Australia is about to have a major new SF/fantasy imprint.  Hachette Livre, the third largest publisher in the world, is launching two new SF and Fantasy imprints: Orbit Australia and Orbit USA. Hachette Livre purchased Orbit, the UK SF and fantasy imprint of the Little, Brown Book Group (formerly Time Warner Book Group) earlier this year. The new imprints will make Orbit a major player in the three largest English language markets in the world.

According to Malcolm Edwards, Managing Director of Hachette Livre Australia: "This is a very exciting development, both for Hachette Livre Australia and for the growing pool of very talented Science Fiction and Fantasy authors in both Australia and New Zealand.  It is rare for large publishers to combine, in such a single minded way, to nurture talent, with the express intention of giving authors the very real opportunity of being published globally, and we are very much looking forward to being part of this pioneering approach."

Kate Forsyth has been writing a series of children's fantasy adventure books set in Cromwell's seventeenth century England. The series has been sold to Australia, the USA, United Kingdom, Germany and Russia for a large six figure advance. Book One, The Gypsy Crown is due out in Australia in September.

Brisbane author William Elliott has won the $10000 inaugural ABC Fiction Award for his fantasy manuscript, The Pilo Family Circus, declaring it a win for Australian fantasy writers.

Aurealis author K J Bishop has been nominated for the John W Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

Margo Lanagan's short story, "Singing My Sister Down", from her Black Juice collection has made the 2006 Hugo Awards Nominations and the 2005 Nebula Awards Final Ballot.

Australian author, D M (David) Cornish, has signed a large ‘six figures per book' deal across 6 territories for his debut trilogy, Monster Blood Tattoo.  The first book in the series is The Foundling, published in Australia by Omnibus.  David says he has spent 13 years developing his unique fantasy world, ‘the Half-continent'.

Conflux has announced a  Call for Entries for the Conflux international art show, which will feature AUD $6000 (approx. US $4500 / UK £2520) in art show prizes for science fiction, fantasy, horror, surreal, astronomical, comics, manga and related art.

Prizes include one AUD $2000 (approx. US $1500 / UK £840) award for Best in Show, two AUD $1000 (approx. US $750 / UK £420) awards for Best International and Best Australian, and four AUD $500 (approx. US $375 / UK £210) awards for Best Student, Best Comic, Best Manga and Best Digital.

To enable the greatest participation by international artists, artwork will primarily be displayed as prints from digital format (printed by a professional art printer) or in a projected slide show. The show will also feature traditional media artwork.

The Conflux art show is attached to one of the largest science fiction conventions ever held in Australia. The show will run from 2-12 June 2006, including one-week prior to the Conflux convention, during which time it will be open to the general public at the National Museum of Australia (www.nma.gov.au), an outstanding venue with extensive experience in presenting major exhibitions. The show is being promoted widely and exhibiting artists will receive excellent exposure and opportunities to sell work.

Visit www.conflux.org.au/2006/artshow.shtml and download the art show rules, submission guidelines, and application form at your earliest opportunity. Please note that applications and images of artwork must be received by March 27 2006.

Email queries to the art show director at artshow@conflux.org.au.

Margo Lanagan's Black Juice was announced as an honour book in the Michael L Prinz Award presented by the American Library Association.  This is the first time that an Australian title has made this list for an award which is considered the most prestigious for YA  books in the US.

John Harwood's novel The Ghost Writer won the International Horror Guild's First Novel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Horror and Dark Fantasy; and also the Children of the Night Award for Best Gothic Novel from the Dracula Society of Great Britain.

Random House has appointed a new Commissioning Editor of commercial fiction, Larissa Edwards.