Melbourne Writers Festival interrogates love
Friday, 9 August 2019
‘When We Talk About Love’ is the heart-interrogating theme of this year’s Melbourne Writers Festival, which runs from 30 August to 8 September, with sessions that explore ‘our love for people,...
Judging a book by its cover: Jane Curry on the influence of Instagram
Wednesday, 7 August 2019
Ventura Press publisher Jane Curry argues that the biggest influence on design trends this decade has been Instagram. With 5000 new titles a month released into the Australian market, what...
Book designer spotlight: Evi O
Wednesday, 7 August 2019
Evi O spent a decade working as a designer at Penguin Books Australia, where she specialised in illustrated books on food, design, art, architecture and gardens, before opening her own...
Book-to-screen adaptations pitched at 2019 Books at MIFF
Friday, 2 August 2019
The 13th annual Books at MIFF (BaM) event, run by Melbourne International Film Festival’s 37º South Market, was held at Melbourne’s Forum Theatre on 1 August. Representatives from publishing and...
Making time to read: Australian Reading Hour
Wednesday, 31 July 2019
This year Australian Reading Hour will publish a range of affordable children’s books to be sold in the lead-up to the 2019 event. Brad Jefferies spoke to ARH chair Louise Sherwin-Stark. The...
Taking control of your TBR pile: Mischa Parkee’s top picks for forthcoming children’s titles
Wednesday, 31 July 2019
Mischa Parkee, primary school teacher and children’s specialist at Sydney’s Better Read Than Dead, shares her top picks for forthcoming children’s titles. There comes a time when any reader must...
What we’re reading in winter
Wednesday, 31 July 2019
Sarah Farquharson: During the Easter break I read and loved Ashleigh Young’s collection of personal essays Can you Tolerate This? (Giramondo), so I’m looking forward to picking up a copy...
All hands on deck: Inside The Little Bookroom with Michael Earp
Wednesday, 31 July 2019
Situated in Melbourne’s inner north, The Little Bookroom is Australia’s oldest dedicated children’s bookshop. In his bookseller’s diary, children’s literature specialist Michael Earp reveals how a combination of experience, new ideas...
It’s not easy being green: Adelaide’s Pop-up Bookshop boycots HEDS
Wednesday, 31 July 2019
Adelaide’s Pop-up Bookshop co-owner Kate Treloar tells Books+Publishing why she decided to boycott a major book distributor on environmental grounds. In June, Adelaide’s Pop-up Bookshop announced on Facebook that it...
Book designer spotlight: Mark Campbell
Wednesday, 31 July 2019
Mark Campbell got his break in the book industry at Hardie Grant Books, where he worked in marketing before moving over to design. He is currently head of design at...
Holiday book haul: Junior Christmas 2019 preview
Wednesday, 24 July 2019
Kelsey Oldham rounds up some local highlights from publishers’ 2019 Christmas lists. (See our adult fiction and nonfiction highlights here.) Aussie favourites Some of our most celebrated Australian children’s authors...
Good tidings we bring: Christmas 2019 preview
Wednesday, 24 July 2019
Sarah Farquharson rounds up this year’s top locally authored Christmas titles. (See our kids and YA Christmas highlights here.) Blockbuster fiction The small press with one of the biggest books...
Hidden in plain sight: Jane Curry on the role of the editor
Wednesday, 17 July 2019
Ventura Press founder Jane Curry explores the role of the editor. 'Who’s the editor?’ I have only been asked this question once in my career and it was by a...
Book buyer spotlight: James Bennett’s buying team
Wednesday, 17 July 2019
Australian library supplier James Bennett’s 11-strong buying team combines expertise from the bookselling, library and publishing sectors. Buyer Louise Oliver spoke to Books+Publishing for our ‘book buyer spotlight’ series. How long...
Beyond just sales: Connecting to customers and communities through events
Wednesday, 10 July 2019
Sarah Farquharson speaks to two independent bookshops about how they make connections with customers and their communities through events. The owners of BooksPlus, in the NSW town of Bathurst, and...
A writer’s life for me: Andrew Daddo on ‘Atticus Van Tasticus’
Thursday, 4 July 2019
Atticus Van Tasticus, Andrew Daddo and Stephen Michael King’s illustrated middle-grade adventure (Puffin, September), follows a 10-year-old whose grandma gifts him a pirate ship. Kelsey Oldham spoke with Daddo about...
Book buyer spotlight: ALS Library Services’ Philippa Siebert
Wednesday, 3 July 2019
As a member of the acquisitions team at Adelaide-based ALS Library Services, Philippa Siebert has been helping libraries stock their shelves for over a decade. She spoke to Books+Publishing for our...
Is YA okay?: The state of Australian young adult literature
Wednesday, 3 July 2019
With reports from the UK showing a sharp decline in sales of YA fiction, Jackie Tang explores whether the Australian market is experiencing similar changes. When UK trade publication the...
Natural habitat: Kate Goldsworthy shares her career journey
Wednesday, 26 June 2019
Over the past 10 years, Victoria-based editor Kate Goldsworthy has worked for a wide range of publishers, both in-house and as a freelancer. She shares her career journey. Since early...
Book buyer spotlight: Peter Pal’s Stuart Dunstan
Wednesday, 19 June 2019
How does book buying differ for the library sector? Stuart Dunstan, fiction buyer for Australian library supplier Peter Pal, spoke to Books+Publishing for our ‘book buyer spotlight’ series. How long have...
Change maker: Sally Rugg on ‘How Powerful We Are’
Wednesday, 19 June 2019
LGBTIQ rights activist Sally Rugg led the GetUp campaign for marriage equality for five years and is now executive director at change.org. Rugg’s first book, How Powerful We Are (Hachette,...
Meryl Halls: Creating better bookshops
Wednesday, 19 June 2019
Meryl Halls recently became managing director of the UK Booksellers Association (BA). In June she’s in Australia to give the keynote address at the Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) conference. She...
Meet the ABA Young Booksellers of the Year: Eadie Allen from the Sun Bookshop
Wednesday, 19 June 2019
In the lead-up to the Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) 2019 conference, Books+Publishing spoke to each of the five shortlisted nominees for the Young Bookseller of the Year award ahead of the winner announcement on...
Meet the ABA Young Booksellers of the Year: Aisling Lawless from Dymocks Joondalup
Friday, 14 June 2019
In the lead-up to the Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) 2019 conference, Books+Publishing spoke to each of the five shortlisted nominees for the Young Bookseller of the Year award ahead of...
The regional bookshops competing with Big W
Thursday, 13 June 2019
Brad Jefferies speaks to independent booksellers in regional areas about the impending closure of around 30 Big W stores. Reactions were mixed when it was reported in March that up...
Meet the ABA Young Booksellers of the Year: Kate Adams from Better Read Than Dead
Wednesday, 12 June 2019
In the lead-up to the Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) 2019 conference, Books+Publishing spoke to each of the five shortlisted nominees for the Young Bookseller of the Year award ahead of...
Meet the ABA Young Booksellers of the Year: Simon McDonald from Potts Point Bookshop
Friday, 7 June 2019
In the lead-up to the Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) 2019 conference, Books+Publishing spoke to each of the five shortlisted nominees for the Young Bookseller of the Year award ahead of...
Nervous laughter: Nina Kenwood on ‘It Sounded Better in My Head’
Thursday, 6 June 2019
Nina Kenwood won the 2018 Text Prize for her YA debut It Sounded Better in My Head (Text, August), which follows neurotic 18-year-old Natalie as she navigates first love during...
Meet the ABA Young Booksellers of the Year: Michael Earp from The Little Bookroom
Wednesday, 5 June 2019
In the lead-up to the Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) 2019 conference, Books+Publishing spoke to each of the five shortlisted nominees for the Young Bookseller of the Year award ahead of...
Book buyer spotlight: Dymocks’ Imogen Neely
Wednesday, 5 June 2019
Imogen Neely is the merchandise manager for Dymocks. She spoke to Books+Publishing for our ‘book buyer spotlight’ series. How long have you been in the role and what did you do...