News | Books+Publishing

Affirm Press Mentorship Award 2023 winners announced

Tuesday, 17 January 2023
Affirm Press and Varuna, the National Writers’ House have announced the winners of the 2023 Affirm Press Mentorship Award. The winners are: Anne Andrew for ‘Blood Quilt’ Zoe Downing for...

Nielsen: Australian book sales up 7.2% in 2022

Tuesday, 17 January 2023
Sales of books in Australia grew 7.2% in 2022, according to data from Nielsen BookScan, with total sales by value closing in at $1.4 billion for the year, compared to...

UK indies report Christmas sales uptick

Monday, 16 January 2023
In the UK, 50% of independent bookshops responding to a Booksellers Association (BA) survey reported sales increased this Christmas compared to last, reports the Bookseller. Sales of the BA’s National...

Ultimo Press acquires Campbell debut in two-book deal

Monday, 16 January 2023
Ultimo Press has acquired world rights to Lowbridge, a debut crime novel by Canberra author Lucy Campbell, as part of a two-book deal, via Martin Shaw of Shaw Literary in...

Fremantle Press announces restructure, Szabo to retire

Monday, 16 January 2023
Fremantle Press has announced a restructure of its sales and marketing team and the retirement of ‘long-standing, and much valued’ staff member Cathy Szabo, who will step down as customer...

Books in the media this weekend,14–15 January

Friday, 13 January 2023
A round-up of the books being reviewed and mentioned in key media this coming weekend. ACT The Canberra Times Art is Life (Jerry Saltz, Ilex Press) The Complete Guide to...

Foster’s ‘The Hush’ optioned for TV

Friday, 13 January 2023
Producer Clark Peterson and his company Story and Film, Inc. have optioned Sara Foster’s 2021 thriller The Hush (HarperCollins) for development as a television series, ‘in a competitive situation’, according...

Hazel Rowley fellowship 2023 shortlist announced

Friday, 13 January 2023
Writers Victoria has announced the shortlist for the 2023 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship, worth $20,000. The nine shortlisted writers and their projects are: Diane Bell (ACT), for ‘The Queen and...

The Next Chapter, Open Book receive Australia Council funding

Friday, 13 January 2023
The Australia Council has announced its latest round of funding, with $9.5 million going to 225 creative projects and activities. Among the recipients was the Wheeler Centre (TWC), which received...

Hachette announces 30/30 emissions reduction plan

Thursday, 12 January 2023
Hachette Australia parent company Hachette Livre has announced its intention to reduce overall carbon emissions tied to its business by 30% by 2030—a 2.5% annual reduction, reports Publishers Weekly. The...

Hachette acquires Adams debut fantasy ‘Tonight, I Burn’

Thursday, 12 January 2023
Hachette Australia has acquired ‘dark and decadent’ debut fantasy Tonight, I Burn by Aotearoa New Zealand-based author Katharine J Adams. Australian rights were acquired by Hachette Australia head of children’s...

Christmas Press acquires second Kelleher middle-grade novel

Thursday, 12 January 2023
Christmas press has acquired world rights to The Cave, an upper middle-grade novel by Victor Kelleher, via Margaret Connolly of Margaret Connolly and Associates. Described by Christmas Press publishing director...

Please complete our Christmas survey

Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Books+Publishing is currently conducting its annual Christmas survey of booksellers and publishers. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey online. We are accepting submissions until Friday, 20 January. Booksellers...

Best of the best books of 2022

Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Across five major ‘best books of 2022’ articles published late last year, over 120 individual titles were mentioned by Australian critics, authors and book industry figures as their favourite reads...

Release of issues paper kicks off copyright review

Wednesday, 11 January 2023
The Attorney-General’s Department has released an issues paper on copyright enforcement as part of a review into whether Australia’s current copyright enforcement regime is fit-for-purpose. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the...

Affirm acquires Lord debut YA spec-fic

Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Affirm Press has acquired world rights to Anomaly, the debut young adult novel by Sydney-based writer Emma Lord. Described by the publisher as Tomorrow When the War Began meets The...

Print sales drop in US, UK in 2022

Tuesday, 10 January 2023
In the US, Publishers Weekly has reported that sales of print books fell by 6.5% in 2022 compared to 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Sales totalled 788.7 million...

Law to adapt Pung’s ‘One Hundred Days’ for screen

Tuesday, 10 January 2023
Black Inc. has sold screen rights to Alice Pung's novel One Hundred Days to author and screenwriter Michelle Law, in a deal made by Black Inc. international director Sophy Williams. Pung’s...

Mascara, Varuna residency winners announced

Tuesday, 10 January 2023
The winners of the inaugural Mascara Varuna Writers’ and Editors’ Residency have been announced. The successful writers and their manuscripts are: Timmah Ball, for experimental nonfiction collection 'Blue Print for Another World'...