London Book Fair 2013

Special link: London Book Fair 2013

Friday, June 29, 2012

The Penguin Podcast: Urban Tales featuring Paul French, Dubliners and Greg Baxter

We've travelled across the globe to famous cities for this Urban-themed podcast, from Beijing to Dublin, with some great writers talking about some great cities

BTB #303: Educational Publishing In Russia, a BEA Global Forum

Earlier this month at BookExpo America 2012, the day-long Global Market Forum examined Russian publishing trends, including for educational publishing. A pair of Moscow-based publishers joined two Americans for a frank and lively discussion, moderated by CCC's Chris Kenneally. The panelists were Dmitry Bak, Vice Rector for Research at the Russian State University for the Humanities; Jonathan Brent, Executive Director of the Yivo Institute for Jewish Research in New York City; Alexander Kondakov, Director General, Prosveshcheniye Publishers; and Marc Mikulich, Vice President, Brand Management and International Rights, John Wiley & Sons

2012 CLPE Poetry Award shortlist

The shortlist for the 2012 CLPE Poetry Award was announced on June 14 2012. The winner of the 2012 Award will be announced at a ceremony at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education on Tuesday July 24:

* John Agard: Goldilocks on CCTV, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura, Frances Lincoln
* Brian Moses: Holding the Hands of Angels, Salt Publishing
* Rachel Rooney: The Language of Cat, illustrated by Ellie Jenkins, Frances Lincoln
* Fred Sedgwick: Here Comes the Poetry Man, Salt Publishing

East Sussex Children's Book Award 2012 (UK)

The winner of the 2012 book award was 'Magicalamity' by Kate Saunders

Scottish Children's Book Awards 2012 shortlists

The shortlists for the Scottish Children's Book Awards 2012 have been announced:

Bookbug Readers (0-7 years)

- Jack and the Flum Flum Tree by Julia Donaldson, Illustrated by David Roberts (Macmillan)

-The Day Louis Got Eaten by John Fardell (Andersen Press)

-Solomon Crocodile by Catherine Rayner (Macmillan)

Younger Readers (8-11 years)

-Out of the Depths by Cathy MacPhail (Bloomsbury)

-Soldier's Game by James Killgore (Floris Books)

-The World of Norm: May Contain Nuts by Jonathan Meres (Orchard)

Older Readers (12-16 years)

-The 13th Horseman by Barry Hutchison (Harper Collins)

-Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Electric Monkey)

-The Prince Who Walked With Lions by Elizabeth Laird (Macmillan)

Open City: London, 1500-1700

Open City: London, 1500-1700 Over the course of two centuries, London changed from the capital of England, secure within its medieval walls, to a metropolitan seat of empire. Its population grew tenfold. Some urban developments were spurred by the dissolution of the monasteries, a royal decree that was both politically and religiously motivated. Also reshaping the city were natural tragedies, like repeated bouts of the plague or the Great Fire of 1666 that destroyed more than 13,000 homes, 86 churches, and over 400 acres in the heart of the city. Such events had a significant impact on the built environment, opening up spaces for repurposing. Open City explores activities and pressures that altered Londoners' sense of community, focusing especially on three types of institutions that touched everyday lives: church, theater, and market. Drawing on materials as disparate as deeds, diaries, engravings, and maps, Open City illustrates the impact of new ideas, new products, and new people in this rapidly growing capital city

Grace McCleen wins the Desmond Elliott Prize

Grace McCleen has been named the winner of the fifth Desmond Elliott Prize for her novel The Land of Decoration, published by Chatto & Windus. She carried off this most prestigious £10,000 prize for debut fiction against an exceptionally strong shortlist, which included Patrick McGuinness's The Last Hundred Days (Seren) and Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Doubleday). The judges described The Land of Decoration as 'unlike anything you have ever read' and praised McCleen's original language and ideas, and the novel's vivid and life-affirming evocation of the real and surreal life of a young girl in a Christian sect who believes the Last Days have come. On the surface a domestic tale, this novel is apocalyptic in its scope

An announcement about The Word magazine

We regret to announce that the August issue of The Word, which will be published in the second week of July, will be the last. In the nine years since the magazine launched there have been dramatic changes in the media and the music business. These changes have made it more difficult for a small independent magazine to survive and provide its staff with a living. This hasn't been made any easier by the economic climate of the wider world

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Book video: City of Ravens by Boria Sax

Boria Sax, author of City of Ravens, introduces his new book on the extraordinary history of London's famous Tower Ravens

2012 Sunburst Award shortlists (Canada)

The shortlists for the 2012 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic have been announced

London book and poetry events: 27 June - 3 July, 2012 (UK)

Book, poetry and spoken word events in London 27 June - 3 July, 2012

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Brazil prisoners reading books to shorten their sentences

Brazil will offer inmates in its crowded prison system a novel way to shorten their sentences - cutting four days for every book they read

Video: Inside Random House: Bringing Our Authors' Books to Life

Many people work behind the scenes at Random House to bring each book to the widest possible audience. Here, you'll meet some of them and learn more about what's involved, from editorial and design through production

Book Review: Underground Maps - Art, Design and Cartography

Underground Maps: Art, Design and Cartography by Claire Dobbin is out now from Lund Humphries in association with London Transport Museum

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Read this book in 2 months or the words will disappear

Argentinean independent publishers Eterna Cadencia released an anthology of new Latin authors using special ink that disappears once it comes in contact with sun and air, completely disappearing within two months time after opening the book

Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction

The American Library Association's inaugural Andrew Carnegie Awards for Excellence in Literature went, in nonfiction, to Robert K. Massie for Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (Random House) and, in fiction, to Anne Enright for The Forgotten Waltz (Norton). They each receive $5,000

Monday, June 25, 2012

ForeWord Reviews - winners of the 2011 Book of the Year Awards and the Independent Publisher of the Year

ForeWord Reviews has announced the winners of the 2011 Book of the Year Awards and the Independent Publisher of the Year. At a ceremony at ALA's Annual Conference in Anaheim, California, ForeWord named 209 Book of the Year Award winners in 54 categories. These books, representing the best independently published works from 2011, were selected by a panel of librarian and bookseller judges

2012 Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards finalists

The Canadian Children's Book Centre has announced the finalists for its seven major children's book awards - the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l’enfance et la jeunesse, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction, Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, John Spray Mystery Award and the inaugural Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy. The winners will be announced at the TD Canadian Children's Literature Awards and Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l'enfance et la jeunesse, two invitation-only gala events in Toronto and Montreal later this fall. Overall, $120,000 in prize monies will be awarded

Chinese dissident Liao Yiwu wins German peace prize

Chinese writer Liao Yiwu has won the 2012 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. Liao, a prominent dissident who fled China for Germany in 2011, will collect his award in October at the Frankfurt Book Fair

Sunday, June 24, 2012

2012 Manchester Writing Competition (UK)

Established in 1998 within the Department of English at Manchester Metropolitan University, the Manchester Writing School is a thriving centre of creative excellence, working to benefit the literary community at large, under the direction of Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy. The School hosts a vibrant series of public reading events, a leading outreach network, and a biennial festival of children's literature. In 2008, funded by the University's innovative Enterprise Fellowship scheme, the Manchester Writing School built on its ongoing work by launching the Manchester Writing Competition – a new literary prize designed to attract and celebrate the best new writing from around the world, and to establish Manchester as the focal point for a major literary award

Ingram adds Lerner Interactive Books™ to ipage

As more libraries look to expand e-book offerings to patrons, publishers like Lerner Publishing Group are choosing Ingram Content Group to supply e-books via Ingram's ipage® search and order platform. Public libraries will now have access to more than 200 interactive children's books from Lerner Digital™ through Ingram. Ordering through ipage allows libraries to select and purchase content on a title-by-title basis

Video: The Agile Publishing Model with Peter Lynch

In this session, Peter Lynch, Editorial Manager at Sourcebooks, gives viewers a primer on agile content development, an overview of how the agile workflow is being implemented for the development of Sourcebooks' Entering The Shift Age, and how publishers can use agile to become more efficient and produce better content

Author John Irving on his latest novel

Bestselling author John Irving introduced his latest novel, In One Person, to a packed audience at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim

Saturday, June 23, 2012

2012 Runciman Award winner

Peter Thonemann has been named winner of the prestigious 2012 Runciman Award for his book, 'The Maeander Valley: A Historical Geography From Antiquity to Byzantium'

Trillium Book Award winner

Phil Hall has won the $20,000 Trillium Book Award, which honors the best writing by Ontario authors, for Killdeer. Jeudi Novembre by Michèle Vinet was the $20,000 Trillium French-language winner. The $10,000 Trillium awards for poetry went to Earworm by Nick Thran and À tire d'ailes by Sonia Lamontagne

Friday, June 22, 2012

Open access is the future of academic publishing, says Finch report (UK)

Making all the UK's publicly funded scientific research free for anyone to read could cost up to £60m per year, according to an independent study commissioned by the government. Professor Dame Janet Finch, who led the work, said "open access" was the future for academic publishing and that the short-term transition costs she had identified should reduce over time as more articles became freely available and the journal subscription costs currently paid by university libraries fell

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Book Slam (UK)

Book Slam is London's first/ best/ only literary nightclub, which features all the top writers, the finest live music and a semi-professional Serbian DJ

The 46th Bedford Park Festival 2012 (UK)

The 2012 Bedford Park Festival starts with Green Days weekend on Saturday June 16th and Sunday 17th. It will end on Sunday July 1st, with the Festival Mass (right) and Bedford Park Open Gardens

London book and poetry events: 20-26 June, 2012 (UK)

Book, poetry and spoken word events in London 20-26 June, 2012

2012 David Gemmell Awards for fantasy winners

The winners of this year's David Gemmell Awards for fantasy are:

Morningstar Award (best debut): Heir of Night by Helen Lowe

Legend Award (best novel): The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

Ravenheart Award (best cover art): Raymond Swanland for Blood of Aenarion by William King

2012 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction winner

Irish author Sebastian Barry has won the £25,000 2012 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction for his novel On Canaan's Side. Mr Barry becomes the third recipient of the award, which forms part of the Borders Book Festival in Melrose

2012 PEN/Ackerley Prize for Memoir shortlist

The shortlist for the 2012 PEN/Ackerley Prize for Memoir has been announced:

* Sherard Cowper-Coles - Cables from Kabul (HarperPress)
* Duncan Fallowell - How to Disappear (Ditto Press)
* Roger Garfitt - The Horseman's Word (Jonathan Cape)
* Mirabel Osler - The Rain Tree (Bloomsbury)
* Brian Sewell - Outsider: Almost Always, Never Quite (Quartet)

The winner will be announced at the English PEN summer party for members on Wednesday, 18 July

2012 Miles Franklin Literary Award winner

Anna Funder won the $50,000 2012 Miles Franklin Literary Award, which recognizes a novel of the highest literary merit that "presents Australian life in any of its phases," for All That I Am

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Max Hastings wins $100,000 Pritzker Military Library Literature Award

British historian Sir Max Hastings has won the 2012 Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing. At the Library's annual Liberty Gala in October, the historian will receive a $100,000 honorarium

Monday, June 18, 2012

2012 Midwest Booksellers Choice Awards finalists

The annual Midwest Booksellers Choice Awards honor authors from the Midwest and books about the Midwest. Five award-winning books are both nominated and voted on by our knowledgeable booksellers:

As of June 15, the finalists for this year's awards are in. Our booksellers will vote for their favorite books, which we will celebrate at the awards reception at the Heartland Fall Forum in October.

Adult Fiction
Chad Harbach, The Art of Fielding
William Kent Krueger, Northwest Angle
Danielle Sosin, The Long-Shining Waters
Larry Watson, American Boy

Adult Non-Fiction
Joe Blair, By the Iowa Sea: A Memoir
Beth Dooley, Northern Heartland Kitchen
Cheryl Strayed, Wild

Poetry
Todd Boss, Pitch
Joseph Campana, Natural Selections
Carol Muske-Dukes, Twin Cities

Children's Literature
Sheila O'Connor, Sparrow Road
Brian Selznick, Wonderstruck
Jacqueline West, Spellbound: The Books of Elsewhere: Vol. 2

Children's Picture Books
Mary Casanova, Utterly Otterly Night. Illustrated by Ard Hoyt
Loren Long, Otis and the Tornado. Illustrated by Loren Long
Susan Vande Griek, Loon. Illustrated by Karen Reczuch
Jim Aylesworth, Cock-A-Doodle-Doo, Creak, Pop-Pop, Moo. Illustrated by Brad Sneed

2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award winners

The winners of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, sponsored by Amazon, Penguin and CreateSpace, are:

General fiction: Alan Averill for The Beautiful Land
YA fiction: Regina Sirois for On Little Wings

The winners' novels will be published by Penguin's Berkley Books and Viking Books for Young Readers and they each receive a $15,000 advance

The 49th Shelf (Canada)

The 49th Shelf is a one-of-a-kind community for discovering, discussing, and indulging in Canadian books. Fuelled by the largest collection of Canadian books ever assembled, The 49th Shelf makes it easier to find your next great Canadian read.

Think of The 49th Shelf as an interactive, intimate virtual library stocked with Canadian books by authors both world-renowned and up-and-coming, writing in every genre. But not just a library: The 49th Shelf is also a community of avid readers who share the books on the site by making reading lists and book recommendations. On The 49th Shelf, you'll find books you'll never forget, meet people whose lists and reviews you'll admire, and learn more about the authors who intrigue you.

The 49th Shelf is produced by the Association of Canadian Publishers in association with the Canadian Publishers' Council, and with funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Ontario Media Development Corporation and a lead sponsorship from Amazon.ca

Sunday, June 17, 2012

2012 Sports Book of the Year winner (UK)

Engage: The Fall and Rise of Matt Hampson by Paul Kimmage published by Simon & Schuster has been announced as the British Sports Book Awards 'Sports Book of the Year' as a result of a public online vote at www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk. The winning titles in each category from the British Sports Book Awards made up a shortlist to find the best overall sports book of the year - the public have been voting on the official website since 22nd May to select a winner. Winner of best biography at the recent British Sports Book Awards ceremony Engage is the shocking and moving story of Matt Hampson, the rugby player who dislocated his neck and was paralysed in an England training session, and how he readjusted to everyday life after the accident

London book and poetry events: 13-19 June, 2012 (UK)

Book, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

Friday, June 15, 2012

James Joyce and the radio revolution

Radio 4 celebrates James Joyce's great masterwork Ulysses with a new real-time production

Carnegie Medal: Patrick Ness book A Monster Calls scoops double honours

Patrick Ness's novel A Monster Calls has won both the prestigious Carnegie Medal and its sister prize for illustration for the first time in the awards' history. A Monster Calls tells the story of a boy coming to terms with his mother's battle against cancer. It is the second consecutive Carnegie win for Ness, whose Monsters of Men took the prize in 2011. Ness described the win as "extremely humbling - and a little unnerving". For the first time, the same book won the Kate Greenaway Medal for book illustration, with Jim Kay picking up the prize at a ceremony at the Barbican in London on Thursday. The Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals are awarded annually to a book for young people by Cilip: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association's Reading the West awards winners

Winners of this year's Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association's Reading the West awards are:

Adult Fiction: The Voice of the River by Melanie Rae Thon (University of Alabama Press)

Adult Nonfiction: Fire Season: Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout by Philip Connors (Ecco)

Children's: Missing on Superstition Mountain by Elise Broach and Antonio Javier Caparo (Holt)

Jon McGregor wins Impac literary award

Jon McGregor wins Impac literary awardBritish author Jon McGregor has won the 100,000 euro (£81,000) International Impac Dublin Literary Award for his third novel Even the Dogs. The writer beat off competition from 146 other shortlisted titles to receive the accolade, the world's largest prize given to a novel published in English. According to publisher Bloomsbury, Even the Dogs is "an intimate exploration of life at the edges of society". McGregor is the third British author to win the lucrative prize

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Book video: Elen Caldecott: The Mystery of Wickworth Manor

Elen Caldecott introduces her new book, The Mystery of Wickworth Manor

Patent granted to encourage purchase of digital textbooks

In a newly approved patent, an economics professor hopes to bring to the academic publishing world what seems to be forthcoming in the video game industry - new restrictions that would seemingly eliminate a secondary market for digital goods and prevent legal borrowing

Michael Cart on the Encyclopedia Britannica, Nora Roberts, censored books and more!

In his latest podcast, Infopeople's book maven Michael Cart reports on a potpourri of book news, including the publication of romance novelist Nora Roberts' 200th book, recent book awards, challenged books and last but not least, the phenomenon that is Fifty Shades of Grey

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Monday, June 11, 2012

Readathon 2012

12 publishers, 24 bloggers and several people across the world are joining hands to get thousands of kids reading over 6 weeks this Summer. This Readathon, for the youngest and emerging readers, is powered by MeMeTales Reader app and website. Every week, kids get access to a free book they can read and have fun with. Parents enjoy a new activity pack with a host of relevant activities, carefully prepared by educators and publishers every single week

Catteshall Stroll event seeks more book trade teams

Organisers of the annual Catteshall Stroll, in memory of the late Random House group managing director Peter Bowron, are looking for more book trade teams to take part in this year's event. Currently Random House, Hachette, Anova, The Book People and the Independent Alliance are confirmed, and the organisers are seeking at least another five teams. Held on Saturday 7th July at The Book People's Catteshall Manor site outside Godalming, the fundraiser this year features competitive events for the first time: canoe racing, table tennis and an assault course

Book video: The Whipping Club by Deborah Henry

Book trailer for the stunning debut novel by Deborah Henry. Starring Eric Roberts. Featuring Luc Austin. Directed by Adam Cushman. Produced by red14films.com. Edited by Michael Sandow. Sound design by Josh Rumer. Cinematography by Luciano Blotta

BTB #300: "50 Shades" and More of Self-Publishing

Recorded last week at uPublishU, the day-long self-publishing pre-conference program of BookExpo. Featuring Jenny Pedroza, co-founder of the Writers Coffee Shop; Mark Coker, Founder, Smashwords; Sandra (Sandy) Poirier-Diaz, President, Smith Publicity, Incorporated; and Bob Young, CEO & Founder, Lulu.com. This panel's industry insiders know how to ensure that a book will stand out in the dynamic world of self-publishing and they shared with CCC’s Chris Kenneally their insights on what every self-publisher needs to know about the secrets of the editing process; the art of cover design; the tricks of the publicity trade; and how to create and find winning sales idea

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Madame Mephisto - a novel by A.M. Bakalar

What would you talk about if you were stuck in a room with a drug dealer for five days? Meet Magda - hardcore drug-dealing queen, or guardian angel? She is one of the new wave of Polish immigrants to the UK, a woman who will stop at nothing to expand her drug dealing business, and will even make the ultimate sacrifice of the people who love and trust her

Oxford University Press launches roaming support for mobile journals users

Oxford University Press has announced that users of its mobile-optimized journals service can now authorize their mobile devices for offsite access to institutional subscriptions

Bowker's annual report on U. S. print book publishing for 2011

Bowker has released its annual report on U. S. print book publishing for 2011, compiled from its Books In Print® database. Based on preliminary figures from U.S. publishers, Bowker is projecting that traditional print book output grew six percent in 2011, from 328,259 titles in 2010 to a projected 347,178 in 2011, driven almost exclusively by a strong self-publishing market. This is the most significant expansion in more than four years for America’s traditional publishing sector, but removing self-publishing from the equation would show that the market is relatively flat from 2010

The Children's Bookshow 2012 (UK)

The Children's Bookshow is an annual tour of children's authors and illustrators from the UK and abroad - 28 September to 8 November, 2012

The Man Booker Prizes Weekly Roundup - 8 June 2012

The latest news about Man Booker Prize writers and judges - 8 June 2012

Live Stream of Book Expo America

Live Stream of Book Expo America

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Philip Roth wins Prince of Asturias literature award

US writer Philip Roth, whose works include the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "American Pastoral", has been awarded Spain's prestigious Prince of Asturias literature award. The 79-year-old edged out 23 other contenders to take the 50,000-euro (60,000-dollar) prize, one of eight given in different fields by the Asturias Foundation each year. The prize jury praised Roth for "his fluid, incisive writing"

2012 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award shortlist

The shortlist for the 2012 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award has been announced:


* Dark Lies the Island by Kevin Barry (Ireland) published by Cape, London
* What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander (USA) published by Knopf, New York
* The Trouble with Fire by Fiona Kidman (New Zealand) published by Vintage, Auckland
* The Beautiful Indifference by Sarah Hall (UK) published by Faber, London
* Suddenly a Knock on the Door by Etgar Keret (Israel) published by Chatto, London
*Happiness is a Chemical in the Brain by Lucia Perillo (USA) published by Norton, New York

BTB #299: E-magination 2012

Recorded in San Francisco at PublishingUniversity 2012, and presented by the Independent Book Publishers Association. Panelists Molly Birckhead, Senior Online Marketing Manager, HarperOne; Allen Noren, VP Online, O'Reilly Media; and Cynthia Shannon, Publicity Manager, Berrett-Koehler Publishers talk with CCC's Chris Kenneally about "What's Now and What's Next in Social Media - How Publishers Can Profit."

Faber Forty-Fives (UK)

Faber is publishing a six-title, ebook-only series called Faber Forty-Fives. Priced at £1.99, each of the six books (which are available of course from all ebook retailers) is an edited extract from a larger, existing work on Faber's Pop list:

* Rob Chapman, Syd Barrett and British Psychedelia from Syd Barrett: A Very Irregular Head
* Rob Young, Fairport Convention and Electric Folk from Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music
* Michael Bracewell, Roxy Music and Art-Rock Glamour from Roxy: The Band That Invented an Era
* Nick Kent, The New Music Journalism from Apathy for the Devil
* Jon Savage, Sex Pistols and Punk from England’s Dreaming: Sex Pistols and Punk Rock
* Simon Reynolds, UK Post-Punk from Rip It Up and Start Again: Post-Punk 1978–1984

Kobo Writing Life

Kobo is launching a competitor to Amazon's KDP and Barnes & Noble's PubIt: Kobo Writing Life, a free self-publishing platform for independent authors and publishers

Guardian children's fiction prize 2012 longlist (UK)

The Guardian children's fiction prize 2012 longlist has been announced

2012 Commonwealth Short Story Prize winner

Emma Martin is the winner of the 2012 Commonwealth Short Story Prize

2012 Commonwealth Book Prize winner

Shehan Karunatilaka is the winner of the 2012 Commonwealth Book Prize

Thursday, June 7, 2012

The Benjamin Franklin Digital Awards

Next year, the Independent Book Publishers Association is launching the inaugural 2013 Benjamin Franklin Digital Awards for electronic book publishing and excellence in innovation. Categories will include best book as app, best enhanced e-book, most creative use of the mobipockets/kindle and/or epub 2.0 (or lower) formats, best adaptation of a complex print design, best e-format "original," best new product and best new technology. An award for innovation will also go to a person, product or organization whose contribution to the field of e-book publishing has been fundamental to the advancement and acceptance of the e-book form

2012 Benjamin Franklin Awards winners

The winners in the many categories of the 2012 Benjamin Franklin Awards, sponsored by the Independent Book Publishers Association and recognizing excellence in independent publishing have been announced

2012 Audie Award winners

The Audio Publishers Association announced this year's Audie Award winners. Tina Fey's memoir Bossypants was a double winner, earning Audio Book of the Year honors as well as a win in the biography/memoir category

24th Annual Lambda Literary Award winners

The winners of the 24th Annual Lambda Literary Awards were announced in a sold-out gala ceremony hosted by comedienne Kate Clinton at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City. Author of the groundbreaking Tales of the City books, Armistead Maupin, and seminal influence on second-wave feminism Kate Millett, were the Pioneer Award honorees

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

London book and poetry events: 6-12 June, 2012 (UK)

Book, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

Author Ray Bradbury dies, aged 91

Author Ray Bradbury has died in Los Angeles at the age of 91. His daughter Alexandra confirmed that her father died on Tuesday night in Southern California. She did not have additional details. Bradbury wrote hundreds of novels, short stories, plays and television and film scripts in a career dating back to the 1940s. His most famous novels include Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

2012 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards winners (Canada)

The 2012 winners for the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards were revealed at Parkdale Junior and Senior Public School, where students gathered for a celebratory presentation. The shortlist represented authors from across the country, from Newman's Cove in Newfoundland to Victoria, British Columbia

2012 Shamus Awards nominees

The Private Eye Writers of America has announced the nominees for the 31st annual Shamus Awards, given annually to recognize outstanding achievement in private eye fiction. The awards will be presented at the PWA banquet, to be held October 5, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio, during the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention

Bilbary expands E-book library to offer a complete solution for consumers, publishers, authors and libraries

Bilbary has announced new partnerships with the first three of seven of the top publishing houses in the industry: HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Inc. and Wiley. Bilbary will carry all e-books offered by these publishers and their subsidiaries which includes 40,000 titles, raising the total number of titles in the library to more than 375,000

Monday, June 4, 2012

2012 Nero Award finalists

The Nero Award is presented by the Wolfe Pack each year to an author for the best mystery written in the tradition of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe stories. It is presented at the Black Orchid Banquet, traditionally held on the first Saturday in December in New York City. The Nero Award celebrates literary excellence in the mystery genre. Finalists:

* Guilt by Association, Marcia Clark
* The Silent Girl, Tess Gerritsen
* The House of Silk, Anthony Horowitz
* Spiral, Paul McEuen
* Though Not Dead, Dana Stabenow
* Black Orchid Blues, Persia Walker

Sunday, June 3, 2012

The Man Booker Prizes Weekly Roundup - 1 June 2012

The latest news about Man Booker Prize writers and judges - 1 June 2012

Authors win class status in Google books suit

Thousands of authors can sue Google in a class-action lawsuit over its plan to create the world's largest digital book library, a federal judge ruled on Thursday. U.S. Circuit Judge Denny Chin in Manhattan also rejected Google's bid to dismiss claims by The Authors Guild and several groups representing photographers and graphic artists, which would have forced their members to sue individually

2012 Arthur Ellis Awards winners

The winners of the 2012 Arthur Ellis Awards have been announced. Peter Robinson wins Best Crime Novel for "Before The Poison"

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Tintin cover fetches record-breaking 1.3m euros

A rare 1932 cover drawing of a Tintin comic book has fetched a record 1.3m euros (£1m; $1.6m) at auction in Paris. The Tintin in America cover, hand-drawn by Belgian writer and illustrator Herge, broke the record - set by the same item in 2008, when it sold for 764,000 euros. It shows the young adventurer Tintin, dressed as a cowboy and sitting with his dog, Snowy, as axe-wielding American Indians creep up on them

Terry Pratchett wins the 2012 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize

Sir Terry Pratchett has been named the winner of the 2012 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction for his novel Snuff (Doubleday). Praised by The Independent for being 'As funny as Wodehouse and as witty as Waugh', it seems only fitting for the 64-year-old author to win a prize that celebrates fiction that captures the comic spirit of P.G. Wodehouse