Romance authors in the media

Australian romance author Anne Gracie was interviewed on the 9am show with David & Kim (click on Entertainment, then Books).

Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan, the women behind popular romance blog Smart Bitches, Trashy Books and authors of Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches’ Guide to Romance Novels, were interviewed by Alan Brough on ABC Radio in Melbourne. Hilarity ensues.

Coming not so soon

I’ve been told that the Australian release date for Anna Campbell’s next novel, Captive of Sin, is December 16. Just in time for Christmas, but still so much longer than the US date. I don’t know if I can wait that long, to be honest. I haven’t seen any images of the cover yet.

Parallel import restriction debates continue

The Productivity Commission was due to hand in its report regarding restrictions on the parallel importation of books to Australia on Wednesday, but they’ve asked for and have been granted an extension until June. Until then, I expect we’ll hear more about the issue in the media. For some good arguments from both sides:

• ABC Radio National interviews publishers, booksellers and takes calls from listeners
• Lateline transcript of the debate between Don Grover, CEO of Dymocks, and Garth Nix, author
• Kinokuniya puts forward its case for an open market in Bookseller+Publisher — I had a long Twitter conversation with Kinokuniya, and I must admit that their arguments (beyond lowering prices) are much more compelling than Dymocks’s

Author events

• Richard Morgan will be doing meet and greet events in Sydney on Friday, May 22: Kinokuniya at 10:30am, Better Read Than Dead at 11:30apm, and Infinitas Bookshop at 3pm.

Future of books and publishing

The Wall Street Journal has an excellent article on How the E-Book Will Change the Way We Read and Write.  The writer, Steven Johnson,  looks at how the nature of storytelling might change, what technological barriers need to be surmounted, and what the consequences might be for the way we buy and read books. It’s very interesting.

The New York Observer looks at some of the online marketing strategies being used by HarperCollins, Hachette and Macmillan. It explores the idea “that publishers must stop relying on critics, journalists and talk show hosts for coverage, and instead start finding creative ways of reaching readers directly through emerging social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc.” It’s interesting to read about some of the successful marketing campaigns they’ve done.

Competitions

• Random House is running a competition associated with Disco Boy by Dominic Knight. Click here for a chance to win a set of Bose headphones.

And other random stuff…

The London Free Press article Getting a read on London’s used-book sellers takes a look at the the life of a used-book seller as well as the effects of the economy on the used-book business. There’s an interesting tidbit about Harlequin:

“Did you know that for the first five years of Harlequin publications many were printed in Stratford and they weren’t all romances?” he asks.

“I first read Agatha Christie’s Man in a Brown Suit and the first book on the Black Donnellys in Harlequin books. Now you won’t see any of these, which may have cost 25 cents when published, for less than $10.”

Save the date

18-24/5 — Sydney Writers Festival
21/5 — Richard Morgan at Galaxy Bookshop, 5:30pm
22/5 — Richard Morgan meet and greet at Kinokuniya, 10:30am
22/5 — Richard Morgan meet and greet at Better Read Than Dead, 11:30am
22/5 — Richard Morgan meet and greet at Infinitas Bookshop, 3pm
22-31/5 — Emerging Writers’ Festival in Melbourne
23/5 — Romance Writers of Australia Roadshow at Good Earth Motel in Perth
23/5 — Richard Morgan at Gaslight, 3-4pm
27/5 — Richard Morgan at Pulp Fiction, 6.30pm
28/5 — Book reading and Q&A with Dominic Knight at Readings Carlton | Bookings: 03 9347 6633
29-30/5 — Literati 2009 at Gold Coast libraries (program)
30/5 — Bronwyn Parry at Broadbeach Library, 10am
8/7-12/7 — ASAL Common Readers and Cultural Critics at ANU/NLA
7-9/8 — Byron Bay Writers Festival
13-14/8 — Popular Romance Studies: An International Conference in Brisbane
14-16/8 — RWA National Conference at Sebel and Citigate Hotel in Brisbane
2-6/10 — National Young Writers’ Festival in Newcastle

Book Bizzo is a weekly omnibus of news items, events, and other interesting tidbits related to books, and especially the Australian romance book industry. You can find past Book Bizzo posts here.

Did we miss anything important? Got a book event coming up? Feel free to send tips, press releases, and any other interesting links to kat@bookthingo.com.au.