The Australian Booksellers Association has launched the inaugural Lifetime Achievement in Bookselling Award, recognizing "an individual who has given extraordinary and sustained service to bookselling in Australia... someone whose dedication to books, readers, and to their community has helped shape the culture of bookselling itself."
The ABA added that the honoree would be a bookseller "who has shown up year after year with passion and generosity, who has built something lasting in their community, championed books through changing times, and made their bookshop a safe haven and a special place."
The award is open to any Australian bookseller, from owner to floor staff. Support from a second nominator will be viewed favorably, the ABA said, adding that, where possible, this should be from a publisher, author, or other industry colleague beyond the nominee's own bookshop. Nominations close May 4.
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In Poland, a new study found that only 41% of respondents 15 years old and over read at least one book last year (unchanged from 2024), "but reading habits remained broadly stable despite fewer literature lovers choosing to spend money in bookstores," TVP World reported.
Conducted by Poland's National Library, the annual survey has tracked reading habits for more than three decades. It noted that the share of those who read seven or more books also remained flat at 7%. TVP World wrote that the results "suggest that Poles' appetite for books has stabilized after a post-pandemic slump and exceeds readership levels recorded in the late 2010s." The highest reading rates were recorded among teenagers aged 15 to 18 (56%), and among residents of Poland's largest cities (71%).
"While it's difficult to imagine functioning in the modern world without the ability to read, books, including those in digital formats, are not the only form of literacy and aren't even dominant," the study said.
The share of people buying books, in digital or physical form, fell from 50% to 43%, while those receiving books as gifts dropped from 34% to 26%. TVP World wrote that "bookstores in Poland have been in decline for many years, with the Polish Chamber of Books estimating that one in three such shops closed their doors between 2010 and 2020."
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Booksellers from the Paper Cat Children's Bookshop in Herne Hill, London, shared Instagram reels chronicling some of their experiences at this week's Bologna Children's Book Fair in Italy:
"It's our first Bologna Children's Book Fair as The Paper Cat! Wow--what a first day (Tuesday for us!) we had an AMAZING time. Lovely to meet so many people--authors, illustrators, publishers and distributors! And thank you @doremi_books for a scrumptious dinner date in the evening! On to our day two (Wednesday!)."
"Our Day 2 and the final day of the Bologna Children's Book Fair--it was just as fabulous as our day 1! We meet more brilliant people--including the lovely Helen @wonderlandbookshop and fellow Nibbies nominee. At the same snack break the gorgeous @clarehelenwelsh came to catch up too--see you soon at the shop hopefully, Clare! Now on our way back to London feeling FULL of book love and ace times."