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Australia Post extends Indigenous Literacy Foundation partnership

Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Australia Post has extended its partnership with the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) for a further 3 years. The partnership has seen more than 600,000 books delivered to over 400 remote...

Text acquires Kernot’s “Night Swimming”

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

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...

Fiction, wellness, biographies feature in Rakuten Kobo 2025 report

Tuesday, 17 February 2026
The 2025 Rakuten Kobo Book Report records a sharp rise in immersive fiction ebook and audio downloads in Australia, alongside sustained interest in wellness and biography-led nonfiction. Readers are “gravitating...

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...

Harlequin to drop historical romance as M&B founder recognised in London

Tuesday, 17 February 2026
In the US, Harlequin will discontinue its historical romance imprint, Harlequin Historical, in the third quarter of 2027, reports Publishers Weekly (PW). The decision was made in response to “evolving...

CBCA announces 2026 book week theme

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...

Independent publishers signal legal action against AI companies

Monday, 16 February 2026
In the UK, nearly 40 members of the Independent Publishers Guild (IPG) have written to leading generative AI companies flagging potential legal action in response to alleged copyright infringement, reports...

Arasu wins inaugural travel fund

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

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”

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...

Suwannakit’s “Higher Ground” on Carnegie Medal for Illustration longlist

Thursday, 12 February 2026
Tull Suwannakit’s picture book Higher Ground (New Frontier) has been longlisted for the 2026 Carnegie Medal for Illustration in the UK. Judges said, “Suwannakit’s scrapbook style used in Higher Ground portrays a...

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”

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

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...

Lucashenko’s “Edenglassie” on Walter Scott Prize longlist

Thursday, 12 February 2026
Melissa Lucashenko’s Edenglassie (UQP, 2023) has been longlisted for the 2026 Walter Scott Prize, worth £25,000 (A$47,807). Already the recipient of 8 prizes in Australia, Edenglassie tells the story of...

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

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...

Hachette Australia announces “Belonging and Storytelling” event

Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Hachette Australia, Australian Publishers Association (APA), Media Diversity Australia (MDA) and Diversity Arts Australia (DARTS) have partnered to present “Belonging and Storytelling: Diversity in Publishing”. A dedicated space for First...