2025 Michael King Writers Centre Australian Residency announced
Monday, 2 June 2025
The 2025 Michael King Writers Centre Australian Residency, in association with Varuna, The National Writers House, has announced Ingrid Horrock as the 2025 Aotearoa New Zealand winner. Horrock is the author...
Dorothy Hewett Award 2025 shortlist announced
Monday, 2 June 2025
UWA Publishing has announced the shortlist for the 2025 Dorothy Hewett Award for an unpublished manuscript. The shortlisted manuscripts, chosen from over 300 entries, are: ‘Clutch Feathers, Draw Breath’ by...
PRH acquires Stedman’s ‘A Far-flung Life’
Monday, 2 June 2025
Penguin Random House (PRH) Australia has acquired ANZ rights to A Far-flung Life by ML Stedman. The novel will be published simultaneously with Doubleday in the UK. A Far-flung Life...
S&S acquires Pub Choir creator’s memoir
Thursday, 29 May 2025
Simon & Schuster (S&S) Australia has acquired world rights to Average at Best, a memoir by Pub Choir founder and director Astrid Jorgensen, via Alex Adsett Literary Agency. 'Average at...
Ganner awarded 2025 Janet Mackenzie Medal
Thursday, 29 May 2025
The Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) announced Julie Ganner as the winner of its 2025 Janet Mackenzie Medal. Ganner has worked in the editing and publishing industry for over 35...
Fogarty receives 2025 Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement
Wednesday, 28 May 2025
Yugambeh poet and activist Lionel Fogarty has been recognised with a Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 2025 First Nations Arts and Culture Awards. Born on Wakka Wakka...
Mary Gilmore Award 2025 shortlist announced
Wednesday, 28 May 2025
The Association for the Study of Australian Literature (ASAL) has announced the shortlist for the 2025 Mary Gilmore Award, a prize for a poet's first book of poetry. Judges Kate...
MWF ticket sales up 47%
Wednesday, 28 May 2025
Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) recorded a 47% year-on-year increase in revenue for this year’s festival program, running 8–11 May. Representing the highest revenue since 2019, the festival reported over 21,000...
Jacky Winter Group launches Gildlings
Wednesday, 28 May 2025
The Jacky Winter Group – a creative agency with offices in Melbourne, New York, and London – has announced the creation of new literary agency Gildlings. According to the organisation,...
SLV publishes ‘Ways of Working Commitment’
Tuesday, 27 May 2025
The State Library Victoria (SLV) has published a 'Ways of Working Commitment', following last year’s duty of care review. In its May newsletter, the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) noted...
Affirm partners with Your Kid’s Next Read team for junior series
Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Affirm Press and the creators of Your Kid’s Next Read (YKNR) have partnered to launch a new junior fiction series, titled Your Next Read (YNR), aiming to ‘encourage the joy...
Chidgey’s ‘The Book of Guilt’ tops NZ charts
Tuesday, 27 May 2025
The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press) is the first Aotearoa New Zealand title to hit number one across all book sales, according to NielsenIQ...
King wins EWF Speculate Prize
Tuesday, 27 May 2025
The Emerging Writers’ Festival (EWF), in partnership with RMIT University, has announced Melissa King as the winner of the inaugural Speculate Prize for Emerging Writers for her short work 'The...
ABDA 2025 winners announced
Monday, 26 May 2025
The winners of the 2025 Australian Book Design Awards, presented by the Australian Book Designers Association (ABDA), have been announced. The winners in each category are: Designer's Choice Award Eat...
Atria acquires BookToker Bateman debut
Monday, 26 May 2025
Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Australia, has acquired world rights to Luke Bateman’s debut fantasy series in a two-book deal, via Sean Anderson and Tim Wall at...
Australian Society of Authors releases statement on black&write! fellowship withdrawal
Monday, 26 May 2025
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) has released a statement regarding the State Library of Queensland’s decision to withdraw a $15,000 black&write! fellowship that was due to be awarded to...
First Nations storytellers create open letter in support of Wyld
Monday, 26 May 2025
Overland literary journal is hosting an open letter from First Nations storytellers to the State Library of Queensland (SLQ) and Queensland Minister for Education and the Arts John-Paul Langbroek regarding...
Queensland Literary Awards judges resign in protest over Wyld fellowship decision
Monday, 26 May 2025
Several judges for the Queensland Literary Awards have resigned in protest following the news that the State Library of Queensland (SLQ) has withdrawn a black&write! fellowship for author KA Ren...
The Luna Foundation launches new NZ residency
Monday, 26 May 2025
The Luna Foundation has launched an inaugural writers residency for Aotearoa New Zealand women writers. Running 3–7 November 2025, the Luna Foundation Writers Residency will be awarded to a woman writer...
PRH acquires two McInerney titles
Monday, 26 May 2025
Penguin Random House (PRH) Australia has acquired ANZ rights for a new novel, When Sullivan Met Lola, and a new work of collected nonfiction from Monica McInerney, via Fiona Inglis...
Rosetta Books and Annie’s Books on Peregian to merge
Monday, 26 May 2025
Lettura Pty Ltd, trading as Rosetta Books, is merging with Annie’s Books on Peregian from 31 May 2025. Rosetta Books is located in Maleny and has been operating since 2001....
De Kretser wins 2025 Stella Prize for ‘Theory & Practice’
Friday, 23 May 2025
Michelle de Kretser has won the 2025 Stella Prize, worth $60,000, for her seventh novel, Theory & Practice (Text). In their joint report, the judges said: ‘Michelle de Kretser’s Theory...
National Simultaneous Storytime reaches more than 2 million readers
Thursday, 22 May 2025
National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS), which ran internationally on 21 May, showed ‘that Australia is a reading nation — at every age,' said the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), which...
Transit Lounge acquires Ouston’s Mine
Thursday, 22 May 2025
Transit Lounge has acquired ANZ rights to author Adam Ouston’s second novel, Mine, via Martin Shaw at Shaw Literary. According to Shaw, Mine has been composed in one complete sentence. The...
Big Day of Books Perth program announced
Thursday, 22 May 2025
ABC Radio, Fremantle Press, UWA Publishing, Magabala Books and Boffins Books have announced the program for the Big Day of Books Perth. 'When the Perth Writers Festival was postponed, Fremantle...
SLQ rescinds Wyld ‘black&write!’ fellowship, postpones winner announcement
Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Author KA Ren Wyld’s place in the black&write! fellowship program has been rescinded by the State Library of Queensland (SLQ), the author said on X (Twitter). The 2025 black&write! writing...
Raisin wins Romantic Novel of the Year Award
Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Perth-based writer Rebecca Raisin has won the Contemporary Romance Novel Award for her book A Love Letter to Paris (Boldwood) in the 2025 Romantic Novel of the Year Awards. Chosen...
Pantera acquires Bridges’ book on perimenopause
Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Pantera Press has acquired The Perimenopause Method from Michelle Bridges, via Joseph Hanrahan at Profile Talent Management. According to the publisher, The Perimenopause Method is a ‘comprehensive and holistic guide’...
Purcell appointed The Nile head of books Australia
Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Online bookseller The Nile has appointed John Purcell as head of books – Australia, joining Stacey Collins, who was recently promoted to head of books – New Zealand. Purcell was...
digiDirect acquires James Bennett
Wednesday, 21 May 2025
The digiDirect Group, owner of Booktopia, has acquired Australian library supplier James Bennett from US library supplier Baker & Taylor. digiDirect Group chair and CEO Shant Kradjian said: ‘We are...
