Latest news with #AustralianBookIndustryAwards
Sydney Morning Herald
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘You're screwed', QBD's boss was told. Now he's on track to open 100th bookstore
'[Being] in a shopping centre, I think, gives us an opportunity for [customers] to come and spend 10 minutes with us, and then, if you deliver a great experience, get them to come back,' said Croydon, who is also the author of children's book series The Hyde Park Squirrels, and the coming spy thriller The Turing Protocol. The other great boon for the business has been the rise in the romantasy genre, a combination of romance and fantasy that has exploded in popularity thanks to social media influencers and the success of the wildly popular A Court of Thorns and Roses and Empyrean series. The author of the former, Sarah J. Maas, has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. Loading 'It's been going on for a good 18 months now, but it's strong and a lot of my team members love it,' said Croydon. 'You go into that section, it will be perfectly merchandised because they love that section.' The genre makes up 12 per cent of sales in the industry; at QBD, it's more than 20 per cent. Croydon said the love for the genre was so strong that QBD customers were buying duplicates of their favourite books – one to read, and one to display. 'It's almost like a collectible, which is great news for brick-and-mortar retailers like me,' said Croydon. 'The public are investing, still, in paper, which is great to see.' Women in their early 20s represent one of QBD's biggest customer bases, many of whom have flocked to the new genre. The other key groups are young mothers and middle-aged men. Prices at QBD are generally lower than other book retailers such as Dymocks and Harry Hartog, but Croydon steers clear of the 'discount store' label, as he wants the brand to be defined by the customer experience. 'It's not about the price. We make our pricing decisions, and our decision is to be competitive,' says Croydon. 'We want to surprise our customers … they come into a store like ours when they're expecting to get a decent price, but then they get the same if not better service than they would in a high-end store.' According to IBISWorld, the biggest pressure point on book retailers such as QBD and Dymocks is 'persistent competition from external retailers, including discount department stores and online-only platforms,' which limits the market share brick-and-mortar chains can maintain by selling books at wholesale price. Loading To maintain QBD's market position, the company has rolled out new training programs for staff in an attempt to encourage conversation and recommendations from booksellers to customers. They've also recently invested in a customer tracking system through Kepler Analytics — which anonymously tracks customers' mobile phones to provide data on how many visitors are purchasing and time spent in store. QBD was awarded book retailer of the year at this year's Australian Book Industry Awards.
The Age
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
‘You're screwed', QBD's boss was told. Now he's on track to open 100th bookstore
'[Being] in a shopping centre, I think, gives us an opportunity for [customers] to come and spend 10 minutes with us, and then, if you deliver a great experience, get them to come back,' said Croydon, who is also the author of children's book series The Hyde Park Squirrels, and the coming spy thriller The Turing Protocol. The other great boon for the business has been the rise in the romantasy genre, a combination of romance and fantasy that has exploded in popularity thanks to social media influencers and the success of the wildly popular A Court of Thorns and Roses and Empyrean series. The author of the former, Sarah J. Maas, has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. Loading 'It's been going on for a good 18 months now, but it's strong and a lot of my team members love it,' said Croydon. 'You go into that section, it will be perfectly merchandised because they love that section.' The genre makes up 12 per cent of sales in the industry; at QBD, it's more than 20 per cent. Croydon said the love for the genre was so strong that QBD customers were buying duplicates of their favourite books – one to read, and one to display. 'It's almost like a collectible, which is great news for brick-and-mortar retailers like me,' said Croydon. 'The public are investing, still, in paper, which is great to see.' Women in their early 20s represent one of QBD's biggest customer bases, many of whom have flocked to the new genre. The other key groups are young mothers and middle-aged men. Prices at QBD are generally lower than other book retailers such as Dymocks and Harry Hartog, but Croydon steers clear of the 'discount store' label, as he wants the brand to be defined by the customer experience. 'It's not about the price. We make our pricing decisions, and our decision is to be competitive,' says Croydon. 'We want to surprise our customers … they come into a store like ours when they're expecting to get a decent price, but then they get the same if not better service than they would in a high-end store.' According to IBISWorld, the biggest pressure point on book retailers such as QBD and Dymocks is 'persistent competition from external retailers, including discount department stores and online-only platforms,' which limits the market share brick-and-mortar chains can maintain by selling books at wholesale price. Loading To maintain QBD's market position, the company has rolled out new training programs for staff in an attempt to encourage conversation and recommendations from booksellers to customers. They've also recently invested in a customer tracking system through Kepler Analytics — which anonymously tracks customers' mobile phones to provide data on how many visitors are purchasing and time spent in store. QBD was awarded book retailer of the year at this year's Australian Book Industry Awards.
1News
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- 1News
Book prize follows copycat claims against Brisbane cupcake queen
Recipe book writer Nagi Maehashi has beaten cupcake queen Brooke Bellamy at the Australian publishing industry's annual awards, after Maehashi and other authors accused Bellamy of plagiarism. Maehashi won the illustrated book of the year prize for a second time at the Australian Book Industry Awards in Melbourne yesterday for her most recent book RecipeTin Eats: Tonight. In April the prize-winning author accused Bellamy, who runs the popular Brooki Bakehouse in Brisbane, of copying her caramel slice and baklava recipes in her bestselling book, Bake with Brooki. Another author, US-based Sally McKenney from the blog Sally's Baking Addiction, has alleged Bellamy copied her Best Vanilla Cake recipe. Bellamy denied the allegations, which she has described online as "deeply distressing". She did not attend the awards night and she was understood to be attending a pop-up bakery venture in the United Arab Emirates. The Brisbane baker and online influencer has previously said she offered to remove the recipes that were the subject of Maehashi's allegations from any reprints "to prevent further aggravation". Maehashi beat five finalists including Bellamy to take out the prestigious industry prize, with her second cookbook Tonight selling more than 78,000 copies in its first week on shelves, breaking Australian records for first week non-fiction title sales. Bake with Brooki was published in October by Penguin Random House Australia, which was awarded a gong for publisher of the year and has been contacted for comment. The awards were not only about authors but the whole publishing industry, according to Australian Publishers Association chief executive Patrizia Di Biase-Dyson. "The industry judges cast their eagle eyes over the whole process of bringing books to consumers – from editing the manuscript through to the sales, marketing and publicity," she said.
West Australian
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Sweet victory: RecipeTin Eats' Nagi Maehashi beats rival Brooke Bellamy at Australian Book Industry Awards
RecipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi has claimed victory over rival Brooke Bellamy at the Australian Book Industry Awards in the latest chapter of the celebrity cook showdown. The adored author from Sydney's Northern Beaches took home the prestigious prize for Illustrated Book of the Year on Wednesday night for her most recent book, RecipeTin Eats: Tonight. Brisbane baker and social media sensation Bellamy was nominated in the same category for her controversial cookbook Bake with Brooki, which Maehashi claims contains several plagiarised recipes. Other authors have also accused Bellamy of stealing recipes, including US-based baker Sally McKenny. Bellamy has denied all accusations and did not attend the award ceremony. Maehashi beat five finalists including Bellamy to take home the award, with the cookbook selling more than 78,000 copies in its first week on shelves. The cookbook writer appeared unfazed by the feud that has captured global attention, as she took to social media this morning to celebrate her monumental win and thank her team. 'Thank you @abia_awards for the honour.' 'To my team - thank you for your support for all those months I disappeared into the book making black-hole (and all that Moroccan lamb and seafood pie you taste tested🤣),' she wrote on Instagram. Bellamy is yet to comment on the loss.
Perth Now
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
RecipeTin Eats founder victorious following recipe feud
RecipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi has claimed victory over rival Brooke Bellamy at the Australian Book Industry Awards in the latest chapter of the celebrity cook showdown. The adored author from Sydney's Northern Beaches took home the prestigious prize for Illustrated Book of the Year on Wednesday night for her most recent book, RecipeTin Eats: Tonight. Brisbane baker and social media sensation Bellamy was nominated in the same category for her controversial cookbook Bake with Brooki, which Maehashi claims contains several plagiarised recipes. Other authors have also accused Bellamy of stealing recipes, including US-based baker Sally McKenny. Bellamy has denied all accusations and did not attend the award ceremony. Maehashi beat five finalists including Bellamy to take home the award, with the cookbook selling more than 78,000 copies in its first week on shelves. Nagi Maehashi won illustrated book of the year for RecipeTin Eats: Tonight. Credit: AAP The cookbook writer appeared unfazed by the feud that has captured global attention, as she took to social media this morning to celebrate her monumental win and thank her team. 'Thank you @abia_awards for the honour.' 'To my team - thank you for your support for all those months I disappeared into the book making black-hole (and all that Moroccan lamb and seafood pie you taste tested🤣),' she wrote on Instagram. Bellamy is yet to comment on the loss.
