Scribe Publications: News

Alom Shaha at Avid Reader Bookshop

2012-02-07T12:02:52Z

Special Radio National live recording with Paul Barclay

Growing up in a strict Muslim community in south-east London, Alom Shaha learnt that religion was not to be questioned. Reciting the Qur’an without understanding what it meant was simply a part of life; so, too, was obeying the imam and enduring beatings when he failed to attend the local mosque. Shaha was more drawn to science and its power to illuminate. As a teen, he lived between two worlds: the home controlled by his authoritarian father, and a school alive with books and ideas.

In a charming blend of memoir, philosophy, and science, Shaha explores the questions about faith and the afterlife that we all ponder. Through a series of loose ‘lessons’, he tells his own compelling story, drawing on the theories of some of history’s greatest thinkers and interrogating the fallacies that have impeded humanity for centuries. Shaha recounts how his education and formative experiences led him to question how to live without being tied to what his parents, priests, or teachers told him to believe, and offers insights so that others may do the same.

Shaha's book, The Young Atheist’s Handbook, is a book for anyone who thinks about what they should believe and how they should live. It’s for those who may need the facts and the ideas, as well as the courage, to break free from inherited beliefs. In this powerful narrative, Shaha shows that it is possible to live a compassionate, fulfilling, and meaningful life without God.

Tickets are $5. Book through the Avid Reader website here

6pm
Avid Reader Bookshop
193 Boundary Road
West End

Date: 1 March 2012

Kim Barker at Avid Reader Bookshop

2012-02-07T11:58:39Z

Special Radio National live recording with Paul Barclay

A true-life Catch-22 set in the war-torn countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan, by one of the region's longest-serving correspondents.

Kim Barker is not your typical, impassive foreign correspondent—she is candid, self-deprecating, laugh-out-loud funny. At first an awkward newbie in Afghanistan, she grows into a wisecracking, seasoned reporter with grave concerns about US forces' ability to win hearts and minds in the region. In The Taliban Shuffle, Barker offers an insider's account of the 'forgotten war' in Afghanistan and Pakistan, chronicling the years after America's initial routing of the Taliban.

When Barker arrives in Kabul, foreign aid is at a record low, electricity is a pipe dream, and of the few remaining foreign troops, some aren't allowed out after dark. Meanwhile, in the vacuum left by the US and NATO, the Taliban is regrouping.

Tickets are $5. Book through the Avid Reader website here

6pm
Avid Reader Bookshop
193 Boundary Road
West End
Qld 4101

Date: 20 February 2012

Alom Shaha at the Wheeler Centre

2012-02-07T11:25:24Z

In conversation with John Safran

In The Young Atheist’s Handbook Alom Shaha, a British–Bangladeshi film-maker, science writer and unabashed atheist argues that regardless of the strictness of the traditions you are raised in, it’s possible to live a compassionate, fulfilling, and meaningful life without God. He'll be discussing this, and how atheists can break free from inherited beliefs, with broadcaster and provocateur John Safran.

This is a free event; bookings are recommended. Book through the Wheeler Centre website here

6.15pm
The Wheeler Centre
176 Little Lonsdale Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000

Date: 27 February 2012

Kim Barker at the Wheeler Centre

2012-02-07T11:01:23Z

In conversation with Karen Middleton

Foreign correspondent Kim Barker’s personal account of reporting in Afghanistan and Pakistan, The Taliban Shuffle, is a fiercely honest – and occasionally hilarious – dissection of the absurdities of an intractable conflict. In her book Barker, previously South Asia bureau chief for the Chicago Tribune, abandons the journalist’s conventional poker-faced neutrality for a mordant take on the newest American – and Australian – military quagmire. She will be discussing her experiences with Karen Middleton, author of An Unwinnable War: Australia in Afghanistan and Chief Political Correspondent with SBS television.

This is a free event; bookings are recommended. Book through the Wheeler Centre website here

6.15pm
The Wheeler Centre
176 Little Lonsdale Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000

Date: 22 February 2012

Donovan Hohn at the State Library of Victoria

2012-02-07T10:56:27Z

In conversation with 3RRR's Ben Birchall

Donovan Hohn, author of Moby-Duck: the true story of 28,800 bath toys lost at sea and of the beachcombers, oceanographers, environmentalists, and fools, including the author, who went in search of them will be in conversation with Ben Birchall of 3RRR discussing his very unusual book, environmental issues, and what motivates someone to strive for all the answers.

Free, but please book on 8664 7540
6 for 6.30pm
Readings State Library
Palmer Hall
State Library of Victoria
Cnr La Trobe and Swanston Streets
Melbourne

Date: 29 February 2012

IMPAC Dublin Literary Award winner The Twin to be made into a film

2012-01-10T11:40:18Z

Next month filming will begin in Holland for a feature based on Gerbrand Bakker's novel The Twin. Bakker's book received international critical acclaim and won the world's most valuable literary prize, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, in 2010. Adapted for the screen and directed by Nanouk Leopold, the film will be distributed by Cinéart and is expected to appear in cinemas in February 2013.

Bakker's latest book, The Detour, will be published in Australia and New Zealand by Scribe in March this year.

Amy Espeseth wins the 2012 CAL Scribe Fiction Prize

2012-01-09T15:19:47Z

Scribe Publications is thrilled to announce that the winner of the 2012 CAL Scribe Fiction Prize for writers 35 and over is Amy Espeseth for ‘Trouble Telling the Weather’. Amy wins $15,000 and a book contract with Scribe. Amy Espeseth’s ‘Trouble Telling the Weather’ is a novel-in-stories that unfolds through the viewpoints of five characters who live in Siren, Wisconsin, and share a difficult past.

The judges were Blanche Clark (Books Editor, Herald Sun), Jon Page (CEO, Pages & Pages Bookstore, and President of the ABA) and Aviva Tuffield (Associate Publisher, Fiction, Scribe). Jon Page praised ‘Trouble Telling the Weather’ as ‘an accomplished and absorbing story that follows a cast of interconnected characters with skill and empathy’.

Blanche Clark said: ‘An assured tone and vivid descriptions bring to life the bleakness and beauty of Siren, Wisconsin, the setting for a poignant tale that compassionately, but unflinchingly, traverses the lives of five characters struggling with racial, economic and social disparity.’

Aviva Tuffield added: ‘Amy Espeseth is such a talented and assured writer, and the links between these stories make “Trouble Telling the Weather” much more than the sum of its parts. I’m very excited that Scribe will be publishing it.’

The other two shortlisted manuscripts in this year’s prize were ‘Manly’ by Andrew Lindsay and ‘The Reflection’ by Hugo Wilcken. We received 175 manuscripts in total from writers ranging in age from 35 to 85.

About Amy Espeseth
Amy Espeseth was born in rural Wisconsin and immigrated to Australia in the late 1990s. Her fiction has appeared in various journals including Wet Ink, antithesis, and The Death Mook. She was awarded the Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript by an Emerging Victorian Writer in the 2009 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. She is also the recipient of yhe Felix Meyer Scholarship in Literature and the QUT Postgraduate Creative Writing Prize.

Best Australian Political Cartoons 2011 is almost sold out ... but we have a solution

2011-12-09T11:45:36Z

Due to unprecedented demand, we have sold out of Best Australian Political Cartoons 2011. We can't get a reprint in time, so whatever copies are still in bookshops is all that’s left of the print edition.

But we do have a digital alternative. If you’ve already given it as a gift, you can now indulge yourself by downloading it in glorious colour, exclusively on Apple devices — iPhone, iPad, or iPod — at the bargain price of $19.99.

Four Scribe titles make NYT top-10 books of the year

2011-12-01T17:01:32Z

Four recently released Scribe non-fiction titles have made the New York Times top-10 book-of-the-year lists for 2011. They are The Boy in the Moon, by Ian Brown; The Taliban Shuffle, by Kim Barker; In the Garden of Beasts, by Erik Larson; and Moby-Duck, by Donovan Hohn.

Troy Bramston and Prof Geoff Gallop at ALP Fringe Conference 2011

2011-11-23T16:47:09Z

With Prof. Geoff Gallop

Troy Bramston and Prof. Gallop will speak about Troy's recent book Looking for the Light on the Hill: modern Labor's challenges and the key issues facing Labor today.

To RSVP please email info@fabian.org.au or phone 0400 253 752
12.30 pm to 2pm
Waterfront Grill
Harbourside
Darling Harbour
5 mins walk adjacent the Convention Centre

Date: 3 December 2011

Nick Gadd at Big West Festival

2011-11-21T17:04:09Z

Festival appearance

Nick Gadd, author of Ghostlines will be appearing at the Big West Festival, a community-based, contemporary arts festival in Melbourne’s West. He'll be discussing crime writing along with three other speakers, for full details see here.

6pm
Tickets $10
The Pirates Tavern
Williamstown Maritime Museum
82 Nelson Place, Williamstown

Date: 24 November 2011

Troy Bramston and Kevin Rudd at Riverbend Books

2011-11-17T09:20:37Z

Breakfast event

Scribe is delighted to announce a very special event. Party insider and former Rudd government adviser Troy Bramston is the author of Looking for the Light on the Hill: modern Labor's challenges, a book that has already started debates across the nation. Troy argues that Labor is bedevilled by twin problems: the loss of its intrinsic culture of strong, bold, and innovative leadership; and an identity crisis that has emerged because Labor has failed to refresh its values, philosophy, and purpose for the modern era.

Troy Bramston and local Griffith Labor MP Kevin Rudd will be discussing these issues and more over breakfast.

RSVP essential, please call 38998555
8.30am
$35 entry - includes breakfast
Riverbend Books
193 Oxford St, Bulimba
QLD 4171

Date: 26 November 2011

Troy Bramston event with the Melbourne Australian Fabian Society

2011-11-16T16:54:29Z

Moderated by Cath Bowtell

The Australian Fabian Society is proud to support the launch of this important new book.

With an introduction from Cath Bowtell, Troy Bramston will speak about his new book Looking for the Light on the Hill: modern Labor's challenges and his views on what Labor needs to do to recover its electorate strength before the next election.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase at a discounted rate.

Please RSVP to: vicevents@fabian.org.au or 0438213532
6:00 to 7:30 pm
Melbourne City Conference Centre
Cnr Swanston and Little Londsdale Streets
Melbourne
VIC

Date: 7 December 2011

2012 CAL Scribe Fiction Prize Shortlist

2011-11-15T15:27:37Z

Shortlist for 2012

Scribe Publications is delighted to announce the shortlist for this year’s CAL Scribe Fiction Prize for writers 35 and over:

Amy Espeseth, Trouble Telling the Weather
Andrew Lindsay, Manly
Hugo Wilcken, The Reflection

We received 175 manuscripts in total from writers ranging in age from 35 to 85. This year, the prize money for the winner is $15,000 plus a book contract.

This shortlist now goes to the judges of this year’s CAL Scribe Fiction Prize: Blanche Clark, Books Editor at the Herald Sun; Jon Page, CEO of Pages & Pages Bookstore and President of the ABA; and Aviva Tuffield, Associate Publisher at Scribe.

More about the prize
In 2009, Scribe launched the CAL Scribe Fiction Prize for an unpublished manuscript by an Australian writer aged 35 and over, regardless of publication history. Many writers only find the time and have acquired the life experience to write fiction later in life. This prize recognises that there are many examples of late bloomers when it comes to writers, certainly in terms of getting published. Youth is already celebrated in so many ways, and Scribe wants to support writers who are emerging or still going strong in their prime.

It is Scribe’s intention that this prize will raise the profile of Australian fiction, demonstrate our commitment to local authors, and find a wonderful new voice and/or novel.

Scribe gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the Copyright Agency Limited’s Cultural Fund.

More about the shortlist
Amy Espeseth was awarded the Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript by an Emerging Victorian Writer in the 2009 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. Her fiction has appeared in various journals including Wet Ink, antithesis, and The Death Mook. She received the Felix Meyer Award for Literature in 2007.
Trouble Telling the Weather unfolds through the viewpoint of five characters who share a difficult past. The pastoral beauty of their town is undermined by the racial, economic and social inequalities that refuse to remain buried beneath the snow.

Andrew Lindsay is the author of The Breadmaker’s Carnival, which won the Jim Hamilton Award, and The Slapping Man, shortlisted for the FAW (Vic.) Christina Stead Award. He also won the Radio National Books And Writing short-story competition, the 2008 Peter Blazey Fellowship and the 2009 National Jazz Writing Competition.
Manly is a literary account of a teenage boy who is transported from his idyllic bushland childhood to the hostile environment of a boarding school.

Hugo Wilcken was born in Sydney in 1964. He has recently returned to live there after 20 years in Paris, where he worked as a translator. He has published two novels and has written cultural criticism for the Times Literary Supplement, Frieze Magazine and other publications.
A plot-driven meditation on identity, The Reflection takes its cues from the mystery novel, but ultimately spins off into a quite different space.

Scribe releases its first exclusive e-book

2011-11-14T11:31:05Z

Scribe has just published its first exclusive e-book, Journalism at the Crossroads, by Australian media expert Margaret Simons. Journalism at the Crossroads tackles the big questions facing the Australian press: as new, digital models change the face of modern media, how can journalists and their organisations adapt?

It's available from all major e-book retailers including the Apple iBookstore, Amazon, and Booki.sh.

Scribe publisher Henry Rosenbloom discusses the book with Margaret Simons here.

IMPAC Dublin Literary Award longlist announced: congratulations to Chris Womersley, Jon Bauer, and Cristovão Tezza

2011-11-08T10:40:33Z

Bereft by Chris Womersley, Rocks in the Belly by Jon Bauer, and The Eternal Son by Cristovão Tezza have all been longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2012. The €100,000 award is the world’s most valuable annual literary prize for a single work of fiction published in English. You can see the full longlist here.

The launch of Best Australian Political Cartoons 2011

2011-11-04T15:44:00Z

To be launched by the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull, MP with live cartooning and words from Warren Brown

Scribe is delighted to invite you to the launch of Best Australian Political Cartoons 2011 with the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull, MP and Warren Brown, cartoonist for The Daily Telegraph.

This event is free, please RSVP at the Gleebooks website www.gleebooks.com.au or call 02 9660 2333

3.30 p.m. for 4 p.m.
Gleebooks
49 Glebe Point Rd
Glebe, Sydney

Date: 13 November 2011

Bob Carr to launch Looking for the Light on the Hill

2011-10-28T10:31:06Z

On Tuesday 8 November, the Honourable Bob Carr, former Premier of NSW, will launch Troy Bramston’s book Looking for the Light on the Hill: modern Labor's challenges. The event will be held at NSW Parliament House and MC’d by Rhys Muldoon.

A timely and necessary look at the situation of the ALP today, Looking for the Light on the Hill argues that Labor is bedevilled by twin problems: the loss of its intrinsic culture of strong, bold, and innovative leadership; and an identity crisis that has emerged because Labor has failed to refresh its values, philosophy, and purpose for the modern era. Written by party insider and former Rudd government adviser Troy Bramston, the book draws on Labor’s history with fresh perspectives, and includes the secret components of the party’s recent internal review. It also includes new interviews with former party leaders, current and former ministers, and union leaders and party figures — and reveals astonishing opinion-poll results, commissioned exclusively for this book, that demonstrate the depth of the crisis. Challenged by the Greens on the left and the Coalition on the right, Australia’s oldest political party is in real trouble. Looking for the Light on the Hill shows how Labor can get its mojo back with new policy ideas, a new political strategy, organisational reform, and a refreshing of the party’s values.

Scribe to reduce prices by publishing B+ format paperbacks

2011-10-26T14:26:48Z

From January 2012, Scribe will publish most of its trade paperbacks in B+ format (210 x 135 mm) rather than C format (234 x 153mm).

Scribe’s CEO and publisher, Henry Rosenbloom says, ‘This is a significant decision, which will enable us to lower the RRPs for most of our titles to under $30.’

‘I feel we have to do this to meet the market and try to help local booksellers as well. The continuing high Australian dollar, combined with fierce competition from offshore online booksellers that aren’t subject to GST, has driven the Australian book trade into a profound slump — the worst I’ve known during my 35 years in the business.

‘Something has to give. We can’t keep pumping out books at prices that seem high by international standards, and that consumers aren’t prepared to pay. On the other hand, given our local costs, we can’t just keep lowering our RRPs on the traditional trade paperback.

‘The solution we’ve come up with is to trim the format enough to lower our costs and prices, while still producing an attractive physical object that book buyers will appreciate.

‘We’ll still produce C-format paperbacks occasionally, when it’s appropriate to do so, but essentially I’ve come to the view that, as a default format, it’s become a luxury that we — and the book trade — can no longer afford.

‘If the Australian dollar magically dropped to its long-term average and stayed there, and the Australian government did its duty over the GST, we would revisit this decision. But, for the foreseeable future, it’s, “Bye bye, C.”

‘This decision will create a flow-on benefit of lowering our e-book prices, too, which will become an increasingly important factor for us and the trade in general.’

Event cancellation - Troy Bramston at Embiggen Books

2011-10-24T17:26:37Z

Author Talk cancelled

Due to unforeseen circumstances Troy Bramston's appearance at Embiggen Books to discuss his new book, Looking for the Light on the Hill: modern Labor's challenges on 16 November has been cancelled. Scribe apologises for any inconvenience arising from this - news of other upcoming events with Troy will be posted here as it becomes available.

Date: 16 November 2011