The start of a new month means that there's a new issue of Readings Monthly available online and in our shops. Below you can read the foreword from the latest issue – and keep an eye on the blog for more updates and recommended new releases throughout the month!

This is the last issue of the Readings Monthly for the year. We’ve been publishing this newsletter for over 30 years now. It is a lot of work to put together and there is a core team that works tirelessly to get it to print each month. We also, as you know, call on our booksellers to write all of the (fantastic) reviews that you see between these pages. It is an extremely important part of the business that keeps us connected with the books, our colleagues, the publishers and of course you, our customer. So, it is with some sadness and trepidation that we have made the decision to no longer post out the Readings Monthly. The main reason is that the cost of postage has increased dramatically over the years and has arrived at the point where it is no longer sustainable. Despite the economic reality, this was not an easy decision to make, as I know there are many subscribers out there who read and appreciate the Readings Monthly.

In the short time since I have been writing this foreword, I have received lots of feedback from readers about the column. A little while ago, I wrote about the passing of one of our dearest customers. That piece wound up in the hands of his family, who got in contact with me. It was a very touching experience. There have been many other instances where I have been genuinely surprised and heartened by the reach of the Readings Monthly. I expect to hear lots of feedback after this edition goes to print. But rest assured, this is not the end of the Readings Monthly. We will continue to produce it as we always have and there will be no change in its production values, or the resources it is allocated. I might be biased, but I don’t know of a better produced ‘catalogue’, in any industry.

The print issue of the RM will still be available to collect in our shops around Melbourne. We will also continue to post out a copy of the RM with our online orders. You will be able to find a digital version on our website each month and if you are subscribed to our e-news you will continue to receive the link each month. I know this might be disappointing news to some of you, especially our regional customers. We hope this change doesn’t mean that we will lose you as readers.

The winners of The Readings Prize were announced in October; congratulations to the winners and to the shortlisted authors. I was lucky enough to come on as a judge of the shortlisted books for The Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction; it was a very strong selection, and I thought all the books would have been very worthy winners. I encourage you to seek them out. You can find more details about The Readings Prize here.

Speaking of judging, there was a small group of us at Readings who acted as judges for this year’s Hope Prize, which is awarded to a work – memoir, fiction, or nonfiction – of 2,000 to 5,000 words in length that speaks to themes of hope, courage or resilience. We gathered at our office and read through around 200 entries, which we then whittled down to pass onto judges Dame Quentin Bryce, Dr Tony Birch and Julia Gillard. Simon & Schuster are publishing an anthology of the shortlisted stories early in December called Tomorrow There Will Be Sun. All royalties from the anthology will go to Beyond Blue. Keep an eye out for it in the shops.