Kitty Flanagan wins inaugural Favourite Australian Book award
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
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
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
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Author Bruce Pascoe has withdrawn from scheduled appearances at Perth Festival and Adelaide Writers’ Week, citing a need to return to his bushfire-affected home in East Gippsland.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
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
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
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
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...
Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2020 longlists announced
30 January 2020
The longlists for the 2020 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards have been announced. The longlisted titles in each category are: Fiction The Absolute Book (Elizabeth Knox, Victoria University Press) Lonely Asian...
HarperCollins acquires rights to Maley’s debut ‘The Truth About Her’
30 January 2020
HarperCollins has acquired ANZ rights to journalist Jacqueline Maley’s debut novel The Truth About Her, in a two-book deal via Jeanne Ryckmans at Cameron’s Management. The Truth About Her follows...
Demetriou to replace Kellow as HarperCollins ANZ CEO
29 January 2020
James Kellow has announced he is stepping down as CEO of HarperCollins ANZ after eight years in the role. Kellow, who will stay on at HarperCollins for a short transition...
Full program for Adelaide Writers’ Week 2020 announced
29 January 2020
The full program for Adelaide Writers’ Week, which runs from 29 February to 5 March under the theme ‘Being Human’, has been announced. In total, 117 writers, poets, journalists and...
‘Dating coaches’ target Kinokuniya Sydney
29 January 2020
Kinokuniya in Sydney has apologised to customers after being made aware that a 'dating coaching' company had been using the store to practice 'pickup' techniques with its clients. In an...
Book industry figures among 2020 Australia Day honours recipients
28 January 2020
A number of authors and book industry figures have been recognised in the annual Australia Day honours. Publisher Jane Covernton was made a Member (AM) in the General Division of...
Faber Writing Academy expands to Brisbane
28 January 2020
In 2020 Allen & Unwin (A&U) will expand the Faber Writing Academy to offer courses in Brisbane for the first time. Run by UK-based Faber & Faber in partnership with...
Pantera acquires Emanuel’s ‘The Covered Wife’
24 January 2020
Pantera Press has acquired ANZ rights to Lisa Emanuel’s debut novel The Covered Wife, via Catherine Drayton at InkWell Management. Emanuel’s novel follows an ambitious young lawyer who falls under...
Gomez leaves PRH
24 January 2020
Elena Gomez has left her role as deputy managing editor at Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) to pursue a career in freelance writing and editing. Gomez, who worked at PRH...
Adaptation of Winton’s ‘Blueback’ gets Screen Aus funding
23 January 2020
A feature film adaptation of Tim Winton’s 1997 novella Blueback (Penguin) has received production funding from Screen Australia in its latest funding round. Writer/director Robert Connolly of Arenamedia will work...
Robotham, Tranter nominated for 2020 Edgar Awards
23 January 2020
In the US, Australian authors Michael Robotham and Kirsten Tranter have been shortlisted for 2020 Edgar Allan Poe Awards. The 'Edgars' honour ‘the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction and television’...
Antigny, Narayan to join Pantera Press
22 January 2020
Pantera Press has appointed Léa Antigny as head of publicity and communications, and Kajal Narayan in the role of marketing manager. Antigny and Narayan will replace current publicity and marketing...
New Zealand book market up 2.3% in 2019
22 January 2020
New Zealand book sales were up 2.3% in value and 3.5% by volume in the past year, according to data from Nielsen BookScan. In total, 6.4 million units were sold...
Hazel Rowley Fellowship 2020 shortlist announced
22 January 2020
Writers Victoria has announced the shortlist for the 2020 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship, awarded annually to an Australian writer for a proposed biographical work. The shortlisted writers and their projects...
‘The Whole Fish Cookbook’ wins André Simon Food and Drink book award
22 January 2020
In the UK, Sydney chef Josh Niland's The Whole Fish Cookbook (Hardie Grant) has won the 2019 Food Award at the André Simon Food and Drink Awards. According to the Bookseller,...
Hachette acquires Byrne’s book on family history
22 January 2020
Hachette Australia has acquired world rights to a new book by journalist and TV personality Jennifer Byrne, based on the lives of two 14th-century English regal women who are Byrne’s...
NewSouth acquires van Zweden’s memoir
21 January 2020
NewSouth has acquired world rights to Sam van Zweden’s memoir Eating with My Mouth Open, which recently won the 2019 Kill Your Darlings unpublished manuscript award. Commissioning editor Harriet McInerney said: ‘Sam...
Black Inc sells world rights to ‘Solved!’
21 January 2020
Black Inc. has sold world rights (ex ANZ) to Andrew Wear’s book Solved!: How other countries have cracked the world's biggest problems and we can too to Oneworld UK. Black...
#AuthorsForFireys raises $486,600 for bushfire relief
21 January 2020
The #AuthorsForFireys campaign has confirmed $486,600 in donations for bushfire relief across Australia. Campaign co-organiser and author Emily Gale said the campaign registered an additional $43,400 in pledged donations that...
Gannon’s ‘The Mothers’ sold to US, optioned for TV
21 January 2020
Jeanne Ryckmans from Cameron’s Management has sold North American rights to journalist Genevieve Gannon’s novel The Mothers (A&U) to William Morrow. The novel has also been optioned for television by...
Booktopia launches $5k Favourite Australian Book award
20 January 2020
Booktopia has launched the Favourite Australian Book (FAB) award, replacing its annual Australia’s Favourite Author poll. The author of the winning book, as determined by an online poll open to...
Full program announced for 2020 Perth Festival Literature & Ideas Weekend
20 January 2020
The full program has been announced for the 2020 Perth Festival Literature & Ideas weekend, which runs from 21–23 February. International guests attending the festival include English children’s author Julia...
