Breen appointed Affirm agency manager
6 March 2024
Affirm Press has announced former marketing and publicity manager Grace Breen has returned from parental leave to take up the newly created role of agency manager. Breen will head Affirm’s...
Ultimo acquires Khurana’s ‘The Passenger Seat’
5 March 2024
Ultimo Press has acquired ANZ rights to Vijay Khurana’s debut novel, The Passenger Seat, in a three-way acquisition deal via Philip Gwyn Jones at Greyhound Literary. Described by the agent...
Gender pay gaps revealed for large Australian booksellers
5 March 2024
Many larger Australian booksellers’ gender pay gaps are now viewable through the Australian Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) data explorer, which was made available last week. As reported by...
Stella Prize 2024 longlist announced
4 March 2024
The longlist for the $60,000 Stella Prize for women and non-binary writers has been announced. The longlisted books are: Praiseworthy (Alexis Wright, Giramondo) She Is the Earth (Ali Cobby Eckermann,...
T&H announces sales and marketing staff changes
4 March 2024
Thames & Hudson (T&H) has announced several changes to its sales and marketing departments, alongside the upcoming retirement of its head of sales, Louise Lawson. Lawson’s last day with T&H...
Booktopia half-year revenue down 21%; profit down 34%
4 March 2024
Booktopia has reported $86.3 million in revenue for the six months to 31 December, down 21% compared to the corresponding period last financial year ($109.3m). The company also reported an...
S&S acquires Rogers novel in three-book deal
29 February 2024
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) has acquired world rights to Matt Rogers’ novel The Forsaken in a three-book deal via Daniel Pilkington. The publisher said The Forsaken is the first...
HarperCollins acquires Gorman’s ‘Lost Pleasure’
29 February 2024
HarperCollins has acquired world rights to Lost Pleasure: Searching for the sex straight women are missing by Alyx Gorman. Gorman is the lifestyle editor of Guardian Australia and has been writing...
Kat Muscat Fellowship 2024 shortlist announced
29 February 2024
Express Media and the Kat Muscat Fellowship Committee have announced the shortlist for the 2024 Kat Muscat Fellowship, which offers support and development to a young Australian writer and/or editor...
MidnightSun acquires Siemienowicz novel ‘Double Happiness’
29 February 2024
MidnightSun has acquired world rights to Double Happiness, a novel by Rochelle Siemienowicz. The publisher said that Double Happiness is ‘a novel about the complexities of polyamorous relationships’. ‘Overcome with...
MWF announces Cunningham, Murray and Jamison as first guests
29 February 2024
Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) has announced the first guests for the 2024 event, which will take place from 6 to 12 May. Pulitzer Prize–winner Michael Cunningham, Booker-nominee Paul Murray and New York Times bestselling...
2024 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards dates announced
29 February 2024
Creative Australia has announced the dates for the 2024 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, with the winner announcement brought forward two months from the previous year. Entries for the 2024 awards...
Gender pay gaps revealed for larger Australian publishers
29 February 2024
Many larger Australian publishing houses’ gender pay gaps are now viewable through the Australian Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) data explorer, which was made available this week. As reported...
Reti resigns from MWF board over program
28 February 2024
Retired clinician Leslie Reti has resigned from his position as Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) deputy chair. In a statement to the Age, Reti said his reasons for resigning from the...
Hardie Grant Explore, Intrepid Travel announce publishing joint venture
28 February 2024
Hardie Grant Explore (HG Explore) has announced a new joint venture with Intrepid Travel to publish a new series of travel books. The list will begin with The Intrepid List,...
S&S acquires Garside memoir ‘The Good Fight’
28 February 2024
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) has acquired world rights to The Good Fight, a memoir by boxer Harry Garside. Garside rose to prominence following his bronze medal win at the...
Pantera acquires Lenton debut ‘Spite Pie’
28 February 2024
Pantera Press has acquired world rights to the debut novel Spite Pie by journalist and writer Patrick Lenton in a two-book deal brokered by Lou Johnson at Key People Literary...
CBCA 2024 Notable Books announced
27 February 2024
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced its list of Notable Books for 2024. The list acts as the longlist for the CBCA Book of the Year Awards....
Conversation launches books and ideas newsletter
27 February 2024
Research-based news and analysis website the Conversation has launched a new books and ideas newsletter. ‘With shrinking space in many newspapers for serious discussion of books and ideas, we think...
Daisley on Walter Scott longlist
27 February 2024
In the UK, Aotearoa New Zealand author Stephen Daisley has been longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, worth £25,000 (A$48,500). The full list of titles longlisted for...
Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing acquires Rossell middle-grade novel
26 February 2024
Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing (HGCP) has acquired world rights (ex North America) to The Midwatch, a middle-grade novel from author and illustrator Judith Rossell, via Annabel Barker of Annabel Barker...
HG Explore acquires Mayo’s Always Was, Always Will Be
26 February 2024
Hardie Grant Explore (HG Explore) has acquired world rights to Thomas Mayo’s nonfiction book Always Was, Always Will Be, via Clare Forster at the Curtis Brown Agency. HG Explore said...
Brooks wins 2023 Judith Wright Poetry Prize
26 February 2024
Overland has announced that Andrew Brooks is the winner of the 2023 Judith Wright Poetry prize, for his poem ‘Celestial Tree’. Brooks is a lecturer in media and culture, living...
Zhang wins 2023 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize
26 February 2024
Overland has announced that Annie Zhang is the winner of the 2023 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize, for her story ‘Who Rattles the Night?’. Zhang is a writer and editor...
A&U promotes Forge to associate publisher
26 February 2024
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has promoted Samantha Forge to the position of associate publisher—books for children and young adults. Forge has over 12 years’ experience in trade publishing, and was...
Smith wins 2024 Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize
22 February 2024
Yasmin Smith has won Island magazine’s 2024 Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize for the poem ‘The Burial Feathers’. Smith’s poem was chosen from about 500 entries. The two runners-up were Emilie...
Affirm Press sells screen rights to Funny Ethnics
22 February 2024
Flying Bark Productions has optioned the screen rights to Shirley Le’s Funny Ethnics (Affirm), in a deal negotiated by Bold Type Agency on behalf of Affirm Press. The 2022 novel ‘catapults...
The Heart Is a Star screen option sold to Aquarius Films
22 February 2024
The Heart Is a Star (Megan Rogers, HarperCollins) has been optioned by Aquarius Films, in a television deal negotiated by Zeitgeist Agency. The novel—Rogers’ debut—is ‘set predominantly in rugged Tasmania’,...
Perth Writers Weekend programming remains unchanged, despite open letter
21 February 2024
Perth Writers Weekend, which will run from this Friday, 23 February until Sunday, 25 February, is taking place amid controversy due to the programming of Deborah Conway. An open letter...
HarperCollins acquires Gardiner, Kumar cosy crime
21 February 2024
HarperCollins has acquired world rights to Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective, a forthcoming cosy crime novel from Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar, via Danielle Binks and Jacinta di Mase of...
