The Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) promotes the interests of booksellers in Australia. The association has its origins in state associations formed early in the 20th century, which later amalgamated into a federal association. In 1985 the association was incorporated in Victoria and now acts as the national body representing Australian booksellers. Members range from independent bookshops to chain and franchise shops, as well as specialist, second hand, academic and educational booksellers. The ABA is governed by a Statement of Purposes and Rules, which is available on request. The purposes of the ABA include providing a range of training and educational programs for members; establishing bonds between booksellers all over Australia; enhancing the unique role of books in our society; fostering and encouraging the selling of books; providing a national forum for member booksellers; providing technical advice and information to booksellers; The association has a management committee elected by the membership. Members of the committee have a 'stewardship' role towards the membership as a whole and are expected to apply their skills to this task. The management committee assists in improving the association's policy, activities and administration to help the association achieve its objectives. The ABA has a permanent staff under the responsibility of the chief executive officer. The ABA is represented on most book trade councils and committees. The ABA undertakes two major projects each year for the benefit of members: the annual national conference in May and the Kid's Reading Guide in November. The guide is a 32-page full-colour list of recommended new releases and classics reviewed by specialist children's booksellers who are passionate about

literacy Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

. Throughout the year the association produces training workshops and publications for members to improve their bookselling skills and administers the national book voucher scheme. The ABA manages the annual Nielsen BookData Booksellers Choice Award, given to the Australian new release that booksellers most enjoyed reading, marketing and handselling during the previous year.

2015 Shortlist

* '' The 52-Storey Treehouse'', Andy Griffiths &

Terry Denton Terry Denton (born 26 July 1950) is an Australian illustrator and author. He is married and has three children. He is the second youngest of five boys and was born and grew up in Melbourne, Victoria. Denton now lives in Mornington, Victoria. Den ...

(

Pan Macmillan Pan Books is a publishing imprint that first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers, owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group of Germany. Pan Books began as an independent publisher, es ...

Australia) * '' This House of Grief'', Helen Garner (

Text Publishing Text Publishing is an independent Australian publisher of fiction and non-fiction, based in Melbourne, Victoria. Company background Text Media was founded in Melbourne in 1990 by Diana Gribble and Eric Beecher, along with designer Chong Weng ...

) * ''Lost & Found'', Brooke Davis ( Hachette Australia) * '' Pig the Pug'',

Aaron Blabey Aaron Blabey (born January 1, 1974) is an Australian author of children's books. He is the creator of three best-selling children's series; ''Pig the Pug'' – a picture book series about a rude, selfish, mean-spirited little dog, ''The Bad Gu ...

( Scholastic Australia) * ''

The Rosie Effect ''The Rosie Effect'' is a 2014 novel by Australian novelist Graeme Simsion and the second book of a trilogy including the previous instalment, ''The Rosie Project'', and its sequel, '' The Rosie Result''. The work was first published on 24 Septemb ...

'',

Graeme Simsion Graeme C. Simsion (born 1956) is an Australian author, screenwriter, playwright and data modeller. Prior to becoming an author, Simsion was an information systems consultant, co-authoring the book ''Data Modelling Essentials,'' and worked in win ...

(

) * '' When the Night Comes'', Favel Parrett (Hachette Australia)

Previous winners

* 2014 Winner: ''

Burial Rites ''Burial Rites'' (2013) is a novel by Australian author Hannah Kent, based on a true story. Background Kent was given inspiration to write Burial Rites during her time as an exchange student in Iceland when she was 17, where she learnt the s ...

'',

Hannah Kent Hannah Kent (born 1985) is an Australian writer, known for two novels – ''Burial Rites'' (2013) and '' The Good People'' (2016). Her third novel, ''Devotion'', was published in 2021. Early life and education Kent was born in 1985 grew up in ...

(Hachette) * 2013 Winner '' The Light Between Oceans'', M.L. Stedman (

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

) * 2012 Winner '' All that I Am'',

Anna Funder Anna Funder (born 1966) is an Australian author. She is the author of ''Stasiland'' and '' All That I Am'' and the novella ''The Girl With the Dogs''. Life Funder went to primary school in Melbourne and Paris; she attended Star of the Sea Coll ...

, (Text Publishing) * 2011 Winner '' The Happiest Refugee'', Anh Doh ( Allen & Unwin) * 2010 Winner '' The Kitchen Garden'', Stephanie Alexander (Lantern) * 2009 Winner '' The Slap'',

Christos Tsiolkas Christos Tsiolkas is an Australian author, playwright, and screenwriter. He is especially known for '' The Slap'', which was both well-received critically and highly successful commercially. Several of his books have been adapted for film and t ...

(Allen & Unwin) * 2008 Winner '' Girl Stuff'',

Kaz Cooke Kaz Cooke (born Karen Cooke; 17 December 1962) is an Australian author, cartoonist and broadcaster. She has written several bestselling advice books for girls and women, including ''Real Gorgeous'', ''Up the Duff'' (also published under different ...

( Penguin Australia) * 2007 Winner '' Salvation Creek'', Susan Duncan (Random House Australia) * 2006 Winner ''

The Secret River ''The Secret River'' is a 2005 historical novel by Kate Grenville about an early 19th-century Englishman transported to Australia for theft. The story explores what might have happened when Europeans colonised land already inhabited by Aborigi ...

'',

Kate Grenville Catherine Elizabeth Grenville (born 1950) is an Australian author. She has published fifteen books, including fiction, non-fiction, biography, and books about the writing process. In 2001, she won the Orange Prize for '' The Idea of Perfectio ...

(Text) * 2004 Winner '' Joe Cinque's Consolation'', Helen Garner (

Picador A ''picador'' (; pl. ''picadores'') is one of the pair of horse-mounted bullfighters in a Spanish-style bullfight that jab the bull with a lance. They perform in the ''tercio de varas'', which is the first of the three stages in a stylized bullf ...

) * 2003 Joint Winners '' Mao's Last Dancer'',

Li Cunxin Li Cunxin (born 26 January 1961) is a Chinese-Australian former ballet dancer turned stockbroker. He is currently the artistic director of the Queensland Ballet in Brisbane, Australia.Queensland Ballet (2012)Li Cunxin returns to the stage ...

, ''

Death Sentence Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

'',

Don Watson Don Watson (born 1949) is an Australian author, screenwriter, former political adviser, and speechwriter. Early life Watson was born in 1949 at Warragul in the Gippsland region of Victoria, and grew up on a farm in nearby Korumburra. Academi ...

* 2002 Winner ''

Diary of a Wombat ''Diary of a Wombat'' is a 2002 award-winning picture book written by Jackie French and illustrated by Bruce Whatley. It is the first in the ''Shaggy Gully'' books, and is one of the most popular of French's works. Shaggy Gully books # ''Diary ...

'', Jackie French & Bruce Whatley * 2001 Winner ''

Dirt Music ''Dirt Music'' is a 2001 novel by Tim Winton. A 2002 Man Booker Prize shortlisted novel and winner of the 2002 Miles Franklin Award, it has been translated into Russian language, Russian, French language, French, German language, German, Dutch lan ...

'',

Tim Winton Timothy John Winton (born 4 August 1960) is an Australian writer. He has written novels, children's books, non-fiction books, and short stories. In 1997, he was named a Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia, and has won the Miles Fr ...

(Picador) * 2000 Winner ''

The Blue Day Book ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'',

Bradley Trevor Greive Bradley Trevor Greive (born 22 February 1970) is an Australian author. He has written 24 books which have been translated into 27 different languages, and have been sold in 115 different countries, several of which have appeared in the ''New Y ...

* 1999 Winner '' Stravinsky's Lunch'', Drusilla Modjeska * 1998 Winner '' The Sound of One Hand Clapping'', Richard Flanagan * 1997 Winner '' Burning for Revenge'', John Marsden * 1996 Joint Winners '' Night Letters'', Robert Dessaix , '' The Cook's Companion'', Stephanie Alexander * 1995 Winner ''

The First Stone ''The First Stone: Some questions about sex and power'' is a controversial non-fiction book by Helen Garner about a 1992 sexual harassment scandal at Ormond College, one of the residential colleges of the University of Melbourne, which the aut ...

'', Helen Garner * 1994 Winner '' The Orchard'', Drusilla Modjeska The ABA has strong links with other book industry organisations, including the Australian Publishers Association and the

Australian Society of Authors The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) was formed in 1963 as the organisation to promote and protect the rights of Australia's authors and illustrators. The Fellowship of Australian Writers played a key role it its establishment. The organisati ...

and their international counterparts Booksellers New Zealand, the Booksellers Association of Great Britain and Ireland and the American Booksellers Association. ABA is a member of the International Booksellers Federation.

References

External links

*
Australian Publishers Association
*
What could be more convenient than your local bookshop?
{{Books Australian literature Trade associations based in Australia Bookselling trade associations

2015 Shortlist

Previous winners

See also

References

External links