Local news | Books+Publishing

Publisher of Patterson memoir to be revealed in “coming weeks”

Monday, 20 April 2026
A memoir by Simon Patterson, the estranged husband of murderer Erin Patterson, has been acquired by an as-yet-unnamed publisher, reported the Guardian. Patterson’s spokesperson, Jessica O’Donnell, told Guardian Australia that...

Local authors longlisted for 2026 CWA Daggers

Monday, 20 April 2026
Local authors Sam Guthrie, Laura McCluskey, Zoë Rankin and Jennifer Trevelyan are among those whose works have been longlisted for the UK Crime Writers’ Association’s (CWA) 2026 Dagger Awards. Guthrie,...

State Library of NSW releases research showing benefits of libraries

Monday, 20 April 2026
The State Library of NSW has released new research highlighting the social value and community benefits of libraries. Key findings from the report, released in late March 2026, include: People...

Bloomsbury reorganises its global publishing business

Thursday, 16 April 2026
Bloomsbury is reorganising its global business, with a new structure coming into effect on 1 June 2026, affecting an estimated 55 roles across the UK and US. Locally, Bloomsbury’s Asia-Pacific...

HGCP acquires “Sagittarius Rising”

Thursday, 16 April 2026
Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing (HGCP) has acquired world rights to children’s chapter book Sagittarius Rising by author Maxine Beneba Clarke and illustrator Jade Goodwin. Senior publisher Chren Byng said, “For...

ABIA 2026 business award shortlists announced

Wednesday, 15 April 2026
Books+Publishing, in partnership with the Australian Publishers Association, has announced the 2026 business award shortlists for the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs). The shortlistees in each category are: Bookshop of...

Messy Press wins Bologna Prize for Oceania

Wednesday, 15 April 2026
Aotearoa New Zealand children’s publisher Messy Press has won the 2026 Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year in the Oceania region, announced as part of the...

Paragraph Fellowship to award two prize winners from 2026

Wednesday, 15 April 2026
The Paragraph Fellowship will extend the award to two fellows in 2026 thanks to the Dyson Bequest’s contribution to the Time to Write fund. There will be a one-off payment...

Walsh’s “God AI” sells into North America, UK, India

Wednesday, 15 April 2026
Black Inc. has sold North American, UK, Indian subcontinent and audio rights to God AI: Boom or Doom? What to Expect When Machines Outsmart Us (Toby Walsh, La Trobe University...

The Age Book of the Year 2026 shortlists announced

Wednesday, 15 April 2026
The shortlists for the 2026 Age Book of the Year awards have been announced. Shortlisted works in each category are: Fiction Fierceland (Omar Musa, Penguin) The Immigrants (Moreno Giovannoni, Black Inc.) Out of the...

Ball appointed UQP publishing director

Wednesday, 15 April 2026
University of Queensland Press (UQP) has announced the appointment of Ben Ball as publishing director “after an extensive recruitment process”. Ball takes over from Madonna Duffy who was appointed UQP...

Audible adds new lower-price tier

Tuesday, 14 April 2026
Audible has launched a new standard membership tier in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and France. Priced at A$8.99 locally, the new tier offers subscribers one...

Regional shortlist released for 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize

Tuesday, 14 April 2026
One Aotearoa New Zealand writer and one Australian writer are among the finalists for the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. The works shortlisted for the Pacific region are: ‘Bitter Water...

SWF responds to bookseller criticism

Monday, 13 April 2026
In a statement responding to bookseller criticism of its approach to competing events, the Sydney Writers’ Festival (SWF) has stated that it is “supportive, on a case-by-case basis, of an...

“Magpies” magazine to cease publication of Source database

Monday, 13 April 2026
The Source, a database and subject guide to children’s literature with an emphasis on publications from Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, will cease operation at the end of June 2026....

ABA announces inaugural lifetime achievement award

Monday, 13 April 2026
The Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) has created a new Lifetime Achievement in Bookselling Award for “an individual who has given extraordinary and sustained service to bookselling in Australia”. According to...

Ena Noël Award 2026 winners announced

Monday, 13 April 2026
The Australian branch of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) has announced the winners of the 2026 Ena Noël Award. The winners of the award are author...

Storylines Awards 2026 winners announced

Monday, 13 April 2026
The Storylines Trust has announced the 2026 winners of the Storylines Awards in Aotearoa New Zealand. The winners are: Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award Tim Tipene Gaelyn Gordon Award...

Upswell acquires Anatolitis’s “Who’s Afraid of Australian Artists?”

Thursday, 9 April 2026
Upswell Publishing has acquired world rights for Who’s Afraid of Australian Artists? by Esther Anatolitis. Anatolitis will examine artistic practice, arts policy and political sentiment, framed by the voices of...

Shakthidharan among Windham-Campbell Prize 2026 winners

Thursday, 9 April 2026
Sydney playwright S Shakthidharan has won a 2026 Windham-Campbell Prize, worth US$175,000 (A$249,000). Shakthidharan was selected in the category of drama for his “ambition and scale, and his deep care...

Stella Prize 2026 shortlist announced

Thursday, 9 April 2026
The shortlist for the $60,000 Stella Prize for works by Australian women and non-binary writers has been announced. The shortlisted books are: The Rot (Evelyn Araluen, UQP) Memorial Days (Geraldine Brooks, Hachette)...

ABIA 2026 book award shortlists announced

Wednesday, 8 April 2026
Books+Publishing, in partnership with the Australian Publishers Association, has announced the 2026 book award shortlists for the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs). The shortlisted titles in each category are: Audiobook...