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Bookseller, authors argue for fixed price law

Monday, 12 February 2024
In an opinion piece for the Sydney Morning Herald, journalist Raymond Bonner, a co-owner of Bookoccino Bookshop in Avalon, has called for a 'fixed-price' law in Australia. Stating that fixed-price laws...

Rural and regional writers’ festival programs announced

Thursday, 8 February 2024
Several rural and regional writers’ festivals have revealed programs for their 2024 events. After a seven-year hiatus, the Whitsundays Writers Festival is returning to Airlie Beach in Queensland from 6...

Writers SA to launch national literary journal

Tuesday, 6 February 2024
Writers SA is launching a national literary journal. With the title and online presence to be announced in May 2024, the journal will publish new fiction, nonfiction, poetry and literary...

Upswell sells Ekhō to Soft Skull Press

Tuesday, 6 February 2024
Upswell Publishing has sold world English-language rights (ex ANZ) to Ekhō (Roslyn Orlando) to Soft Skull Press. The deal was brokered between Sophy Williams, publisher and international director at Black Inc....

Fellowship prize added to City of Fremantle Hungerford Award

Tuesday, 6 February 2024
The prize for the City of Fremantle Hungerford Award has increased in value, with the addition of a new writing fellowship from the Centre for Stories. In addition to the $15,000...

Johnstons ‘positive about the future of Hill of Content’ in Melbourne

Monday, 5 February 2024
The Hill of Content bookshop in Melbourne’s CBD faces potential relocation or closure, with the building that houses the bookshop going up for sale, reports the Age. The Hill of...

McKenzie wins Victorian Premier’s History Award

Monday, 5 February 2024
Carmel McKenzie received the 2023 Victorian Premier’s History Award for the book St Kilda 1841–1900: Movers and shakers and money-makers (Manneton Publishing). St Kilda 1841–1900 explains how St Kilda was...

Gumnior joins Scribe

Monday, 5 February 2024
Tina Gumnior has joined Scribe as its publicity manager. Gumnior replaces Cora Roberts, who left the role of publicity director in January after more than 12 years at the company. With...

Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize shortlist announced

Monday, 5 February 2024
Overland has announced the shortlist for the 2023 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize. Shortlisted stories are: ‘Ad Nauseam’ by Gillian Hagenus ‘Committal’ by Bridget Webster ‘Fledgling’ by Madison Godfrey ‘Mandarin...

Judith Wright Poetry Prize shortlist announced

Monday, 5 February 2024
Overland has announced the shortlist for the 2023 Judith Wright Poetry Prize. Shortlisted poems include: ‘Because a Wind Blazes’ by Dženana Vucic ‘Celestial Tree’ by Andrew Brooks ‘Febrile’ by William...

Craig leaves Ultimo

Monday, 5 February 2024
Ultimo Press has announced that Alex Craig has departed the business. Craig ‘joined Ultimo Press at the very beginning of the imprint and was responsible for publishing critically acclaimed and...

Ockham 2024 longlists announced

Thursday, 1 February 2024
The longlists for the 2024 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards have been announced. The longlisted titles in each category are: Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction (NZ$65,000) Audition (Pip Adam,...

APA to join Attorney-General’s AI reference group

Thursday, 1 February 2024
The Australian Publishers Association (APA) has been invited onto the Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus’s Copyright and Artificial Intelligence Reference Group. The reference group, which was announced at the end of 2023...

APA releases diversity and inclusion plan

Thursday, 1 February 2024
The Australian Publishers Association (APA) has released a diversity and inclusion plan ‘to guide and support industry progress over the next two years’. Listed on the organisation’s website, the plan...

Horman, Robinsons Books apologise for X comments

Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Susanne Horman, owner of Robinsons Bookshop, has apologised for comments about diverse books posted to her X account, reported the Age yesterday. On the weekend, Instagrammer @coffeebooksandmagic posted screenshots from...

Hardie Grant to move distribution to TDLC

Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Hardie Grant Publishing will move its Australian distribution from HEDS (Harper Entertainment Distribution Services) to TDLC (The Distribution and Logistics Company). Distribution with TDLC will commence on 1 July 2024,...

Authors among Australia Day honours

Monday, 29 January 2024
Several authors have been recognised in the annual Australia Day honours. Aotearoa New Zealand children's writer and illustrator Pamela Allen has been appointed as a Member of the Order of...

A&U acquires Scolyer memoir

Monday, 29 January 2024
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has announced it has acquired world rights to a memoir from Australian of the Year Richard Scolyer. Scolyer and Georgina Long, co–medical directors of the Sydney-based...

Bacon nominated for Philip K Dick Award

Monday, 29 January 2024
Local author Eugen Bacon is among the six nominees for the 2024 Philip K Dick Awards. Nominated titles include: Danged Black Thing (Eugen Bacon, Apex Book Company) The Museum of...

Staff changes at Red Room Poetry

Thursday, 25 January 2024
Red Room Poetry has announced several staff changes, including appointments of joint artistic directors, a new CEO, and two new managers, as part of the organisation's 'restructured director and management...

Ultimo acquires debut Evans novel

Thursday, 25 January 2024
Ultimo Press has acquired ANZ rights to Liz Evans’ debut novel, Catherine Wheel, via Tara Wynne at Curtis Brown in a two-book deal. The publisher described the book as 'a...

S&S acquires Aston’s ‘The Chairman’s Lounge’

Tuesday, 23 January 2024
Simon & Schuster (S&S) Australia has acquired world rights to The Chairman’s Lounge, an ‘explosive work of narrative nonfiction’ with 'fresh interviews and revelations' about Qantas’s handling of the Covid-19...

First Nations Storytelling funding recipients announced

Tuesday, 23 January 2024
Creative Australia has announced the recipients of its Elevate: First Nations Storytelling (Literature) career development funding. The six successful applicants to share almost $60,000 through the program are: Tisha Perrurle...