Weekly news | Books+Publishing

O’Loughlin wins inaugural MidnightSun Picture Book Prize

Wednesday, 1 April 2026
Penny O’Loughlin has won the inaugural MidnightSun Picture Book Prize for her manuscript The Battle of the Beast. MidnightSun said The Battle of the Beast “impressed the judges with its...

Words on the Waves 2026 program announced

Wednesday, 1 April 2026
The program for the Words on the Waves Writers Festival, to run from 27 May to 1 June on the NSW Central Coast, has been announced. The festival’s opening address,...

Australian Government opens consultation on next National Cultural Policy

Wednesday, 25 March 2026
The Australian Government has opened consultation to hear views on developing the next National Cultural Policy, 3 years after the launch of the 5-year policy Revive. The consultation process invites submissions...

Copyright: APA, ASA oppose expansion of exceptions; Aus material “being ripped off by foreign players,” says minister

Wednesday, 25 March 2026
Industry bodies the Australian Publishers Association (APA), Australian Society of Authors (ASA) and Copyright Agency are among a coalition of creator representatives to have released a joint statement warning against...

Text acquires Szubanski memoir

Wednesday, 25 March 2026
Text Publishing has announced the acquisition of the memoir I Can’t Tell You But I Will by Magda Szubanski. Szubanski is a comedian, actor and LGBT rights advocate. Her previous memoir,...

HGCP acquires “The Everywhere Train”

Wednesday, 25 March 2026
Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing (HGCP) has acquired world rights to The Everywhere Train by author Deborah Frenkel and illustrator Danny Snell. From the creators of 2025 National Simultaneous Storytime book The...

BookUp conference and research day dates announced

Wednesday, 25 March 2026
The 2026 BookUp publishing conference will run in Melbourne on 22 July, the Australian Publishers Association (APA) has announced. Now in its sixth year, BookUp in 2026 “will focus on...

Local bookshop numbers double for 2026 “crawl”

Wednesday, 25 March 2026
Following the inaugural Global Book Crawl (GBC) in 2025, 140 Australian bookshops have signed up for this year’s event. In 2026, 12 separate book crawls will take place in Australia,...

Online queer bookshop Obsidian opens in Sydney

Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Obsidian Bookshop, a new online-only queer bookshop, has opened in Sydney, reports Star Observer. The bookshop is run by librarian Billy Hambides, artist Archer Nox and photographer Bowen Halkett. “All...

Martin wins 2026 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship

Wednesday, 18 March 2026
The 2026 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship has been awarded to Jennifer Martin, who receives $20,000 for her proposed biography of Australian journalist Eva Sommer. In 1956 then 22-year-old Sommer beat...

S&S acquires Fanning memoir

Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) has acquired world rights to the memoir All Heart, by three-time world champion surfer Mick Fanning. All Heart follows Fanning from the western suburbs of...

SLQ to end management of QLAs and black&write! fellowship

Wednesday, 11 March 2026
The State Library of Queensland (SLQ) will no longer manage the Queensland Literary Awards (QLAs) or the black&write! fellowship program following the release of the Daubney Review. The review was...

HarperCollins acquires new Rogers novel

Wednesday, 11 March 2026
HarperCollins has acquired ANZ rights to The Clue Keeper, a new novel by Megan Rogers, in a deal brokered by Benython Oldfield at Zeitgeist Agency. The Clue Keeper follows Ginnie...

S&S acquires world rights to Barry quartet

Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Simon & Schuster Australia has acquired world rights to The Northshine Quartet, a new contemporary series by Amy Barry, in a deal brokered by Sarah Younger at Nancy Yost Literary...

Sydney Writers’ Festival program announced

Wednesday, 11 March 2026
The program for this year’s Sydney Writers’ Festival, running from 17–24 May, has been announced. The festival is hosting 200+ in-person and live-streamed events featuring 39 international guests and over...

UNESCO Cities of Literature Fellowship announced

Wednesday, 4 March 2026
The Melbourne UNESCO City of Literature Office has announced a new $15,000 fellowship for researchers, writers, artists and creative practitioners from other UNESCO Cities of Literature. The fellowship is part...

A&U acquires Moss’s solo YA novel

Wednesday, 4 March 2026
Allen & Unwin has acquired ANZ rights to Tamara Moss’s YA murder mystery, Five Voices, in a deal negotiated at auction by Jill Grinberg and Sam Farkas at Jill Grinberg Literary...

Wiley acquires Zahner’s social media critique

Wednesday, 4 March 2026
Wiley has acquired world rights to Real: Reconnecting to Yourself in a World of Likes and Lies by Alexis Zahner. Drawing on the author’s own experience as well as psychological research...

Transit Lounge acquires Thompson novel

Wednesday, 4 March 2026
Transit Lounge has acquired world rights to Karenlee Thompson’s novel Notes from the White Room through NAC Literary Agency. The novel follows Hunter, “a lost soul searching for her missing...

Ockham 2026 shortlists announced

Wednesday, 4 March 2026
The shortlists for this year’s Ockham New Zealand Book Awards have been announced. The titles in each category are: Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction All Her Lives (Ingrid Horrocks,...

NZ Booklovers Awards 2026 shortlists announced

Wednesday, 25 February 2026
In Aotearoa New Zealand, the 2026 NZ Booklovers Awards shortlists have been announced. Shortlisted titles include: Best Adult Fiction Book 1985 (Dominic Hoey, Penguin) A Beautiful Family (Jennifer Trevelyan, A&U)...

Narrative Muse recognised by UNESCO centre

Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Aotearoa New Zealand–based content discovery company Narrative Muse is among 100 projects recognised by the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI) for its application of generative AI. Narrative Muse...