Weekly news | Books+Publishing

Scribe acquires Doig’s ‘We Are All Preppers Now’

Wednesday, 15 July 2020
Scribe has acquired world English-language rights to Tom Doig’s third full-length book, We Are All Preppers Now, a narrative nonfiction work that examines the practices of survivalism and doomsday prepping...

ACT Writers publishes open letter regarding CWF 2020

Wednesday, 15 July 2020
ACT Writers has stated in an open letter published Sunday, 12 July that ‘as it currently stands, [it] cannot support or promote’ the 2020 Canberra Writers Festival (CWF). However, in...

Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize 2020 shortlist announced

Wednesday, 15 July 2020
The Australian Book Review (ABR) has announced the shortlist for the 2020 Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize. The shortlisted works and their authors are: 'Egg Timer' by C J Garrow (Vic) 'Hieroglyph'...

HarperCollins announces Books Bring Us Together campaign

Wednesday, 15 July 2020
HarperCollins Australia is launching Books Bring Us Together, a campaign aimed at celebrating 'the power of reading and the importance of local booksellers to our communities'. The campaign will include...

Melbourne libraries re-close as second lockdown begins

Wednesday, 8 July 2020
In line with the stage three restrictions announced by Victorian premier Daniel Andrews on Tuesday, Melbourne libraries including State Library Victoria (SLV) and all City of Melbourne Library branches will...

Walker launches biannual ‘Walker Wednesday’ to discover new writers

Wednesday, 8 July 2020
Walker Books will accept unsolicited manuscripts on two specific dates in 2020 via an online portal as part of its new ‘Walker Wednesday’ initiative to ‘discover new Australian stories for...

‘Real Pigeons’ to be adapted for TV by James Corden

Wednesday, 8 July 2020
Real Pigeons Fight Crime (Andrew McDonald, illus by Ben Wood, Hardie Grant Egmont) is being developed by host of the The Late Late Show James Corden as a TV series...

Canberra Writers Festival 2020 program launched

Wednesday, 8 July 2020
The Canberra Writers Festival, which will run from 12 to 16 August, has launched its 2020 program. In a statement, the festival said artistic director Jeanne Ryckmans’ program would be...

Australian book sales down 2% for year to June

Wednesday, 8 July 2020
Strong sales during the second quarter of 2020 have largely cushioned the overall Australian book market from the effects of Covid-19, with Australian book sales down by just 2% for...

ABA: Online conference commences, Love Your Bookshop Day on 3 October

Wednesday, 8 July 2020
The first of the Australian Booksellers Association's (ABA) 2020 online conference events took place on Monday, 6 July, with ABA CEO Robbie Egan in conversation with Meryl Halls and Nic...

John Marsden prize renamed Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers

Wednesday, 1 July 2020
Hachette and Express Media have confirmed YA author Will Kostakis will take over from John Marsden as mentor of the 2020 John Marsden/Hachette Australia Prize for Young Australian Writers, which...

Ballarat Books, Warrnambool Books, Link Educational to rebrand as Campion Education

Wednesday, 1 July 2020
Following its acquisition of Victorian educational specialists Ballarat Books, Warrnambool Books and Mount Waverley-based Link Educational last year, the Campion Group will rebrand all three businesses as Campion Education. Ballarat...

WA Premier’s Book Awards shortlists announced

Wednesday, 1 July 2020
The shortlists for this year’s Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards have been announced. The shortlisted titles in each category are: Premier’s Prize for an emerging writer ($15,000) Fabulous Lives (Bindy Pritchard,...

Taylor & Francis acquires A&U academic lists

Wednesday, 24 June 2020
Taylor & Francis Books has acquired Allen & Unwin’s (A&U) academic and professional books lists, which represent over 700 titles in the humanities and social science disciplines. In a statement,...

Hardie Grant acquires Ablett autobiography

Wednesday, 24 June 2020
Hardie Grant Books has acquired world rights to AFL player Gary Ablett Jr’s autobiography. The fully illustrated book will include guest chapters from his father Gary Ablett Sr, Geelong captain...

White wins 2020 Rachel Funari Prize for Fiction

Wednesday, 24 June 2020
Emily White has won the 2020 Lip magazine Rachel Funari Prize for Fiction for their short story ‘Swampy’. 'The unique and immediately engaging archival formatting of this story effortlessly, humorously...

Age/SMH seeks ‘greater diversity of applicants’ for book critic roles

Wednesday, 24 June 2020
The Nine-owned Age and Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) newspapers will reopen applications for two book critics, following the resignation of Jack Callil and Bec Kavanagh. Kavanagh and Callil jointly resigned from...

Billie B Brown optioned for TV

Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Fremantle and development partner 720 Creative have acquired screen rights to the children’s book character Billie B Brown, from the junior fiction series written by Sally Rippin, illustrated by Aki...

Pantera Press Foundation donates $85k in FY2020

Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Pantera Press has announced the company has donated $85,000 via the Pantera Press Foundation this financial year. Its donations include a total of $70,000 in untied funding to arts organisations...

Creative Vic Sustaining Creative Workers grants announced

Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Creative Victoria has announced the first recipients of its Sustaining Creative Workers initiative, created as part of the Victorian Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Initially announced in April as...

Magabala Books announces First Nations’ publishing cadetship

Thursday, 11 June 2020
Magabala Books has announced it will create a new cadetship for First Nations publishing professionals. The cadetship program will provide on-the-job training, professional development and sustainable employment, with mentorship from...