News | Books+Publishing

UQP acquires Wood middle-grade novel

Thursday, 14 November 2024
University of Queensland Press (UQP) has acquired ANZ rights to a new middle-grade novel by Fiona Wood, titled The Boy and the Dog Tree, in a two-book deal, via Katelyn...

A&U acquires Beaumont thriller

Thursday, 14 November 2024
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to Liar’s Game, the third book in Jack Beaumont’s Frenchman series of thrillers, via Laura Bonner of WME. In the new book,...

Booktopia Group insolvent since at least 31 January; entities put into liquidation

Wednesday, 13 November 2024
Booktopia Group Limited creditors have voted in favour of the resolution that Booktopia Group Limited—and associated entities Booktopia Pty Ltd, Making I. T. Better Pty Ltd, and Virtual Lifestyles Pty...

Submit your Christmas closing dates

Wednesday, 13 November 2024
To be included in Books+Publishing’s annual list of publishers’ and distributors’ trade closing dates for the holiday period, please complete our Christmas closing dates survey by noon on Tuesday 26...

Gale and Golding to depart Scribe in restructure

Wednesday, 13 November 2024
Scribe has announced that trade sales manager Sarina Gale and senior editor David Golding will leave the company after a restructure. Gale and Golding, both based in Melbourne, will leave...

Hardie Grant leadership changes

Wednesday, 13 November 2024
Hardie Grant (HG) has announced a new leadership team, following the announcement that Julie Pinkham will be stepping down from the position of group managing director after 27 years with...

HarperCollins acquires Johnston novel ‘The Revisionists’

Wednesday, 13 November 2024
HarperCollins Australia has acquired ANZ rights to The Revisionists, a new novel by Michelle Johnston, via Martin Shaw of Shaw Literary. The publisher said the book ‘examines the malleability of...

Harvey wins 2024 Booker Prize for ‘Orbital’

Wednesday, 13 November 2024
In the UK, Samantha Harvey has won the 2024 Booker Prize, worth £50,000 (A$97,635), for Orbital (Vintage). Orbital takes place over a single day in the life of six astronauts...

Sophie Clark recommends

Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Dark Heir by C S Pacat! I blame the brilliance of that book for the world-class reading slump I’ve been in for much of this year. It was quite simply...

Sophie Clark on ‘Cruel Is the Light’

Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Tasmanian-based author Sophie Clark went from working for the Australian Senate to being a member of the Pitch Wars class of 2021. Her debut novel, Cruel Is the Light (Penguin,...

PW industry report finds ‘generational shift’, unease about AI

Tuesday, 12 November 2024
In the US, Publishers Weekly (PW) has released its 2024 publishing industry salary and jobs report, which ‘reveals the beginnings of a generational shift in publishing and continuing unease about...

EWF announces inaugural Speculate Prize for Emerging Writers

Tuesday, 12 November 2024
The Emerging Writers’ Festival (EWF) has announced the inaugural Speculate Prize for Emerging Writers, in partnership with RMIT University. Open to Australian emerging writers studying at TAFE or university who...

Wong receives Burr/Tatham Trust Award

Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Alison Wong is the recipient of the NZ$35,000 Burr/Tatham Trust Award, which is one of eight 2024 Laureate Awards presented by the Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi to ‘celebrate and...

ADS to trial airfreight to NZ

Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Alliance Distribution Services (ADS) has announced a new trial airfreight service designed to support Aotearoa New Zealand customers during the Christmas peak bookselling season. Aotearoa New Zealand customers will have...

Oliver children’s book withdrawn from sale

Monday, 11 November 2024
Penguin Random House (PRH) UK has withdrawn Jamie Oliver’s children’s book Billy and the Epic Escape from sale in all countries where it holds rights, including Australia and the UK,...

Smith wins 2024 Nakata Brophy Prize

Monday, 11 November 2024
Overland has announced that Yasmin Smith is the winner the 2024 Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers. Smith receives a $5000 cash prize, as well as an optional writing...

Pinkham to step down as Hardie Grant Publishing group managing director

Monday, 11 November 2024
Hardie Grant CEO Sandy Grant has announced that Hardie Grant Publishing group managing director Julie Pinkham is leaving her role at the end of 2024, moving to a non-executive advisory...

2025 MIRROR Mentorship recipients announced

Monday, 11 November 2024
Think+DO Tank Foundation and Scribble Books have announced the winners of the 2025 MIRROR Mentorship program for emerging bilingual writers and illustrators in children’s literature. The winners are: Leila Frijat...

Ubud Writers & Readers Festival records ticket sales increase

Thursday, 7 November 2024
Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) has announced an increase of about one third in its aggregate ticket sales for its 2024 program, compared to the previous year. The 21st...

Cusk wins Goldsmiths Prize for ‘Parade’

Thursday, 7 November 2024
In the UK, Rachel Cusk has won the £10,000 (A$19,605) Goldsmiths Prize for Parade (Faber), a novel that ‘offers an enigmatic and thought-provoking meditation on art, gender and the complexities...

Stewart wins 2024 Bragg Prize

Thursday, 7 November 2024
Cameron Stewart has won the 2024 UNSW Press Bragg Prize for Science Writing for the essay ‘Heroes of Zero’. ‘Heroes of Zero’ introduces readers to research by Michelle Haber and...

State Library of NSW 2024 fellowships announced

Wednesday, 6 November 2024
The State Library of NSW (SLNSW) has announced the recipients of its 2024 research fellowships, worth a total of $186,000 across eight categories, on the 50th anniversary of its research...

S&S-owned publisher plans ‘limited experiment’ using AI for English translations

Wednesday, 6 November 2024
In the Netherlands, the country’s largest book publisher—Veen Bosch & Keuning (VBK), which was acquired by Simon & Schuster earlier this year—has confirmed it plans to use artificial intelligence (AI)...

Creative Australia Elevate funding recipients announced

Wednesday, 6 November 2024
Creative Australia has announced a new round of recipients of its Elevate: First Nations Storytelling and Literature career development funding program. The recipients—each receiving a $10,000 grant—are: Tahnee Carter Vivienne...