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HQ acquires Brooke Crawford romcom

Broke Crawford sitting on a hair in front of a blue wallpapered wall. She is smiling at the camera. Tuesday, 24 June 2025
HQ, an imprint of HarperCollins, has acquired ANZ rights to Better than the Real Thing by Brooke Crawford in a two-book deal, via Samuel Bernard at Zeitgeist Agency. According to...

HarperCollins acquires Tony Abbott nonfiction

Tuesday, 24 June 2025
HarperCollins Australia has acquired world rights to former prime minister Tony Abbott’s Australia: A History. According to the publisher, the book will include a forward by Geoffrey Blainey and will...

BookPeople 2025 conference in numbers 

Book people logo Monday, 23 June 2025
The 2025 BookPeople conference, held in Brisbane 14–16 June, was matched with attendance numbers from last year's conference – ‘a very reassuring result for the team’, said the organisation.  The...

Australian Children’s Laureate Week announced

Australian Children's Laureate Week Monday, 23 June 2025
The Australian School Library Association (ASLA) and the Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation (ACLF) have announced the inaugural Laureate Week, beginning on 28 July 2025, and ‘aimed at supporting students and...

Festival of Fiction 2025 program announced

Festival of Fiction Logo Monday, 23 June 2025
The Peter Cowan Writers Centre has announced the program for the 2025 Festival of Fiction, to be held at Edith Cowan University’s Joondalup campus 18–19 October. The festival will showcase...

PRH acquires Shara Curlett middle grade series

Shara Curlett sitting on a blue couch outdoors with her leg up and arms wrapped around her shin. Monday, 23 June 2025
Penguin Random House (PRH) Australia has acquired world rights to the Protector of Beyond middle-grade series by Aotearoa New Zealand author Shara Curlett in a three-book deal, via Samuel Bernard...

McDonald, Gill win Carnegie medals 

the winning titles of the 2025 Carnegie awards Monday, 23 June 2025
In the UK, the winners of the 2025 Carnegie medals for writing and illustration for children and young people have been announced. Margaret McDonald was announced the winner of the Carnegie...

Finding Beauty Poetry Prize shortlist announced

Monday, 23 June 2025
MARION has announced the shortlist for the inaugural Finding Beauty Poetry Prize. The shortlisted poets are: Alisha Brown for ‘As a matter of great importance’ Cate Furey for ‘Rosalie’ Annie...

Pan Macmillan acquires new Jane Harper novel

Half the image is of Jane Harper on a couch in an orange dress. The other half is the cover of 'Last One Out' by Jane Harper. Monday, 23 June 2025
Pan Macmillan Australia has acquired ANZ rights to Last One Out by Jane Harper. The novel will also be published internationally by Flatiron in the US and Pan Macmillan UK...

Pip Adam wins Michael King Writer’s Fellowship

Pip Adam standing in a living room room. She has a jacket and glasses on and is smiling at the camera. The wall behind her is covered in framed pictures and art. Thursday, 19 June 2025
Creative New Zealand has announced Pip Adam as the recipient of the $100,000 Michael King Writer’s Fellowship. Awarded biennially, the fellowship is presented ‘to an established New Zealand writer of...

PRH acquires Mounser’s dark suspense novel

Ashleigh Mounser stands before a wooden wall with one arm crossed. She is wearing a denim jacket and smiling at the camera. Thursday, 19 June 2025
Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) has acquired Oceania rights to The House at Hanger Hill by Ashleigh Mounser, via Michaela McGuire at a4 Literary in a two-book deal. Internationally, The...

Stella Day Out announces Warrnambool program

Stella Day Out Warrnambool logo in tan and black Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Stella Day Out has announced its next iteration will be in Warrnambool, and released the date and full program. The free, one-day festival will take place on 28 June, from...

Rocket Entrepreneurs Launch SF Publisher 

A portrait of Chris Larmour Wednesday, 18 June 2025
In the UK, Chris Larmour, founder of Europe's orbital space rocket company Orbex, along with Orbex founding investors Martin Coates and John May, has launched Factorial Books, a digital-first publisher...

Scribe acquires new Savva nonfiction

A portrait of Niki Savva Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Scribe Publications has acquired world rights to Earthquake: Signposts to the election that shook Australia by Niki Savva. Earthquake is a combination of selections from Savva's columns from the Age...

Hill of Content to move up Bourke Street 

Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Melbourne bookstore Hill of Content is moving to a new location after 103 years at its current address, 86 Bourke St, following the sale of the historic building. From mid-July,...

Amelia Mellor on ‘The Wicked Ship’ 

Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Melbourne-based author Amelia Mellor’s new middle-grade adventure series, Oceanforged, launches with The Wicked Ship (Affirm, August), a 'rollicking mix of Treasure Island and The Sword in the Stone with a...

Amelia Mellor recommends 

Tuesday, 17 June 2025
An in-joke with my sister recently led me to revisit Odo Hirsch’s Bartlett and the Ice Voyage, an audiobook we once listened to on a road trip as kids. The...

RWA announces Ruby Award 2025 finalists

Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Romance Writers of Australia (RWA) has announced the finalists for the 2025 Romantic Book of the Year (Ruby) Awards. The shortlisted titles in each category are: Historical The Duke Says...

Clan Destine Press acquires Gordon Thompson novel

Gordon Thompson Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Clan Destine Press has acquired the world rights to Kill Will: Nightbird in Sunlight by Gordon Thompson. According to the publisher, Kill Will: Nightbird in Sunlight follows as ‘a young...

Affirm Press acquires MinOn picture book

Steve MinOn Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Affirm Press has acquired world rights to the picture book Make Them Say Poo by Steve MinOn under the pen name Stephen, via literary agent Martin Shaw of Shaw Literacy....

Taylor’s ‘Ruins’ to be adapted for film 

A cover of The Ruins by Amy Taylor Monday, 16 June 2025
Miramax president of film group Alexandra Loewy has acquired film rights to the forthcoming novel Ruins (A&U, July) by Melbourne-based author Amy Taylor. The novel will be adapted into a...

Perentie Press acquires first YA graphic novel

a portrait of Wendy Tyrer Monday, 16 June 2025
Perentie Press has acquired world rights to The Curator, a YA graphic novel by author/illustrator Wendy Tyrer, the first YA graphic novel acquisition for the new press. The novel asks,...