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Yolngu artist Warrkatja wins inaugural Magabala illustrator award

Thursday, 22 February 2018
Yolngu artist Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr has won Magabala Books’ inaugural Kestin Indigenous Illustrator Award, reports the Australian. New to illustrating books, Warrkatja is a painter whose work draws on traditional...

McLean appointed acting CEO of UPLIT and BWF

Thursday, 22 February 2018
Ann McLean has been appointed acting chief executive officer for 2018 at UPLIT, the organisation responsible for the Brisbane Writers Festival (BWF). McLean will serve in the role while the...

‘ABR’ Peter Porter Poetry Prize 2018 shortlist announced

Wednesday, 21 February 2018
The shortlist for the 2018 Australian Book Review (ABR) Peter Porter Poetry Prize has been announced. The shortlisted poets are: Eileen Chong (Sydney) Katherine Healy (Adelaide) L K Holt (Melbourne)...

Creative Victoria announces new Diversity and Inclusion Program funding

Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Creative Victoria has announced new funding opportunities under its Diversity and Inclusion Program to ‘address barriers to participation by underrepresented groups in Victoria’s creative industries’. As part of the initiative,...

Debut ‘The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart’ sells in 19 territories

Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Australian author Holly Ringland’s forthcoming debut novel, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (HarperCollins), has sold into 19 territories. Ringland’s debut is a coming-of-age story about a young girl, Alice,...

APA to license IPG Skills Hub

Tuesday, 20 February 2018
The Australian Publishers Association (APA) and the UK Independent Publishers Guild (IPG) have agreed on a deal to give APA members access to content from the IPG’s Skills Hub. The...

New ‘Treehouse’ collaboration to raise funds for children’s literacy

Tuesday, 20 February 2018
Pan Macmillan Australia has announced it will publish a new ‘Treehouse’ short story by creators Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton, called Terry’s Dumb Dot Story. Available on 27 February, the...

Scribble to publish new Bell and Colpoys picture book

Tuesday, 20 February 2018
Scribble has acquired world rights to a new picture book collaboration by Davina Bell and Allison Colpoys, the creators of The Underwater Fancy-Dress Parade and Under the Love Umbrella. Bell and Colpoys’ All the Ways to...

Twelfth Planet Press launches novella series

Tuesday, 20 February 2018
Australian science-fiction and fantasy publisher Twelfth Planet Press is launching a novella series. The series will launch with Stephanie Gunn’s novella Icefall, a ‘gripping story of extreme sports in outer...

Mills & Boon launches new romance range

Monday, 19 February 2018
Australian romance publisher Mills & Boon has launched a new range of novels, DARE, which the publisher describes as its ‘most explicit series yet’. The range was launched on 5...

‘Overland’ poetry prize 2017 shortlist announced

Monday, 19 February 2018
The shortlist for the 2017 Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize for New and Emerging Poets has been announced. The shortlisted poems are: ‘Guarded by Birds’ and ‘Dropbear Poetics’ (Evelyn Araluen)...

Tuffield to step down as Stella executive director

Friday, 16 February 2018
The Stella Prize has announced that its executive director, Aviva Tuffield, will resign from the role, and will step down in May this year following the announcement of the 2018...

Edinburgh and Melbourne Cities of Literature to launch exchange program

Friday, 16 February 2018
Five Melbourne literary programmers will have the opportunity to visit Edinburgh in August this year, as part of a new exchange program between the Melbourne and Edinburgh Cities of Literature....

Australian illustrator Tanner longlisted for 2018 Kate Greenaway Medal

Friday, 16 February 2018
Australian illustrator Jane Tanner has been longlisted for the 2018 Kate Greenaway Medal for her work on the picture book Storm Whale (written by Sarah Brennan, A&U). Tanner was chosen...

New storytelling festival to launch at multilingual kids’ bookshop in Sydney

Friday, 16 February 2018
Lost in Books, a specialist multilingual children’s bookshop in Sydney’s western suburbs, is launching a new annual festival to highlight music, storytelling and ideas in multilingual communities. The inaugural In...

Scott appointed chair of SWF

Thursday, 15 February 2018
Mark Scott AO has been appointed chair of the Sydney Writers’ Festival (SWF) board, beginning on 15 February. Scott, who joined the SWF board in July 2016, is replacing chair...

New Macquarie study explores Oz publishing innovation

Thursday, 15 February 2018
Macquarie University has released a new report on how Australian publishers are implementing innovative measures in response to competition from offshore retailers, entertainment entities such as Netflix, social media and...

Aurealis Awards 2017 finalists announced

Thursday, 15 February 2018
The finalists for the 2017 Aurealis Awards, presented for science-fiction, fantasy and horror writing in Australia, have been announced. Judging coordinator Tehani Croft said she was ‘impressed by the breadth...

PRH and Books on the Rail launch ‘blind date with a book’ initiative

Wednesday, 14 February 2018
Penguin Random House Australia has partnered with Books on the Rail and the Street Library to launch a ‘blind date with a book’ campaign to coincide with Valentine’s Day. The...

Inaugural ‘Rising Star’ award added to ABIAs 2018

Wednesday, 14 February 2018
The Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) has introduced a new award to recognise emerging talent in the publishing industry. The inaugural Rising Star of the Year Award will be presented...

New podcast on Australian kids’ books launches

Wednesday, 14 February 2018
A new fortnightly podcast about Australian children’s books has launched. One More Page focuses on Australian picture books through to middle-grade titles, and includes interviews, book reviews and competitions. Creators,...