A Christmas message to European bookshops
Wednesday, 9 December 2020
Dearest bookshops of Europe, This time last year I was sitting on the train in the dark en route to the cosiest place in London. I feel the only way...
From inertia to action: Zeitgeists, decolonisation and structural change in publishing
Wednesday, 9 December 2020
In her final column for Books+Publishing, Veronica Sullivan looks at the positive changes towards diversity and inclusion brought by 2020, and how publishers can ethically navigate the demand for representation...
Lessons from the past: Lorraine Marwood on ‘Footprints on the Moon’
Wednesday, 2 December 2020
Lorraine Marwood's middle-grade verse novel Footprints on the Moon (UQP, February) follows Sharnie as she navigates beginning high school during the tumult of Australian society in 1969. Reviewer Erin Wamala...
Publishing’s meritocracy myth
Wednesday, 2 December 2020
This year’s Beatrice Davis Fellow Radhiah Chowdhury spoke to a range of BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) publishing professionals in the UK about what one respondent identified as the...
How did picture book sales fare during lockdown?
Monday, 30 November 2020
In her final op-ed as Books+Publishing’s Junior columnist for 2020, Adele Walsh looks at how the sales of new picture books—the most tactile of reading experiences—fared during lockdown, and recommends a few...
Art work: Fiona McGregor on ‘Buried Not Dead’
Wednesday, 25 November 2020
Reviewer Cher Tan describes Fiona McGregor's essay collection Buried Not Dead (Giramondo, February), which brings together art criticism, memoir and reportage written over 25 years, as a 'lively and unpretentious' work...
A window on the world: Stephanie Smee’s career journey
Wednesday, 25 November 2020
Stephanie Smee is a Sydney-based French translator who worked as a lawyer before pivoting to literary translation. She has recently translated books including Hannelore Cayre's Dagger Award–winning crime novel The...
Book it in: 2021 children’s and YA preview
Wednesday, 18 November 2020
Alongside a slate of new books by established children’s authors, next year looks to be a year of firsts, featuring books by debut authors, established authors trying their hands at...
Meet Hachette Australia head of rights Sarah Brooks
Wednesday, 18 November 2020
As the pandemic keeps rights sellers from meeting face-to-face, Books+Publishing’s Think Australian publication is shining a regular spotlight on the work of Australian rights agents. Today, we hear from Hachette Australia...
A new leaf: 2021 nonfiction preview
Wednesday, 11 November 2020
The first year of the new decade has been chaotic and unpredictable. However, readers can try to make sense of the year that's been with the many forthcoming releases that...
Reviews round-up
Thursday, 5 November 2020
In October Books+Publishing reviewed more than a dozen forthcoming titles due to be published in December 2020 and January 2021. In adult fiction, lighthearted summer reads The Funny Thing About...
Out of the box: Rebecca Lim on ‘Tiger Daughter’
Thursday, 5 November 2020
Rebecca Lim says her forthcoming novel Tiger Daughter (A&U, February) is 'a lot more personal' than the urban fantasy or mystery novels the author usually writes. Reviewer Mischa Parkee describes...
Turn the page: 2021 fiction preview
Thursday, 5 November 2020
Next year looks to be a big one for first-time authors, with an abundance of fiction debuts in the pipeline. Here, Books+Publishing rounds up publishers’ fiction highlights for the coming year....
Time differences, but more time: Australians’ experiences of ‘virtual’ Frankfurt
Thursday, 5 November 2020
Australian publishers largely relied on Zoom to attend this year's virtual Frankfurt Book Fair. They told Andrea Hanke about the upsides, drawbacks, and the genres in demand at this year's...
When worlds collide: Alison Gibbs on ‘Repentence’
Wednesday, 28 October 2020
Alison Gibbs's 1970s–set novel Repentance (Scribe, January) is the story of a small Australian town that undergoes radical change when newcomers face off against the locals over the logging of...
Christmas buyers’ picks: Nicola Martin at Dymocks Sydney
Wednesday, 28 October 2020
In the lead-up to Christmas 2020, Books+Publishing is asking book buyers across the country to share the titles they’re investing in for the busiest time of year on the bookselling calendar. In...
Buchmesse buzz: how bestsellers originate at Frankfurt
Wednesday, 21 October 2020
Publishing academics Beth Driscoll and Claire Squires conducted fieldwork at Frankfurt Buchmesse 2017–2019 to examine what makes a bestseller at the fair. The result was The Frankfurt Book Fair and...
Celebrating in a pandemic: 30 years of independence at A&U
Wednesday, 21 October 2020
Several publishers had big plans for significant birthdays this year, until Covid came along. In the third of a series of birthday profiles, we hear about 30 years of independence...
Rewriting the long lunch
Wednesday, 21 October 2020
In the Australian publishing landscape, the long lunch occupies a contentious space, provoking a mixture of envy, nostalgia, delight and judgement. Books+Publishing's columnist Veronica Sullivan asks: is the practice a...
Meet UQP rights and contracts manager Kate McCormack
Wednesday, 14 October 2020
In the lead up to this year's virtual Frankfurt Book Fair, Books+Publishing’s sister publication Think Australian profiled UQP rights and contract manager Kate McCormack about her rights list and how Covid-19 has...
Celebrating in a pandemic: Thames & Hudson Australia turns 50
Wednesday, 14 October 2020
Several publishers had big plans for significant birthdays this year, until Covid came along. In the second of a series of birthday profiles, we hear about 50 years of Thames...
Christmas buyers’ picks: the Booktopia team
Wednesday, 14 October 2020
In the lead-up to Christmas 2020, Books+Publishing is asking book buyers across the country to share which titles they’re investing in for the busiest time of year on the bookselling calendar....
Outer limits: Philip Bunting on ‘Give Me Some Space!’
Wednesday, 7 October 2020
Philip Bunting's picture book Give Me Some Space! (December, Omnibus) follows Una, whose determination to explore space results in a new mission—to take care of our own planet. Reviewer Bronte Coates...
A most extraordinary year in books
Wednesday, 7 October 2020
Australian Booksellers Association CEO Robbie Egan says readers are spoiled for choice this Christmas—but in addition to shopping local, they’ll have to shop early. Those in the book trade will...
Celebrating in a pandemic: Monash University Publishing turns 10
Wednesday, 7 October 2020
Several publishers had big plans for significant birthdays this year, until Covid came along. In the first of a series of birthday profiles, we hear about 10 years of publishing...
Meet UQP rights and contracts manager Kate McCormack
Wednesday, 30 September 2020
Kate McCormack has been the rights and contracts manager for Brisbane-based independent UQP for the past four years, joining the publisher after 10 years at Penguin Random House Australia and...
Christmas buyers’ picks: Ruth Ellis at WHSmith
Wednesday, 30 September 2020
In the lead-up to Christmas 2020, Books+Publishing is asking book buyers across the country to share what titles they're investing in for the busiest time of year on the bookselling calendar. In...
Fend for yourselves: Katrina Nannestad on ‘We Are Wolves’
Wednesday, 23 September 2020
Katrina Nannestad's new middle-grade novel is based on the real-life Wolfskinder, East Prussian children who were left to survive on their own in the aftermath of World War II. We Are...
Caravan of dreams: Kerry Ridley on My Little Bookshop
Wednesday, 23 September 2020
Kerry Ridley is the owner of My Little Bookshop, a mobile bookseller that travels around Perth and regional Western Australia. Here she shares her bookseller's diary. The idea of starting...
Everyday heroes: Jamila Rizvi on ‘I’m a Hero Too’
Wednesday, 16 September 2020
Jamila Rizvi's picture book I'm a Hero Too (illus by Peter Cheong, Puffin, November) 'provides gentle positive reinforcement for children who feel helpless and scared' in the face of changes...
