Local news | Books+Publishing

Richell Prize 2025 longlist announced

Thursday, 11 September 2025
Hachette Australia, in partnership with the Emerging Writers’ Festival (EWF), has announced the longlist for the 2025 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers. Chosen from 775 entrants, the 20 longlisted writers...

NewSouth acquires Hausheer’s nonfiction

Thursday, 11 September 2025
NewSouth Publishing has acquired world rights to The Vanishing Wild: Australian Wildlife and the Fight Against Extinction by science writer Justine E Hausheer, via literary agent Martin Shaw. The Vanishing...

Myint wins 2025 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award

Thursday, 11 September 2025
James Cook University’s (JCU) Foundation for Australian Literary Studies (FALS) has announced Khin Myint as the winner of the 2025 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award for Fragile Creatures: A...

Le Roy to leave Creative Australia

Thursday, 11 September 2025
Karen Le Roy is leaving Creative Australia. Le Roy has been with Creative Australia for 14 years, most recently as manager, international arts investment where, among other projects, she oversaw...

Bundyi acquires Lawrie’s picture book

Thursday, 11 September 2025
Bundyi Publishing has acquired world rights to Bella’s Journey, a Swan Lake picture book retelling by Rowena Lawrie. ‘With themes of duality, identity, and transformation through the lens of a...

Blak & Bright and Magabala Books announce the First Stories Collective

Wednesday, 10 September 2025
Blak & Bright and Magabala Books have announced the establishment of the First Stories Collective. The collective will support Creative Australia as the delivery partner in providing services to Aboriginal...

Australian Political Book of the Year Award 2025 shortlist announced

Wednesday, 10 September 2025
The 2025 Australian Political Book of the Year Award shortlist has been announced. Chosen from a longlist announced in August, the shortlisted titles are: The Chairman’s Lounge (Joe Aston, Scribner) Mean...

HarperCollins acquires Orgias’ debut crime novel

Wednesday, 10 September 2025
HarperCollins Publishers Australia has acquired ANZ rights to Teeth Kicker, the debut crime novel by Glenn Orgias, in a deal brokered by Jeanne Ryckmans of Key People Literary Management. ‘Set on...

Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship to end in 2026

Wednesday, 10 September 2025
The Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship will conclude in 2026. In a joint email from the Hazel Rowley Fellowship committee and Writers Victoria, organisers said, ‘It is with some sadness, but...

Queensland Literary Awards 2025 shortlists announced

Tuesday, 9 September 2025
The shortlists for the 2025 Queensland Literary Awards have been announced. The shortlisted titles in each category are: Queensland Premier's Award for a Work of State Significance ($30,000) Australian Gospel:...

Meanjin archive to be ‘made available for free’

Tuesday, 9 September 2025
Literary journal Meanjin will make its complete archive available online for free from February 2026, according to a post made to the journal's social media pages. This follows news late...

Books for Cooks named ‘2025 Legend’

Tuesday, 9 September 2025
The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival (MFWF) has inducted Books for Cooks bookshop owners Tim White and Amanda Schulze to its Legends Hall of Fame in the Communicators, Educators category....

Davitt Awards 2025 winners announced

Tuesday, 9 September 2025
Sisters in Crime has announced the winners of the 2025 Davitt Awards for the best crime books by Australian women. The winning titles in each category, chosen from shortlists announced...

Queenstown Writers Festival announces 2025 program

Tuesday, 9 September 2025
The Queenstown Writers Festival (QWF) has announced its 2025 program, running 30 October to 3 November 2025 in Queenstown, Aotearoa New Zealand. Local guests headlining this year’s festival include Nalini...

Story Factory announces ambassador program

Tuesday, 9 September 2025
Story Factory has announced its inaugural ambassador program. Six ambassadors joining the organisation are: Julia Baird Benjamin Law Zindzi Okenyo Debra Oswald Amy Thunig-McGregor Jennifer Wong. The ambassadors will amplify...

A&U acquires Cullen memoir

Tuesday, 9 September 2025
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to The Desert Swimmer, a memoir by Brendan Cullen. The Desert Swimmer follows Cullen as he begins swimming ‘as part of his recovery from...

Garner longlisted for 2025 Baillie Gifford nonfiction prize

Monday, 8 September 2025
In the UK, How to End a Story: Collected Diaries by Australian author Helen Garner (Text) has been longlisted for the 2025 Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction, worth £50,000 (A$103,010)....

NSW History Awards 2025 winners announced

Monday, 8 September 2025
The winners of the 2025 NSW History Awards, worth a total of $85,000, were announced on 5 September 2025 at the State Library of NSW (SLNSW) as part of NSW...

Nakata Brophy Prize 2025 shortlist announced

Monday, 8 September 2025
Overland journal has announced the shortlist for the 2025 Nakata Brophy Prize for the best short story by a young Indigenous writer. The shortlisted writers, selected by judges Mykaela Saunders and...

PRH announces 2025 Personal Penguin

Monday, 8 September 2025
Penguin Random House (PRH) Australia has announced the Personal Penguin figurine will return for this year’s Love Your Bookshop Day (LYBD), running on 11 October 2025. The collectable figurine aims...

The Booksellers Association of Aotearoa New Zealand announces Bookshop Day

Monday, 8 September 2025
The Booksellers Association of Aotearoa New Zealand has announced that national Bookshop Day will run on Saturday 11 October 2025, to encourage readers to celebrate their local bookstores. This year’s...

Meanjin literary journal to close on ‘financial grounds’

Thursday, 4 September 2025
Melbourne University Publishing (MUP) has withdrawn funding to quarterly literary journal Meanjin, forcing the journal to close. In a statement, Melbourne University professor and MUP chair, Warren Bebbington, said, ‘This...