Sussex story awards shortlists released
Tuesday, 13 January 2026
The shortlisted writers in the 2 divisions of the 2025 Roly Sussex Short Story Competition, run by the Queensland Branch of the English-Speaking Union (ESU, have been announced. The $10,500...
Contestable Fund recipients announced
Tuesday, 13 January 2026
In New Zealand Aotearoa, the Publishers Association of New Zealand/Te Rau o Tākupu (PANZ) has announced the recipients of the Copyright Licensing New Zealand Contestable Fund Grants. Of the 59...
HarperCollins acquires Palaszczuk memoir
Tuesday, 13 January 2026
HarperCollins has acquired world rights to the former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s memoir, Annastacia Palaszczuk: The Politics of Being Me. “In Annastacia Palaszczuk: The Politics of Being Me, Annastacia shares her...
Adler resigns as Adelaide Writers’ Week director
Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Louise Adler, director of Adelaide Writers’ Week (AWW) since 2023, has resigned in response to the Adelaide Festival board’s decision to withdraw Randa Abdel-Fattah’s invitation to attend this year’s festival....
HarperCollins drops David Walliams
Tuesday, 13 January 2026
British writer and actor David Walliams, author of The World’s Worst series of children’s books, has been dropped by HarperCollins after allegations of inappropriate behaviour toward women, reported the Guardian....
Goodreads hosting allegedly fraudulent reviews
Monday, 12 January 2026
Some books listed on review site Goodreads have been reviewed before advance copies were sent to readers, reported the Bookseller. Authors Jo Furniss, Milly Johnson, Kathryn Whitfield and Leonie Mack...
Peter Porter Poetry Prize 2026 shortlist
Monday, 12 January 2026
Australian Book Review (ABR) has announced the shortlist for the 2026 Peter Porter Poetry Prize. Chosen from a longlist announced in December 2025, the shortlisted poets are: J Andros (United States)...
Authors withdraw from Adelaide Writers’ Week in protest
Monday, 12 January 2026
Approximately 110 authors have now withdrawn from Adelaide Writers’ Week following the Adelaide Festival Board’s removal of scheduled author and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah (Discipline) from the 2026 Adelaide Writers’ Week...
Creative Victoria funding decisions spark criticism
Monday, 12 January 2026
Creative Victoria’s latest Creative Enterprises Program grants, announced in late December, have drawn criticism from organisations including Writers Victoria, whose multi-year funding has been discontinued. Four literary organisations – Writers...
Ben Ball leaves Simon & Schuster Australia and New Zealand
Monday, 12 January 2026
Ben Ball announced his resignation as publishing director of Simon & Schuster (S&S) and Scribner at the end of 2025. After working for S&S earlier in his career, Ball rejoined...
Ward apppointed GM of Byron Writers Festival
Monday, 12 January 2026
Byron Writers Festival has named Molly Ward as its new general manager, commencing in mid-January. Ward has wide experience managing major festivals, large-scale cultural events, and placemaking initiatives. “Passionate about...
2025 Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers winners announced
Monday, 12 January 2026
Express Media and Hachette Australia have announced the winners of the 2025 Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers. The winners, selected from 15 shortlisted pieces, are: Fiction Abigail Koh (WA)...
Gunaydin named Parramatta’s laureate in literature
Monday, 12 January 2026
Eda Gunaydin has been named the 2025 Parramatta Laureate in Literature. Gunaydin is a Turkish-Australian essayist and fiction writer who grew up in Western Sydney’s Blacktown. Her first essay collection, Root...
How were your Christmas sales? Let us know in our annual survey
Monday, 12 January 2026
Books+Publishing is currently conducting its annual Christmas survey of booksellers and publishers. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey online. We are accepting submissions until Wednesday, 21 January 2026....
BookPeople invites booksellers to Midsumma Pride March
Friday, 12 December 2025
BookPeople, the Australian Booksellers Association, has invited booksellers, publishers and book industry friends to march alongside members of the association at Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne on 1 February 2026....
GenreCon 2026 announces new venue
Friday, 12 December 2025
The Queensland Writers Centre (QWC) has announced that next year’s GenreCon, the QWC’s annual conference for genre writers, will be held at Brisbane’s Thomas Dixon Centre. QWC said, “To meet...
“Portraits of Drowning” wins Five Islands Poetry Prize
Friday, 12 December 2025
Madeleine Dale has been announced as the winner of the 2025 Five Islands Prize for her debut poetry collection Portraits of Drowning (UQP). The judges described the book as, “a...
Poetry in Translation Prize shortlist announced
Friday, 12 December 2025
Publishers Fitzcarraldo Editions, Giramondo and New Directions have announced the shortlist for the inaugural Poetry in Translation Prize. Chosen from 259 submissions in more than 55 languages, the shortlisted titles...
Harry Hartog closes ANU store
Friday, 12 December 2025
Harry Hartog Booksellers has closed its Australian National University (ANU) campus store. In a joint statement, ANU and Harry Hartog said, “University bookshops are special places. Since 2019 the Australian...
Boys Don’t Cry?: How picture books shape what children learn about pain and gender
Friday, 12 December 2025
BookUp’s inaugural research day was held on 8 August this year. As part of this full day dedicated to book industry research, Sarah Wallwork shared some of hers and Dur-E-Nayab Mehar’s findings...
Minogue and Irwin feature in new Australian Little Golden Book biographies series
Friday, 12 December 2025
Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) has announced Australian Little Golden Book biographies, a series of books “celebrating some of the nation’s most iconic and influential personalities”. To be released on...
Final “Books+Publishing” newsletter for 2025
Friday, 12 December 2025
This is the final Books+Publishing newsletter for 2025. We return on Monday 12 January 2026. Best wishes to our readers for the holiday season and a very happy new year.
Magabala acquires Liddle’s “gritty” poetry debut
Friday, 12 December 2025
Magabala has acquired world rights to the experimental poetry collection Damn Good Television by debut Jabirr Jabirr author and musician Loki Liddle. Described as “gritty, bloodsoaked and unsentimental”, Liddle’s debut...
State Library Victoria abandons reorganisation
Friday, 12 December 2025
Following widespread opposition among writers, researchers and librarians, the State Library Victoria has announced it will no longer proceed with the planned reorganisation. “After careful consideration of feedback received during...
Book Club – holiday reads
Friday, 12 December 2025
After fresh reads for Christmas or long summer days by the beach? Our bumper holiday Book Club brings together standout new releases and great titles from throughout the year that...
Vale Madeleine Wickham (Sophie Kinsella)
Friday, 12 December 2025
UK author Madeleine Wickham, known by her pen name Sophie Kinsella, has died, aged 55. Penguin Random House writes: Madeleine, known to everyone as Maddy, wrote her first novel under...
From Summer Reading for MPs to a new publishing house
Thursday, 11 December 2025
Readers and Writers Against the Genocide (RWAG) describes itself as “a community of readers and writers who believe in the power of literature to enable us to speak up and...
Larrikin House acquires Vee & Layton’s next picture book
Thursday, 11 December 2025
Larrikin House has acquired rights to Archie Can’t Sit Still, a picture book by Dani Vee and James Layton, illustrated by Davilyn Lynch. According to the publisher, the picture book follows...
Grants bring Fremantle Press closer to activating heritage building
Thursday, 11 December 2025
Fremantle Press took a further step towards celebrating its 50th anniversary in its new building with the announcement of additional funding. The organisation has secured a Lotterywest grant worth $722,226...
Public Lending Rights International
Thursday, 11 December 2025
In international news, Public Lending Rights International (PLRI) has been announced as a “formal international association” of organisations managing or distributing public lending rights payments to authors, illustrators, translators and...
