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ASA announces new rates of pay for literary award judges 

Thursday, 6 February 2025
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) has launched rates of pay for literary award judges. This new information, specifically for judges of literary awards for published books, has 'been established...

S&S acquires Morgan’s fiction debut 

Thursday, 6 February 2025
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) has acquired world rights to Rachael Morgan’s commercial women’s fiction debut, in a deal between S&S commercial fiction publisher Cassandra Di Bello and Anjanette Fennell...

UWAP announces Affirm as new sales partner 

UWAP logo Thursday, 6 February 2025
UWA Publishing (UWAP) has announced a new partnership with Affirm Press for sales representation, after 18 years with NewSouth Books. UWAP publisher Kate Pickard said, ‘Affirm Press has earned a...

2025 Bologna Best Children’s Publisher shortlist announced 

Wednesday, 5 February 2025
The Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year shortlist has been announced. This year's Oceania shortlistees are: Affirm Press (Australia) Five Mile Press (Australia) Fremantle Press (Australia) Hardie Grant...

Pink Shorts Press acquires works by De Zilva, Cothren 

Olivia De Zilva and Alex Cothren Wednesday, 5 February 2025
New publishing venture Pink Shorts Press has announced its first acquisitions of new titles. The press, which plans to release books twice a year (March and August), previously announced it...

BookPeople reveals new consumer, member websites 

Tuesday, 4 February 2025
BookPeople has updated the organisation’s web presence with a dedicated membership website and a new consumer-facing site. ‘Each site has been designed with a distinct audience in mind,’ BookPeople operations...

Clunes Booktown Festival 2025 program announced 

Tuesday, 4 February 2025
Clunes Booktown Festival has announced its 2025 program. Festival director Suzi Cordell said this year’s program will explore the art of storytelling in all its diverse forms, with panels on...

MUD Literary Prize 2025 shortlist announced

Tuesday, 4 February 2025
The shortlist for the 2025 MUD Literary Prize, worth $10,000, has been announced. The shortlisted works, selected from 31 submissions, are: Translations (Jumaana Abdu, Vintage) The End and Everything Before...

Bundyi Publishing announces unpublished manuscript prize

bundyi logo Monday, 3 February 2025
Simon & Schuster imprint Bundyi Publishing has announced the Bundyi Writing Prize, which will be awarded to an outstanding unpublished manuscript of adult fiction by an emerging Aboriginal and/or Torres...

Vale Michael Webster

Photograph of Michael Webster. Credit: Debora Webster-Bain Friday, 31 January 2025
Publisher, editor and academic Michael Webster has died. Webster had a long and distinguished career in the Australian publishing industry, with roles as a publisher, academic, and board member. He...

Martin selected for Bologna illustrator exhibition 

a portrait of Marc Martin Thursday, 30 January 2025
Melbourne-based illustrator, artist and book maker Marc Martin has been selected for the 2025 Illustrators Exhibition at the Bologna Children's Book Fair (BCBF). Of 4374 total applications, 77 illustrators from...

Ockham 2025 longlists announced

Thursday, 30 January 2025
The longlists for the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards have been announced. The longlisted titles in each category are: Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction (NZ$65,000) All That We...

IPEd announces student editor prize shortlist 

IPEd logo Thursday, 30 January 2025
The Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) has announced the shortlist for the 2025 IPEd Student Prize. The shortlisted editors and their projects are: Portia Abbott (RMIT University), for her essay...

Hardie Grant Books acquires Nat Thaipun cookbook 

a portrait of Nat Thaipun Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Hardie Grant Books has acquired world print and ebook rights to Thai: Anywhere and Everywhere, the debut cookbook from MasterChef Australia 2024 winner Nat Thaipun, through Ben Liebmann of Understory....

Adelaide Writers’ Week full program announced 

adelaide writers week (aww) logo in blue and white Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Adelaide Writers’ Week director Louise Adler today announced the full program for 2025 Adelaide Writers' Week (AWW), which will mark the 40th anniversary of the event. In a statement, Adler...

UQP sells rights to ‘Edenglassie’ to Oneworld

Edenglassie Wednesday, 29 January 2025
University of Queensland Press (UQP) has sold world English (ex ANZ) and audio rights to Melissa Lucashenko’s Edenglassie to Oneworld Publications. The deal was struck between UQP rights and contacts...

Text discontinues Michael Gifkins Prize 

text logo (a black underlined letter t in a black circle) Tuesday, 28 January 2025
Text Publishing has announced that the Michael Gifkins Prize for unpublished manuscripts in Aotearoa New Zealand has ceased. Established in 2017, the prize honoured the late literary agent, writer, critic...

Sweatshop & NewSouth announce Pasifika-Australian literary initiative

a portrait of Winnie Dunn Tuesday, 28 January 2025
Sweatshop Literacy Movement and NewSouth Publishing have announced Fresh Off the Books: The Pasifika Australian Literary Initiative, described as Australia’s first literary program for Pasifika-Australian writers. Twelve successful applicants will...

Osborne-Crowley shortlisted for 2025 Gordon Burn Prize 

the cover of the book The Lasting Harm, Witnessing the Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell by Lucia Osborne-Crowley Tuesday, 28 January 2025
Lucia Osborne-Crowley has been shortlisted for the 2025 Gordon Burn Prize for her book The Lasting Harm: Witnessing the Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell (A&U). The other shortlisted titles for the prize...

Local author, voice actor among Audie Awards finalists 

Thursday, 23 January 2025
In the United States, the Audio Publishers Association has announced the finalists for the 2025 Audie Awards for audiobooks and spoken word entertainment. Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand finalists include:...

PRH acquires Text Publishing 

text logo (a black underlined letter t in a black circle) Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Text Publishing has announced it will become part of Penguin Random House Australia (PRH), effective immediately. In a statement, Text said the acquisition ‘includes all of Text Publishing’. However, Text...