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‘The Dictionary of Lost Words’ to be adapted for TV

Thursday, 10 November 2022
Screen rights to The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams have been acquired by South Australian production houses Highview Productions and Closer Productions, in a deal made by Anonymous...

Black Inc. announces ‘Growing Up Indian in Australia’

Thursday, 10 November 2022
Black Inc. has announced the latest addition to its ‘Growing Up’ nonfiction anthology series is Growing Up Indian in Australia, to be edited by Canberra-based journalist Aarti Betigeri. 'It can...

NewSouth acquires Pirotta book on whales 

Tuesday, 8 November 2022
NewSouth Publishing has acquired world rights to a book about the past, present and future of whales by wildlife scientist and science communicator Vanessa Pirotta. According to the publisher, the...

Nielsen: 37% of audiobook consumers new to the format 

Tuesday, 8 November 2022
New research by Nielsen BookData has found 37% of Australian audiobook consumers began listening to audiobooks within the past 12 months. ‘The Australian audiobook market continues to mature, with the...

Woollahra Digital Literary Awards 2022 shortlists announced

Monday, 7 November 2022
The shortlists for the Woollahra Digital Literary Awards have been announced. The shortlisted works in each category are: Fiction ($2500) ‘The Golden Bracelet’ (Deniz Agraz, Meniscus Literary Journal) ‘Smoking Gym’...

Voss Literary Prize 2022 shortlist announced

Monday, 7 November 2022
The shortlist for the Voss Literary Prize has been announced. The shortlisted works, chosen from a longlist of 10, are: The Other Half of You (Michael Mohammed Ahmad, Hachette) After...

Deborah Cass Prize shortlist announced

Friday, 4 November 2022
The shortlist for the 2022 Deborah Cass Prize for emerging writers from migrant backgrounds has been announced. The prize committee also announced that this year will be the prize's last....

Ractliffe to leave PRH 

Friday, 4 November 2022
Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) publishing director Justin Ractliffe will leave the company following a review of its local adult publishing division. From next year PRH’s adult publishing and audio...

Walkley Book Award 2022 shortlist announced

Friday, 4 November 2022
The shortlist for this year’s Walkley Book Award has been announced. The three shortlisted titles, chosen from a longlist of nine, are: Currowan (Bronwyn Adcock, Black Inc.) The Game: A portrait...

HarperCollins acquires Parker WWII love story 

Thursday, 3 November 2022
HarperCollins has acquired ANZ rights to the novel At the Foot of the Cherry Tree by scriptwriter Alli Parker, in a deal brokered by Clare Forster of Curtis Brown. Described...

Begbie wins 2022 Richell Prize

Logo for the Richell Prize, featuring a swooping bird Thursday, 3 November 2022
Susannah Begbie has won the 2022 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers for her manuscript ‘When Trees Fall Without Warning’. Begbie grew up in rural New South Wales on a sheep...

Dymocks Book of the Year 2022 shortlist announced 

Dymocks logo Monday, 31 October 2022
The shortlists for the 2022 Dymocks Book of the Year and young readers category have been announced. The shortlisted books in each category are: Book of the Year Horse (Geraldine...

Bitto wins 2022 Margaret and Colin Roderick Award

Monday, 31 October 2022
Emily Bitto has won the $20,000 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award for her second novel Wild Abandon (A&U). 'A lot of very good books just didn’t make the shortlist. But...

Puncher & Wattmann acquires three Craig novels 

Friday, 28 October 2022
Puncher & Wattmann has acquired world English rights (ex USA & Canada) to two novels by Blue Mountains–based writer Jen Craig, as well as world rights to her debut, via...

Fuge wins 2022 Bragg Prize for Science Writing

Friday, 28 October 2022
Lauren Fuge has won the 2022 UNSW Press Bragg Prize for Science Writing for her essay ‘Time travel and tipping points’, originally published in Cosmos Magazine. Fuge's story transports the...

Scribe acquires new Gott novel 

Friday, 28 October 2022
Scribe Publications has acquired world English rights to Naked Ambition, a new novel by Robert Gott. Described by the publisher as a ‘playful’ novel, Naked Ambition explores the collision of...

Au, Burton, Archbold win 2022 Readings Prizes

Thursday, 27 October 2022
The winners of the three Readings Prizes for children’s, young adult and new Australian fiction have been announced. The winners are: New Australian Fiction Prize Cold Enough for Snow (Jessica...

UQP acquires book by leading Indigenous psychologist 

Thursday, 27 October 2022
UQP has acquired world rights to a book by leading Indigenous psychologist Tracy Westerman outlining her life and work. Westerman is an internationally recognised psychologist specialising in culturally appropriate psychological...

Educational publishers respond to Grattan report

Tuesday, 25 October 2022
The Australian Publishers Association (APA) has criticised a recommendation by the Grattan Institute that governments should consider buying curriculum materials overseas ‘as an immediate priority’. In its report Ending the...

Picador acquires ‘Prima Facie’ novelisation 

Tuesday, 25 October 2022
Picador has acquired rights to the novelisation of Australian playwright Suzie Miller’s multi-award-winning play Prima Facie, plus an as yet untitled second novel, in ‘a heated auction’. Pan Macmillan publisher...

Tasmanian Literary Awards longlists announced

Monday, 24 October 2022
The longlists for the 2022 Tasmanian Literary Awards have been announced. The longlisted titles in each category, worth $25,000 each, are: Young readers and children Aster’s Good, Right Things (Kate...

S&S acquires Paterson debut historical novel 

Monday, 24 October 2022
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) has acquired the debut novel Where Light Meets Water by Susan Paterson. Former S&S publishing director Fiona Henderson acquired ANZ rights to the novel from...

VPLAs add children’s award

Monday, 24 October 2022
The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards (VPLAs) will add a new children’s book award worth $25,000. The Award for Children’s Literature will be presented to the creators of the best children’s...

Keneally, Nannestad win $100K Historical Novel Prize

Friday, 21 October 2022
Tom Keneally has won the $50,000 ARA Historical Novel Prize in the adult category for Corporal Hitler's Pistol (Penguin), while Katrina Nannestad has won the $30,000 children and young adult...

Schmidt wins 2022 Hungerford Award

Friday, 21 October 2022
Molly Schmidt has won the 2022 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award for her manuscript Salt River Road. She receives $15,000 in prize money and a publishing contract with Fremantle Press....

MWF moves to May 

Friday, 21 October 2022
Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) has announced that next year it is moving from September to the first weekend in May. In a statement, MWF said the organisation made the decision...