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Australian Book Design Awards 2024 longlists announced

Orange graphic with the words ABDA 24 Longlist, 72nd Australian Book Design Awards, ABDA 6 March 2024
The longlists for the 2024 Australian Book Design Awards, presented by the Australian Book Designers Association (ABDA), have been announced. The longlisted titles in the first three categories, and the...

Ockham 2024 shortlists announced

6 March 2024
The shortlists for the 2024 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards have been announced. Chosen from longlists announced earlier this year, the shortlisted titles in each category are: Jann Medlicott Acorn...

Breen appointed Affirm agency manager 

Photograph of Grace Breen 6 March 2024
Affirm Press has announced former marketing and publicity manager Grace Breen has returned from parental leave to take up the newly created role of agency manager. Breen will head Affirm’s...

Reti resigns from MWF board over program 

28 February 2024
Retired clinician Leslie Reti has resigned from his position as Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) deputy chair. In a statement to the Age, Reti said his reasons for resigning from the...

Pantera acquires Lenton debut ‘Spite Pie’ 

Author photograph of Patrick Lenton with a greyhound dog 28 February 2024
Pantera Press has acquired world rights to the debut novel Spite Pie by journalist and writer Patrick Lenton in a two-book deal brokered by Lou Johnson at Key People Literary...

CBCA 2024 Notable Books announced

27 February 2024
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced its list of Notable Books for 2024. The list acts as the longlist for the CBCA Book of the Year Awards....

HarperCollins acquires Gardiner, Kumar cosy crime 

An image of authors Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar. 21 February 2024
HarperCollins has acquired world rights to Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective, a forthcoming cosy crime novel from Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar, via Danielle Binks and Jacinta di Mase of...

Canberra Writers Festival moves to October 

Canberra Writers Festival logo 21 February 2024
The 2024 Canberra Writers Festival will run from 23–27 October. With the new dates occurring late in the year, organisers said that the 2024 festival is planned to ‘kick off...

Graham longlisted for Carnegie Medal for Illustration

Cover of Concrete Garden by Bob Graham 14 February 2024
In the UK, Australian author Bob Graham has been longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration (previously known as the Kate Greenaway Medal for Illustration), which was announced along with...

‘Meanjin’ announces two new residencies

14 February 2024
Literary journal Meanjin has announced two new residencies, offered in partnership with non-profit arts and cultural organisation InPlace, to ‘support writers of shorter works with dedicated writing time, much-needed funds, and...

Hamilton to leave Writers Victoria 

7 February 2024
Writers Victoria has announced CEO Lucy Hamilton will step down from the role and leave the organisation in March after three-and-a-half years. Said Hamilton: ‘I’m proud of my time at...

Vallance promoted to CYA publisher at UQP 

7 February 2024
At University of Queensland Press (UQP), Cathy Vallance has been promoted to the role of children’s and young adult publisher. Vallance, who has been with UQP for about 10 years,...

Larrikin acquires Betoota Advocate series 

7 February 2024
Larrikin House has acquired world rights to an as-yet-untitled nonfiction series from satire publication the Betoota Advocate. The publisher said the series, which is for readers aged 8 to 12,...

Adelaide Writers’ Week announces 2024 program

31 January 2024
Adelaide Writers’ Week (AWW) has announced its 2024 program, running from 2 to 7 March. Held in Adelaide's Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden, the week features 194 writers across 135 sessions, under...

Forrest wins Newcastle Short Story Award

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...

Gecko Press acquired by Lerner Publishing Group 

24 January 2024
Aotearoa New Zealand publishing house Gecko Press has been acquired by US Lerner Publishing Group, reported the Publishers Association of New Zealand Te Rau o Tākupu (PANZ). According to an...

Hachette acquires Hampton, Daniher picture books 

A photograph of Taylor Hampton and Jacinta Daniher and their family in an outdoor environment 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,...

Hogan wins 2024 ABR Peter Porter Poetry Prize 

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,...

HarperCollins acquires Dalgarno novel 

Photograph of Paul Dalgarno in front of a wooden fence 17 January 2024
HarperCollins has acquired ANZ rights to The Travelling Library by Paul Dalgarno, in a deal brokered by Martin Shaw of Shaw Literary. The Travelling Library is 'a tender coming-of-age story...

Küster appointed as director of CSIRO Publishing 

Photograph of Arend Kuster in front of greenery 17 January 2024
Arend Küster has been appointed as director of CSIRO Publishing. Previously in the role the director, academic affairs at Springer Nature, Küster had focused on building strategic relationships with government...