Zoe Gaetjens on “Drawing Nudes While Making Other Plans”
Tuesday, 17 March 2026
Zoe Gaetjens is a children’s author and high-school English teacher living and working on Dharug Country. Her young adult novel, Drawing Nudes While Making Other Plans, is a “tender, thoughtful...
“Building Collections”: An excerpt from “The Library That Made Me”
Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Released this month to coincide with the 200-year anniversary of the State Library of NSW, NewSouth’s The Library That Made Me (“a love letter to libraries everywhere”) is an anthology...
Chloe Wilson on “The Thornbacks”
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Chloe Wilson is the author of the award-winning short story collection Hold Your Fire and two poetry collections. Her debut novel, The Thornbacks, follows stepsisters Gertie and Tabitha, morticians who lure...
Natalie Kon-yu and Emily Booth on the “unintended knock-on effects” of publishing diversity initiatives
Wednesday, 4 March 2026
Researchers Natalie Kon-yu and Emily Booth recently released an academic paper titled "We Don't Want to Hear Anything Else from You: Culturally 'Diverse' Authors and the Australian Literary Industry" in...
Book Fair Australia comes to Melbourne
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Book Fair Australia has been organised by independent author Ivana L Truglio since 2021. Usually held in Sydney, this year’s Melbourne event, which ran from 21 to 22 February, was...
Community Publishing, Australian Literature and the “DIY Publishing Toolkit”
Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Publishing in Australia comes in various forms. For those that live outside of the large cities, the process can look different to what is considered traditional publishing. The DIY Publishing...
Wheeler Centre turns 15
Wednesday, 4 February 2026
On The Wheeler Centre’s 15th birthday, chief executive Erin Vincent responds to questions from Books+Publishing. As The Wheeler Centre marks 15 years, how do you look back on its origins?...
Explainer: What are orphan works – and how would a proposed orphan works scheme affect publishing?
Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Clearing copyright permissions is an important – and sometimes complex – part of the publishing workflow. It's important of course to correctly cite (and compensate) the authors of works quoted...
Courtney Peppernell on “The Last Poem”
Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Sydney-based poet Courtney Peppernell is known for her bestselling poetry collections, including Pillow Thoughts and Watering the Soul. Her debut novel, The Last Poem, marks a move into long-form narrative...
New year, new audio: New local literary podcasts in 2026
Wednesday, 14 January 2026
As booksellers breathe out in the wake of the peak season and many publishing workers return to their desks after summer office closures, a couple of new local literary podcasts...
JR Lonie on “The Woman in the Spotlight”
Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Sydney-based author JR Lonie is best known for his debut novel, The Woman from Saint Germain (S&S), and for co-writing the feature film Kokoda. His latest novel, The Woman in...
New Year 2026 preview: Poetry
Wednesday, 10 December 2025
As 2026 approaches, publishers highlight forthcoming poetry collections to look out for. Among the year’s poetic offerings, readers can expect anything from literal “deep dives” to nuanced explorations of identity...
New Year 2026 preview: Fiction
Wednesday, 10 December 2025
As 2026 approaches, publishers highlight forthcoming adult fiction titles to look out for – from stories of selkies to vampire romances. Books+Publishing (B+P) shares titles publishers are excited about. B+P’s...
New year 2026 preview: CYA
Wednesday, 3 December 2025
As 2026 approaches, publishers highlight forthcoming children’s and young adult titles to look out for – from teen pregnancy within prejudiced towns to the study of clouds in beautiful picture books. Books+Publishing (B+P) shares titles...
New year 2026 preview: Nonfiction
Wednesday, 26 November 2025
As we head towards 2026, publishers are preparing to send a wide array of new nonfiction titles for our bookshelves. Among the titles publishers are keen to highlight, booksellers and...
CWF: Casual in the capital
Wednesday, 12 November 2025
The 9th Canberra Writers Festival (CWF) ran from 22 to 26 October – the first under the current programming team of CEO Travis Green, artistic director Andra Putnis and artistic...
Kay Kerr on “Might Cry Later”
Tuesday, 11 November 2025
Queensland-based author Kay Kerr made her debut with Please Don’t Hug Me (Text, 2020), followed by Social Queue (Text, 2021). Her latest release, Might Cry Later (Macmillan, November), marks her...
Unique paths, different viewpoints: 2025 Open Book intern Olivia De La Mare
Wednesday, 5 November 2025
First run as a pilot program offering 2 internships in 2022, the Open Book paid internship program is a joint sector initiative that aims to foster cultural and linguistic diversity...
BWF wrap up: Generous storytelling
Wednesday, 29 October 2025
This year, the Brisbane Writers Festival (BWF) ran from 9 to 12 October in its new venue, the Brisbane Powerhouse. Over 100 live events were organised with more than 200...
Public interest defence used successfully for first time
Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Australian defamation laws have weighed on the minds of Australian editors and publishers for decades. So does the new public interest/responsible reporting defence, introduced in 2021, make their work easier?...
The industry is vast and multifaceted: 2025 Open Book intern Rebecca Zhong
Wednesday, 29 October 2025
First run as a pilot program offering 2 internships in 2022, the Open Book paid internship program is a joint sector initiative that aims to foster cultural and linguistic diversity...
ASA, APA, authors take on Senate over AI
Wednesday, 22 October 2025
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) was recently joined by the Australian Publishers Association (APA) and a formidable coalition of authors to speak to a Senate committee at Parliament House...
Travel writing after the pandemic: ‘Human stories are critical’
Wednesday, 8 October 2025
The art and work of writing and publishing often shift in response to changes in the world. Travel writing, as a place-based form of literature, has had to adapt through...
Julia Busuttil Nishimura on ‘Sundays Under the Lemon Tree’
Tuesday, 23 September 2025
Melbourne-based food writer and cookbook author Julia Busuttil Nishimura made her publishing debut with Ostro (Plum, 2017). Her first picture book, Sundays Under the Lemon Tree (Scribble, November), is ‘a...
Back into BookUp (again): The inaugural research day wrapped
Wednesday, 10 September 2025
Books+Publishing recently attended industry professional development conference BookUp, with three members of staff attending both days – the industry day and this year’s brand new addition, a full day dedicated...
‘Cultural pillage’: The Australian literary community responds to Meanjin’s closure
Wednesday, 10 September 2025
In light of the news late last week that Melbourne University Publishing (MUP) withdrew funding from Meanjin, industry figures and publications across the local scene shared their dismay at the...
Back into BookUp: The 2025 publishing conference industry day wrapped
Wednesday, 3 September 2025
Books+Publishing recently attended industry professional development conference BookUp, with three members of staff attending both days – the industry day and this year's brand new addition, a full day dedicated...
IPEd 2025: Editors as changemakers
Wednesday, 20 August 2025
Books+Publishing publishing director Kate Cuthbert was an invited guest to this year’s Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) conference, held 23–25 July 2025 in Adelaide. During the conference, she was one...
Tinsel time: 2025 biography and memoir
Wednesday, 13 August 2025
From sports stars to media mavens, performers to podcasters, Books+Publishing pulls together titles about lives less-ordinary from publishers' 2025 gifting season recommendations. Well-known women Among the highlights from publishers for...
Books on the Rail’s Ali and Michelle in conversation
Wednesday, 13 August 2025
Books on the Rail is an Australian initiative that places books on local public transport services – or, as co-founders Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus put it, ‘turns Australia's trains...
