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Mark's Say, May, 2017
Like Australian publishing generally, university publishing in Australia has gone through its ups and downs. Melbourne University Publishing has dominated the sector for the last 30 years or so, but like many Australian publishers, it’s had to adjust to a changing landscape. University of Queensland Press established itself as a literary publisher in the 70s and 80s, publishing Peter Carey, Kate Grenville and David Malouf. It’s recently appointed former Australia Council Literature executive, Jill Eddington, as its director.
It’s heartening…
Read an extract from The Hot Guy
by Mel Campbell and Anthony MorrisFilm critics Mel Campbell and Anthony Morris have teamed up to create The Hot Guy, a satirical rom-com that both sends up and pays tribute to movies, romantic conventions, and inner-city Melbourne – complete with hipster jokes, fake film trailers and good-natured snark. You can read a short extract from the novel below.
We’re pleased to be hosting a free event with Mel and Anthony discussing the novel with the Good Copy’s Penny Modra on Wednesday 25 May. Find…
Karen Foxlee wins the 2017 Readings Children's Book Prize
The winner of this year’s Readings Children’s Book Prize is A Most Magical Girl by Karen Foxlee!
The Readings Children’s Book Prize recognises and celebrates Australian books that children love to read and raises the profile of debut and on-the-rise Australian children’s book authors. Foxlee’s first book for children, Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy, was shortlisted for the Prize in 2015. As this year’s winner, she will receive prize money of $3000.
This book was chosen – and unanimously…
Miles Franklin Literary Award longlist 2017
The longlist for this year’s Miles Franklin Literary Award has been announced. Congratulations to all all the authors and publishers.
The longlisted titles are:
The Easy Way Out by Steve Amsterdam
An Isolated Incident by Emily Maguire
The Last Days of Ava Langdon by Mark O’Flynn
Their Brilliant Careers by Ryan O’Neill
A Loving, Faithful Animal by Josephine Rowe
Waiting by Philip Salom
Where The Trees Were by Inga Simpson
Hold by Kirsten Tranter
Extinctions by Josephine Wilson
This year’s…
The ABIA Book shortlists 2017
The Australian Book Industry Awards Academy has announced the ABIA Book shortlists for 2017. For the first time, the fastest-growing book publishing segment in the world is acknowledged with an ABIA for Audiobook of the Year.
Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators, narrators, and publishers.
Australian Women’s Weekly General Fiction Book of the Year
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty (Macmillan Australia, Pan Macmillan Australia)
The Chocolate Tin by Fiona McIntosh (Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House)
Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo
The Bad Guys Episode 5: Intergalactic Gas by Aaron Blabey
The Boy and the Spy by Felice Arena
The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo Book 2) by Rick Riordan
Really Weird! (WeirDo Book 8) by Anh Do and Jules Faber
A Most Magical Girl by Karen Foxlee
Elizabeth and Zenobia by Jessica MillerDenton
In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek
Our top ten bestsellers of the week
Depends What You Mean by Extremist by John Safran
The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose
Which Cult Should I Join? by Jo Stewart
The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
M Train by Patti Smith
The Starlings by Vivienne Kelly
First, We Make the Beast Beautiful by Sarah Wilson
The White Queen – One Nation and the Politics of Race (Quarterly Essay 65) by David Marr
Our…
What we're reading: Wesley Lowery, Mel Campbell and Anthony Morris
Each week we bring you a sample of the books we’re reading, the films and TV shows we’re watching, and the music we’re listening to.
Bronte Coates is reading They Can’t Kill Us All by Wesley Lowery
They Can’t Kill Us All is a compact, fiercely galvanising read about the birth of the Black Lives Matter protest movement. Wesley Lowery is singularly placed to tell this story. Reporting for The Washington Post, he was on the streets during the…
Historical fiction for feminists
Skylarking by Kate Mildenhall
Inspired by a true story, Kate Mildenhall’s debut novel addresses issues around gender identity and sexuality. The book offers a unique perspective into the lives of women in the nineteenth century. Our reviewer says: ‘Kate is a wonderful literary character – chafing against the expectations of her gender in the 1880s, and wondering what is possible for her beyond the roles of wife and mother.’
Stolen Beauty by Laurie Lico Albanese
Stolen Beauty reimagines the true…
Marija Peričić wins the 2017 Vogel's Literary Award
Marija Peričić has been named the winner of this year’s Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award for her novel, The Lost Pages, an intriguing exploration of Czech writer Franz Kafka.
It is 1908, and Max Brod is the rising star of Prague’s literary world. Everything he desires – fame, respect, love – is finally within his reach. But when a rival appears on the scene, Max discovers how quickly he can lose everything he has worked so hard to attain. He…