Local news | Books+Publishing

Hardie Grant Travel acquires Steffensen’s book on Indigenous fire management

Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Hardie Grant Travel has acquired world rights to Fire Country, the memoir of Indigenous fire practitioner Victor Steffensen. Steffensen is a Tagalaka descendant from Far North Queensland who is dedicated...

‘The Book Ninja’ optioned for film

Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus’ novel The Book Ninja (S&S) has been optioned for film by producers Chris Brown of Pictures in Paradise and Veronica Fury of Fury Film Co....

Beasley wins inaugural OzCo Arts and Disability Award for an emerging artist

Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Tennant Creek-based artist and illustrator Dion Beasley was one of three winners at the Australia Council’s inaugural Arts and Disability Awards, presented at a ceremony at Canberra’s National Portrait Gallery...

Van Zweden wins 2019 KYD unpublished manuscript award

Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Literary journal Kill Your Darlings (KYD) has announced Sam van Zweden as the winner of its 2019 unpublished manuscript award for her manuscript ‘Eating with my Mouth Open’. Van Zweden...

Indie Book Awards 2020 longlists announced

Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Leading Edge Books has announced the longlists for the 2020 Indie Book Awards for books published in 2019. The longlisted titles in each category are: Fiction The White Girl (Tony...

Former Macmillan Education staff launch new educational publisher

Tuesday, 3 December 2019
Former staff from Macmillan Education Australia’s school division have formed a new educational publishing company called Matilda Education. After Macmillan Education Australia announced in August that it would withdraw its...

Thomson receives inaugural Varuna/New England Writers’ Centre Fellowship

Tuesday, 3 December 2019
Armidale writer Anna Thomson is the inaugural recipient of the Varuna/New England Writers’ Centre (NEWC) Fellowship. Thomson’s winning submission included an extract from her paranormal fantasy manuscript ‘Bloodwood’. The fellowship...

2020 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards shortlists announced

Monday, 2 December 2019
The shortlists for the 2019 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards have been announced. The shortlisted titles are: Fiction The House of Youssef (Yumna Kassab, Giramondo) Act of Grace (Anna Krien, Black...

Hardie Grant staff lodge majority support determination with Fair Work

Monday, 2 December 2019
On behalf of staff in several departments of the publishing division at Hardie Grant Publishing, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) has filed a majority support determination (MSD) with...

UQP acquires two new nonfiction titles by Foley, Bond

Monday, 2 December 2019
The University of Queensland Press (UQP) has acquired world rights to two books by leading Indigenous scholars, visual artist Fiona Foley’s Biting the Clouds and public intellectual Chelsea Bond’s Another...

Room on our Rock wins Charlotte Huck Award in US

Friday, 29 November 2019
In the US, Room on our Rock (Kate & Jol Temple, illus by Terri Rose Baynton, Scholastic) has won the NCTE Charlotte Huck Award for outstanding fiction for children. Room...

Writers Victoria announces latest Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund recipients

Friday, 29 November 2019
Writers Victoria has announced the fifth round of recipients for the Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund. Eleven successful writers, booksellers and publishers were selected from 99 applicants to receive a...

Sales wins 2019 Walkley Book Award

Friday, 29 November 2019
Journalist and author Leigh Sales has won the 2019 Walkley Book Award for Any Ordinary Day (Hamish Hamilton). Any Ordinary Day describes how tragedy and loss can affect people. Judges...

Orr, Bradley among recipients of Copyright Agency fellowships worth $240k

Thursday, 28 November 2019
The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund has awarded a total of $240,000 for three fellowships. Adelaide writer Stephen Orr was awarded the $80,000 author fellowship for his project ‘The Journey’, a...

‘The Strays’ to be adapted into six-part drama series

Thursday, 28 November 2019
Emily Bitto’s Stella Prize-winning novel The Strays (Affirm) will be adapted into a six-part drama series as a co-production of See Pictures and Apogee Pictures. Beatrix Christian (Picnic at Hanging...

Readings Foundation announces 2020 grant recipients

Thursday, 28 November 2019
The Readings Foundation has chosen 12 Victorian organisations to share in $135,142 worth of grants in 2020. The grant recipients are: Banksia Gardens Community Service: $10,000 to continue supporting for a...

Hardie Grant Egmont acquires Alex Dyson’s debut YA novel

Thursday, 28 November 2019
Hardie Grant Egmont has acquired world rights to the debut young adult novel by former triple j breakfast presenter Alex Dyson. When it Drops follows social outcast and bedroom musician...

NZ Review of Books Pukapuka Aotearoa to close

Thursday, 28 November 2019
The New Zealand Review of Books Pukapuka Aotearoa will close next month, following Creative New Zealand’s decision to withdraw its funding to the publication. The quarterly publication was launched in...

Wilson to leave Text

Wednesday, 27 November 2019
Kirsty Wilson will leave her role as Text Publishing sales and marketing director, after 14 years with the company. Wilson was due to return from maternity leave at the end...

Pandiella to return to S&S

Wednesday, 27 November 2019
Anabel Pandiella will return to the role of marketing and publicity director at Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) in 2020. Pandiella previously worked for S&S for 10 years before joining...

A&U acquires ANZ rights to Heyman’s memoir ‘Fury’; rights sold to UK

Wednesday, 27 November 2019
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to novelist Kathryn Heyman’s memoir Fury, ‘a deeply feminist story of becoming heroic in a culture which does not see heroism in...

New appointments to Hachette ANZ board

Wednesday, 27 November 2019
Hachette Australia and New Zealand (HANZ) has made a number of new appointments to its board, effective 1 January next year. Among the appointments are Emma Rusher, who will officially...

Hachette acquires Jan Fran autobiography ‘Of Middle Eastern Appearance’

Tuesday, 26 November 2019
Hachette has acquired world rights to journalist and presenter Jan Fran’s memoir Of Middle Eastern Appearance, via Creative Representation managing director Jacinta Waters. Fran said: ‘Of Middle Eastern Appearance is...

The Co-op Bookshop, Curious Planet enter voluntary administration

Tuesday, 26 November 2019
The University Co-operative Bookshop has entered voluntary administration. The company, which runs the retail network of 34 Co-op Bookshops and 63 Curious Planet (formerly Australian Geographic) stores, appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers as...