Amid the confusion over the putative Book Council of Australia – when will it come into effect and what will it do exactly? – is a concern over what is happening to the money that has been earmarked for it.

You may recall that when it was announced by Prime Minister Tony Abbott last year, a figure of $6 million over three years was announced to fund it.

It was due to begin operations this financial year, but most of the book industry is in the dark about it. On Friday MUP chief executive Louise Adler was named as its inaugural chair so one can assume it will start doing something soon.

The money has been diverted from the Australia Council and there has been concern that its absence would have an impact. There was, for example, a fear that the annual Visiting International Publishers program, which alternates between Adelaide and Sydney writers' festivals, might not get the go-ahead next year, a fear allayed late this week with the announcement that it would take place in conjunction with Sydney Writers Festival in 2016.

This is important for local publishers, who get to do business with  a variety of visitors and adds a "trade book fair" element to the festivals.  And the program is particularly important to those publishers who don't get to the Frankfurt Book Fair. In fact, many of those who do, rely on council assistance to get to Germany in October. (Fortunately, the Australian Publishers Association has already received funding to take publishers and agents this year.)

A spokesperson for federal arts minister George Brandis​ says the role of the BCA  will be to "advise the Australian government on strategies to raise and strengthen the national and international profile of Australian writing". Let's hope it does all that soon.

Patrick Ness' life-saving success

There's a certain irony in the title of Patrick Ness' new novel, The Rest of Us Just Live Here. That's because the young-adult-fiction writer living in Britain responded to the influx of refugees from Syria to the European Union by starting a fundraising push and within four days had raised more than £500,000 ($1 million).

He started by saying he would match donations of up to £10,000 on his online donations page and was swiftly joined by authors such as John Green, Philip Pullman, Paula Hawkins, and Jessie Burton. uk.virginmoneygiving.com/PatrickNess​

PM's judges depart

As expected Les Murray will no longer be a judge of the Prime Minister's Literary Awards after angrily slamming the last-minute decision to share last year's fiction prize between Steven Carroll and Booker-winner Richard Flanagan. Nor will  Gerard Henderson return as chair of the non-fiction and history judges. He is apparently on "leave of absence" this year; that could extend to next year's awards when his biography of B.A. Santamaria will presumably be in contention. The three non-fiction judges are Ross Fitzgerald, Ida Lichter and Peter Coleman. Fiction judges: Louise Adler, Des Cowley, Jamie Grant and Robert Gray.

Martel goes to Portugal

Yann Martel's​ The Life of Pi was the biggest selling winner of the Man Booker Prize ever – 12 million copies and  climbing, albeit more slowly these days.

So his many fans can look forward to next February's publication of The High Mountains of Portugal, his new novel. It is three linked stories set in the Iberian country, beginning  at the dawn of the 20th century when a man discovers a journal that hints at the existence of an artefact that might change history – if he can find it. Fast-forward 35 years to a murder mystery and then 15 years further on, a Canadian politician turns up in the country, mourning his wife. 

Forever Judy Blume, a celebration

A panel of young writers will on Sunday discuss the impact of reading Forever by Judy Blume​ on the 40th anniversary of the book's publication. Abigail Ulman​, Rebecca Starford​ and Simmone Howell will be talking about the novel  at 1pm at the City Library, 253 Flinders Lane.

And on Monday, Mike Shuttleworth will be in conversation with Francois Garde, winner of the Prix Goncourt​ for a debut novel in 2012 for What Became of the White Savage. 6.30pm, Alliance Francaise, 51 Grey Street, St Kilda. afmelbourne.com.au​