Harlequin acquires Heartsong Presents

Harlequin has acquired the book club assets of Heartsong Presents Book Club, the inspiration book club owned by the Christian publisher Barbour Publishing. Heartsong Presents provides its members with four Christian romance novels a month, with a focus on inspiration, hope and faith, written by leading inspirational authors

ProPublica partners with Open Road to publish E-Books

Digital publisher Open Road has partnered with award-winning journalistic outfit ProPublica to release a series of e-books

Bloody Scotland

Bloody Scotland is an innovative festival which will showcase Scottish crime writing and place it in an international context. We will shortly be announcing a stellar cast of leading crime writers - September 14-16, 2012 - Stirling, Scotland

The first annual Discover Mystery Award

Poisoned Pen Press would like to announce the first annual Discover Mystery Award, a first book contest for unpublished writers trying to break into the mystery genre. This spring, join us by entering your mystery manuscript of 60,000-90,000 words in an effort to win a $1000 prize, the Discover Mystery title, and a publishing contract from Poisoned Pen Press

Waterstones to open Russian mini-store (UK)

Waterstones is to launch a Russian bookshop in London, UK

Lee & Low acquires Children's Book Press

Children's Book Press, founded in 1975 by Harriet Rohmer for the specific purpose of creating a line of bilingual and multicultural books, ceased operations at the end of September and has sold its backlist inventory of 90 titles to Lee & Low Books in New York

The British Science Fiction Association Awards 2011 shortlist

The British Science Fiction Association Awards 2011 has announced its shortlist:

Best Novel

Cyber Circus by Kim Lakin-Smith (Newcon Press)
Embassytown by China Mieville (Macmillan)
The Islanders by Christopher Priest (Gollancz)
By Light Alone by Adam Roberts (Gollancz)
Osama by Lavie Tidhar (PS Publishing)

Best Short Fiction

The Silver Wind by Nina Allan (Interzone 233, TTA Press)
The Copenhagen Interpretation by Paul Cornell (Asimov's, July)
Afterbirth by Kameron Hurley (Kameron Hurley's own website)
Covehithe by China Mieville (The Guardian)
Of Dawn by Al Robertson (Interzone 235, TTA Press)

Best Non-Fiction

Out of This World: Science Fiction but not as we Know it by Mike Ashley (British Library)
The SF Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition ed. John Clute, Peter Nicholls, David Langford and Graham Sleight (Gollancz website)
Review of Arslan by M J Engh, Abigail Nussbaum (Asking the Wrong Questions blog)
SF Mistressworks, ed. Ian Sales (website)
Pornokitsch, ed. Jared Shurin and Anne Perry (website)
The Unsilent Library: Essays on the Russell T. Davies Era of the New Doctor Who (Foundation Studies in Science Fiction), ed. Graham Sleight, Tony Keen and Simon Bradshaw (Science Fiction Foundation)

Best Art

Cover of Ian Whates's The Noise Revealed by Dominic Harman (Solaris)
Cover and illustrations of Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls by Jim Kay (Walker)
Cover of Lavie Tidhar's Osama by Pedro Marques (PS Publishing)
Cover of Liz Williams's A Glass of Shadow by Anne Sudworth (Newcon Press)

The Dilys Award 2012 nominees

The Dilys Award has been given annually since 1992 by IMBA to the mystery titles of the year which the member booksellers have most enjoyed selling. The Dilys Award is named in honor of Dilys Winn, the founder of the first specialty bookseller of mystery books in the United States. This year's nominees are:

* Faithful Place by Tana French - Penguin Books
* Wicked Autumn by G. M. Malliet - Minotaur (e-book available)
* Tag Man by Archer Mayor - Minotaur (e-book available)
* A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny - Minotaur (e-book available)
* Ghost Hero by S. J. Rozan - Minotaur (e-book available)

The winner will be announced March 31

An interview with Amanda Hocking, author of the Trylle trilogy

An interview with Amanda Hocking, author of the Trylle trilogy at Foyles

2012 Indie Awards shortlist (Australia)

The shortlist for the 2012 Indie Awards has been announced. The shortlisted titles in each category are:

Fiction

* Caleb's Crossing (Geraldine Brooks, HarperCollins)
* The Street Sweeper (Elliot Perlman, Random House)
* Foal's Bread (Gillian Mears, A&U)
* Five Bells (Gail Jones, Random House)

Nonfiction

* Worse Things Happen at Sea (William McInnes & Sarah Watt, Hachette)
* Notebooks (Betty Churcher, MUP)
* After Words: Post Prime Ministerial Speeches (Paul Keating, A&U)
* A Private Life (Michael Kirby, A&U)

Debut fiction

* Past the Shallows (Favel Parrett, Hachette)
* All That I Am (Anna Funder, Penguin)
* The Roving Party (Rohan Wilson, A&U)
* Watercolours (Adrienne Ferreira, HarperCollins)

Children's

* The Jewel Fish of Karnak (Graeme Base, Penguin)
* The Little Refugee (Anh & Suzanne Do, illus Bruce Whatley, A&U)
* The Coming of the Whirlpool: Ship Kings 1 (Andrew McGahan, A&U)
* The 13-Storey Treehouse (Andy Griffiths, Macmillan).

The Indie Awards recognise independent booksellers' favourite Australian authors from the past 12 months. Category winners are chosen by 'expert panels' of readers and independent booksellers. Independent booksellers from around the country then vote on the 'Book of the Year'. The category and overall winners will be announced on 10 March at the Leading Edge Books conference in Melbourne