Ball joins UQP; new owner for Robinsons; ABIA business shortlists
In local news this week, University of Queensland Press has announced the appointment of Ben Ball as publishing director “after an extensive recruitment process”; Denis Crema is the new owner of the Robinsons Bookshop chain; Bloomsbury is reorganising its global business, with a new structure coming into effect in the Asia-Pacific region; Radio National and publisher Magabala Books have each warned creators about fraudulent emails being sent to authors; the Paragraph Fellowship will extend the award to two fellows in 2026 thanks to the Dyson Bequest’s contribution to the Time to Write fund; and the State Library of NSW has released new research highlighting the social value and community benefits of libraries.
Awards
In awards news, shortlists have been announced for the business awards component of the Australian Book Industry Awards, the NSW Literary Awards and the Age Book of the Year awards; Aotearoa New Zealand children’s publisher Messy Press has won the 2026 Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year in the Oceania region; Australian illustrator Lauren Saunders is among the winning illustrators at Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition; and local authors Sam Guthrie, Laura McCluskey, Zoë Rankin and Jennifer Trevelyan are among those whose works have been longlisted for the UK Crime Writers’ Association’s 2026 Dagger Awards.
Rights
In rights news, Black Inc. has sold North American, UK, Indian subcontinent and audio rights to God AI: Boom or Doom? What to Expect When Machines Outsmart Us (Toby Walsh, La Trobe University Press); Allen & Unwin has acquired ANZ rights to forthcoming crime novel Bad Neighbours by Joanna Jenkins; Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing has acquired world rights to children’s chapter book Sagittarius Rising by author Maxine Beneba Clarke and illustrator Jade Goodwin; and, as reported by the Guardian, a memoir by Simon Patterson, the estranged husband of murderer Erin Patterson, has been acquired by an as-yet-unnamed publisher.
International news
In Europe, the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2026 shortlist was announced; Jon Klassen has been named the recipient of the 2026 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award; English poet Adam Oliver has won the €6000 (A$9900) Moth Poetry Prize; and Children’s writer Michael Rosen, from the UK, and illustrator Cai Gao, from China, have been named the winners of the 2026 IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) Hans Christian Andersen author and illustrator award respectively.
Features
In features this past week, Fremantle Press shares its history and journey to its new “forever home” as it celebrates 60 years; we hear from Australian Book Industry Awards sponsor Ingram on opportunities in the local market; 2025 Penguin Literary Prize winner Mary Colussi talks to reviewer Danielle Bagnato about Touch Grass, and drops a book recommendation; and publishers share their forthcoming picks for book club reads.
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Category: This week’s news
