News | Books+Publishing

S&S acquires new Matthews fiction

Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) has acquired world rights to The House on Tinker Street by Amy Matthews in a two-book, six-figure deal via Sarah Younger at Nancy Yost Literary...

S&S acquires Reid memoir

Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) has acquired ANZ rights to Destination Moon, a memoir by former Formula One aerodynamicist and Lune Croissanterie founder Kate Reid, via Tara Wynne at Curtis...

Australia Reads announces LitUp

Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Australia Reads has announced LitUp, a new live literature initiative for author events. The program will offer funding and support for 20 communities to host live literature events with writers...

Amazon Australia: ‘We’re very optimistic about the next five years’

Wednesday, 12 March 2025
In the lead-up to the 2025 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA), Books+Publishing is in conversation with the event's major sponsors about the status of the industry, what excites them about the...

UWA Publishing announces Spiers Prize

Wednesday, 12 March 2025
UWA Publishing has announced the establishment of a new national children’s fiction manuscript prize in honour of Australian primary school teacher and philanthropist Gail Spiers. Announced to coincide with UWA...

Transit Lounge acquires Fyfe novel

Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Transit Lounge has acquired world rights to The Cross Thieves by Alan Fyfe. The Perth-based author’s second novel is ‘tough, poetic and truly beautiful’, said publisher Barry Scott. ‘It is the...

Carnegie 2025 shortlists announced

Wednesday, 12 March 2025
In the UK, the shortlists for the Carnegie Medal for Writing and the Carnegie Medal for Illustration have been announced. The shortlisted titles in each category are: The Carnegie Medal...

Gender pay gaps revealed for book sector

Tuesday, 11 March 2025
The Australian Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has published data on gender pay gaps for the second year in a row through its Data Explorer, indicating that many large publishing...

US bookselling: ABA responds to criticism, B&N employees ratify union contracts

Tuesday, 11 March 2025
At the 2025 Winter Institute booksellers event in the US, several bookstore owners ‘once again protested the [American Booksellers Association (ABA)] board’s failure [to] take a clear stance on Israel’s...

Oldfield leaves SWF

Tuesday, 11 March 2025
Benython Oldfield has left the Sydney Writers’ Festival (SWF). Oldfield was the SWF media manager for 11 years, and is the co-director of Zeitgeist Agency with Sharon Galant. 'It’s time...

Scholastic acquires two Greive series for young readers

Thursday, 6 March 2025
Scholastic Australia has secured world rights to two new series for young readers by Bradley Trevor Greive, in deals brokered by Belinda Bolliger at Key People Literary Management. In Death...

Morton wins 2025 UQP Quentin Bryce Award

Thursday, 6 March 2025
UQP has announced Rachel Morton as the winner of the 2025 UQP Quentin Bryce Award, worth $5000, for her novel The Sun Was Electric Light. The award, which recognises The...

Nero Gold, Audie award winners announced

Thursday, 6 March 2025
In London, Maurice and Maralyn: An Extraordinary True Story of Shipwreck, Survival and Love by Sophie Elmhirst (Vintage), has won the 2024 Nero Gold Prize, worth £30,000 (AU$60,948), reports the...

HarperCollins acquires Nunn novel

Thursday, 6 March 2025
HarperCollins Publishers Australia has acquired world rights to Pilbara by Judy Nunn, in a deal brokered by publishing director Brigitta Doyle and fiction and nonfiction publisher Roberta Ivers, with Karen...

Australian Book Design Awards 2025 longlists announced

Thursday, 6 March 2025
The longlists for the 2025 Australian Book Design Awards, presented by the Australian Book Designers Association (ABDA), have been announced. The longlisted titles in the first three categories, and the emerging...

Staff wins 2025 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship

Wednesday, 5 March 2025
Feminist historian Michelle Staff has been announced as winner of the 2025 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship, worth $20,000, at a ceremony at Adelaide Writers’ Week. Staff was awarded the fellowship...

Preliminary data shows 6.5% increase in US book sales

Wednesday, 5 March 2025
In the US, Publishers Weekly (PW) reports that, ‘preliminary data for the full year indicates that publishing industry sales increased 6.5% over 2023’, to US$14.18 billion (A$22.65b). The increase comes despite the...

Black Inc. asks authors to sign opt-in AI contract addendum

Wednesday, 5 March 2025
Black Inc. has sent an addendum to existing contracts, seeking consent from authors for their work to be used to train artificial intelligence, reports the Guardian in an article published...

Books+Publishing reviews gain support from Cultural Fund

Wednesday, 5 March 2025
In 2025 for the first time, Books+Publishing’s pre-publication reviews program is being supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund. This is the ideal time to revisit the reviews, their purpose,...

PRH acquires Laguna novel

Wednesday, 5 March 2025
Penguin Random House (PRH) Australia has acquired ANZ rights to The Underworld by Sofie Laguna; PRH publisher Meredith Curnow acquired the rights from Grace Heifetz at A4 Literary. PRH described...

‘Amma’ longlisted for 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction

Wednesday, 5 March 2025
In the UK, Sri Lankan Pākehā writer Saraid de Silva’s novel Amma has been longlisted for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction. Published in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand by...

Kat Muscat Fellowship 2025 shortlist announced; final year in current structure

Wednesday, 5 March 2025
Express Media and the Kat Muscat Fellowship Committee have announced the shortlist for the 2025 Kat Muscat Fellowship. The shortlistees are: Liana Black Adalya Nash Hussein Cat Williams. The Kat...

Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2025 finalists announced

Wednesday, 5 March 2025
The finalists for the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards have been announced. The shortlisted titles in each category, chosen from longlists announced in January, are: Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize...

Victorian Community History Awards shortlist announced

Wednesday, 5 March 2025
The shortlist for this year‘s Victorian Community History Awards has been announced. A total of 39 publications and projects were shortlisted for 10 prizes ranging from $500 to $2000 each,...

Penguin Random House Distribution: ‘books reach a wide range of retailers, making it easier for readers to find and purchase books’

Wednesday, 5 March 2025
In the lead-up to the 2025 ABIAs, Books+Publishing is in conversation with the event’s major sponsors about the status of the industry, what excites them about the future, and what they have...