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A&U acquires “Being” by Menzies & Menzies

Photo of Rachel and Ross Menzies. Monday, 23 February 2026
Allen & Unwin has acquired Australian, New Zealand, Oceania and non-exclusive Southeast Asia rights to Rachel E Menzies and Ross G Menzies’s Being: Why It’s Harder to be Human Than...

Australian Book Design Awards 2026 longlists announced

Friday, 20 February 2026
The Australian Book Designers Association (ABDA) has released the longlists for the 2026 Australian Book Design Awards. The longlisted titles in the first 3 categories, and the emerging designer category,...

Book sales rise in Ireland, conference told 

Irish Book Trade Conference logo Thursday, 19 February 2026
The Irish book trade contributes €189 million (A$316 million) to the Irish economy, the annual Irish Book Trade Conference has been told, with sales revenue rising in 2025 compared to...

Castro, Dunn on 2026 Asia Pacific Arts Awards shortlist 

Thursday, 19 February 2026
Authors Brian Castro and Winnie Dunn have been shortlisted for the 2026 Asia Pacific Arts Awards. Castro is shortlisted for the Legacy award, which recognises “an individual or arts organisation that...

HarperCollins acquires Ferguson’s narrative nonfiction

A photo of Kirstin Ferguson. Wednesday, 18 February 2026
HarperCollins has acquired ANZ rights to narrative nonfiction by Kirstin Ferguson in a multi-book deal brokered by Key People Creative Management. Ferguson has worked as an officer in the Royal...

Text acquires Kernot’s “Night Swimming”

A photo of Sharon Kernot by Gary McRae. Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Text Publishing has acquired world rights to Night Swimming, a psychological thriller in verse by Sharon Kernot, in a deal brokered by Martin Shaw at Shaw Literary. According to the publisher,...

2026 Unwin Award finalists named 

Cover of Hannah Ritchie's 'Not The End of the World' Wednesday, 18 February 2026
In the UK, the Publishers Association has announced the shortlist for this year’s Unwin Award, reported BookBrunch yesterday. The £10,000 (A$20,000) award goes annually to early-career authors whose body of...

BookPeople pivots back to ABA

Tuesday, 17 February 2026
BookPeople will revert to its previous branding as the Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) for its industry-facing work. CEO Susannah Bowen said, “We are pivoting back to the name Australian Booksellers...

CBCA announces 2026 book week theme

Cover of the CBCA 2026 yearly planner. With art by Briony Stewart. Tuesday, 17 February 2026
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced the theme of “Symphony of Stories” for this year’s Children’s Book Week, running 22 to 28 August. Author and illustrator Briony...

Arasu wins inaugural travel fund

A photo of Prema Arasu. Monday, 16 February 2026
Poet Prema Arasu has been announced as the inaugural winner of the Forrest Research Foundation and Fremantle Press travel fund for Western Australian writers to promote their work outside of...

“Tori Woods” found guilty

Monday, 16 February 2026
Author Lauren Ashley Mastrosa, who writes under the pen name Tori Woods, has been found guilty of possessing, disseminating and producing child abuse material, reported the Guardian.  Mastrosa was charged over...

Hardie Grant appoints new board members

A photo of 3 Hardie Grant board members. Monday, 16 February 2026
Hardie Grant has appointed Janey Martino and Shirley Chowdhary to its board.  The publisher’s announcement noted that Martino has founded and scaled multiple companies across media, martech, and fintech in...

Hardie Grant acquires Niland’s “Saint Peter”

A photo of Josh Niland. Monday, 16 February 2026
Hardie Grant Books has acquired world rights to Josh Niland’s Saint Peter: Chapter & Verse. According to the publisher, Saint Peter is “a definitive statement from one of Australia’s most original culinary...

Bonnier UK to cease new acquisitions for Echo 

Friday, 13 February 2026
Bonnier Books UK has announced the company will cease new acquisitions for its Australian imprint, Echo Publishing, effective immediately. “For the past 5 years, Bonnier Books UK has invested in Echo...

Book Club – this month’s reads

Friday, 13 February 2026
Looking for your next great group read? Our monthly Book Club rounds up new release titles that are perfect for sparking conversation and perhaps even some debate. From compelling fiction to...

Readings Best of the Best 2025

Thursday, 12 February 2026
Readings has shared its Best of the Best 2025, a list of books picked by staff and voted on by the public. The chosen titles are: Australian fiction Tenderfoot (Toni...

QUT to become new custodian of “Meanjin”

QUT vice-chancellor Margaret Sheil Thursday, 12 February 2026
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) will become the new custodian of literary journal Meanjin, bringing the publication back to Brisbane 80 years after it relocated to Melbourne. In September last year,...

Women’s Prize for Nonfiction 2026 longlist announced 

A photo of the Women's Nonfiction Prize judges holding the longlisted titles. Thursday, 12 February 2026
In the UK, the 2026 longlist for the Women’s Prize for Nonfiction, worth £30,000 (A$57,360), has been announced. The longlisted titles are: Daughters of the Bamboo Grove (Barbara Demick, Text) The...

Local publishers on Bologna Prize shortlist

Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Local publishers have been shortlisted for the 2026 Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year. Publishers shortlisted in the Oceania category are: Affirm Press (Australia) Hardie Grant Children's...

Ruffino joins Keeperton as head of commercial strategy 

A photo of Dan Ruffino. Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Keeperton has appointed Dan Ruffino to the newly created role of head of commercial strategy. Ruffino has over 30 years in the publishing industry, with roles in sales, publicity, marketing and...