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Scribe acquires world English rights to German bestseller to publish in ANZ, UK and US

Tuesday, 11 February 2020
Scribe has acquired world English-language rights to million-copy bestseller The Diet Compass: the 12-step guide to science-based nutrition for a healthier and longer life by German science journalist Bas Kast....

Unity Books, Gecko Press shortlisted for LBF International Excellence Awards

Monday, 10 February 2020
New Zealand bookshop Unity Books and Wellington-based publisher Gecko Press have been shortlisted for the London Book Fair (LBF) International Excellence Awards. Unity Books Auckland is shortlisted for the bookstore...

UQP launches annual placement program for Indigenous graduates

Monday, 10 February 2020
The University of Queensland Press (UQP) has established an annual Indigenous Placement program aimed at providing a pathway into publishing for Indigenous university graduates. Launched in January this year, the...

VIPs, inaugural fellows announced for SWF 2020

Monday, 10 February 2020
The Australia Council for the Arts has announced the guests attending the 2020 Visiting International Publishers (VIPs) program, to be held from Wednesday, 29 April to Friday, 1 May, alongside...

ILF announces three-year partnership with Australia Post

Monday, 10 February 2020
The Indigenous Literary Foundation (ILF) has announced a new three-year partnership with Australia Post, which will see nearly 100,000 books delivered per year to 400 remote Indigenous communities across Australia...

Bin Salleh wins inaugural Writing WA Literary Lions Medal

Friday, 7 February 2020
Magabala Books publisher Rachel Bin Salleh has won the inaugural Writing WA Literary Lions Medal, awarded to an individual who has made a substantial contribution to the vitality and success...

Coronavirus closes Chinese printers; Australian publishers expect delays

Friday, 7 February 2020
Australian trade publishers are anticipating delays to some book supply due to printer closures in China. In response to the coronavirus outbreak in China, there is a compulsory closure of...

Stella Prize 2020 longlist announced

Friday, 7 February 2020
The longlist for the 2020 Stella Prize, worth $50,000, has been announced. The longlisted titles are: Lucky Ticket (Joey Bui, Text) Songspirals: Sharing women’s wisdom of country through songlines (Gay’wu Group...

Booktopia raises $20m from private investors

Friday, 7 February 2020
Online bookseller Booktopia has raised $20 million from private investors, led by Champ Ventures CEO Su-Ming Wong and JBS Investments CEO John Sampson. Under the deal, Wong will join the...

Scribble launches Art for Wildlife, companies donate to bushfire relief

Thursday, 6 February 2020
A number of book industry companies are raising funds for bushfire relief. Scribble publisher Miriam Rosenbloom has set up Art for Wildlife, an online store selling open-edition prints by illustrators...

Gill wins 2020 Margaret Mahy Medal

Thursday, 6 February 2020
Children’s author Maria Gill has won the 2020 Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal, presented annually for lifetime achievement and distinguished contribution to New Zealand children’s literature. Gill is the author of...

Brow Books acquires graphic novel ‘Stone Fruit’

Thursday, 6 February 2020
Brow Books has acquired ANZ rights to debut graphic novel Stone Fruit by Montreal-based Australian comics artist Lee Lai. Stone Fruit follows queer couple Bron and Ray who ‘enjoy their...

Oz publishers heading to Bologna in final year of funding

Wednesday, 5 February 2020
Twelve independent publishers will take part in the Australian collective stand at this year’s Bologna Children’s Book Fair, which runs from 30 March to 2 April. The 2020 fair marks...

Black Inc. acquires Manning’s biography of Lachlan Murdoch

Wednesday, 5 February 2020
Black Inc. has acquired world rights to The Unauthorised Biography of Lachlan Murdoch by author and journalist Paddy Manning. The publisher said the book will investigate Murdoch—the eldest son of...

King, Murray awarded 2020 Waitangi Day Honours

Wednesday, 5 February 2020
Writer and WORD Christchurch director Rachael King and science fiction author Lee Murray have been named in the New Zealand Society of Authors’ (NZSA) annual Waitangi Day Honours. King was...

‘You Can Change the World’ sold in multiple territories

Wednesday, 5 February 2020
Pantera Press has sold rights in several territories to Lucy Bell’s You Can Change the World, an illustrated practical guide ‘designed to empower kids to make changes in their lives...

Williams steps down as Wheeler Centre director

Tuesday, 4 February 2020
Michael Williams will step down from his position as the Wheeler Centre director, after 10 years in the role. ‘Being part of establishing, defining and shaping the Wheeler Centre over...

Kitty Flanagan wins inaugural Favourite Australian Book award

Tuesday, 4 February 2020
Kitty Flanagan has won Booktopia’s inaugural $5000 Favourite Australian Book award, for her book 488 Rules for Life (A&U). The award, which replaces Booktopia’s annual Australia’s Favourite Author poll, was...

Brill’s forthcoming novel ‘Symphony for the Man’ optioned for film

Tuesday, 4 February 2020
Sparkplug Films has optioned the film rights to Sarah Brill’s forthcoming novel Symphony for the Man (Spinifex, March). Spinifex describes the novel as ‘a poignant and gritty tale of homelessness...

Furphy Literary Award goes national, offers $15k prize

Tuesday, 4 February 2020
A new national short story prize called the Furphy Literary Award is launching in 2020 with a $15,000 first prize, making it the richest prize for a short story in...

Pascoe withdraws from Perth and Adelaide festival events

Monday, 3 February 2020
Author Bruce Pascoe has withdrawn from scheduled appearances at Perth Festival and Adelaide Writers’ Week, citing a need to return to his bushfire-affected home in East Gippsland. Pascoe announced he...

Brasch joins Melbourne Jewish Book Week as festival director

Monday, 3 February 2020
Writer and teacher Nicolas Brasch has been appointed festival director of Melbourne Jewish Book Week (MJBW). Brasch is the author of more than 400 books, mainly for children and young...

Caffoor to leave Text

Friday, 31 January 2020
Text rights manager Khadija Caffoor is leaving the company to return to the UK. Caffoor has worked in rights at Text since 2016. Caffoor told Books+Publishing she'd decided ‘it was...

Play ‘Counting and Cracking’ wins $100k Victorian Prize for Literature

Friday, 31 January 2020
Sydney playwright S Shakthidharan and associate writer Eamon Flack have won the $100,000 Victorian Prize for Literature for their play Counting and Cracking (Belvoir and Co-Curious) at this year’s Victorian...

Booktopia buys Co-op assets; campus stores to close

Friday, 31 January 2020
Online bookseller Booktopia has bought ‘various’ assets of the Co-op Bookshop from the administrators of the University Co-operative Bookshop. As previously reported by Books+Publishing, the University Co-operative Bookshop, which included...