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Pheasants Nest (Louise Milligan, A&U) 

Tuesday, 6 February 2024
Pheasants Nest is a thriller about every journalist’s nightmare—that they, too, will be reduced to clickbait headlines and long-form reflective true crime essays. There may be no more fitting journalist...

Upswell sells Ekhō to Soft Skull Press 

Tuesday, 6 February 2024
Upswell Publishing has sold world English-language rights (ex ANZ) to Ekhō (Roslyn Orlando) to Soft Skull Press. The deal was brokered between Sophy Williams, publisher and international director at Black Inc....

McKenzie wins Victorian Premier’s History Award

Monday, 5 February 2024
Carmel McKenzie received the 2023 Victorian Premier’s History Award for the book St Kilda 1841–1900: Movers and shakers and money-makers (Manneton Publishing). St Kilda 1841–1900 explains how St Kilda was...

Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize shortlist announced

The logo for Overland, with the word written in green font. Monday, 5 February 2024
Overland has announced the shortlist for the 2023 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize. Shortlisted stories are: ‘Ad Nauseam’ by Gillian Hagenus ‘Committal’ by Bridget Webster ‘Fledgling’ by Madison Godfrey ‘Mandarin...

Judith Wright Poetry Prize shortlist announced

The logo for Overland, with the word written in green font. Monday, 5 February 2024
Overland has announced the shortlist for the 2023 Judith Wright Poetry Prize. Shortlisted poems include: ‘Because a Wind Blazes’ by Dženana Vucic ‘Celestial Tree’ by Andrew Brooks ‘Febrile’ by William...

Yee wins 2024 Victorian Prize for Literature at VPLAs

Cover of Chines Fish Friday, 2 February 2024
Grace Yee has won Australia’s single richest literary prize, the $100,000 Victorian Prize for Literature, for her poetry collection Chinese Fish (Giramondo) at this year’s Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards (VPLAs)....

Ockham 2024 longlists announced

Thursday, 1 February 2024
The longlists for the 2024 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards have been announced. The longlisted titles in each category are: Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction (NZ$65,000) Audition (Pip Adam,...

Rights round-up 

Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Sales Nonfiction Rockpool Publishing has sold Swedish rights for Seasons of the Witch, Samhain Edition (Juliet Diaz & Lorriane Anderson), to go along with previous French, Spanish and German translation sales....

Forrest wins Newcastle Short Story Award

Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Western Sydney writer Patrick Cruz Forrest has taken first place in the 2023 Newcastle Short Story Award for his short story ‘Kuya’. The winners, which will be published in an...

Read the latest Publishers Weekly 

Wednesday, 31 January 2024
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.

Joy Moody Is Out of Time (Kerryn Mayne, Bantam) 

Tuesday, 30 January 2024
For two decades, Cassiopeia (Cassie) and Andromeda (Andie) Moody have understood their destiny. They are special, chosen and kept safe, spending most of their lives within the confines of their Melbourne home,...

To The River (Vikki Wakefield, Text) 

Tuesday, 30 January 2024
The Kelly family was always skirting trouble. When 17-year-old Sabine Kelly’s mum and sister die with seven other people in a mysterious caravan park fire, Sabine confesses to the crime...

A&U acquires Scolyer memoir 

Photograph of Richard Scolyer Monday, 29 January 2024
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has announced it has acquired world rights to a memoir from Australian of the Year Richard Scolyer. Scolyer and Georgina Long, co–medical directors of the Sydney-based...

Bacon nominated for Philip K Dick Award

Cover image for Danged Black Thing by Eugen Bacon Monday, 29 January 2024
Local author Eugen Bacon is among the six nominees for the 2024 Philip K Dick Awards. Nominated titles include: Danged Black Thing (Eugen Bacon, Apex Book Company) The Museum of...

Ultimo acquires debut Evans novel 

An author photograph of Liz Evans Thursday, 25 January 2024
Ultimo Press has acquired ANZ rights to Liz Evans’ debut novel, Catherine Wheel, via Tara Wynne at Curtis Brown in a two-book deal. The publisher described the book as 'a...

Hachette acquires Hampton, Daniher picture books 

A photograph of Taylor Hampton and Jacinta Daniher and their family in an outdoor environment Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Hachette has acquired world rights to two picture books celebrating First Nations culture by Taylor Hampton and Jacinta Daniher via Rochelle Fernandez at Alex Adsett Literary. According to the publisher,...

Vale Jim Hart

Photograph of Jim Hart Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Jim Hart, a former company director and co-owner of Lonely Planet, editor at Rigby, and former vice-president of the Small Press Network, died on Monday 15 January. Lonely Planet founder...

Hogan wins 2024 ABR Peter Porter Poetry Prize 

Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Australian poet Dan Hogan has won the Australian Book Review (ABR) 2024 Peter Porter Poetry Prize for their poem ‘Workarounds’. Hogan receives $6000, while the other four shortlisted poets—Judith Nangala Crispin,...

Vale Frank Thompson

Black and white photo of a young man, Frank Thompson, on steps outside a building with BOOKSHOP on the wall behind him Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Publisher Frank Thompson died on 1 January, aged 91. The Australian Publishers Association (APA) writes: On the first of January 2024, esteemed publisher Frank Thompson AO passed away at the...

Rights round-up 

Cover of Bluey: Trains Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Sales Nonfiction Rockpool Publishing has sold Spanish translation rights for Resurrection Oracle (Jena Dellagrottaglia); and Bulgarian translation rights for Spellbound (Lucy Cavendish). Children’s/YA Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing has sold seven titles to...