News | Books+Publishing

Carnegie 2025 longlists announced

Thursday, 13 February 2025
In the UK, the longlists for the Carnegie Medal for Writing and the Carnegie Medal for Illustration have been announced. The 35 longlisted titles (19 for the Carnegie Medal for...

DANZ Children’s Book Award 2025 longlists announced

Thursday, 13 February 2025
The 2025 longlists for the Australian School Library Association (ASLA) DANZ (Diversity in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand) Children’s Book Award have been announced. The longlisted titles in each category...

Silcox to depart Canberra Writers Festival

Thursday, 13 February 2025
Canberra Writers Festival (CWF) has announced the departure of artistic director Beejay Silcox. Silcox joined CWF in 2023, following the departure of Jeanne Ryckmans in 2022, and oversaw the 2023...

‘Tracker’ longlisted for 2025 Women’s Prize for Nonfiction

Thursday, 13 February 2025
In the UK, Alexis Wright’s book Tracker (Giramondo) has been longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Nonfiction. Published in the UK in January by Other Stories, the book is one...

HarperCollins acquires Parker historical novel

Thursday, 13 February 2025
HarperCollins Australia has acquired ANZ rights for Until the Red Leaves Fall by Alli Parker, via Pippa Masson at Curtis Brown. The novel, set in 1957 Melbourne, follows Emmy Darling,...

New Australia Reads report identifies reader types, barriers to reading

Wednesday, 12 February 2025
A new report on reading behaviour based on research conducted by Monash University and book industry initiative Australia Reads has been released. The Understanding Australian Readers report, which surveyed 1622...

Christmas 2024: Sales up for most booksellers

Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Christmas sales in 2024 were up on the previous year for the majority of booksellers surveyed by Books+Publishing in its annual Christmas survey, which this year received responses from representatives...

Arrest of booksellers sparks international condemnation

Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Mahmoud Muna and Ahmad Muna, the Palestinian uncle and nephew co-owners of the Educational Bookshop in East Jerusalem, were released by police on Tuesday, 11 February, but remain under a...

A&U acquires new historical fiction from Rose

Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to A Great Act of Love by Heather Rose, via Gaby Naher of the Naher Agency. US rights have sold to Judy Clain...

Bateman acquires Beatnik

Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Aotearoa New Zealand publisher David Bateman Ltd (Bateman Books) has acquired independent publisher Beatnik Publishing, effective from 1 February. In a statement, Bateman Books said Beatnik founder and publisher Sally...

Authors say emails show ‘magnitude of Meta’s unlawful torrenting’

Tuesday, 11 February 2025
In the US, Meta emails show ‘the magnitude of Meta’s unlawful torrenting scheme’, according to a filing by a group of authors suing Meta for copyright infringement in relation to...

Affirm acquires Johnson debut ‘King Tide’

Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Affirm has acquired ANZ rights to the debut crime novel King Tide by Luke Johnson, via literary agent Daniel Pilkington. Described by the publisher as a ‘beautiful, exhilarating and exquisitely...

US literary orgs decry anti-trans executive order

Monday, 10 February 2025
In the US, more than 50 book-industry organisations and businesses, including booksellers, publishers and libraries, have released a statement denouncing an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that recognises...

Programs announced: Inaugural Footscray West Writers Fest, 2025 Sunshine Coast Hinterland Writers Festival

Monday, 10 February 2025
The inaugural Footscray West Writers Fest will run in the inner Melbourne suburb from 28 to 30 March this year. Supported by Maribyrnong City Council and presented by non-profit cultural...

Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize 2025 shortlist announced

Monday, 10 February 2025
The shortlist for the 2025 Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize has been announced. The shortlisted poems, chosen from almost 500 entries, are: ‘Whistling Space’ by Chris Andrews ‘Finding Pan’ by Jonathan...

Publishers, Authors Guild sue state of Idaho over book bans

Thursday, 6 February 2025
In the US, the ‘Big Five’ publishers – Penguin Random House (PRH), Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, and Simon & Schuster – have been joined by Sourcebooks, the...

ASA announces new rates of pay for literary award judges

Thursday, 6 February 2025
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) has launched rates of pay for literary award judges. This new information, specifically for judges of literary awards for published books, has 'been established...

S&S acquires Morgan’s fiction debut

Thursday, 6 February 2025
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) has acquired world rights to Rachael Morgan’s commercial women’s fiction debut, in a deal between S&S commercial fiction publisher Cassandra Di Bello and Anjanette Fennell...

Varuna announces 2025 Writer’s Space Fellowship recipients

Thursday, 6 February 2025
Varuna, the National Writers' House has announced the recipients of its 2025 Writer’s Space Fellowships. Six recipients were chosen from a total of 116 submissions, in the fellowship program's first...

Booktopia liquidators investigating potential claim against former directors

Thursday, 6 February 2025
In a statutory report to creditors, the liquidators of Booktopia Group – Matthew Caddy, Damien Pasfield and Keith Crawford of McGrathNicol – said the group's estimated assets were ‘substantially consistent...

UWAP announces Affirm as new sales partner

Thursday, 6 February 2025
UWA Publishing (UWAP) has announced a new partnership with Affirm Press for sales representation, after 18 years with NewSouth Books. UWAP publisher Kate Pickard said, ‘Affirm Press has earned a...

2025 Bologna Best Children’s Publisher shortlist announced

Wednesday, 5 February 2025
The Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year shortlist has been announced. This year's Oceania shortlistees are: Affirm Press (Australia) Five Mile Press (Australia) Fremantle Press (Australia) Hardie Grant...

2024 Chytomo Award winners announced

Wednesday, 5 February 2025
In Ukraine, the 2024 winners of the Chytomo Awards have been announced, reports Publishing Perspectives. The Chytomo Awards celebrate achievements in Ukrainian publishing across three categories, highlighting innovations in digital publishing,...