News | Books+Publishing

Clunes Booktown Festival 2025 program announced

Tuesday, 4 February 2025
Clunes Booktown Festival has announced its 2025 program. Festival director Suzi Cordell said this year’s program will explore the art of storytelling in all its diverse forms, with panels on...

MUD Literary Prize 2025 shortlist announced

Tuesday, 4 February 2025
The shortlist for the 2025 MUD Literary Prize, worth $10,000, has been announced. The shortlisted works, selected from 31 submissions, are: Translations (Jumaana Abdu, Vintage) The End and Everything Before...

Bundyi Publishing announces unpublished manuscript prize

Monday, 3 February 2025
Simon & Schuster imprint Bundyi Publishing has announced the Bundyi Writing Prize, which will be awarded to an outstanding unpublished manuscript of adult fiction by an emerging Aboriginal and/or Torres...

Bookshop.org turns 5, introduces ebooks

Monday, 3 February 2025
In the US, Bookshop.org has celebrated its fifth anniversary by introducing an ebook platform, available now. Discussing the development, Bookshop founder and CEO Andy Hunter told the New York Times...

Regional, trans, genre literary festival programs announced

Monday, 3 February 2025
Some new and returning literary festivals and events have been announced. Trans Book Festival Taking place this weekend, on 8 February, at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne, the Trans Book...

Mascara announces new anthology on disability and neurodivergence

Monday, 3 February 2025
Mascara Literary Review has announced it will edit a forthcoming anthology of creative writing on disability and neurodivergence, to be published by NewSouth. The planned anthology will focus on the...

Vale Michael Webster

Friday, 31 January 2025
Publisher, editor and academic Michael Webster has died. Webster had a long and distinguished career in the Australian publishing industry, with roles as a publisher, academic, and board member. He...

Herron awarded CWA diamond dagger

Thursday, 30 January 2025
In the UK, Mick Herron, author of the Slough House series (adapted for Apple TV+ as Slow Horses), has been awarded the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Diamond Dagger. Vaseem Khan,...

Martin selected for Bologna illustrator exhibition

Thursday, 30 January 2025
Melbourne-based illustrator, artist and book maker Marc Martin has been selected for the 2025 Illustrators Exhibition at the Bologna Children's Book Fair (BCBF). Of 4374 total applications, 77 illustrators from...

Ockham 2025 longlists announced

Thursday, 30 January 2025
The longlists for the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards have been announced. The longlisted titles in each category are: Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction (NZ$65,000) All That We...

IPEd announces student editor prize shortlist

Thursday, 30 January 2025
The Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) has announced the shortlist for the 2025 IPEd Student Prize. The shortlisted editors and their projects are: Portia Abbott (RMIT University), for her essay...

How international book markets performed in 2024

Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Results were mixed for international book markets in 2024. While sales were slightly up in the United States and significantly in Brazil, they were down in France, slightly down in...

RBmedia reports ‘record-setting performance’, OverDrive audiobook borrowing up 19%

Wednesday, 29 January 2025
In the US, Publishers Weekly (PW) reported a strong close to 2024 for audiobook publisher RBmedia. After operating for a full year under new ownership since being acquired by H.I.G....

Hardie Grant Books acquires Nat Thaipun cookbook

Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Hardie Grant Books has acquired world print and ebook rights to Thai: Anywhere and Everywhere, the debut cookbook from MasterChef Australia 2024 winner Nat Thaipun, through Ben Liebmann of Understory....

Adelaide Writers’ Week full program announced

Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Adelaide Writers’ Week director Louise Adler today announced the full program for 2025 Adelaide Writers' Week (AWW), which will mark the 40th anniversary of the event. In a statement, Adler...

UQP sells rights to ‘Edenglassie’ to Oneworld

Wednesday, 29 January 2025
University of Queensland Press (UQP) has sold world English (ex ANZ) and audio rights to Melissa Lucashenko’s Edenglassie to Oneworld Publications. The deal was struck between UQP rights and contacts...

Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2025 shortlists announced

Wednesday, 29 January 2025
The Wheeler Centre has announced the shortlists for the 2025 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. The shortlisted and highly commended works in each category are: Fiction ($25,000) The Burrow (Melanie Cheng,...

Literary organisations among Copyright Agency Cultural Fund recipients

Tuesday, 28 January 2025
The Copyright Agency Cultural Fund has announced that 42 Australian literary and creative organisations will share in $754,769 in its most recent funding round. Among the literary recipients in this...

Carnegie, Caldecott, Newbery, Printz winners announced

Tuesday, 28 January 2025
In the US, the American Library Association (ALA) has announced the winners of its 2025 Youth Media Awards. The winning titles in each category include: John Newbery Medal for the...

Text discontinues Michael Gifkins Prize

Tuesday, 28 January 2025
Text Publishing has announced that the Michael Gifkins Prize for unpublished manuscripts in Aotearoa New Zealand has ceased. Established in 2017, the prize honoured the late literary agent, writer, critic...

Publisher, playwright, historians among Australia Day Honours

Tuesday, 28 January 2025
Several authors, publishers and literary workers have been recognised in the annual Australia Day Honours. Appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) Margaret Elizabeth Burn, 'for significant service...

Literature represented in 2025 Asia Pacific Arts Awards shortlists

Tuesday, 28 January 2025
Creative Australia has announced the shortlist for the 2025 Asia Pacific Arts Awards, presented in recognition of Australian creative workers engaging with the Asia Pacific region. The awards recognise achievement...

Sweatshop & NewSouth announce Pasifika-Australian literary initiative

Tuesday, 28 January 2025
Sweatshop Literacy Movement and NewSouth Publishing have announced Fresh Off the Books: The Pasifika Australian Literary Initiative, described as Australia’s first literary program for Pasifika-Australian writers. Twelve successful applicants will...