News | Books+Publishing

New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2026 shortlists announced

Wednesday, 10 June 2026
The shortlists for the 2026 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults have been announced. The shortlists in each category, chosen from 159 entries, are: BookHub Picture Book...

Text Publishing acquires “What Gentlemen Do” by Todd Babiak

Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Text has acquired ANZ rights to adult fiction What Gentlemen Do by Todd Babiak from Carolyn Buszynski at CookeMcDermid Agency in Canada. The “uplifting and outrageously funny story of a...

Rhiza Press acquires Riveted Press

Tuesday, 9 June 2026
Rhiza Press has acquired Riveted Press in a deal that will come into effect on 1 October. In a statement, Rhiza Press said Riveted Press would continue to publish under...

“Hellions” wins 2026 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction

Tuesday, 9 June 2026
Julia Elliott has won this year’s Carol Shields Prize for Fiction for her short story collection Hellions (Tin House). The prize jury, made up of Carmen Maria Machado (chair), Ivan...

Writers, industry professionals named in King’s Birthday Honours

Tuesday, 9 June 2026
The recipients of the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours have been announced. Various writers and book industry professionals are among those presented with awards. Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) ...

Anna Fienberg, Datsun Tran on 2026 IBBY Honour List

Tuesday, 9 June 2026
IBBY Australia has announced its 2026 selection for the biennial IBBY Honour List: for writing, Anna Fienberg’s Picasso and the Greatest Show on Earth (Allen & Unwin, 2023), and for illustration,...

UQP acquires Tim Loveday’s “your father was a bastard”

Tuesday, 9 June 2026
University of Queensland Press (UQP) has acquired world rights to your father was a bastard, the debut poetry collection by Naarm-based poet and academic Tim Loveday. According to the publisher,...

A&U acquires artist biography by Andrew Bailey

Tuesday, 9 June 2026
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this article contains the name of a deceased person. Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to the nonfiction title...

Vannessa Hearman’s “The Good Sea” tops NT Writers Festival bestsellers

Tuesday, 9 June 2026
Ticket sales at this year’s NT Writers Festival were lower than expected, but some sessions did sell out, with performance nights proving to be the most popular events. Held annually,...

Kaye Wright joins Woodslane

Tuesday, 9 June 2026
Former Leading Edge member services manager Kaye Wright has joined distributor Woodslane as head of trade. Woodslane said the newly created head of trade role “will involve working with local...

Junior Book Club – this month’s reads

Friday, 5 June 2026
Searching for your next great read to share with kids? Our Junior Book Club highlights new titles each month that are perfect for classrooms, libraries and family reading time. From...

McCaulay wins 2026 RSL Ondaatje Prize

Thursday, 4 June 2026
Jamaican writer Diana McCaulay has won the £10,000 Royal Society of Literature (RSL) Ondaatje Prize for A House for Miss Pauline (Dialogue Books), reports the Bookseller. On winning the prize that...

Wilson resigns from UQP in protest at “Bila” cancellation

Thursday, 4 June 2026
University of Queensland Press (UQP) sales and distribution manager Kirsty Wilson has resigned from the role in protest at the decision of the University of Queensland (UQ) to cancel the...

A&U acquires Split Enz history

Thursday, 4 June 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to Split Enz: An Adventure in Music and Design, the official history of the band Split Enz by Noel Crombie and Michael...

ACT Literary Awards 2026 shortlists announced

Thursday, 4 June 2026
MARION has announced the shortlists for the 2026 ACT Literary Awards. The shortlisted titles are: Children’s literature Creature Corridors (Billie Rooney, illustrated by Anke Noack, CSIRO Publishing) The Drought Kangaroo...

Mossop steps down at SWF

Thursday, 4 June 2026
Sydney Writers’ Festival (SWF) has announced that artistic director Ann Mossop will step down from her role. In a statement, SWF CEO Brooke Webb said Mossop would remain in the...

Creative Australia releases arts survey results

Wednesday, 3 June 2026
Creative Australia has released the results of the most recent National Arts Participation Survey; Big Day of Books Perth will broadcast on ABC Radio; this year’s Willy Lit Fest program will...

Fiction Over Reality on bookshop life in Queensland’s Wellington Point

Wednesday, 3 June 2026
Late last year, new bookstore Fiction Over Reality opened in the seaside suburb of Wellington Point in Queensland. Owner Aimee Boyd spoke with Books+Publishing about the first months of operation and...

Arts participation survey 2025: More people reading at least once a week across all formats

Wednesday, 3 June 2026
Creative Australia has released the results of the most recent National Arts Participation Survey, which shows that more people are engaging with reading at least once a week across all formats,...

Big Day of Books Perth 2026 program announced

Wednesday, 3 June 2026
At Big Day of Books Perth on 20 June, Western Australian radio presenters will chat to Australian authors about their new books during a live broadcast literary show. Hosted by...

No newsletter on Monday

Wednesday, 3 June 2026
Books+Publishing will not publish a newsletter on Monday, 8 June due to the King’s Birthday public holiday. The deadline for job ads and classifieds for next Wednesday’s Weekly Book Newsletter...

Wiley acquisition of Emerald Publishing “deepens Wiley’s proprietary content position” for AI use

Wednesday, 3 June 2026
The US-based publishing company Wiley has bought UK-based Emerald Publishing from Cambridge Information Group for £337 million, reports the Bookseller, adding that the acquisition expands Wiley’s journal portfolio to approximately...