Think Australian newsletter | Books+Publishing

Preservation (Jock Serong, Text)

Thursday, 30 August 2018
Jock Serong's Preservation is based on the true story of the shipwrecked merchant vessel Sydney Cove in 1797. A stranded group of 17 men set out on the arduous trek...

Best Summer Stories (ed by Aviva Tuffield, Black Inc.)

Wednesday, 29 August 2018
When Black Inc. announced this year that it would discontinue the annual ‘Best Australian’ anthologies, readers and booksellers alike were disappointed. However, the announcement of a one-off anthology of short stories...

Any Ordinary Day (Leigh Sales, Hamish Hamilton)

Wednesday, 29 August 2018
In her third book, Leigh Sales explores—with great clarity and intelligence—how tragedy and loss can affect people. In doing so, she confronts some of the most profound questions about being...

Bridge of Clay (Markus Zusak, Picador)

Friday, 24 August 2018
More than a decade after The Book Thief, Markus Zusak returns with an evocative, compassionate and exquisitely composed coming-of-age story about family, love, tragedy, and forgiveness. Narrated by Matthew, the...

The Fragments (Toni Jordan, Text)

Friday, 24 August 2018
In The Fragments, Toni Jordan has her characters set out to solve what truly happened to a brilliant, enigmatic author who died in a fire in New York in the...

Blue Lake: Finding Dudley Flats and the West Melbourne Swamp (David Sornig, Scribe)

Friday, 24 August 2018
David Sornig’s Blue Lake creates a strange and layered depiction of Melbourne over time, told through the history of an overlooked place and its seemingly insignificant inhabitants. The book has...

Queerstories: Reflections on Lives Well Lived from Some of Australia’s Finest LGBTQIA+ Writers (ed by Maeve Marsden, Hachette)

Friday, 24 August 2018
Born from the series of LGBTQIA+ storytelling events that editor Maeve Marsden curates, Queerstories showcases personal stories from 26 Australian queer icons, including Benjamin Law, Rebecca Shaw, Nayuka Gorrie and...

All the Ways to be Smart (Davina Bell, illus by Allison Colpoys, Scribble)

Friday, 24 August 2018
There are many ways to be smart, and frequent collaborators Davina Bell and Allison Colpoys explore several of them in this new picture book: concrete skills such as building cubbies...

Cherries (Carrie Gallasch, illus by Sara Acton, Little Hare)

Friday, 24 August 2018
Cherries skilfully evokes the hazy joys of summer and the pleasure of anticipation. Two children enjoy a range of summertime activities while they wait for the cherries to ripen, from...

Night Walk (Alison Binks, Berbay)

Friday, 24 August 2018
This second picture book from Melbourne artist Alison Binks will appeal to gentle souls. In Night Walk, a young boy named Caspar enjoys a night-time adventure while camping with his...

Tales from the Inner City (Shaun Tan, A&U)

Friday, 24 August 2018
This extraordinary companion to Shaun Tan’s 2008 book Tales from Outer Suburbia taps into our subconscious, our ancient primitive longings, and our need for love, acceptance and understanding. In this...

The Truth App: Liars Book One (Jack Heath, Scholastic)

Friday, 24 August 2018
Jarli thinks his latest app could be a big hit: the Truth App can tell when someone is lying by analysing their voice. Jarli doesn’t see a problem with this...

The Rift (Rachael Craw, Walker Books)

Friday, 24 August 2018
Meg is on her way back to Black Water Island after a long absence. Black Water Island is the home of the Rift, a tear between our dimension and another,...

Lenny’s Book of Everything (Karen Foxlee, A&U)

Friday, 24 August 2018
Anticipation for Karen Foxlee’s new novel is sky-high given her recent gem A Most Magical Girl. Rest assured, Lenny’s Book of Everything will exceed all expectations. Lenny’s younger brother Davey...

The World Was Whole (Fiona Wright, Giramondo)

Friday, 24 August 2018
In this exquisite follow-on from her award-winning memoir-in-essays Small Acts of Disappearance, Fiona Wright continues to set the standard for the essay form in Australia. Wright’s perspective in The World...

‘Whisper’ tops Australian YA bestsellers chart

Thursday, 23 August 2018
Bestselling YA fantasy author Lynette Noni occupies the top five spots in the Australian YA bestsellers chart for July. At the top of the chart is Whisper, the first book...

Introducing Dirt Lane Press

Thursday, 23 August 2018
Dirt Lane Press launched its first children’s book—a mash-up of several Norwegian folk tales—in 2017 and has since sold the rights to a UK publisher. Further books include a ‘fable...

Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards announced

Thursday, 23 August 2018
The winners and honour books for this year’s Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Awards, one of the most influential awards on the Australian children’s book...

Bunting books sold to China

Thursday, 23 August 2018
Scholastic Australia has sold simplified Chinese rights to several quirky, humorous picture books by Australian husband-and-wife duo Laura and Philip Bunting. They include: Mopoke, Koalas Eat Gum Leaves and Kookaburras...

Southeast Asian storytelling inspires new picture book

Thursday, 23 August 2018
Australian picture books continue to find publishers overseas, with several large (Scholastic) and smaller publishers (Scribe, Fremantle Press) recently selling the rights to their titles to the US and China...

‘The Other Wife’ and ‘The Barefoot Investor’ top Australian charts

Thursday, 16 August 2018
Australian fiction bestsellers: July Mega-selling author Michael Robotham’s latest crime-thriller The Other Wife has debuted at the top of the Australian fiction bestsellers chart for July. It’s joined in the...

Introducing Giramondo

Tuesday, 14 August 2018
Sydney-based small press Giramondo has won most major literary awards in Australia with its list of ‘diverse, unusual and genre-defying’ fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Commissioning editor Nick Tapper spoke to...

Screenworthy stories

Tuesday, 14 August 2018
Each year Australian publishers, literary agents, and film and TV agents meet and mingle at the Melbourne International Film Festival’s Books at MIFF event. As well as attending one-on-one meetings,...

Book-to-screen rights sales

Tuesday, 14 August 2018
Nicole Kidman’s production company Blossom Films and Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories have purchased film and television rights to Liane Moriarty’s forthcoming novel Nine Perfect Strangers (Macmillan). Kidman will produce...

Viskic wins top crime-fiction award

Tuesday, 14 August 2018
Emma Viskic’s And Fire Came Down (Echo Publishing) has been named best adult crime novel at this year’s Davitt Awards, which are presented to the best crime books by Australian...

‘No More Boats’ to publish in the US

Tuesday, 14 August 2018
Sydney-based small press Giramondo has sold North American rights to Felicity Castagna’s Miles Franklin-shortlisted novel No More Boats to Europa Editions. Acquiring editor-in-chief Michael Reynolds said the novel—which tells the...