The party’s over: Publicists, burnout and a ‘far more creative’ role
13 March 2024
Last week, Books+Publishing heard why book publicists are picking and choosing when (or, more often, when not) to put efforts into TikTok coverage. Here, they argue against big launch parties—and...
Shankari Chandran recommends
13 March 2024
Winnie Dunn’s debut, Dirt Poor Islanders (Hachette). She explores Australian Tongan life with defiance and audacious honesty. It’s something we’ve never seen in Australian literature before. It was ferocious and...
New York, New York: Insights from the 2024 Australian publishing delegation
13 March 2024
This year’s New York Publishers’ Program took place between 12 and 16 February, with nine delegates accompanying Creative Australia’s Jo Simpson as part of the program. Alex Adsett of Alex...
Shankari Chandran on ‘Safe Haven’
12 March 2024
Australian Tamil lawyer and author Shankari Chandran, who won the 2023 Miles Franklin Award for her novel Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens (Ultimo), returns with her fourth novel, Safe Haven (Ultimo,...
Book publicity in the TikTok age: What moves the needle now?
6 March 2024
With the consolidation of print reviews that appear in some of Australia’s key newspapers and a reduction in the number that appear in others, how much effort should publishers expend...
Bri Lee recommends
28 February 2024
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood! She’s the G.O.A.T. Huge fan. How she does so much in so few pages always astounds me. A master at work, for sure.
Bri Lee on ‘The Work’
27 February 2024
Bri Lee is a celebrated author, academic and activist known for nonfiction titles Eggshell Skull (2018), Beauty (2019) and Who Gets to Be Smart (2021). Her debut fiction novel, The...
Can ChatGPT edit fiction? Four editors put it to the test
21 February 2024
Editors Rose Michael, Sharon Mullins, Renée Otmar and Katherine Day have previously explored how AI tools might work, or be made to work, for editorial. In this extract from an...
Stuart Kells recommends
14 February 2024
I’ve recently returned to a lot of Australian writing that I love, such as Kate Jennings’s books and Barry Hill’s Broken Song (Vintage). Another book that stands out is The...
Stuart Kells on ‘Alice™’
13 February 2024
Stuart Kells (co-author of Sold Down the River, author of Penguin and the Lane Brothers: The untold story of a publishing revolution) is an adjunct professor at La Trobe University’s...
How international markets performed in 2023
7 February 2024
In the US, a fall of 'only' 2.6% in unit sales was a relief, while many European markets achieved modest growth despite falling volume sales, thanks to price increases. In...
Romantasy, audio and b-format: Bookseller and publisher predictions for 2024
31 January 2024
Booksellers and publishers who responded to Books+Publishing's Christmas survey were asked to predict what trends and developments might unfold in 2024. From buying habits to trendy genres, we share some...
Publishers on Christmas 2023: Black Friday changes buying patterns as fiction holds strong
31 January 2024
Publisher responses to this year's Books+Publishing Christmas survey show the key selling season was better than expected for half of respondents, and close to expectations for the remaining 50% of...
‘Better than expected’ Christmas for booksellers, despite almost a quarter reporting sales dropped
24 January 2024
While a small number of booksellers (4.4%) reported an ‘excellent’ Christmas in 2023, sales for the period were down on 2022 for almost a quarter of booksellers who responded to...
Explainer: Why did the costs of printing a book go up?
17 January 2024
In 2022 when Books+Publishing reported on the increasing costs of print in Australia, IVE Group CEO Cliff Brigstocke said he had 'never witnessed such a challenging set of circumstances’ in...
POD and the pandemic: How are publishers using print on demand now?
17 January 2024
For many publishers around the world, the supply-chain chaos of the pandemic drove a move to print on demand (POD). Books+Publishing asks what role POD plays for publishers and booksellers...
Anton Clifford-Motopi recommends
10 January 2024
I recently finished reading What About Thao? by Oliver Phommavanh. I loved the portrayal of everyday life in a small country town and the likeable and relatable cast of characters....
Inclusive publishing leaders at the Sharjah Publishers Conference
10 January 2024
Each year, the Sharjah International Book Fair brings publishing professionals to the United Arab Emirates through its fellowship program. Agata Mrva-Montoya, from the University of Sydney, attended the 2023 conference....
Explainer: What is accessible publishing?
10 January 2024
Accessibility and inclusivity are broad terms that can have different meanings in different contexts. In the book industry, these terms have surfaced at many conferences and events as people come...
Anton Clifford-Motopi on ‘To and Fro’
9 January 2024
Anton Clifford-Motopi is a Brisbane-based author who likes to write stories that make children laugh. Books+Publishing reviewer Emma Pei Yin described his debut novel, To and Fro (A&U Children, March),...
New year, new books: Children’s and young adult stories from local publishers
13 December 2023
Australian children's and young adult publishers are excited to welcome 2024—and with it, a bright array of forthcoming books. Here are the titles publishers are highlighting for younger readers in...
The facts on 2024’s nonfiction releases
6 December 2023
From big names and literary subjects, to politics, the environment and history, from personal development to crochet, sex guides to cookbooks, publishers pick their top nonfiction titles for 2024. Familiar...
Reading into the year ahead: 2024 fiction and poetry preview
29 November 2023
Debuts, historical fiction, crime and thrillers, contemporary fiction, romance and fantasy, literary fiction and shorter works—Australian publishers share their top picks in fiction and poetry for 2024, from intergenerational family...
Five key insights from Nielsen BookScan’s SPN market report
29 November 2023
Claire West and Olivia Johansson from Nielsen BookScan opened the Small Press Network’s Independent Publishing Conference industry day on Friday, 24 November, sharing key insights on the overall Australian book...
Independent Publishing Conference 2023: Conversations and communities
29 November 2023
The Small Press Network (SPN) annual Independent Publishing Conference (IPC) was held from 23 to 25 November at the Wheeler Centre, Melbourne, on Wurundjeri Country, and remotely online. Thursday was...
ILF workshops create books, explore digital storytelling
29 November 2023
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation is well known as the facilitator of the fundraising initiative Indigenous Literacy Day, and for developing books in First Nations languages, but other ILF programs also...
Sharlene Allsopp recommends
29 November 2023
Burn by Melanie Saward. My favourite writers grip my heart with the reality of grief and loss, but leave me with hope and beauty at the same time. When I...
Sharlene Allsopp on ‘The Great Undoing’
28 November 2023
Sharlene Allsopp's debut novel, The Great Undoing (Ultimo, February 2024), 'is a remarkable book that reaches back into the early 20th century and forwards into the future to examine discontinuities...
Victoria Carless recommends
22 November 2023
I read and loved Limberlost by Robbie Arnott earlier this year. It is a quiet novel, ostensibly about a boy called Ned, who hunts rabbits for their pelts to buy a boat...
AI: The next, best editorial tool?
22 November 2023
Editors Rose Michael, Sharon Mullins, Renée Otmar and Katherine Day ask how AI tools might work, or be made to work, for editorial. Back when Rose was editor of the...