News sections | Books+Publishing

Penguin Literary Prize 2025 shortlist announced

Thursday, 13 March 2025
Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) has announced the shortlist for the 2025 Penguin Literary Prize. The shortlisted manuscripts are: ‘The Fear of Empty Spaces’ by Rachel Bowman (Brisbane, Qld) –...

Harvey, Winterson, Rankin, Keyes among 2025 SWF headliners

Thursday, 13 March 2025
The program for this year’s Sydney Writers’ Festival (SWF), which runs 19–27 May under the theme In This Together, has been announced. The program includes more than 40 international guests...

HarperCollins acquires Armitage debut ‘The Heir Apparent’

Thursday, 13 March 2025
HarperCollins Australia has acquired ANZ rights to The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage. HarperCollins head of fiction Catherine Milne acquired the book from Gaby Naher of the Naher Agency with...

PRH acquires new series by Johns and Mercer

Thursday, 13 March 2025
Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) has acquired world rights to The Number One Insta Detectives Agency and The Love Bomber by co-writers Rachael Johns and Mercedes Mercier. Rights were acquired...

Hussein named 2025 Kat Muscat Fellow

Thursday, 13 March 2025
Express Media and the Kat Muscat Custodial Committee have announced Adalya Nash Hussein as the 10th and final Kat Muscat Fellow. Selected from a shortlist of three, Hussein is a...

Sector gender pay gaps released; Australia Reads announces LitUp; ABDA longlists revealed

Wednesday, 12 March 2025
The Australian Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency has published data on gender pay gaps for the second year in a row, indicating that many large publishing houses continue to have...

S&S acquires new Matthews fiction

Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) has acquired world rights to The House on Tinker Street by Amy Matthews in a two-book, six-figure deal via Sarah Younger at Nancy Yost Literary...

S&S acquires Reid memoir

Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) has acquired ANZ rights to Destination Moon, a memoir by former Formula One aerodynamicist and Lune Croissanterie founder Kate Reid, via Tara Wynne at Curtis...

Amazon Australia: ‘We’re very optimistic about the next five years’

Wednesday, 12 March 2025
In the lead-up to the 2025 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA), Books+Publishing is in conversation with the event's major sponsors about the status of the industry, what excites them about the...

Rights round-up

Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Sales Fiction Allen & Unwin has sold French rights to Sensitive Creatures (Mandy Ord). Gaby Naher of The Naher Agency has sold French rights to A Catalogue of Love (Erin...

UWA Publishing announces Spiers Prize

Wednesday, 12 March 2025
UWA Publishing has announced the establishment of a new national children’s fiction manuscript prize in honour of Australian primary school teacher and philanthropist Gail Spiers. Announced to coincide with UWA...

Carnegie 2025 shortlists announced

Wednesday, 12 March 2025
In the UK, the shortlists for the Carnegie Medal for Writing and the Carnegie Medal for Illustration have been announced. The shortlisted titles in each category are: The Carnegie Medal...

Read the latest Publishers Weekly

Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Books+Publishing is partnering with US trade news magazine Publishers Weekly to provide our subscribers with exclusive access to the weekly digital edition of PW magazine. View the edition here.

Scholastic acquires two Greive series for young readers

Thursday, 6 March 2025
Scholastic Australia has secured world rights to two new series for young readers by Bradley Trevor Greive, in deals brokered by Belinda Bolliger at Key People Literary Management. In Death...

Morton wins 2025 UQP Quentin Bryce Award

Thursday, 6 March 2025
UQP has announced Rachel Morton as the winner of the 2025 UQP Quentin Bryce Award, worth $5000, for her novel The Sun Was Electric Light. The award, which recognises The...

HarperCollins acquires Nunn novel

Thursday, 6 March 2025
HarperCollins Publishers Australia has acquired world rights to Pilbara by Judy Nunn, in a deal brokered by publishing director Brigitta Doyle and fiction and nonfiction publisher Roberta Ivers, with Karen...

A&U appointments, name change; Black Inc. seeks permission for AI sub-license; Ockham NZ shortlist; Stella, Women’s Prize longlists

Wednesday, 5 March 2025
Welcome to the news this week! The Aotearoa New Zealand office of Allen & Unwin (A&U) has officially rebranded to Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand, and hired Emma Clifton...