 Photo: APA Well, it’s Official! The 2019 Australian Book Industry Awards are set to take place in Sydney, at the International Convention Centre, Thursday - May 2nd, 2019. Yes, it will be wonderful. Yes, it will be exciting! Yes, there will be an element of anticipation! Yes, there will be happy winners and wine to drown your sorrows, if you happened to miss out. But most of all, you’ll have to ‘book’ 😊 if you want in, on all this fun and glory!  Photo: APA It is the publishers’ night of nights where authors, illustrators, publishers, and the myriad of individuals involved in the creation of award-winning books come to pay homage to the very best book creatives out there.
Australia showcases some of the finest publishers in the Southern Hemisphere – publishing more than 7000 titles each year! That’s an astonishing $2 billion dollars’ worth of revenue! It is because of these wonderful people that our libraries are full, and our children are literate! It is anyone’s guess who might win as the categories are many and the talent is extraordinary. Stay tuned! Nominations will open SOON - January 15th, 2019. This is going to be an awesome year!
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 Photo: Flickr Now Europe is a pretty big place and as of 2018, some 50 countries are considered part of that region. However, it appears that only particular member states of the EU that continue to be the most productive countries on the book publishing map and they include: Russia, France, Spain, Germany, Italy and of Course the United Kingdom. However, for the purpose of this article we will delete the UK and treat them as a separate entity, given their decision to leave the European Union.
According to Worldometers and UNESCO (United Nations Educational Science and Cultural Organization), each year the world produces 2,412,371 and counting. This is a live figure, so even in the matter of minutes as I am write this article, it has increased to 2,412,379. I'll update it again, at the end of this article if you are curious. The numbers of titles for the above relevant countries produced books at rate other countries can only dream of. Russia produced 123,336 in 2008; France produced a total of 67,278; while Spain managed 86,300 in 2008; Germany a staggering 93, 124 for 2009 and Italy closed 2005 with 59,743 books. These figures are just some of the major book producers in the world. Remember, these EU statistics are not 2018 figures, but are the most up to day figures presently available. Either way, the numbers of books being produced, do not appear to be waning. It goes without saying that the biggest producers and consumers of books still goes to China - 328,387 books in total for the 2010 period. A similar figure was documented for the United States - new titles and editions totalled 328,259, in the same year. (The live book total is now - 2,412,497)  Photo: Flickr Whether books are produced in hard copy or soft, physical or digital - the production of books is increasing at a phenomenal rate. Just adding the above sets of figures for five of the stated European countries - that's 429,781 books alone, which out produces both China and the United States by more than 100,000 books.
Europe looks set to boom and there are forty-five remaining countries in that region, I have not documented. Go figure!  Photo: ABIA Nominations for the Australian Book Industry Awards 2019 will open on January 15th, next year. It is a process of nomination, judging by industry experts according to a select criteria and of course announcing the happy winners on the 'Night of Nights' in Sydney, Australia. The annual event is considered to be one of the highlights of the year for both publishers and authors, across the country. It showcases only the best of the best in publishing and rewards excellence, accordingly. A full description of eligibility and categories for the awards can be found at the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA). In the mean time, you might want to preview the list ahead of time. Think about nominating for not one, but a number of sections. Here is the list on offer.
Don't forget to place the relevant dates on your calendar.
January 15th, 2019 - Nominations for Book Awards Open February 13th, 2019 - Submissions for Business Awards Open March 7th, 2019 - Announcement of Book Awards Longlist March 7th, 2019 - Submissions for Book Awards Longlist Open March 21st, 2019 - Submissions for Audiobook Awards Open April 11th, 2019 - Announcement of Shortlist 2nd May, 2019 - Night of Nights! Australian Publisher Association members can check out the nomination details, last year's winners and photos of prior events at ABIA. Sponsors for the event include: The Australian Women's Weekly, Audible, Media Super, JCDeaux, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age Newspaper, Borrow Box, Copyright Agency, McPherson's, Ingram - Lightning Source, Twitter, Booktopia, Curtis Brown, Better Reading, Leading Edge Books, Harper Collins, Books & Publishing, Simpsons - Lawyers for Publishers  London Eye If you are looking to market your books to the world, then visiting The London Book Fair should be on your list of things to do. Each year around March ~ April (Next LBF = 12-14th, 2019), The Olympia London located on Hammersmith Road, Kensington London - prepares itself for the onslaught of some 25,000 visitors from more than 135 countries, who will wander around the 2,320 stand holders from 56 countries, during the 3~4 days London Book Fair period.
 After all, the aim of the game is to be here - in bookstores - on bookshelves - servicing readers - spreading the love of books and knowledge - and getting your books in print!
If ever you have wondered how the rest of the world gets on with publishing, here is an inside look at the Korean publishing association.  Photo: Lonely Planet Located in central Seoul, strategically situated between the famous Gyeongbok Palace and Ankuk subway station, you'll find the Korean Publishing Association - an old grey building with both Korean and Korean-Chinese characters labeling the top of the building.  Photo: Korean Publishers Association The Palace is extremely old. You can't miss it - it was originally built in 1395. Of course, it has had major restoration over the years, during my stay in Korea and this is an on-going process as with many wonderful, historic sites. Anyhow, you'll be able to travel to either the Gyeongbokgung subway station and exit there or take the subway to Anguk and exit. Either way, both stations are easily accessible on the orange line (line 3). The hardest part is knowing which exit out the station to take. There are about eight exits, so you will have to get you bearings. You'll need to land yourself on the right side of the road. This takes some practice. If you get stuck, you'll be able to ask the locals to assist you and they will happily oblige. It will be a great opportunity for them to use their English and you'll make a friend.
Take a good look at the below mud map to help find your way. Yes, it is in Korean, but even if you don't know where you are going, show the locals and you will be set. Most people at the Association can speak English. There won't be a problem once you arrive.  Photo: http://kpa21.or.kr/ Gyeongbokgung station is the one on the left, next to Line 3 and Anguk station is the one on the right, also on Line 3. I'm sure you recognise that the blue marker is the KPA. When you exit either station, make sure it is on the palace entrance side. Given Seoul is an extremely modern city, you will find all signs in the subway in both English and Korean. It is also really clean and quite pretty! Good luck!
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