of... Read more
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Will Dawson, the outgoing executive director of the Emerging Writers’ Festival, has joined Melbourne Fringe Festival as general manager/deputy CEO. Dawson begins the position on... Read more
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‘The ILF makes us better as a school community. They make remote children happier. They make children successful’—Charlie Klein, Teaching Principal of Tjuntjuntjara Remote Community School,... Read more
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Express Media has opened applications for the Kat Muscat Fellowship, which entails professional development up to the value of $3000 for an editorial project or... Read more
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The Speculative Fiction Festival 2019 is looking for panel ideas and speakers that are as diverse as the literature itself. Panel topics will delve into... Read more
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The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) conference co-conveners Dyan Blacklock and Margaret Hamilton have announced that Early Bird bookings are now open for the... Read more
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Folded and Gathered, a new social club run by Melbourne publishing folk from four different companies, invites publishing industry professionals (including freelancers) to join them... Read more
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James Bennett wishes to advise that our office and warehouse will close for the Christmas holiday on Friday 21 December at 5pm and reopen on 7 January at 7am. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and look forward to working together in the new year.
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After eighteen and a half years as Allen & Unwin’s Canberra-based account manager, Deb Stevens has decided to retire. Deb has been a tireless ambassador for Allen & Unwin, Murdoch Books and Bloomsbury over the years, and will be greatly missed by her colleagues, customers and our authors. We would like to thank Deb for her significant contribution to Allen & Unwin and Murdoch Books over the years and wish her all the best for her retirement.
Allen & Unwin and Murdoch Books are pleased to announce that Louise Pearce will be our new account manager for the ACT region, as of 10th December. Louise can be contacted on 0418 249 872 or via email: louiseapearce@yahoo.com.au.
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