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Petition seeks to restore Writers Victoria funding

Thursday, 15 January 2026
Writers Victoria has launched a petition to restore its funding after it was refused multi-year support in the latest Creative Victoria funding round. The Creative Enterprises Program had funded Writers...

APA releases ABIA guide

Thursday, 15 January 2026
The Australian Publishers Association (APA) has released a guide for publishers entering the 2026 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA). Drawing on judging comments from last year’s awards, Judges Insights: A...

Besliev and Blake promoted at Simon & Schuster

Thursday, 15 January 2026
Simon & Schuster (S&S) Australia and New Zealand has promoted Tash Besliev and Cate Blake into newly created positions. Besliev has been appointed executive publisher, children’s publishing, having previously served...

Adelaide Writers’ Week cancelled

Wednesday, 14 January 2026
The outgoing Adelaide Festival board announced yesterday that Adelaide Writers’ Week (AWW) will not be held this year. The decision follows the withdrawal of more than 100 writers from the...

HarperCollins acquires Mason’s next novel

Wednesday, 14 January 2026
HarperCollins has acquired ANZ rights to Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason, via a deal brokered by Felicity Blunt at Curtis Brown. Sophie, Standing There is a novel about “love, loneliness...

Silvey charged over child exploitation material

Wednesday, 14 January 2026
Author Craig Silvey has appeared in court on charges of possessing and distributing child exploitation material, reported the ABC yesterday. Silvey was charged by police after a search of his...

Indie Book Awards 2026 shortlists announced

Wednesday, 14 January 2026
The shortlists for the 2026 Indie Book Awards have been announced. Chosen from the longlist announced in December, the shortlisted titles in each category are: Fiction Mad Mabel (Sally Hepworth, Macmillan)...

Canelo acquires Puckboys MM romance series

Wednesday, 14 January 2026
UK publisher Canelo has acquired world English print rights to the Puckboys series by Eden Finley and Saxon James, in a 10-book deal between Canelo editorial director Emily Bedford and...

Newcastle Short Story Award 2025 winners announced

Tuesday, 13 January 2026
The Hunter Writers’ Centre has announced the winners for this year’s Newcastle Short Story Award. First prize ($3000) “Solastalgia” by Liz Allan Second prize ($1500) “Migration” by Cassie Hamer Third...

Sharwood’s ‘Kosciuszko’ recognised in Polish awards

Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Anthony Sharwood’s Kosciuszko: The Incredible Life of the Man Behind the Mountain (Hachette) has received 3rd prize in a competition launched by Poland’s foreign affairs minister to recognise history books...

A&U acquires Jackman’s “Detention”

Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to Detention, a new nonfiction title by author and teacher Ralph Jackman. According to the publisher, Detention is Jackman’s “powerful and moving memoir...

Australian book market up 3.2% in 2025

Tuesday, 13 January 2026
The book market in Australia in 2025 was up by 3.2% in value and 1.4% in volume, according to figures from NielsenIQ BookData. Nielsen’s snapshot of the year from 29...

Sussex story awards shortlists released

Tuesday, 13 January 2026
The shortlisted writers in the 2 divisions of the 2025 Roly Sussex Short Story Competition, run by the Queensland Branch of the English-Speaking Union (ESU, have been announced. The $10,500...

Contestable Fund recipients announced

Tuesday, 13 January 2026
In New Zealand Aotearoa, the Publishers Association of New Zealand/Te Rau o Tākupu (PANZ) has announced the recipients of the Copyright Licensing New Zealand Contestable Fund Grants. Of the 59...

HarperCollins acquires Palaszczuk memoir

Tuesday, 13 January 2026
HarperCollins has acquired world rights to the former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s memoir, Annastacia Palaszczuk: The Politics of Being Me. “In Annastacia Palaszczuk: The Politics of Being Me, Annastacia shares her...

Adler resigns as Adelaide Writers’ Week director

Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Louise Adler, director of Adelaide Writers’ Week (AWW) since 2023, has resigned in response to the Adelaide Festival board’s decision to withdraw Randa Abdel-Fattah’s invitation to attend this year’s festival....

Peter Porter Poetry Prize 2026 shortlist

Monday, 12 January 2026
Australian Book Review (ABR) has announced the shortlist for the 2026 Peter Porter Poetry Prize. Chosen from a longlist announced in December 2025, the shortlisted poets are: J Andros (United States)...

Authors withdraw from Adelaide Writers’ Week in protest

Monday, 12 January 2026
Approximately 110 authors have now withdrawn from Adelaide Writers’ Week following the Adelaide Festival Board’s removal of scheduled author and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah (Discipline) from the 2026 Adelaide Writers’ Week...

Creative Victoria funding decisions spark criticism

Monday, 12 January 2026
Creative Victoria’s latest Creative Enterprises Program grants, announced in late December, have drawn criticism from organisations including Writers Victoria, whose multi-year funding has been discontinued. Four literary organisations – Writers...

Ben Ball leaves Simon & Schuster Australia and New Zealand

Monday, 12 January 2026
Ben Ball announced his resignation as publishing director of Simon & Schuster (S&S) and Scribner at the end of 2025. After working for S&S earlier in his career, Ball rejoined...

Ward apppointed GM of Byron Writers Festival

Monday, 12 January 2026
Byron Writers Festival has named Molly Ward as its new general manager, commencing in mid-January. Ward has wide experience managing major festivals, large-scale cultural events, and placemaking initiatives. “Passionate about...