Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

Image. Advertisement:

Weekly news >

New small publisher Elephant Tree Publishing launches first title

Thursday, 24 May 2018
A new Canberra-based small publisher of fiction, nonfiction and young adult fiction has recently released its first title. Mother-and-daughter team Jennifer Brown-Leslie and Kathryn Spurling have established Elephant Tree Publishing...

Ngaio Marsh Award 2018 longlist announced

Thursday, 24 May 2018
The longlist for the 2018 Ngaio Marsh award for New Zealand crime fiction has been announced. The longlisted works are: Marlborough Man (Alan Carter, Fremantle Press) Baby (Annaleese Jochems, VUP) See...

Fine shortlisted for Orwell Prize 2018

Thursday, 24 May 2018
University of Melbourne academic and author Cordelia Fine has been shortlisted for the 2018 Orwell Prize for Books, for her book Testosterone Rex: Unmaking the Myths of our Gendered Minds (Icon...

MWF 2018 schools’ program released 

Wednesday, 23 May 2018
The Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) has released its 2018 schools' program, which will run from 27-30 August. Held at Melbourne's Federation Square, the 2018 MWF schools' program will focus on...

‘Ruby’ romance award 2018 finalists announced

Wednesday, 23 May 2018
The finalists for the Romance Writers of Australia (RWA) Romantic Book of the Year Award, known as ‘the Ruby’, have been announced. The finalists in each category are: Long romance...

ABA booksellers of the year 2018 finalists announced

Wednesday, 23 May 2018
The finalists for the 2018 Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) booksellers of the year awards have been announced. The finalists for Bookseller of the Year are: Paul MacDonald (The Children's Bookshop)...

Viskic, Clark longlisted for UK Dagger awards

Tuesday, 22 May 2018
Emma Viskic has been longlisted in two categories in the UK Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) 2018 Dagger awards for her novel Resurrection Bay (Echo). Viskic’s novel is one of 10...

Forbes inducted into ABDA hall of fame

Tuesday, 22 May 2018
Book designer Alison Forbes has been announced as the 2018 inductee into the Australian Book Design Hall of Fame. Forbes was the first full-time independent book designer in Australia, with...

‘Just Another Week in Suburbia’ optioned for TV

Monday, 21 May 2018
Melbourne-based writer Les Zig’s literary novel Just Another Week in Suburbia (Pantera) has been optioned for film by Australian production company Truce Films. Zig signed the deal last month with...

‘Netflix for books’ launches in Australia

Monday, 21 May 2018
A new ebook and audiobook membership service has launched in Australia, after launching in the UK last November. Using a membership-based model, Bookchoice allows users to download up to eight...

Porter wins inaugural Michael Gifkins Prize

Monday, 21 May 2018
Auckland-based writer Ruby Porter has won the inaugural Michael Gifkins Prize for an unpublished novel for her novel Attraction. Chosen from a shortlist of three, Attraction centres on an unnamed...

MWF reveals Weinstein journalist Ronan Farrow as first guest

Friday, 18 May 2018
Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) has announced that investigative journalist Ronan Farrow—whose reporting on allegations against Harvey Weinstein was central to the momentum of the #MeToo movement—will appear at this year’s...

Magarey Medal 2018 shortlist announced

Friday, 18 May 2018
The Association for the Study of Australian Literature (ASAL) and the Australian Historical Association (AHA) have announced the shortlist for the 2018 Magarey Medal for Biography. The shortlisted titles are:...

Rose resigns from PRH

Thursday, 17 May 2018
Penguin Random House senior literary editor Meredith Rose has resigned from the company, following the departure of PRH Literary publishing director Ben Ball earlier this week. Rose confirmed her resignation...

Cowley awarded Order of New Zealand

Thursday, 17 May 2018
Children's author Joy Cowley has been awarded the Order of New Zealand, which recognises outstanding service to the state and people of the country. Described as one of New Zealand’s...

2018 VIPs program explores crime genre, alternative formats 

Wednesday, 16 May 2018
The Australia Council for the Arts ran the 2018 Visiting International Publishers (VIPs) program from 2-4 May, alongside the Sydney Writers’ Festival. Twelve international publishers attended the program, which included...

Ball departs PRH

Wednesday, 16 May 2018
Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) announced yesterday that PRH Literary publishing director Ben Ball has departed the company, as of Tuesday, 15 May. PRH said in a statement, ‘A review...

EWF 2018 program launched

Wednesday, 16 May 2018
The Emerging Writers’ Festival (EWF) has announced its 2018 program, which runs from 19-29 June in venues across Melbourne’s CBD and surrounding suburbs. Timmah Ball, Tony Birch and Neil Morris...

Adam wins 2018 New Zealand Book Award for fiction

Wednesday, 16 May 2018
Wellington writer Pip Adam has won the NZ$50,000 (A$45,930) Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards for her novel The New Animals (Victoria University Press). Judges...

A&U to publish Winx book

Tuesday, 15 May 2018
Allen & Unwin will publish a book about world number one racehorse Winx in late October 2018. Gold Walkley winner Andrew Rule will author the official biography, Winx: Greatest of...

‘Voiceworks’ to expand with online component in late-2018

Tuesday, 15 May 2018
Voiceworks has announced it will begin commissioning and publishing original online content later this year. Voiceworks editor Mira Schlosberg said the new digital publishing arm will publish interactive fiction, animated comics,...

PRH acquires Sydney teenager’s debut novel

Tuesday, 15 May 2018
Penguin Random House (PRH) has acquired Sydney teenager Vivian Pham's debut adult novel, The Coconut Children. Negotiated by Benython Oldfield from Zeitgeist Agency, the deal came after a ‘heated’ auction...