ABA Bookseller Awards

The Australian Booksellers Association is delighted to announce two new awards to debut at the ABA Conference in July.

ABA Text Publishing Bookseller of the Year

The ABA Text Publishing Bookseller of the Year award recognises an individual bookseller for their outstanding achievement in the past twelve months. Nominees must have worked as a bookseller for at least five years. The award will recognise a bookseller not only for their exceptional performance within the bookshop that they work but also for their achievements within the book industry as well as the local and wider community.

And the nominees are:

• Fiona Alexander, Collins Booksellers & ABC Centre Werribee
• Lynne Allister, Dymocks Rouse Hill
• Ron Burn, Dymocks Collins Street Melbourne
• Grant Fehon, The Best Little Bookshop in Town
• Chris Harrington, Books in Print
• Barbara Horgan, Shearer's Bookshop
• Lindy Jones, Abbey's Bookshop
• Suzy Wilson, Riverbend Books & Teahouse

And the winner is:

Lindy Jones, Abbey's Bookshop

ABA Random House Young Bookseller of the Year

The ABA Random House Australia Young Bookseller of the Year award recognises and rewards the excellence of a bookseller 35 or under, and promotes bookselling as a career choice for young people. Nominees must have worked as booksellers for at least two years.

And the nominees are:

• Louise Fay, Dymocks Adelaide
• Giscard Mansour, The Mustard Seed Bookshop
• Essie Mitchell, Dymocks Subiaco
• Megan O'Brien, Shearer's Bookshop
• Kate O'Donnell, The Younger Sun Bookshop
• Tanya Rundle, Dymocks Garden City (Booragoon)
• Anna Sheen, Avid Reader Bookshop
• Amelia Vahtrick, Better Read than Dead
• Scott Vance, Hill of Content Balmain
• Scott Williams, Mostly Books

And the winner is:

Amelia Vahtrick, Better Read then Dead

Both awards give booksellers the chance to exhibit their retailing skills, and be recognised by their peers, the book industry, and the general community for their innovation, career achievements and outstanding performance in their stores, and are open to employees or proprietors of ABA member bookshops.

Presentation of the awards took place at the ABA Dinner, 'Celebrating Bookselling', held on Sunday, 24 July as part of the ABA Conference, Through the Looking Glass.

The Nielsen BookData Booksellers' Choice Award

The Nielsen BookData Booksellers' Choice Award recognises the Australian new release that booksellers most enjoyed reading, marketing and handselling during the previous year.

We believe it is a special award, because it is decided by the people who care enough to personally recommend and put a book in the hands of the reading public.

This award is proudly supported on the membership’s behalf by Nielsen BookData and the ABA.

The generous prize from Nielsen BookData is presented to the winning author at the Annual Booksellers Dinner.

To view the previous winners and shortlisted books click here.

To learn about the range of bibliographic data services provided by Nielsen BookData press here.

The 2011 Nielsen BookData Booksellers Choice Award shortlist is:

The Happiest Refugee: A Memoir - Anh Do (Allen & Unwin)

How to Make Gravy - Paul Kelly (Hamish Hamilton)

The Legend of the Golden Snail - Graeme Base (Viking Australia)

Noni the Pony - Alison Lester (Allen & Unwin)

Bereft -Chris Womersley (Scribe Publicaitons)

And the winner is:
The Happiest Refugee: A Memoir - Anh Do (Allen & Unwin)