Farnham wins ABIA Book of the Year

The winners of the 2025 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) have been announced, with The Voice Inside (John Farnham with Poppy Stockell, Hachette) taking out the overall Book of the Year award, as well as winning in both the Biography Book of the Year and Audiobook of the Year categories.

In the business awards, Penguin Random House was named Publisher of the Year for a second year in a row, while University of Queensland Press (UQP) won the Small Publisher of the Year award for the fourth time. In retailing, Potts Point Bookshop won the Bookshop of the Year award.

The ABIA winners – in the book, business and hall of fame categories – are:

Book Awards

Book of the Year

• The Voice Inside (John Farnham with Poppy Stockell, Hachette)

Audiobook of the Year

• The Voice Inside (John Farnham with Poppy Stockell, narrated by John Farnham, Jill Farnham & Gaynor Wheatley, Squaresound), produced by Squaresound

Biography Book of the Year

• The Voice Inside (John Farnham with Poppy Stockell, Hachette)

John Marsden Book of the Year for Older Children (ages 13+)

• My Family and Other Suspects (Kate Emery, A&U)

Book of the Year for Younger Children (ages 7–12)

• Wurrtoo (Tylissa Elisara, illus by Dylan Finney, Lothian)

Children’s Picture Book of the Year (ages 0–6)

• The Truck Cat (Deborah Frenkel, illus by Danny Snell, Bright Light)

General Fiction Book of the Year

• What Happened to Nina? (Dervla McTiernan, HarperCollins)

General Nonfiction Book of the Year

• The Chairman’s Lounge (Joe Aston, Scribner)

Illustrated Book of the Year

• RecipeTin Eats: Tonight (Nagi Maehashi, Macmillan)

International Book of the Year

• The Ministry of Time (Kaliane Bradley, Sceptre)

Literary Fiction Book of the Year

• Dusk (Robbie Arnott, Picador)

Small Publishers’ Adult Book of the Year

• All I Ever Wanted Was to Be Hot (Lucinda Price, Pantera)

Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of the Year

• Leo and Ralph (Peter Carnavas, UQP)

Social Impact Book of the Year

• Brainstorm (Richard Scolyer with Garry Maddox, A&U)

The Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year (for an author’s first book, regardless of genre)

• We Are the Stars (Gina Chick, Summit)

Business Awards

Bookshop of the Year

• Potts Point Bookshop

Book Retailer of the Year

• QBD Books

Multicategory Retailer of the Year

• BIG W

Commissioning Editor/Publisher of the Year

• Jeanmarie Morosin

Marketing/Publicity Campaign of the Year

• Personal Penguin campaign (PRH)

Children’s Publisher of the Year

• Allen & Unwin Australia

Small Publisher of the Year

• UQP

Publisher of the Year

• Penguin Random House Australia

Hall of Fame Awards

Lloyd O’Neil Award 

• Ross Gibb

Pixie O’Harris Award 

• Rachel Bin Salleh.

The ABIAs are presented annually for achievements in bringing Australian books to readers. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the awards.

The winner of last year’s ABIA Book of the Year was The Voice to Parliament Handbook (Thomas Mayo & Kerry O’Brien, HG Explore).

Judges’ comments for each winning entry are available on the ABIA website.

Category: ABIA Awards Local news