News | Books+Publishing

Slaughter wins 2024 Calibre Essay Prize

Tuesday, 7 May 2024
Aotearoa New Zealand writer Tracey Slaughter has won the 2024 Australian Book Review (ABR) Calibre Essay Prize. Slaughter’s essay, ‘why your hair is long & your stories short’, was chosen...

Red Room to present poetry festival in partnership with BBC, ABC

Tuesday, 7 May 2024
Red Room Poetry will present the UK poetry and spoken word festival Contains Strong Language at venues across Gadigal and Dharug lands in Sydney in late August. The BBC founded...

Varuna announces Roderick Centre Fellowship for Regional and Remote Writers

Tuesday, 7 May 2024
Varuna, The National Writers’ House has announced a new fellowship program—the Roderick Centre Fellowship for Regional and Remote Writers. Described by Varuna as ‘the only national literary program in Australia...

S&S acquires McEwan romantasy duology

Tuesday, 7 May 2024
Simon & Schuster Australia has acquired ANZ rights to a two-book romantasy series by Stacey McEwan, via an exclusive submission from Amy Collins at Talcott Notch Literary. S&S Australia associate...

S&S agrees to acquire Netherlands publisher VBK

Tuesday, 7 May 2024
Simon & Schuster (S&S) has announced it has reached an agreement to acquire Netherlands publisher VBK (Veen Bosch & Keuning). ‘In the months since we became a standalone, independent publishing...

Fremantle Press’s Bookaburras program to receive support from Premier’s Summer Reading Challenge, KindiLink

Monday, 6 May 2024
Fremantle Press’s early reading program, Bookaburras, will launch a regional tour featuring Bookaburras Ambassadors across Western Australia, following the announcement of additional support from the Premier's Summer Reading Challenge and...

NSW Premier’s Literary Awards 2024 shortlists announced

Monday, 6 May 2024
The shortlists for the 2024 New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards have been announced. Shortlisted titles in each category are: Christina Stead Prize for Fiction ($40,000) The Sun Walks Down (Fiona McFarlane,...

WA Premier’s Book Awards shortlists announced

Monday, 6 May 2024
The shortlists for the 2024 Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards have been announced. The shortlisted authors and books in each category are: Western Australian Writer’s Fellowship ($60,000) Lucy Dougan Alan Fyfe...

Allen & Unwin acquires new Bublitz thriller

Monday, 6 May 2024
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to Leave the Girls Behind, a new novel by Jacqueline Bublitz, via Cara Lee Simpson at Peters Fraser + Dunlop. Bublitz’s book...

US booksellers seek to join Amazon antitrust suit

Monday, 6 May 2024
In the US, the American Booksellers Association (ABA) has filed a motion with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), seeking to add independent bookstores to the FTC’s antitrust complaint against Amazon,...

Wright wins 2024 Stella Prize for ‘Praiseworthy’

Thursday, 2 May 2024
Alexis Wright has won the $60,000 Stella Prize for her fourth novel, Praiseworthy (Giramondo). Wright becomes the first author to win the Stella Prize twice, having previously won the 2018...

Hachette on AFR BOSS Best Places to Work list for second year

Thursday, 2 May 2024
Hachette Australia has been included for the second year running in the Best Places to Work list published annually by the Australian Financial Review and BOSS magazine. Hachette came second in the retail, hospitality,...

Walter Scott Prize 2024 shortlist announced

Thursday, 2 May 2024
In the UK, the shortlist for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, worth £25,000 (A$48,000), has been announced. Chosen from a longlist announced in February, the titles shortlisted for...

Book Links 2024 Award for Children’s Historical Fiction longlist announced

Thursday, 2 May 2024
Book Links The Centre for Children’s Literature has announced the longlist for the 2024 Award for Children’s Historical Fiction. The seven longlisted titles are: Bidhi Galing (Big Rain) (Anita Heiss...

ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Prize 2024 shortlist announced

Thursday, 2 May 2024
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) and HarperCollins publishing division HQ have announced the shortlist for the 2024 ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Prize for an unpublished manuscript. The shortlisted works, chosen...

NT Writers Festival announces early line-up

Wednesday, 1 May 2024
The NT Writers Festival has announced an early line-up of guests for its 2024 festival, which will run from 27 to 30 June on Larrakia land at the Museum and...

Byron Writers Festival announces first guests for 2024

Wednesday, 1 May 2024
Byron Writers Festival has made its first announcement of guests due to speak at its 2024 festival, which will run from 9 to 11 August on Bundjalung land at the...

QBD Books opens new Melbourne shop; launches author program

Wednesday, 1 May 2024
QBD Books will open a new shop at the Watergardens Shopping Centre in the suburb of Taylors Lakes in Melbourne’s northwest. The shop will hold opening celebrations on 4 May,...

Culture, pride and engagement: A report from the RISE program

Wednesday, 1 May 2024
Bookseller Melissa Mantle attended the RISE ('Resilience, Innovation and Sustainability for the Enhancement of Bookselling') program at the 2024 Bookselling Ireland Irish Book Trade Conference. Mantle reports on the experience,...