Local news | Books+Publishing

Collins Ballarat relocates to ‘destination store’ in heritage building

Thursday, 31 May 2018
The Ballarat branch of Collins Booksellers has relocated to a heritage-listed building on Lydiard Street in the Ballarat city centre. Formerly located about a block and half away on Sturt...

First authors announced for 2018 Byron Writers Festival

Thursday, 31 May 2018
The first authors have been announced for the 2018 Byron Writers Festival, which runs from 3-5 August. International guests include British author and broadcaster Lemn Sissay, Saudi Arabian women's rights activist...

Viggers novel sold to France, following ‘remarkable’ sales

Thursday, 31 May 2018
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has sold world French rights to Karen Viggers’ forthcoming novel, The World Beneath the Trees, to publisher Les Escales, following the Melbourne author’s exceptional sales record...

BWF releases 2018 schools program

Wednesday, 30 May 2018
The Brisbane Writers Festival (BWF) has released its 2018 Word Play program, designed for students from prep to year 12. The Word Play program will run from 4-7 September at...

Self-published debut novel sold to UK small press Splice

Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Brisbane author Nicholas John Turner’s debut self-published novel Hang Him When He Is Not There has sold into the UK and Ireland to Birmingham-based small press Splice. UK and Irish...

Finalists for Walkley-Pascall, arts journalism awards announced

Wednesday, 30 May 2018
The Walkley Foundation has announced the finalists for the 2018 Walkley-Pascall Award for arts criticism and for the Arts Journalism Award. The finalists for the Walkley-Pascall Award for arts criticism...

New children’s press Yellow Brick Books releases first title

Wednesday, 30 May 2018
A new small publisher focused on children’s books has recently released its first title, amid plans to release two more books in 2018. In May this year, Yellow Brick Books...

UQP acquires Sakr poetry collection

Wednesday, 30 May 2018
University of Queensland Press (UQP) has acquired Western Sydney poet Omar Sakr’s forthcoming poetry collection, The Lost Arabs. World rights were acquired by UQP publishing director and acting-CEO Madonna Duffy,...

Readings YA Prize 2018 shortlist announced

Tuesday, 29 May 2018
The shortlist for the 2018 Readings Young Adult Prize has been announced. The shortlisted titles are: Small Spaces (Sarah Epstein, Walker Books) Amelia Westlake (Erin Gough, Hardie Grant Egmont) Between...

Alice appointed director of Writers SA

Tuesday, 29 May 2018
Writers SA has announced editor and festival programmer Jessica Alice as the organisation's new director. Alice, who commences the position on 2 July, takes over from outgoing director Sarah Tooth...

Australian Book Design Awards 2018 winners announced

Tuesday, 29 May 2018
The Australian Book Designers Association (ABDA) announced the winners of the 2018 Australian Book Design Awards at an event in Melbourne on 25 May. The winning titles in each category...

Melbourne Prize announces new $7500 award for early-career published authors

Tuesday, 29 May 2018
The Melbourne Prize Trust has announced a new award for early-career authors, worth $7500. The Readings Residency Award is open to early-career published authors who are based in Victoria, writing...

Three local writers shortlisted for Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2018

Monday, 28 May 2018
Two Australians and one New Zealand writer are among the 24 shortlisted finalists for the 2018 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Poet Chris Mansell was shortlisted for her story ‘Nobody’s Wife’,...

‘300 Minutes of Danger’ adapted for VR project

Monday, 28 May 2018
A virtual reality (VR) project based on Jack Heath’s book of short stories 300 Minutes of Danger (Scholastic) is one of four online projects to receive production funding from Screen...

Schultz takes on publisher role at ‘Griffith Review’; Hay becomes editor

Monday, 28 May 2018
Griffith Review has announced that editor Julianne Schultz will take on the role of publisher at the quarterly publication, alongside a position as Professor of Media and Culture at Griffith...

Territory Read Book of the Year 2018 shortlist announced

Friday, 25 May 2018
The Northern Territory Writers’ Centre has announced the shortlist for the Territory Read Book of the Year awards. The shortlisted titles are: There’s a Crocodile on the Golf Course (Rachel...

Woollahra Digital Literary Awards 2018 shortlists announced

Friday, 25 May 2018
The shortlists for the 2018 Woollahra Digital Literary Awards, for writing first published online or electronically, have been announced. Nonfiction Seeing Through Perspective: A Blind Tourist’s Guide to Art (Ria...

Peter Carey Short Story Award 2018 shortlist announced

Friday, 25 May 2018
The shortlist for the 2018 Peter Carey Short Story Award has been announced. The six shortlisted stories are: ‘Clearing’ (Alice Bishop) ‘Fighting Season’ (Alison Martin) ‘Being The Mother’ (Anne Casey)...

Transit Lounge acquires Pajalic family memoir on mental illness

Friday, 25 May 2018
Transit Lounge has acquired Amra Pajalic’s memoir, Things Nobody Knows But Me. Transit Lounge publisher Barry Scott told Books+Publishing the ‘beautifully written’ memoir was ‘a tender, funny and searingly honest story of...

ASA launches podcast on ‘entrepreneurial’ creatives

Thursday, 24 May 2018
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) has launched a new podcast series focusing on ‘the numerous ways wordsmiths can adapt their talents beyond the confines of a book’. Called Words...

A&U acquires Bowditch memoir

Thursday, 24 May 2018
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to a memoir by musician, actor and broadcaster Clare Bowditch, and will publish the title in October 2019. Publisher Kelly Fagan acquired...

New small publisher Elephant Tree Publishing launches first title

Thursday, 24 May 2018
A new Canberra-based small publisher of fiction, nonfiction and young adult fiction has recently released its first title. Mother-and-daughter team Jennifer Brown-Leslie and Kathryn Spurling have established Elephant Tree Publishing...