The Sydney Writers' Centre made the most of the fact that many fantastic authors were in town for the Writers' Festival and got a terrific series of interviews, now up on their blog.

Here’s a video of Geoff Dyer discussing writing, range and research:

And here’s Chris Flynn on his debut novel A Tiger in Eden and the writing process:

The regional winners of the Commonwealth Book Prize were announced today, and our very own Cory Taylor has won in the Pacific Region for Me and Mr Booker!

Margaret Busby, Chair of the Commonwealth Book Prize, said, ‘We were wonderfully spoilt for choice among some strong regional contenders on the shortlist, and although we could not take every favourite further, the books that triumphed are a reminder of what the best fiction can be: moving, entertaining, enlightening, exciting, engaging our thoughts and emotions, while creating an intimate connection with someone else’s imagination. Here are novels with memorable characters, unpredictable situations, a sense of humour, books that give insights into cultures and histories not our own, crafted by writers who care about language, and its ability to renew and enrich our view of the world.’

You can see the full list of winners here. The overall winner will be announced at Hay Festival in Wales on 8 June.

Congratulations, Cory!

We had a great week last week, capped off by two wins at Friday night’s Australian Book Industry Awards.

Here’s Kate Grenville accepting her award for General Fiction Book of the Year for Sarah Thornhill.

And here’s publisher Michael Heyward accepting the award for Small Publisher of the Year.

You can read Michael’s op-ed piece on how to rekindle interest in the great Australian stories here. Stephen Romei, literary editor of the Australian, sums up the ABIA night here.

These wins came after the two prizes won at the APA Book Design Awards for Bernard Beckett’s August, and Jane Higgins' The Bridge’s honour award at the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards.

Congrats to all the winners!

‘Your’ vs ‘You’re’: baddest-ass rap battle ever? Probably not. Baddest-ass grammar lesson ever? Quite possibly.

Extremely silly photos of extremely serious writers. I want my bear suit back, Sontag. It was a loan!

This video on how to write a novel makes it look like a snap! I’m guessing that’s…deceptive?

Looks like we’ve found a new go-to insult in ‘Backpfeifengesicht’: 25 other words we need in English.

Set Middlemarch as the text, and other ways to kill your book club.

The birth of a book, told in infographic. The world needs more goat farms.

Famous literary roommates.

The 2012 APA Book Design Awards were announced last night, and we’re delighted to report that brilliant designers Chong and Susan Miller received two awards for the design of Bernard Beckett’s August!

August was judged to be the best YA cover (by Chong) and the best designed children’s book for 2012, and was described as ‘a fantastically clever and disconcerting design’. You can read more about the awards in today’s Sydney Morning Herald.

Congratulations, Chong and Susan!

A visual representation of the (apparently) 10 most read (well, sold) books in the world.

If it takes five years work to become a skilled blacksmith, how many years of work intensi­fied into nineteen hours a day, so that one year counts for five-how many years of such work, studying medium and form, art and artisan­ship, do you think a man, with native talent and something to say, required in order to reach a place in the world of letters where he received a thousand dollars cash iron money per week? I think maybe…I will be a blacksmith? Is that a thing?

Beautiful buildings made of books.

Depressed copywriter is depressed.

So maybe you’re saying, I don’t want to create a global phenomenon. I just want to write my little book about me and my little friends texting each other and such. And I’ll answer, Jane Austen already wrote that book, but okay. How to write the Great American Novel in 11 easy steps.

Remember those weird little booky sculptures that were turning up all over the place in Scotland? They’re baaaaaack! At…Ian Rankin’s house?

Raul Lemesoff’s book tank, a mobile work of art and advocacy for peace and literacy. (via NOTCOT.org)

Literary paint chips. Rebecca’s Smalls would look lovely in the boudoir.

The 10 most harmful novels for aspiring writers.

Some way-off and some spookily prescient predictions from 1962 on what books would be like in the 21st century.

Unsettling repetitions in contemporary literature, The Art of Fielding edition.

#realtalk from your editor. I have seen these faces. It is real.

More amazing book sculpture.

What’s your dirty little reading secret? I think we all have to confess to the last one, right? Not me, though. I’ve never read a book in my life!

I could spend a day admiring bookshelves.

Burroughs’ most famous party exploit is also his most deadly—in 1951, he shot and killed his wife while drunkenly playing ‘William Tell’ at a party above a bar in Mexico City. Literature’s most notorious party animals.

EB White on the role and responsibility of the writer.

The only three pieces of writing advice you will ever need. Number 3 applies to the publishing industry in general.

[W]hen I split an infinitive, God damn it, I split it so it will stay split… Raymond Chandler, editor’s delight.