Publishers miss out on Rowling payday as book sales soar
In the mid-1990s, a string of publishers turned down a manuscript by an author called Joanne Rowling about a boy wizard.
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Latest FromBooks
Haunted by the tour
A fiery episode in our recent history is plumbed for drama, writes Rebecca Barry Hill.
Book awards veto Pakeha author
An author of a popular Maori children's book series cannot enter a national library award because she is Pakeha.
Book review: Joyland
When did the amusement park coming-of-age story become a thing? Did I miss the memo?
Book review: Round House
This well-told story won the American National Book Award last year.
Obituary: Ray Richards
Ray Richards was a modest man who made a significant impact on New Zealand publishing.
The man who made French food his passion
Linda Herrick talks to an Australian who has made French food his passion.
Before They Pass Away
Jimmy Nelson's Before They Pass Away is a tribute to vibrant tribal cultures around the world, including New Zealand's Maori population.
Lyrical tale wins writer's prize
A young student who was a finalist in last year's inter-school writing competition has gone a step further this year, winning the top prize.
Pursuing the primate
Carl Hiaasen needn’t look far for a story on which to base a novel. It’s all right outside his door in Miami, he tells Stephen Jewell.
Book Review: The Fall Of Light
Rudy’s 43rd year is not a good one. He’s on bad terms with his wife and daughters; his parents (living or dead); his assertive younger fellow-architects. He’s falling off the booze wagon and he’s just fallen off his Vespa.
Michele Hewitson interview: Ted Dawe
Having never before met a polluter of the moral innocence of youth, I have no idea whether the author Ted Dawe is an unusually engaging example of one.
Judge defends racy kids' book
Detailed descriptions of sex acts, coarse language and scenes of drug-taking are at the heart of why a novel was voted the best children's book of the year.
Award-winning kids' book drops c-bomb
A novel voted this week as the best children's book of the year is laced with detailed descriptions of sex acts, coarse language and drug-taking.
The secret is out on The Keeper Of Secrets
Julie Thomas was forced to spend the first four years of her life in bed — any physical exertion, even crying, threatened her life. Books were her saviour.
'Battle of Baghak' to become a book
The New Zealand commander of the "Battle of Baghak", in which two Kiwi soldiers were killed, has been allowed to interview witnesses for a book he is writing.
Herald on Sunday editorial: Book prize lets down the young
Good, well-written stories that go to the heart of a reader and touch the truth of any human experience, including sex, can help a young mind rise above smut.
The buzz about The Hive
When your husband and brother are best-selling authors, writing your first novel takes guts, writes Stephen Jewell.
Book Review: The Odd Angry Shot
Filmed 30 years ago, out-of-print for quarter of a century, The Odd Angry Shot is a savage and mordantly funny novel that follows a group of Aussie SAS troopers in South Vietnam during the ugly, unjustified war of the 1960s.
Chef's media empire crumbles
Paula Deen's merchandise and media empire is fast unravelling as fallout builds from revelations that she used racial slurs in the past.
Margaret Mahy posthumously honoured at book awards
Margaret Mahy has been posthumously awarded a prize at the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards.
Review: The Keeper Of Secrets
A violin's journey invokes smiles and tears, writes Nicky Pellegrino.
Childhood for grown-ups
British writer Neil Gaiman’s new fantasy, rooted in the darkest corners of reality, is no kids’ tale, writes Stephen Jewell.
Chris Columbus' novel approach
Long-time Hollywood director Chris Columbus wants his latest success story to stay on the page — for now, anyway, writes Stephen Jewell.
Katie Price plans to pen a fifth autobiography
Katie Price has revealed she is planning to release her fifth autobiography later this year - at the age of just 35.
Tweet this: Burqini's in the dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary has now included the social networking term 'tweet', as technology continues to change the way we speak.