Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

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ABC Radio National countdown to focus on Australian books

Top 100 Australian books graphic Thursday, 28 May 2026
This year, ABC Radio National’s annual Top 100 Books Countdown will focus on the theme “Australian books”, both fiction and nonfiction. The ABC said the countdown’s definition of Australian was...

NT Writers Festival 2026 festival opens

Thursday, 28 May 2026
The NT Writers Festival will return to Garramilla/Darwin today, running from 28 to 31 May under the theme “Navigating”. Panels, workshops and conversations will include appearances by writers Omar Musa,...

Simon & Schuster acquires three Hammer novels

Thursday, 28 May 2026
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) imprint Summit Books has acquired ANZ rights to 3 novels by Chris Hammer from Grace Heifetz at a4 Literary, with UK rights sold to Rachel...

Allen & Unwin acquires Wills’s “Dopamining”

Black and white photograph of Samantha Wills Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Allen and Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to Dopamining by Samantha Wills, via Samuel Bernard at Zeitgeist Agency. Part memoir and part cultural commentary, Dopamining examines “how we became...

ALS Gold Medal 2026 shortlist announced

Image of the ALS Gold Medal Wednesday, 27 May 2026
The shortlist for the 2026 ALS Gold Medal, awarded by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature, has been announced. The shortlisted works are: Discipline (Randa Abdel-Fattah, University of...

Vale Neale Daniher

Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Australian Rules football player, author and co-founder of FightMND, Neale Daniher, has died, aged 65. Pan Macmillan Australia writes: Pan Macmillan Australia is deeply saddened by the passing of AFL...

Riveted Press acquires Sandhu middle-grade fiction

Photo of Jo Sandhu Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Riveted Press has acquired world rights to Khet and the Medallion of Ra by Jo Sandhu, via a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Queensland pitch event. The...

Miles Franklin longlist; ABIA winners; record-breaking SWF

Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Sydney Writers’ Festival and Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki each reported box office record-breaking years for the 2026 festival (and shared their bestsellers); while Melbourne Writers Festival reported attendance...

ABIA 2026 lost & found

Wednesday, 27 May 2026
A few items were left behind at the Australian Book Industry Awards on Thursday, 21 May. If you think something might belong to you, we would love to help reunite...

A Funny Thing Happened…with Robbie Swan and Fiona Patten

Wednesday, 27 May 2026
A sharp, darkly funny insider account of the sex industry’s collision with politics, censorship and everyday Australian life by Robbie Swan, a former national magazine editor turned political lobbyist for...

Account manager, Queensland

Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Penguin Random House We are seeking a full-time Account Manager to join our sales team in Brisbane. Reporting to the Field Sales Manager, you will maximise book sales across selected...

When the World Sleeps (Francesca Albanese, Hardie Grant)

Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Francesca Albanese, the first woman to serve as United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, conveys the soul of a people through ten unforgettable stories of resilience and...

Allen & Unwin acquires James’s “The Wreck”

Photograph of Riley James Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to crime novel The Wreck by Riley James in a deal brokered by Caitlan Cooper-Trent of Curtis Brown Australia. In 1998, researchers...

Story Factory opens Bidwill centre

Young people enjoying a creative writing workshop at Story Factory Bidwill. Photo by Julie Collins Monday, 25 May 2026
Creative writing not-for-profit Story Factory has opened a new centre in the western Sydney suburb of Bidwill, New South Wales. Having previously established centres in Redfern and Parramatta, the Story...

Sworder wins ABIA Book of the Year

Thursday, 21 May 2026
The winners of the 2026 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) have been announced, with Once I Was a Giant by Zeno Sworder (Thames & Hudson) taking out the overall Book...

“Taiwan Travelogue” wins 2026 International Booker Prize

Cover of Taiwan Travelogue Wednesday, 20 May 2026
Taiwanese author Yáng Shuāng-zǐ has won the 2026 International Booker Prize, worth £50,000 (A$94,300) for Taiwan Travelogue (translated by Lin King, Scribe), reported the Bookseller. The International Booker Prize is awarded...

NSW Literary Awards; Stella winner; Heiss resigns from UQ

Wednesday, 20 May 2026
Anita Heiss has announced her resignation from the University of Queensland; Penguin Random House marketing and publicity director Dot Tonkin has left the publishing house; Better Reading has appointed Natika...

Miles Franklin 2026 longlist announced

A graphic image including the covers of the titles longlisted for the 2026 Miles Franklin Literary Award Wednesday, 20 May 2026
The longlist for the 2026 Miles Franklin Literary Award has been announced. Longlisted titles for the $60,000 prize are: Discipline (Randa Abdel-Fattah, University of Queensland Press) I Want Everything (Dominic...

Macdonald wins 2026 Pixie O’Harris Award

Picture of Paul Macdonald with ABIA logo Wednesday, 20 May 2026
Paul Macdonald has been named as the recipient of the 2026 Pixie O’Harris Award in the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA). The outgoing president of the Children’s Book Council of...

Fox wins 2026 Lloyd O’Neil Award

Photograph of Mem Fox with ABIA 2026 logo Wednesday, 20 May 2026
Mem Fox has been named as the recipient of the 2026 Lloyd O’Neil Award in the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA). Fox has written more than 40 books for children,...

Affirm Press Distribution Change (AU & NZ)

Wednesday, 20 May 2026
Effective 27 June 2026, all Affirm Press and Affirm Press distribution client titles will be distributed by Harper Entertainment Distribution Services (HEDS) in Australia and New Zealand. Titles will continue...

Time Travel for Beginners (Jaclyn Moriarty, Ultimo)

Tuesday, 19 May 2026
On a bustling road in Sydney lies a nondescript storefront known simply as the Time Travel Agency. Inside, you’ll be welcomed by the smell of freshly brewed coffee, a selection...