Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

Image. Advertisement:

Local news >

PMLA 2021 winners announced

Wednesday, 15 December 2021
The winners of the 2021 Prime Minister's Literary Awards (PMLA) have been announced. Selected from shortlists announced in October, the winning titles in each category are: Fiction The Labyrinth (Amanda Lohrey,...

Lohrey wins 2021 Voss Literary Prize

Wednesday, 15 December 2021
Amanda Lohrey has won the 2021 Voss Literary Prize for her novel The Labyrinth (Text). Lohrey, whose book was chosen from a shortlist of five, receives $5000. This year’s judges...

Bookface Macarthur Square closed 

Friday, 10 December 2021
Bookface in Macarthur Square Shopping Centre in Campbelltown, New South Wales has closed. In a statement the shop said it had made ‘the difficult decision’ to close due to Covid-19...

Some supply improvements amid ‘record’ orders 

Friday, 10 December 2021
Following severe supply chain disruption in Australia’s eastern states, some booksellers report delivery times have improved for recently ordered stock, although several report they are still waiting on overdue consignments....

ABA campaign to promote books ‘missed during Covid’ 

Friday, 10 December 2021
The Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) has received Copyright Agency funding for a new campaign to promote Australian books ‘missed during Covid’. The campaign, which receives $20,000 in funding, will promote...

Scribner acquires Sullivan’s ‘Calcium-Magnesium’ 

Thursday, 9 December 2021
Scribner has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Helen Sullivan’s nonfiction collection Calcium-Magnesium, via James Pullen at Wylie Agency. Calcium-Magnesium blends reportage and memoir to explore ‘how encounters with the...

Johnston appointed Copyright Agency CEO 

Thursday, 9 December 2021
The Copyright Agency has appointed Josephine Johnston as its new CEO. She replaces Adam Suckling, who announced earlier this year that he would not renew his contract, having been in...

HQ acquires Lien’s ‘All That’s Left Unsaid’ 

Wednesday, 8 December 2021
HQ has acquired UK & Commonwealth rights to Tracey Lien’s debut novel All That’s Left Unsaid as part of a two-book deal, in a 'competitive nine-way auction’. Commonwealth & UK...

‘The Conversation’ launches new Books & Ideas section 

Wednesday, 8 December 2021
Australian academic news and culture website the Conversation is expanding its books coverage with a new dedicated Books & Ideas section. Former Conversation arts and culture editor Suzy Freeman-Greene has...

Affirm acquires new Sanders picture book series 

Wednesday, 8 December 2021
Affirm Press has acquired world rights to 'Life Lessons for Little Ones', a new picture book series written by Jess Sanders. Aimed at under-10s, the series will cover 'a diverse...

Indie Book Awards 2022 longlists announced

Tuesday, 7 December 2021
Leading Edge Books has announced the longlists for the 2022 Indie Book Awards. The longlisted titles in each category are: Fiction After Story (Larissa Behrendt, UQP) The Good Wife of...

VPLAs 2022 shortlists announced

Tuesday, 7 December 2021
The shortlists for the 2022 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards have been announced. The shortlisted and highly commended works in each category are: Fiction After Story (Larissa Behrendt, UQP) Bodies of...

Transit Lounge acquires new Day novel 

Tuesday, 7 December 2021
Transit Lounge has acquired world rights to Gregory Day’s sixth novel The Bell of the World, in a deal brokered by Jeanne Ryckmans at Cameron’s Management. The Bell of the...

Aitken wins 2021 Patrick White Award

Tuesday, 7 December 2021
Poet Adam Aitken is the winner of this year’s $15,000 Patrick White Award. Aitken is the author of several books of poetry including Archipelago (Vagabond Press), shortlisted in 2018 for...

The Next Chapter 2022 recipients announced

Friday, 3 December 2021
The Wheeler Centre has announced the recipients of the 2021 Next Chapter grants for developing writers, worth $15,000 each. The 10 recipients are: Jumaana Abdu Jose da Costa Josie/Jocelyn Deane...

Adler appointed AWW director 

Friday, 3 December 2021
Louise Adler has been appointed director of Adelaide Writers’ Week (AWW), taking over from Jo Dyer who announced earlier this year that the 2022 event would be her last. Adler,...

Stout wins MidnightSun cover design competition 

Thursday, 2 December 2021
Abby Stout has been named the winner of MidnightSun’s 2021 book cover design competition. The competition, which ran during October, encouraged Australian designers to submit cover design concepts for two...

UQP acquires new Lucashenko novel ‘Edenglassie’ 

Thursday, 2 December 2021
The University of Queensland Press (UQP) has acquired world rights to a new novel by 2019 Miles Franklin winner Melissa Lucashenko in ‘a major, competitive deal’ brokered by Alex Adsett...

McLean donates $1 million to Stella Prize

Thursday, 2 December 2021
Sydney-based philanthropist Paula McLean, a long-time patron of the Stella Prize, has committed a gift of up to $1 million to the prize’s Stella Forever Fund, which aims to secure...

‘The Underdogs’ series sells to North America 

Wednesday, 1 December 2021
Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing (HGCP) has sold North American rights to ‘The Underdogs’ series by Kate and Jol Temple (illus by Shiloh Gordon) to Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Random...

Hammer, Jubelin joint 2021 Danger Prize winners

Wednesday, 1 December 2021
Trust (Chris Hammer, A&U) and I Catch Killers (Gary Jubelin with Dan Box, HarperCollins) have jointly won the 2021 Danger Prize. Administered by the BAD: Sydney Crime Writers Festival, the...