Weekly Book Newsletter (end March 2022)
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12 March 2020

Coronavirus wreaks conference havoc, Stella Prize shortlist and latest industry moves

The fallout from the global coronavirus crisis continued this week, with the inevitable cancellation of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Locally, organisers pulled the pin on the ALIA national conference, the PANZ International conference was postponed, and Simon & Schuster and Nielsen Book withdrew staff from the upcoming LEB conference, which is still scheduled to run in Brisbane from 22–24 March, while SWF organisers say they are ‘cautiously proceeding’ ahead of tonight’s program launch.

The Stella Prize shortlist was the highlight of this week’s awards news, which also includes Margaret Wild’s OzCo award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature, the winners of Overland’s Judith Wright and Neilma Sidney prizes, Jane Rawson’s shortlisting for the UK’s Kitschies awards for spec fic, and the shortlist for ASA/HQ’s Commercial Fiction Prize. Meanwhile, Unity Books Auckland won the Bookstore of the Year Award at the 2020 London Book Fair International Excellence Awards.

In personnel news, Davina Bell has been appointed publisher at A&U, Marian Blythe is leaving Black Inc. and Ruby-Rose Pivet-Marsh is the new artistic director of the Emerging Writers Festival.

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

 
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Feeling seen: Kay Kerr on ‘Please Don't Hug Me’

Kay Kerr’s YA novel Please Don’t Hug Me (Text, May) follows 17-year-old Erin as she relays life as a teenager with autism in letters to... Read more
 

 

Rights round-up x

Sales Fiction Text Publishing has sold German-language rights to The Beautiful Fall (Hugh Breakey) in a six-figure deal to Blanvalet (PRH Germany), where it was... Read more
 
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Bestsellers: McTiernan at number one x

Perth-based author Dervla McTiernan’s third Cormac Reilly novel (The Good Turn, HarperCollins) has flown to the top of the bestseller charts in its first week... Read more
 

 

The Year the Maps Changed (Danielle Binks, Lothian)

The Year the Maps Changed is Melbourne-based writer Danielle Binks’ debut novel. The year is 1999 and in small-town Sorrento, Victoria, 11-year-old Fred is lost... Read more
 
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Australia’s literary readership is shrinking

‘I think we are in a period of stagnation. New titles continue to be published into the established categories, and readers are even more prone than before to act like sheep—that is, when they read at all, they read what everybody else is reading’—Giramondo publisher Ivor Indyk on the increasing challenges of publishing literary fiction.

 

 

RiP Shirley Stackhouse

Sydney-based author and gardening personality Shirley Stackhouse has died, aged 92. Stackhouse was the Sydney Morning Herald’s gardening columnist for more than 30 years, during which time she dispatched gardening advice... Read more
 

 

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. View the... Read more
 

Editors Victoria: IPEd accreditation information night and workshop

Calling all editors: demonstrate your professional competence to prospective employers by gaining accreditation from the Institute of Professional Editors. The next accreditation exam will be... Read more

Editors NSW: Medical writing and editing

The 7 April presentation by Editors NSW focuses on health and medical writing and editing: opportunities and pitfalls. Mark Ragg started his working life as... Read more

Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund now open for applications

The Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund recognises the unique value of travel in the development of new writing and literary careers. Writers Victoria and the... Read more

Barbara Jefferis Award applications opening soon

Entries will open soon for the 2020 Barbara Jefferis Award, which is awarded to ‘the best novel written by an Australian author that depicts women and girls in a positive way or otherwise empowers the status of women and girls in society’.

Applications for the 2020 award open on 9am 17 April 2020 and close at 5pm on 25 June 2020.

This year the prize pool includes $50,000 for the winner with $5000 to be distributed among the shortlisted authors.

Terms and conditions and more information are available on the ASA website: www.asauthors.org.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

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