Features | Books+Publishing

Words and numbers: The reality of entry-level roles in publishing

Wednesday, 6 May 2026
Nonie Trainor is completing their Work Integrated Learning at Books+Publishing as a second-year student of the Master of Writing and Publishing program at RMIT University. In the first of two...

“Customers were incredibly generous with their purchase sizes”: Local booksellers report back from Global Book Crawl 2026

Wednesday, 6 May 2026
Booksellers who took part in this year’s Global Book Crawl said the event attracted “entirely new shoppers”, while boosting sales and inter-bookshop connections. It wasn’t just books on offer at...

Opinion: The UQP “Bila” controversy reveals the tension between board governance and editorial independence

Wednesday, 6 May 2026
The decision by the University of Queensland Press to destroy 5000 copies of a picture book had nothing to do with its contents or Indigenous author, writes Penni Russon. It...

Jessy Wu on “Good Intentions”

Tuesday, 5 May 2026
Jessy Wu is a Sydney-based writer and entrepreneur whose debut novel, Good Intentions (Macmillan), is a fast-paced millennial romance set in the worlds of investigative journalism and futures trading. Books+Publishing...

Jessy Wu recommends

Tuesday, 5 May 2026
I joke that Nick McKenzie's Crossing the Line (Hachette, 2023) is the unofficial companion text to Good Intentions. McKenzie is one of Australia's most decorated – and I think most...

Mother’s Day recommendations from B+P reviewers

Friday, 1 May 2026
In the lead-up to Mother’s Day, one of the busiest book-buying times of the year, we’ve rounded up some of our reviewers’ favourite April and May releases, with an eye...

“I do not believe we counter racism, antisemitism, homophobia or transphobia by boycotts and cancellations”: Dennis Altman on the cancellation of “Bila”

Wednesday, 29 April 2026
UQP has cancelled a children’s book illustrated by Matt Chun, citing antisemitism. Dennis Altman, Vice Chancellor’s Fellow and Professorial Fellow, Institute for Human Security and Social Change, La Trobe University,...

“Safe, loved and connected”: what publishers at Bologna want from kids’ books now

Wednesday, 29 April 2026
Last-minute cancellations, yes, but a “new and positive vibe” at the new-look Australian stand. Those who made it to Bologna report back on the trends and conversations at the 2026...

The Rose Read Bookshop to open in Summer Hill

Wednesday, 29 April 2026
The Rose Read Bookshop will soon be opening in the Sydney suburb of Summer Hill. Co-founders Stephanie Beck and Mischa Parkee spoke with Books+Publishing about their vision for the shop....

“Numbers are powerful”: University of Melbourne researchers on the APA workforce survey

Wednesday, 22 April 2026
University of Melbourne researchers Beth Driscoll, Sandra Phillips and Claire Parnell are working on the second Australian Publishing Industry Workforce Survey on Diversity and Inclusion, in conjunction with the Australian...

From an attic to a “forever home”: 50 years of Fremantle Press

Wednesday, 15 April 2026
In 1976, Fremantle Press began operations in the attic of a former asylum. Five peripatetic decades later, the Press has just moved into its forever home in Fremantle’s East End,...

Mary Colussi recommends

Tuesday, 14 April 2026
Rapture by Emily Maguire is so very brilliant. I find people who write historical fiction automatically impressive – the research intimidates me, let alone the writing itself, but the ninth...

Mary Colussi on “Touch Grass”

Tuesday, 14 April 2026
Mary Colussi is a Sydney-based writer whose debut novel, Touch Grass, won the 2025 Penguin Literary Prize. Books+Publishing reviewer Danielle Bagnato described it as a “clever and incisive story that...

Junior Book Club – this month’s reads

Friday, 10 April 2026
Searching for your next great read to share with kids? Our Junior Book Club highlights new titles each month that are perfect for classrooms, libraries and family reading time. From...

Scribble inspires a new-look Australian stand for Bologna

Wednesday, 8 April 2026
As a reduced cohort of Australian publishers head to Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the Australian Publishers Association is set to unveil a new-look stand. International publishers visiting the Australian stand...

“We want to trust authors”: Local publishers on “Shy Girl” implications

Wednesday, 1 April 2026
“It really is a case of ‘there but for the grace of God go I’.” This was the response of one editor at a Big Five publishing house to the...

“Timing and luck” sees cohort of local publishers still attending Bologna

Wednesday, 1 April 2026
Despite cancelled flights and rising costs a cohort of Australian rights managers and literary agents are heading to Bologna Children's Book Fair, where a new-look Australian Stand will be unveiled....

Raymond Tan recommends

Tuesday, 31 March 2026
The last Australian cookbook that really resonated with me is Good Cooking Every Day by Julia Busuttil Nishimura (Plum). It feels incredibly warm and generous, and there’s a real sense of ease...

Raymond Tan on “You’re Welcome!”

Tuesday, 31 March 2026
Raymond Tan is a Melbourne-based baker whose work celebrates the flavours and traditions of Southeast Asia through a contemporary lens. His cookbook, You’re Welcome!: A Baking Celebration with a Southeast...

Bookseller’s diary: Clunes and the pleasures of re-homing vintage books

Wednesday, 25 March 2026
For the 20th Clunes Booktown Festival, held on the weekend of 21 to 22 March, 15,000 book lovers descended on the small Victorian town of Clunes. The event featured 70...

Waving through windows: Insights from the “Reaching Australian Readers” report

Wednesday, 25 March 2026
Reading peak body and newly minted not-for-profit organisation Australia Reads has released a new research report, “Reaching Australian Readers”, following on from last year’s “Understanding Australian Readers” report. This new...

Australian Book Design Awards 2026 shortlists announced

Monday, 23 March 2026
The shortlists for the 2026 Australian Book Design Awards, presented by the Australian Book Designers Association (ABDA), have been announced. Shortlisted works in each category are: Best designed general fiction...