When Words Fail Us: Truth Beyond Time (Stan Grant, NewSouth)
Tuesday, 3 March 2026
In When Words Fail Us, Stan Grant steps fully into his role as a philosopher and public thinker after walking away from a long career in journalism. Following the turbulence...
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,...
Rights round-up
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Sales Fiction Bold Type Agency has sold German, Dutch and Italian language rights to the Divorced Men’s Club series, along with German rights to the first 2 titles of the...
Read the latest Publishers Weekly
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Books+Publishing partners with US trade news magazine Publishers Weekly to provide our subscribers with exclusive access to the weekly digital edition of PW magazine. View the current edition.
Dove (Georgia Harper, Penguin)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Georgia Harper’s Dove is a quiet, restrained novel with a philosophical tone and a steady undercurrent of tension. Set in a small Queensland town in 1993, the story centres on...
My Ball Is Broken (Rob Graves-Morris, Walker)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
My Ball Is Broken, written and illustrated by Rob Graves-Morris, is a playful picture book with hidden depth for readers aged 4 and over, told from the perspective of a...
Gross Things Animals Eat (Claire Stevens, illus Adele K Thomas, HarperCollins)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Gross Things Animals Eat is packed with disgusting, bizarre and outrageous descriptions and illustrations that young readers aged 5 and up will absolutely love. Australian veterinarian Claire Stevens invites children...
Look After Your Feet: Some Keen Observations on the Unexpected Advantages and Indignities of Getting Older (Rosalie Ham, A&U)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Rosalie Ham (The Dressmaker) turns her sharp wit toward the journey of ageing in her first nonfiction book, Look After Your Feet. Insightful, mischievous and often very funny, the memoir...
Tiwi war kwampini: Mwarlapwara kangi tingati (Tiwi War Hero: Footprints in the Sand) (Mavis Kerinaiua, ILF)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Tiwi war kwampini: Mwarlapwara kangi tingati (Tiwi War Hero: Footprints in the Sand) is written, translated and illustrated by Mavis Kerinaiua, with support from Laura Rademaker. This compelling picture book...
Griefdogg (Michael Winkler, Text)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Miles Franklin–shortlisted author Michael Winkler (Grimmish) returns with his anticipated new novel, Griefdogg. Jeffrey is a hydrologist in Mildura who, after inheriting a small fortune, decides to abandon his adult...
Fanny and Mina: The Fastest of Friends (Samantha Tidy, illus Hilary Cresp, Windy Hollow)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Fanny and Mina: The Fastest of Friends, written by Samantha Tidy and illustrated by Hilary Cresp, is a narrative nonfiction picture book for readers aged 5 to 8. It introduces...
The Friendship Paradox (Aśka, A&U Children’s)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
The Friendship Paradox is a heartwarming YA graphic novel by author and artist Aśka (Stars in Their Eyes) about personal growth and friendship, with accessible science concepts sprinkled throughout. The...
Crip Stories: An Anthology of Disabled Writers (ed BS Windon, Laura Pettenuzzo, Misbah Wolf & Katie Hansord, NewSouth)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Crip Stories: An Anthology of Disabled Writers, edited by BS Windon, Laura Pettenuzzo, Misbah Wolf and Katie Hansord, in partnership with Mascara Literary Review and with the support of Creative...
The Nocturnals (Frances Whiting, HarperCollins)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Frances Whiting’s third novel, The Nocturnals, follows 5 teenagers in 1997 who promise “to love each other wholly” as they become inseparable in their final year of school. The group...
The Last Word (Two Hearts) (A L Tait, Scholastic)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Scholastic’s multi-authored Two Hearts series is capturing the Australian middle-grade romance market. It is notable for its appealing, tween-appropriate relationships, where friendships can evolve into gentle romance and culminate in...
The Chateau on Sunset (Natasha Lester, Hachette)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
The Chateau on Sunset is the latest historical fiction novel from bestselling author Natasha Lester, set against both the glamour and the darkness of 1950s Hollywood. Told through split perspectives...
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,...
Rights round-up
Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Sales Fiction Jane Novak Literary Agency has sold French rights to Voss and The Solid Mandala (Patrick White, various imprints) to Au Vent des Îles, via Lora Fountain at the Lora Fountain...
Read the latest Publishers Weekly
Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Books+Publishing partners with US trade news magazine Publishers Weekly to provide our subscribers with exclusive access to the weekly digital edition of PW magazine. View the current edition.
Kill Your Boomers (Fiona Wright, Ultimo)
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
In her first work of fiction, Fiona Wright turns her sharp eye on Australia’s housing crisis. Kill Your Boomers centres on Keira, a 30-something writer who also nannies for the...
The Angry Wives Club (Gabbie Stroud, A&U)
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
In The Angry Wives Club, Gabbie Stroud (Teacher, The Things That Matter Most) introduces 3 women who become friends at the gym in the small town of Shellwater Bay. It’s...
Spare Kisses (Pip Harry, illus Yiscah Marcatili, Lothian)
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
A young girl’s close and loving relationship with her grandmother is the subject of Pip Harry’s Spare Kisses. Told in gentle rhyme, the story follows Eve and her sprightly nan...
The Curator (Wendy Tyrer, Perentie Press)
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
Set against the inspiring backdrop of the National Gallery of Victoria, The Curator is a young adult graphic novel by author and illustrator Wendy Tyrer that delivers a gripping adventure...
Frank the Monster (Mats Strandberg, trans Julia Marshall, illus Sofia Falkenhem, Gecko)
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
Frank the Monster is a gentle introduction to horror in chapter-book form, written by Swedish writer Mats Strandberg and translated into English by Julia Marshall. The story follows Frank, a...
High Time: How Australia Changed Its Mind About Illegal Drugs (Desmond Manderson, La Trobe)
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
Desmond Manderson’s High Time charts the history of attitudes towards drugs in Australia, from anti-Chinese attacks on opium in the early 20th century to present-day concerns about vaping and pill...
Myra in the Middle (Seetha Dodd, illus Peter Cheong, UQP)
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
Uplifting and true to life, Seetha Dodd’s Myra in the Middle is a junior novel that weaves together themes of family, identity and navigating change. Myra, a 7-year-old maths enthusiast...
Touching the Sky (Deborah Lawrie, ABC Books)
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
In Touching the Sky, aviation pioneer Deborah Lawrie recounts her remarkable life and career, from her landmark fight to become Australia’s first female commercial pilot to decades spent in the...
Fearless (Kelly Canby, Fremantle)
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
Kelly Canby’s Fearless will delight and reassure children, parents and teachers with its hopeful message that fear need not be overwhelming or permanent. Bea Ware is frightened of everything, moving...
Redbelly Crossing (Candice Fox, Penguin)
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
Candice Fox (Crimson Lake) opens Redbelly Crossing with immediate authority: a rural pub, a blood-smeared doorknob and the uneasy sense that something deeply wrong has slipped quietly into an ordinary...
The Ruin of Magic (Kate Holden, Black Inc.)
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
In The Ruin of Magic, Kate Holden (In My Skin, The Romantic) examines enchantment, displacement and homesickness for places both real and imagined through a series of intimate essays. Blending...
