Breaking news on authors, publishers, and book-related topics

Kevin Powers wins the Guardian First Book Award for "The Yellow Birds"

Nov 30 2012: Kevin Powers has won the Guardian first book award for The Yellow Birds, which takes its title from a US army marching song and has drawn comparisons with Cormac McCarthy and Ernest Hemingway.

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Amazon to open European publishing division in 2013

Nov 29 2012: Amazon is to open a European publishing wing, focused on English-language titles for the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Jeff Belle, Amazon Publishing vice-president, said Amazon was "determined to invent ways to help authors reach more readers". Amazon already ...

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Dreamworks Studios look to be acquiring rights to "Light Between Oceans", debut by M.L. Stedman

Nov 29 2012: DreamWorks Studios is in exclusive talks to acquire M.L. Stedman’s debut novel The Light Between Oceans, studio co-chairman/CEO Stacey Snider confirmed. Harry Potter series producer David Heyman will produce with Jeffrey Clifford. Rosie Alison, who brought the book into...

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Last chance to sign up to be a host location for World Book Night USA, April 23, 2013

Nov 27 2012: Bookstores and libraries wishing to be a host location for the 2013 World Book Night USA event (Apr 23) need to apply by December 1. Forms available at worldbooknight.org.

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Saturday, December 1st is Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day

Nov 27 2012: The third annual Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day is set for this Saturday, December 1. 400 stores in the USA took part last year, as did stores in the UK, Canada and Australia. This year it's expected that many more stores will take part.

For more info on the ...

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Bryce Courtenay, author of the bestselling "Power of One", dies aged 79

Nov 26 2012: Australian author Bryce Courtenay, who wrote about the struggles of life in Australia and South Africa, has died at his home in Canberra, his publisher said on Friday, just two weeks after his latest novel was published and three months after he informed fans that he ...

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Will the Big Six Publishers become the Big Two?

Nov 21 2012: Having lost out on their prospective bid to buy Penguin (which is to merge with Random House), News Corp, who already own Harper Collins, appears to have its eyes on Simon & Schuster which is currently owned by CBS Corp.

Currently, Random House, Penguin, Hachette, ...

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Louise Erdrich wins National Book Award for Fiction; Katherine Boo wins Nonfiction

Nov 14 2012: The winners of 2012 The National Book Awards are:

Fiction: The Round House by Louise Erdrich

Nonfiction: Behind The Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

Poetry: Bewilderment by David Ferry

Young Readers: Goblin Secrets by William Alexander

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