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...
Booktopia liquidators investigating potential claim against former directors
Thursday, 6 February 2025
In a statutory report to creditors, the liquidators of Booktopia Group – Matthew Caddy, Damien Pasfield and Keith Crawford of McGrathNicol – said the group's estimated assets were ‘substantially consistent...
UWAP announces Affirm as new sales partner
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
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...
Little Book Press relaunches author, illustrator mentorships
Tuesday, 4 February 2025
Little Book Press (LBP), the publishing arm of Raising Literacy Australia, has announced the relaunch of its mentorship program, which aims ‘to provide unpublished South Australian creatives with the opportunity...
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
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...
Regional, trans, genre literary festival programs announced
Monday, 3 February 2025
Some new and returning literary festivals and events have been announced. Trans Book Festival Taking place this weekend, on 8 February, at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne, the Trans Book...
Mascara announces new anthology on disability and neurodivergence
Monday, 3 February 2025
Mascara Literary Review has announced it will edit a forthcoming anthology of creative writing on disability and neurodivergence, to be published by NewSouth. The planned anthology will focus on the...
Vale Michael Webster
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
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
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
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
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
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...
Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2025 shortlists announced
Wednesday, 29 January 2025
The Wheeler Centre has announced the shortlists for the 2025 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. The shortlisted and highly commended works in each category are: Fiction ($25,000) The Burrow (Melanie Cheng,...
Literary organisations among Copyright Agency Cultural Fund recipients
Tuesday, 28 January 2025
The Copyright Agency Cultural Fund has announced that 42 Australian literary and creative organisations will share in $754,769 in its most recent funding round. Among the literary recipients in this...
Text discontinues Michael Gifkins Prize
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...
Publisher, playwright, historians among Australia Day Honours
Tuesday, 28 January 2025
Several authors, publishers and literary workers have been recognised in the annual Australia Day Honours. Appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) Margaret Elizabeth Burn, 'for significant service...
Literature represented in 2025 Asia Pacific Arts Awards shortlists
Tuesday, 28 January 2025
Creative Australia has announced the shortlist for the 2025 Asia Pacific Arts Awards, presented in recognition of Australian creative workers engaging with the Asia Pacific region. The awards recognise achievement...
Sweatshop & NewSouth announce Pasifika-Australian literary initiative
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
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...
Suspense, mystery and a new-year reading spike: Kobo Book Report
Thursday, 23 January 2025
Rakuten Kobo has released its report on 2024 Australian digital reading trends based on ebook and audiobook reading data on its platform, reflecting strong local interest in suspense, mystery and...
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
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...