Miles Franklin longlist; ABIA winners; record-breaking SWF
Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Sydney Writers’ Festival and Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki each reported box office record-breaking years for the 2026 festival (and shared their bestsellers); while Melbourne Writers Festival reported attendance...
NSW Literary Awards; Stella winner; Heiss resigns from UQ
Wednesday, 20 May 2026
Anita Heiss has announced her resignation from the University of Queensland; Penguin Random House marketing and publicity director Dot Tonkin has left the publishing house; Better Reading has appointed Natika...
Silvey pleads guilty; Age, ABDA winners; Open Book interns announced
Wednesday, 13 May 2026
Author Craig Silvey has pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child exploitation material; the successful interns for the 2026 Open Book: Australian Publishing Internship have been announced; Berkelouw Books Leichhardt has closed after...
The Nile adds international shipping; Better Reading launches app; Byron Writers Festival reveals initial line-up
Tuesday, 5 May 2026
The Nile has added international shipping; Better Reading will launch a new app, What Are You Reading?; the inaugural Aotearoa NZ Children’s Book Week will run from 15 to 21...
Milsom appointed AWW director; authors leave UQP over “Bila” cancellation; ABA Book of the Year shortlists
Tuesday, 28 April 2026
Rosemarie Milsom has been appointed director of Adelaide Writers’ Week; UQP authors, including Evelyn Araluen and Randa Abdel-Fattah, as well as UQP staff, have condemned the decision by the University...
Ball joins UQP; new owner for Robinsons; ABIA business shortlists
Wednesday, 22 April 2026
In local news this week, University of Queensland Press has announced the appointment of Ben Ball as publishing director “after an extensive recruitment process”; Denis Crema is the new owner...
SWF responds to bookseller criticism, Shakthidharan wins Windham-Campbell Prize, Stella shortlist announced
Wednesday, 15 April 2026
The Sydney Writers’ Festival (SWF) has stated that it is “supportive, on a case-by-case basis, of an in-store bookshop event with under 50 attendees”, responding to bookseller criticism of its...
ABIA shortlists, DANZ longlist, Australia Reads up for innovation award
Wednesday, 8 April 2026
The Australian Society of Authors has announced the winners of mentorships in the 2026 CA/ASA Developmental Leadership Program, Writing NSW has announced the winners of the 2026 Cultivate Mentorship Program...
QLAs move to BWF; a “strong year” for PRH locally as global earnings down; CBCA shortlists announced
Wednesday, 1 April 2026
In news this week, the Queensland Literary Awards (QLAs) will become part of the Brisbane Writers Festival for the foreseeable future; Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) reports “a strong year”...
APA, ASA warn against copyright exceptions; Hachette, Sweatshop launch First Nations, CALD scholarship; Writers Victoria petition hits 10K signatures
Wednesday, 25 March 2026
In news this week, industry bodies including the Australian Publishers Association, Australian Society of Authors, and Copyright Agency have released a joint statement warning against expansions to copyright exceptions it...
Stella Prize longlist; Penguin Literary Prize shortlist; Silvey faces further charges
Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Writing Australia is looking for a delivery partner in the publishing sector to operate the black&write! fellowship program. Author Craig Silvey was charged with more child exploitation offences. Obsidian Bookshop,...
Changes for QLAs; Mirror Cities initiative announced; local authors shortlisted in UK awards
Wednesday, 11 March 2026
The Queensland government has announced the State Library of Queensland will no longer manage the Queensland Literary Awards (QLAs) or the black&write! fellowship program; Melbourne’s UNESCO City of Literature is...
Victorian and NZ awards announced; Fearless Prize awarded; Sorrento Writers Festival program released
Wednesday, 4 March 2026
Awards This week the Wheeler Centre announced the winners of the 2026 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards; the shortlists for this year’s Ockham New Zealand Book Awards were announced; Bakers Lane...
Diversity Arts Australia report; new Australian Poetry head; Notable children’s books
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Local news Diversity Arts Australia (DARTS) released “Fair Play Reflections”, an evaluation of the Fair Play equity and culture-change initiative over the past 7 years; and Australia’s peak poetry body,...
Echo acquisitions cease; Meanjin revived; ABA reverts to former branding
Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Among local headlines this week, Bonnier Books UK is ceasing new acquisitions for Australian imprint Echo, effective immediately, attributing the decision to “increasingly challenging market conditions”; while in brighter news,...
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...
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...
Literary figures among Australians of the Year, Australia Day Honours; Writing Australia announces investments, partnerships, 2026 VIPs
Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Headlining this week's news, several authors, publishers and literary workers were named in the 2026 Australia Day Honours and the Australian of the Year awards; while Writing Australia announced a...
Creative Australia announces funded projects; Writers Victoria petition launches; APA releases ABIA guide
Wednesday, 21 January 2026
Among these week's headlines, literature organisations and individuals around Australia received a total of $10.6 million for 212 projects in Creative Australia’s latest funding round; Writers Victoria launched a petition...
AWW cancelled, resignations; Silvey arrested; the Australian book market up
Wednesday, 14 January 2026
Major local news In 2026 literary news, Adelaide Writers’ Week (AWW) has been cancelled after over 100 panelists withdrew following the removal of Randa Abdel-Fattah from its program. In the wake...
Jane Curry named S&S ANZ managing director; Arts Queensland Poetry Award winners; 2026 fiction and poetry previews
Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Local news In local news, the State Library Victoria responded in more detail to media reporting of a leaked document outlining job and service cuts and redeployments; and a philanthropic...
SLV responds to reports on staff cuts; PRH bookseller grant recipients; Amplify Bookstore celebrates 5 years
Wednesday, 3 December 2025
Local news In news across Australia this week, the State Library Victoria responded to reports of changes to its services and staffing; Melbourne-based think tank Grattan Institute has announced its...
Macdonald appointed IPEd chair; Thom-Jones wins Scarlet Stiletto Award; SLV proposed cuts
Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Local news In local news this week, the Institute of Professional Editors appointed Catherine Macdonald as chair of the board following the 2025 AGM on 10 November. Awards Author Sandra...
Duffy named UQP director; Saunders wins Peter Blazey Fellowship; Readings Prize winners
Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Local news The University of Queensland appointed Madonna Duffy as director of the University of Queensland Press (UQP), with her new role to commence on 1 December; the Small Press...
Szalay wins the Booker Prize; Thomas wins Nib; Ruffino steps down
Wednesday, 12 November 2025
Local news In local news this week, Canberra Writers Festival recorded more than 10,000 audience attendees at its 2025 program, an increase of 55% on the 2024 festival. This year’s...
Richell Prize winner; Disability Arts History Australia website; speech pathology book of the year winners
Wednesday, 5 November 2025
Local news In local news this week, a new Disability Arts History Australia website was launched at the Queensland University of Technology, bringing together the stories, achievements and influence of...
Australian Government blocks attempts to change copyright law; BWF breaks records; Children’s Booker to be awarded
Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Major local news The Australian Government announced this week that it won’t change the law to allow tech companies to train artificial intelligence models using copyright material, Australian media outlets...
Melbourne Books scam; ARA Historical Novel Prize winners; ASA, APA, authors speak to Senate committee about copyright
Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Local news In local news this week, Melbourne Books has alerted writers to a vanity publisher with a similar name, Melbourne Book Publisher, which has been impersonating its business; Overland announced...
BookPeople new CEO; Voss longlist; Bundyi Writing Prize; Books from abroad
Wednesday, 15 October 2025
Major news BookPeople has named Susannah Bowen as incoming CEO, replacing Robbie Egan who will step down at the end of the year. Frankfurt Book Fair begins 15 October 2025...
The Bookshop Darlinghurst to close; Garner shortlisted for Baillie Gifford; EWF shares 2025 report
Wednesday, 8 October 2025
In Books+Publishing (B+P) news this week, Kate Cuthbert has resigned as publishing director. Her last day will be 30 October. In B+P features this week, Emily Baulch shared her research...
