Weekly Book Newsletter (end March 2022)
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13 May 2020

Miles Franklin longlist, latest HarperCollins and S&S results and more

Independent publishers dominate this year’s Miles Franklist longlist; out of the 10-strong list, only one book published by one of the Big Four is up for the $60,000 award.

In sad news from the US today, Simon & Schuster (S&S) president and CEO Carolyn Reidy has died after a heart attack.

Prior to this news, S&S Australia reported its first-quarter print sales were ‘slightly ahead’ of last year’s. Meanwhile, HarperCollins’ parent company News Corp has announced all its businesses are embarking on cost-cutting measures, as the publisher’s global sales took a 2% dip in the three months ending 31 March. The parent company of Walker Books ANZ has been acquired by a private equity-owned children’s content company, however ‘no changes to operations are contemplated’.

In awards news, Text has announced the shortlists for its annual Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing and the Michael Gifkins Prize for NZ writers; the winners of the 2020 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards have been announced, as has the winner of this year’s Ernest Scott Prize. The recipients of the Marten Bequest writing scholarships, the Wheeler Centre Hot Desk Fellows, and the shortlists for the Woollahra Digital Literary Awards were also announced this week.

Overseas, a survey by the Bookseller has found that a vast majority of UK and Ireland’s small publishers are worried for their short- or mid-term future. Frankfurt Book Fair is planning a ‘completely different experience’ for this year’s event, which is set to run from 14–18 October. Meanwhile, Faber’s print sales are down about a third year on year, thanks to the UK’s lockdown period.

For all the latest localinternational and rights news, sign up to our Daily newsletter here.

 
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At your service: Nic Bottomley on creative bookselling x

Nic Bottomley is president of the UK Booksellers Association (BA) and the owner of Bath bookshop Mr B’s Emporium. He was to be the keynote... Read more
 

 

Making connections: Cath Moore on ‘Metal Fish, Falling Snow’

Cath Moore’s debut YA novel Metal Fish, Falling Snow (Text, July) is an ‘astonishingly original, heartfelt and funny’ exploration of self-acceptance, identity and belonging, says reviewer... Read more
 
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Bestsellers: New Bluey board book debuts at number three x

Malcolm Turnbull’s memoir A Bigger Picture is spending its second consecutive week at number one on the Australian bestsellers chart as a new Bluey board book,... Read more
 

 

A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing (Jessie Tu, A&U) x

Somewhere between wetting her pants during a standing ovation and sleeping with her conductor, violinist Jena Chung finds herself lonely. Set against a backdrop of... Read more
 
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Metal Fish, Falling Snow (Cath Moore, Text) x

Fourteen-year-old Dylan blames herself for her mum’s recent tragic death. Left alone with her mum’s boyfriend Pat, Dylan has no choice but to leave her... Read more
 

 

The Snowman’s Wish (Sophie Masson, illus by Ronak Taher, Dirt Lane Press) x

With The Snowman’s Wish, Sophie Masson and Ronak Taher have crafted a soft tale about the passage of time and the beauty in the world.... Read more
 

Cultural criticism needs to reflect Australia’s diversity

‘Before we can ever call ourselves a free and equal society for all, multicultural Australia must be reflected in all the conversations and critiques that shape our nation’s stories.’Writer and member of Sweatshop Writers Collective Shirley Le on the Sydney Morning Herald’s decision to select five white critics for its emerging culture critics program, which is funded by the Copyright Agency and the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.

 

 

Read the latest Publishers Weekly x

Books+Publishing is partnering with US trade news magazine Publishers Weekly to provide our subscribers with exclusive access to the weekly digital edition of PW magazine.... Read more
 

Editors NSW: Zoom meeting: editor as historian

Author and editor Cathy Perkins will talk about her editorial work at the State Library of NSW, which led to years of historical research for... Read more
 
 
 

 

 

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