Daily news | Books+Publishing

Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

Monday, 17 June 2024
Melbourne writer Caroline Stills has won the 2024 Text Prize for her debut middle-grade novel A Gift from the Birds. Chosen from a shortlist of five announced earlier this month,...

Ultimo acquires Tunnicliffe novel

Thursday, 13 June 2024
Ultimo Press has acquired rights to Hannah Tunnicliffe’s domestic noir The Pool. The publisher said The Pool ‘explores the choices and challenges that come after a devastating event through a cast of...

Karajia and Environment Award for Children’s Literature shortlists announced

Thursday, 13 June 2024
The Wilderness Society has announced the shortlists for the 2024 Environment Award for Children’s Literature and the Karajia Award for First Nations children’s storytelling. Shortlisted titles in each category include:...

Island Nonfiction Prize 2024 shortlist announced

Thursday, 13 June 2024
Island has announced the shortlist for its annual nonfiction prize. Shortlisted essays for the prize include: ‘A Story-Shaped Life’ (Gan Ainm) ‘Writing Task 1’ (Suri Matondkar) ‘seeing Ningaloo’ (Jenny Sinclair)...

McIntosh’s ‘The Pearl Thief’ to be adapted for film

Tuesday, 11 June 2024
Penguin Random House (PRH) has announced Fiona McIntosh’s The Pearl Thief is being adapted into a feature film. Made Up Stories, led by Bruna and Steve Hutensky, will produce the...

Bill introduced to establish Writing Australia, First Nations Arts bodies

Tuesday, 11 June 2024
Federal arts minister Tony Burke introduced a bill to parliament on 5 June to formally establish Writing Australia and First Nations Arts as bodies within Creative Australia. Following on from...

WA Premier’s Book Awards 2024 winners announced

Tuesday, 11 June 2024
The winners of the 2024 Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards have been announced. At the awards, presented on 7 June at the State Library of Western Australia, novelist Gail Jones...

Book industry figures recognised in King’s Birthday Honours

Tuesday, 11 June 2024
Several book industry figures were among those recognised in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours. Bundjalung artist and illustrator Bronwyn Bancroft was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), for ‘significant...

Dick and Joan Green Family Award for Tasmanian History 2024 shortlist

Thursday, 6 June 2024
The shortlist has been announced for the 2024 Dick and Joan Green Family Award for Tasmanian History, worth $25,000. The shortlisted works, chosen from a longlist of seven announced in...

NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2024 finalists announced

Thursday, 6 June 2024
In Aotearoa New Zealand the 2024 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults finalists have been announced. The finalists in each category are: Picture book award ($8500) At...

Upswell acquires Holt poetry collection, ‘Fitzroy North 3068’

Thursday, 6 June 2024
Upswell Publishing has acquired world rights to a new collection of poetry from Yvette Henry Holt, titled Fitzroy North 3068, via Jeanne Ryckmans and Lou Johnson at Key People Literary...

Penguin Literary Prize 2024 winner announced

Thursday, 6 June 2024
Penguin Random House (PRH) has announced The Occupation by Chloe Adams as the winner of the 2024 Penguin Literary Prize. Shortlisted as ‘Those Days of Hill and Sea’, The Occupation...

ALS Gold Medal 2024 shortlist announced

Thursday, 6 June 2024
The shortlist for the 2024 Australian Literature Society (ALS) Gold Medal has been announced. The shortlisted works, chosen from a longlist announced last month, are: Frank (Jordie Albiston, NLA Publishing) Like...

Affirm acquires Fioretti outback noir ‘Skull River’

Tuesday, 4 June 2024
Affirm Press has acquired world rights to Pip Fioretti’s second outback noir novel, Skull River. Set in 1912, Skull River features mounted trooper Augustus (Gus) Hawkins, the protagonist of Fioretti’s first...

Booktopia considers redundancies for ‘at least 50 roles’, Nenke resigns as CEO

Monday, 3 June 2024
Booktopia has announced plans for the business to be ‘substantially restructured, with at least 50 roles to be considered for redundancy’ across several departments in Booktopia’s corporate headquarters in Rhodes,...

Robertson wins 2024 Commonwealth Short Story Prize Pacific category

Monday, 3 June 2024
Aotearoa New Zealand writer Pip Robertson has won the Pacific category of the 2024 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for the story ‘A River Then the Road’, in which a 12-year-old...

SPN plans expanded board, ‘new, revitalised’ organisation; Coronel to depart

Friday, 31 May 2024
The Small Press Network (SPN) has announced that ‘thanks to the kind support from members and stakeholders, we are now in a position to strategise for the organisation’s future by...

NewSouth acquires Wyndham’s Harrower biography

Thursday, 30 May 2024
NewSouth has acquired world rights to a new biography of Australian novelist Elizabeth Harrower by Susan Wyndham. Harrower received the Patrick White Award in 1996, established by White for writers...

YABBA Awards 2024 shortlists announced

Thursday, 30 May 2024
The 2024 YABBA (Young Australians Best Book Awards) shortlists have been announced. Shortlisted titles are: Picture storybooks The Black Cockatoo with One Feather Blue (Jodie McLeod, illus by Eloise Short,...

A&U acquires Rielly’s ‘Fridays with Blanche’

Tuesday, 28 May 2024
Allen & Unwin has acquired world rights to Fridays with Blanche by Derek Rielly, via Jeanne Ryckmans at Key People Literary Management. Fridays with Blanche is based on Rielly’s weekly...

Inaugural ABR Inglis Fellowship announced

Tuesday, 28 May 2024
The Australian Book Review (ABR) has announced a new fellowship program—the $5000 ABR Inglis Fellowship. The inaugural year-long program will give one fellow the opportunity to write three review essays...

Text Prize 2024 shortlist announced

Tuesday, 28 May 2024
The shortlist for the 2024 Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing, worth $10,000, has been announced. Shortlisted manuscripts are: ‘The Feathers of Farwood’ by Jayne McIntyre (middle grade),...

Bacon awarded 2024 Hedberg Writer-in-Residence

Monday, 27 May 2024
African Australian speculative fiction author Eugen Bacon has been named the 2024 University of Tasmania Hedberg Writer-in-Residence, worth $30,000. Eugen will use the Hobart residency, which consists of three months writing, working...