Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

Image. Advertisement:

News sections >

PRH acquires Hannan’s next novel

A photo of Victoria Hannan. Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) has acquired Australian rights to I Love the Whole World! by Victoria Hannan, a novel about friendship, ageing and the extra/ordinary act of deciding to...

Affirm acquires Blue-eyed Kayla Jade’s memoir

Blue-Eyed Kayla Jade Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Affirm Press has acquired world rights to Call Girl Confidential by Blue-Eyed Kayla Jade, via a deal brokered by Lem Zakharia from Bedou. According to the publisher, Call Girl Confidential...

Riveted Press acquires Roe’s middle-grade novel

A photo of Katrina Macdonald Roe. Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Riveted Press has acquired world rights to The Stolen Bairn, a middle-grade historical fantasy by children’s author and media professional Katrina Macdonald Roe. Set 200 years ago in Scotland and...

Read the latest Publishers Weekly 

Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Books+Publishing partners with US trade news magazine Publishers Weekly to provide our subscribers with exclusive access to the weekly digital edition of PW magazine. View the current edition.

De’Ath Takes a Holiday (Shaun Micallef, Ultimo) 

The cover of "De’Ath Takes a Holiday" by Shaun Micallef. Tuesday, 10 February 2026
Best known for his steady stream of diverse television series, comedian Shaun Micallef has shown a similar level of variety in his print work. As an author, he has children’s...

The Paradise Pact (Anita Heiss, S&S) 

The cover of "The Paradise Pact" by Anita Heiss. Tuesday, 10 February 2026
The Paradise Pact by Anita Heiss (Dirrayawadha) is not a romance novel, but it is a love letter to friendships, self-discovery and life’s capacity to surprise you. The novel centres...

The Escape Game (Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss, Penguin) 

Tuesday, 10 February 2026
The Escape Game is the new, immediately captivating YA mystery by Marissa Meyer (Cinder, Renegades) and Tamara Moss (Lintang and the Pirate Queen), set in the world of reality television, where...

The Endling (Keely Jobe, Scribe) 

Tuesday, 10 February 2026
Keely Jobe’s debut novel, The Endling, tells an enthralling story of an isolated feminist collective hidden on a mountain in the Australian bush where all the women mysteriously fall pregnant...

CBCA announces new award category

Tuesday, 10 February 2026
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced the introduction of the Middle Readers Book of the Year category from the 2027 CBCA Book of the Year Awards. From...

Allen & Unwin acquires Duncan’s “Musquito”

A photo of Naomi Parry Duncan. Tuesday, 10 February 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to Musquito: The real story of a legendary colonial warrior, a biography of the First Nations resistance warrior known as Musquito, written...

Sorrento Writers Festival announces full 2026 program

sorrento writers festival logo Monday, 9 February 2026
The Sorrento Writers Festival (SWF) has announced its 2026 festival program, running from 23 to 26 April 2026 in Sorrento, Victoria. This year's festival will feature over 180 speakers across...

Newcastle Poetry Prize shortlist announced

Thursday, 5 February 2026
The Hunter Writers’ Centre has announced the 2025 shortlist for the $15,000 Newcastle Poetry Prize. Shortlisted poets are: Ann-Marie Blanchard for “Medea with the Graceful Feet” Owen Bullock for “Systolic”...

National Poet Laureate; TitlePage engagement; Wheeler Centre turns 15

Wednesday, 4 February 2026
Local news This week, Writing Australia invited applications for the inaugural National Poet Laureate, an appointment created under the Australian Government’s Revive policy; TitlePage’s subscriber engagement figures for December 2025 reflected...

Rights round-up 

Cover of 'Daughters of Batavia' Wednesday, 4 February 2026
Sales Fiction HarperCollins has sold Lithuanian language rights to Gravity Let Me Go (Trent Dalton), North American English rights to Daughter of Batavia (Stefanie Koen); Italian rights to Eva Reddy’s...

Hardie Grant acquires Galea book on dreams

Photo of Matthew Galea. Wednesday, 4 February 2026
Hardie Grant has acquired world rights to A–Zzz of Dreams: Decoding Your Dreams and Deciphering Your Future, in a two-book deal with Matt Galea. A–Zzz of Dreams is a guide...

MidnightSun acquires McDermott’s debut YA

A photo of Meg McDermott. Wednesday, 4 February 2026
MidnightSun Publishing has acquired The Big Things, a YA novel from debut author Meg McDermott. According to the publisher, The Big Things is story about the unbreakable bond between teen...

FALS announces Rowland Manuscript Development Grant winner

Terri-ann White Wednesday, 4 February 2026
The Foundation for Australian Literary Studies (FALS) has named Terri-ann White as recipient of the $5000 PF Rowland Manuscript Development Grant, which is offered annually to support a book project....

Read the latest Publishers Weekly 

Wednesday, 4 February 2026
Books+Publishing partners with US trade news magazine Publishers Weekly to provide our subscribers with exclusive access to the weekly digital edition of PW magazine. View the current edition.

Life and Breath: Stories (Ursula Dubosarsky, Christmas Press) 

Tuesday, 3 February 2026
Life and Breath: Stories brings together 13 short stories by Ursula Dubosarsky, offering a delightful showcase of her distinctive ability to inhabit the shifting borderlands between memory, imagination and self-discovery. Though...

What Rhymes with Murder? (Penny Tangey, Summit) 

Tuesday, 3 February 2026
Penny Tangey’s debut cosy crime novel, What Rhymes With Murder?, is set within a charming, close-knit Melbourne community filled with nosy neighbours and a local café. The story follows new mother...