Hardie Grant acquires Niland’s “Saint Peter”
Monday, 16 February 2026
Hardie Grant Books has acquired world rights to Josh Niland’s Saint Peter: Chapter & Verse. According to the publisher, Saint Peter is “a definitive statement from one of Australia’s most original culinary...
Suwannakit’s “Higher Ground” on Carnegie Medal for Illustration longlist
Thursday, 12 February 2026
Tull Suwannakit’s picture book Higher Ground (New Frontier) has been longlisted for the 2026 Carnegie Medal for Illustration in the UK. Judges said, “Suwannakit’s scrapbook style used in Higher Ground portrays a...
Lucashenko’s “Edenglassie” on Walter Scott Prize longlist
Thursday, 12 February 2026
Melissa Lucashenko’s Edenglassie (UQP, 2023) has been longlisted for the 2026 Walter Scott Prize, worth £25,000 (A$47,807). Already the recipient of 8 prizes in Australia, Edenglassie tells the story of...
Griffiths named Australian Children’s Laureate; Australia’s best children’s picture book; DIY Publishing Toolkit
Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Local news This week, Author Andy Griffiths was named the Australian Children’s Laureate for 2026 and 2027; Simon & Schuster reorganised its Australia and New Zealand sales team, with Elissa...
Vale Robert Ungar
Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Publisher and bookseller Robert (Rob) Ungar has died, aged 80. Hinkler CEO Stephen Ungar, on behalf of the extended family, writes: It is with great sadness that the family announces...
Rights round-up
Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Sales Fiction Bold Type Agency has sold Italian and Greek rights to The Bell and the Blade (Paullina Simons) on behalf of Jacinta di Mase Management; Korean and Hungary rights...
Local publishers on Bologna Prize shortlist
Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Local publishers have been shortlisted for the 2026 Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year. Publishers shortlisted in the Oceania category are: Affirm Press (Australia) Hardie Grant Children's...
Hachette Australia announces “Belonging and Storytelling” event
Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Hachette Australia, Australian Publishers Association (APA), Media Diversity Australia (MDA) and Diversity Arts Australia (DARTS) have partnered to present “Belonging and Storytelling: Diversity in Publishing”. A dedicated space for First...
PRH acquires Hannan’s next novel
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
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
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.
The Society of Literary Marauders (Sasha Wasley, Pantera)
Tuesday, 10 February 2026
Sasha Wasley's The Society of Literary Marauders follows Annie, a bricklayer’s daughter from Perth, who travels to England in 1928 to pursue a long-held dream of studying at Oxford. She...
The Conscious Traveller Hawai’i: The Definitive Guide to Ethical Travel (Kathleen Wong, Hardie Grant Explore)
Tuesday, 10 February 2026
Kathleen Wong’s The Conscious Traveller Hawai‘i is a refreshing departure from conventional guidebooks, offering a thoughtful roadmap for travellers who want to experience Hawai‘i with respect and purpose. Wong invites readers...
The Embarrassing Confessions of Gracie Sparks (Fiona Harris, Affirm)
Tuesday, 10 February 2026
In The Embarrassing Confessions of Gracie Sparks, Fiona Harris (Musical Markus) introduces 12-year-old “Rock Goddess” Gracie Sparks, who is devastated to be starting at a different high school than her...
De’Ath Takes a Holiday (Shaun Micallef, Ultimo)
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...
Come Home, Bigibila (Corey Tutt & Irma Gold, illus Jessica Tedim, A&U Children’s)
Tuesday, 10 February 2026
For parents and teachers seeking engaging, educational First Nations stories, Come Home, Bigibila is an ideal starting point. Written by Kamilaroi man Corey Tutt (The First Scientists) and Irma Gold...
The Paradise Pact (Anita Heiss, S&S)
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...
Fuzzy Feelings (Michelle Mackintosh, illus Cat Rabbit, Little Smith)
Tuesday, 10 February 2026
Michelle Mackintosh and Cat Rabbit’s Fuzzy Feelings has a resonant line on the cover that sets the emotional tone for the book: “When you have big feelings, everything can be...
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...
A Tale of Two Publishing Houses (Linda Martin, Fremantle)
Tuesday, 10 February 2026
Linda Martin’s A Tale of Two Publishing Houses traces her role in shaping Western Australia’s publishing landscape across two distinct eras. The memoir brings together the story of Fremantle Arts...
The Hair of the Pigeon (Mohammed Massoud Morsi, UWA Publishing)
Tuesday, 10 February 2026
Egyptian-Danish-Australian writer Mohammed Massoud Morsi’s The Hair of the Pigeon is a continent-spanning saga of survival, devotion and destiny. Yarmouk refugee camp forms the novel’s nexus; a place of struggle-scarred...
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”
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
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
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...
Clunes Booktown Festival announces 20th anniversary program
Wednesday, 4 February 2026
Clunes Booktown Festival has released program details for its 2026 festival, to be held in the main street of the Victorian town of Clunes from 21 to 22 March. Festival...
