Penguin picks up Patrick's prize

PERHAPS THE BIG surprise at the Australian Book Industry Awards last Sunday night was that the gong for publisher of the year didn't go to Allen & Unwin. The Sydney independent has won for six of the past seven years. When Penguin boss Gabrielle Coyne (pic left) accepted the prize she thanked plenty of people. But first she addressed Patrick Gallagher, the publishing director of Allen & Unwin. "I'd like to thank Patrick," she said, "for the loan." Gallagher went to Penguin's celebratory drinks at the Gin Palace hoping to "negotiate interest terms".

And when David Malouf got his Lloyd O'Neil award for services to the book industry, he said he had "good reason to be grateful to many people here". Then he explained that his poetry and prose, had been published by University of Queensland Press, Random House in at least three imprints, Penguin, Pan Macmillan, Black Inc., ABC publishing, and Melbourne University Press.

Read the full report from The Age online.