Local news | Books+Publishing

Shaw sells US and Canada rights to Adam novel

Monday, 30 October 2023
Martin Shaw from Shaw Literary has sold North American rights to Aotearoa New Zealand author Pip Adam's latest novel, Audition. Audition was acquired in the US by Coffee House Press...

HarperCollins acquires Almond debut novel

Monday, 30 October 2023
HarperCollins has acquired ANZ rights to Alexandra Almond's debut fantasy novel, titled Thoroughly Disenchanted, via Abigail Nathan at Alex Adsett Literary. Described by the agent as a ‘cosy fantasy’, Thoroughly...

Prime Minister’s Literary Awards 2023 shortlists announced

Thursday, 26 October 2023
Creative Australia has announced the titles shortlisted for the 2023 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards. The shortlisted titles in each category are: Fiction The Sun Walks Down (Fiona McFarlane, A&U) Losing...

HarperCollins acquires debut crime novel The Wolf Tree

Thursday, 26 October 2023
HarperCollins has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) to Laura McCluskey’s debut novel The Wolf Tree in a two-book deal. HarperCollins fiction publisher Anna Valdinger and HarperCollins UK publisher,...

Crawford wins inaugural Walker Books Manuscript Prize

Thursday, 26 October 2023
Melbourne-based writer Ange Crawford has won the inaugural Walker Books Manuscript Prize for her YA novel, How to Be Normal. The shortlist was judged by authors Sally Murphy, Jared Thomas...

Savva’s Bulldozed wins Australian Political Book of the Year

Thursday, 26 October 2023
Niki Savva has won the 2023 Australian Political Book of the Year award for her book Bulldozed (Scribe). Bulldozed was announced as the winner at an event at the National...

Master, Liang, Lien win 2023 Readings Prizes

Wednesday, 25 October 2023
Readings has announced Maryam Master, Ann Liang, and Tracey Lien as the 2023 winners of the Readings Prizes at an event at Readings Emporium, Melbourne, on 25 October. The winning...

Ultimo acquires A Postcard from the Future

Wednesday, 25 October 2023
Ultimo Press has acquired ANZ rights to Ben Hamer's A Postcard from the Future, a nonfiction book which envisions the next twenty years, via Jane Novak. The book will imagine...

ADS adds Border Express

Wednesday, 25 October 2023
Alliance Distribution Services (ADS) has announced it has added Border Express as a secondary freight carrier 'to support operations through the 2023 peak book-selling season and into 2024'. ADS said...

Production begins on Runt film adaptation

Wednesday, 25 October 2023
Craig Silvey has announced that production of the feature film adaptation of his novel Runt (A&U) begins next week in Western Australia, ‘where the Wheatbelt shire of York will be...

UQP acquires Gíslason nonfiction book

Wednesday, 25 October 2023
UQP has acquired world rights to Running with Pirates, a nonfiction book from Kári Gíslason, via Grace Heifetz of Left Bank Literary. With dual narratives separated by thirty years, Running...

Larrikin acquires world rights to Beck, Rankine junior fiction series

Wednesday, 25 October 2023
Larrikin House has acquired world rights to Brock the Croc, a junior fiction series from author Adrian Beck and comic book artist Dean Rankine. Described by the publisher as a...

HarperCollins acquires Fedler novel

Tuesday, 24 October 2023
HarperCollins has acquired ANZ rights to The Whale’s Last Song, a novel from Joanne Fedler, via Lou Johnson of Key People Literary Management. In this novel, described by the publisher...

Carbis shortlisted for international poetry award

Tuesday, 24 October 2023
The poetry collection I Have Decided to Remain Vertical (Puncher & Wattmann) by Melbourne poet and creative writing teacher Gayelene Carbis has been shortlisted for the Welsh-based Poetry Book Awards. The shortlist...

Ultimo acquires Wolhuter novel

Tuesday, 24 October 2023
Ultimo Press has acquired Louise Wolhuter’s novel Shadows of Winter Robins. The novel follows Winter Robins, a young child from the north of England who’s sent to live in Western...

SPN Book of the Year shortlist announced

Monday, 23 October 2023
The Small Press Network has announced the shortlist for the 2023 Book of the Year (BOTY) award. The shortlisted titles are: Against Disappearance: Essays on memory (ed by Leah Jing...

Skovron wins 2023 Patrick White Award

Monday, 23 October 2023
Victoria-based author Alex Skovron is the winner of this year’s $20,000 Patrick White Award. The award recognises Skovron’s achievements as a poet and fiction writer. Born in Poland, Skovron lived briefly...

Ultimo acquires book on doomed 1910 South Pole expedition

Friday, 20 October 2023
Ultimo Press has acquired world rights to Harrison Christian's new book, Terra Nova, from Vicki Marsdon at High Spot Literary. Christian draws on fresh documents to examine the circumstances of...

Jones, Mellor win Historical Novel Prize

Friday, 20 October 2023
Gail Jones has won the $50,000 ARA Historical Novel Prize in the adult category for Salonika Burning (Text), while Amelia Mellor has won the $30,000 children and young adult (CYA) category...

Styles wins UK Wilbur Smith Prize for No Country for Girls

Thursday, 19 October 2023
Australian author Emma Styles has won the UK’s Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize for Best Published Novel, worth £10,000 (A$19,160), for her debut outback noir No Country for Girls (Sphere)....

Rural and regional writers’ festival programs announced

Thursday, 19 October 2023
Several rural and regional writers’ festivals have announced details about their upcoming events. Blue Mountains Writers' Festival The Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival, presented by Varuna, the National Writers’ House, will...