A&U acquires “Being” by Menzies & Menzies
Monday, 23 February 2026
Allen & Unwin has acquired Australian, New Zealand, Oceania and non-exclusive Southeast Asia rights to Rachel E Menzies and Ross G Menzies’s Being: Why It’s Harder to be Human Than...
Castro, Dunn on 2026 Asia Pacific Arts Awards shortlist
Thursday, 19 February 2026
Authors Brian Castro and Winnie Dunn have been shortlisted for the 2026 Asia Pacific Arts Awards. Castro is shortlisted for the Legacy award, which recognises “an individual or arts organisation that...
Wyld among authors longlisted for 2026 Dublin Literary Award
Thursday, 19 February 2026
Evie Wyld, winner of the 2014 Miles Franklin Award and the 2021 Stella Prize, is among the 20 authors whose novels have been longlisted for the 2026 Dublin Literary Award,...
PRH screen options Friday Barnes and Bookshop Detectives
Thursday, 19 February 2026
Penguin Random House Australia and New Zealand (PRH) has announced that the Friday Barnes series by RA Spratt and Bookshop Detectives series by Gareth Ward and Louise Ward have been...
International Literary Programmers Roundtable participants announced
Thursday, 19 February 2026
Melbourne City Council’s City of Literature Office has announced the participants in this year’s International Literary Programmers Roundtable, the fifth, held in partnership with Melbourne Writers Festival. In May this...
Fiction, wellness, biographies feature in Rakuten Kobo 2025 report
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
The 2025 Rakuten Kobo Book Report records a sharp rise in immersive fiction ebook and audio downloads in Australia, alongside sustained interest in wellness and biography-led nonfiction. Readers are “gravitating...
BookPeople pivots back to ABA
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
BookPeople will revert to its previous branding as the Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) for its industry-facing work. CEO Susannah Bowen said, “We are pivoting back to the name Australian Booksellers...
CBCA announces 2026 book week theme
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced the theme of “Symphony of Stories” for this year’s Children’s Book Week, running 22 to 28 August. Author and illustrator Briony...
Arasu wins inaugural travel fund
Monday, 16 February 2026
Poet Prema Arasu has been announced as the inaugural winner of the Forrest Research Foundation and Fremantle Press travel fund for Western Australian writers to promote their work outside of...
“Tori Woods” found guilty
Monday, 16 February 2026
Author Lauren Ashley Mastrosa, who writes under the pen name Tori Woods, has been found guilty of possessing, disseminating and producing child abuse material, reported the Guardian. Mastrosa was charged over...
Hardie Grant appoints new board members
Monday, 16 February 2026
Hardie Grant has appointed Janey Martino and Shirley Chowdhary to its board. The publisher’s announcement noted that Martino has founded and scaled multiple companies across media, martech, and fintech in...
Hardie Grant acquires Niland’s “Saint Peter”
Monday, 16 February 2026
Hardie Grant Books has acquired world rights to Josh Niland’s Saint Peter: Chapter & Verse. According to the publisher, Saint Peter is “a definitive statement from one of Australia’s most original culinary...
Suwannakit’s “Higher Ground” on Carnegie Medal for Illustration longlist
Thursday, 12 February 2026
Tull Suwannakit’s picture book Higher Ground (New Frontier) has been longlisted for the 2026 Carnegie Medal for Illustration in the UK. Judges said, “Suwannakit’s scrapbook style used in Higher Ground portrays a...
Readings Best of the Best 2025
Thursday, 12 February 2026
Readings has shared its Best of the Best 2025, a list of books picked by staff and voted on by the public. The chosen titles are: Australian fiction Tenderfoot (Toni...
QUT to become new custodian of “Meanjin”
Thursday, 12 February 2026
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) will become the new custodian of literary journal Meanjin, bringing the publication back to Brisbane 80 years after it relocated to Melbourne. In September last year,...
Lucashenko’s “Edenglassie” on Walter Scott Prize longlist
Thursday, 12 February 2026
Melissa Lucashenko’s Edenglassie (UQP, 2023) has been longlisted for the 2026 Walter Scott Prize, worth £25,000 (A$47,807). Already the recipient of 8 prizes in Australia, Edenglassie tells the story of...
Folio website launched
Tuesday, 10 February 2026
A new website, Folio, has been launched showcasing stories from the Australian comics community, using oral histories and ephemera from the period 1980 to 2020, aimed at creators, readers and...
CBCA announces new award category
Tuesday, 10 February 2026
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced the introduction of the Middle Readers Book of the Year category from the 2027 CBCA Book of the Year Awards. From...
Allen & Unwin acquires Duncan’s “Musquito”
Tuesday, 10 February 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to Musquito: The real story of a legendary colonial warrior, a biography of the First Nations resistance warrior known as Musquito, written...
Simon & Schuster staff changes
Monday, 9 February 2026
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) has reorganised its Australia and New Zealand sales team, with Elissa Baillie moving into a wider role and Keiran Rogers departing the organisation. From today...
Lester’s “Magic Beach” named Australia’s best children’s picture book
Monday, 9 February 2026
The Guardian has announced the winner of its poll for Australia’s best children’s picture book as Magic Beach by Alison Lester (A&U Children’s). The Guardian said the book “follows the different adventures...
NSW legislation to protect diverse public library collections
Monday, 9 February 2026
Diverse public library collections in NSW will be protected under new legislation and “respond to challenges to materials from individuals or groups seeking to restrict their scope.” The Library Amendment...
Sorrento Writers Festival announces full 2026 program
Monday, 9 February 2026
The Sorrento Writers Festival (SWF) has announced its 2026 festival program, running from 23 to 26 April 2026 in Sorrento, Victoria. This year's festival will feature over 180 speakers across...
Newcastle Poetry Prize shortlist announced
Thursday, 5 February 2026
The Hunter Writers’ Centre has announced the 2025 shortlist for the $15,000 Newcastle Poetry Prize. Shortlisted poets are: Ann-Marie Blanchard for “Medea with the Graceful Feet” Owen Bullock for “Systolic”...
Woollett and Twyford-Moore announced as KYD critics
Thursday, 5 February 2026
Kill Your Darlings (KYD) has announced Laura Elizabeth Woollett and Sam Twyford-Moore as two regular critics for the magazine. During 2026, Woollett and Twyford-Moore will each write and publish long-form...
Australia Reads forms not-for-profit with new board
Thursday, 5 February 2026
Australia Reads has become an independent not-for-profit organisation with a new board. The move comes after Writing Australia named Australia Reads as a delivery partner and granted funding of $300,000...
NewSouth acquires Tiffany novella
Tuesday, 3 February 2026
NewSouth has acquired Australian publishing rights to The Lady with the Dog, a new novella by Carrie Tiffany, with illustrations by Noel McKenna, in a deal with Curtis Brown literary agent...
Affirm acquires Katherine debut novel
Tuesday, 3 February 2026
Affirm Press has acquired world rights to Judith Katherine’s debut novel, Simply Beside Herself, described as “a warm, charming novel about reclaiming independence at every stage of life.” “When Elizabeth...
A&U acquires Spratt debut novel
Tuesday, 3 February 2026
Allen & Unwin has acquired world rights to The Followers, a debut novel by Maree Spratt. A&U described The Followers as “a keenly observed and darkly funny exploration of coming of...
TitlePage: recommendations, favourites drive seasonal sales
Tuesday, 3 February 2026
TitlePage’s subscriber engagement figures for December 2025 reflected the importance of word-of-mouth, seasonal habits and the continuing appeal of established favourites, reports the Australian Publishers Association (APA). The APA-run TitlePage...
