Sorrento Writers Festival program launched
Monday, 2 March 2026
Described as “Victoria’s biggest literary event”, Sorrento Writers Festival has launched a 155-session program across 10 venues in the Victorian beachside towns of Sorrento and Portsea from 23 to 26...
Trans Book Festival program launched
Monday, 2 March 2026
The full program has been launched for the second annual Trans Book Festival, which focuses on “uplifting and celebrating trans and gender diverse (TGD) literary excellence in all narrative forms.”...
Larrikan acquires Galatola picture book
Monday, 2 March 2026
Larrikan has acquired world rights to Jess Galatola’s The Witch Who Couldn’t Spell, illustrated by Lu Baker. The book follows the adventures of Wanda Spelled, “a little witch with a...
HarperCollins acquires Fineberg novel
Monday, 2 March 2026
HarperCollins has acquired world rights to Warren Fineberg’s novel A Boy from Buchenwald in a deal negotiated by Lyn Tranter at Australian Literary Management. According to the publisher, “A Boy...
Winter Institute: Independent US publishers stress collaboration
Thursday, 26 February 2026
In the US, the Winter Institute of the American Booksellers Association (ABA) opened in Pittsburgh on Monday with the Independent Publishers Caucus (IPC) summit, reported Publishers Weekly’s Claire Kirch and...
Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2026 winners announced
Thursday, 26 February 2026
The Wheeler Centre has announced the winners of the 2026 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. Goorie and Koori poet and academic Evelyn Araluen has won the overall Victorian Prize for Literature,...
Larrikin acquires Purcell novel
Thursday, 26 February 2026
Larrikin House has acquired world rights to John Purcell’s novel The Amateur’s Guide to Killing Bad Guys. The novel begins on the “worst day” of entrepreneur Matthew Burton’s life. “The...
International Booker Prize longlist revealed
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
In the UK, the longlist for the 2026 International Booker Prize, worth £50,000 (A$95,597), has been announced. Longlisted titles are: The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran (Shida Bazyar, trans Ruth Martin,...
NZ Booklovers Awards 2026 shortlists announced
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
In Aotearoa New Zealand, the 2026 NZ Booklovers Awards shortlists have been announced. Shortlisted titles include: Best Adult Fiction Book 1985 (Dominic Hoey, Penguin) A Beautiful Family (Jennifer Trevelyan, A&U)...
Diversity Arts Australia report; new Australian Poetry head; Notable children’s books
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Local news Diversity Arts Australia (DARTS) released “Fair Play Reflections”, an evaluation of the Fair Play equity and culture-change initiative over the past 7 years; and Australia’s peak poetry body,...
Narrative Muse recognised by UNESCO centre
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Aotearoa New Zealand–based content discovery company Narrative Muse is among 100 projects recognised by the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI) for its application of generative AI. Narrative Muse...
Christmas 2025: Sales plateau despite signs of a “cost-of-living Christmas”
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Sales in Christmas 2025 were much the same as the previous year for most booksellers, despite some signs of a "cost-of-living Christmas", according to Books+Publishing’s annual survey completed by respondents...
Book Fair Australia comes to Melbourne
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Book Fair Australia has been organised by independent author Ivana L Truglio since 2021. Usually held in Sydney, this year’s Melbourne event, which ran from 21 to 22 February, was...
Constellations: Not Writers’ Week releases full program
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Constellations: Not Writers’ Week, created following the cancellation of this year’s Adelaide Writers' Week (AWW), has named more than 100 authors who will appear at 50 events in 19 venues,...
CBCA 2026 Notable Books announced
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced its list of Notable Books for 2026. The list acts as the longlist for the CBCA Book of the Year Awards....
Upswell acquires Scott-Patrick Mitchell poetry
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Upswell Publishing has acquired world rights to poet Scott-Patrick Mitchell’s next collection, Incantations to a Drowned Canyon. A Perth-based poet and spoken word performer, Mitchell published their first volume of...
Young writers and libraries recognised in UK awards
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
“Brilliant” young writers' works shortlisted In the UK, the Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year shortlist has been announced, reported BookBrunch yesterday. The £10,000 (A$19,119) award is...
DARTS launches “Fair Play Reflections” report
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Diversity Arts Australia (DARTS) has released “Fair Play Reflections”, an evaluation of the Fair Play equity and culture-change initiative over the past 7 years. Literature organisations represented 15% of project...
Riveted Press acquires Stanton’s “The Adventures of Squidape”
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Riveted Press has acquired worldwide rights to The Adventures of Squidape, a middle-grade mystery by John Stanton. The novel follows Roland Bickering-Jones – who “likes facts, lists and things that make...
MidnightSun announces inaugural Picture Book Prize shortlist
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
MidnightSun Publishing has announced the shortlist for its inaugural picture book prize. Shortlisted works are: “An Excellent Hat” (Linda Brucesmith) “The Tinker’s Light” (Ashling Kwok) “The Battle of the Beast”...
A&U acquires Saunders’s “Fighting for Country”
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to a new nonfiction title, Fighting for Country: The Extraordinary Life of Reg Saunders, Australia’s First Indigenous Military Officer, Hero of Two Wars by...
Lagardère reports 4.6% rise in revenue
Monday, 23 February 2026
Hachette UK’s parent company Lagardère has reported revenue of €9.4 billion (A$15.6 billion) in 2025, up 4.6% from 2024, reports BookBrunch. The company’s earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) grew...
Aurealis Award 2025 winners announced
Monday, 23 February 2026
The winners of the 2025 Aurealis Awards for science fiction, fantasy and horror writing have been announced at GenreCon in Brisbane. Winning titles in each category, chosen from shortlists announced...
Leavy wins 2026 Peter Porter Poetry Prize
Monday, 23 February 2026
Cheryl Leavy has won the 2026 Peter Porter Poetry Prize for her poem “Kumanjayi”. Presented by the Australian Book Review (ABR) and worth $6000, the prize honours the life and work...
Australian Poetry appoints Bufton as CEO and publisher
Monday, 23 February 2026
Australia’s peak poetry body, Australian Poetry, has appointed Melinda Bufton as its new CEO and publisher. Bufton is an experienced leader and poet, according to Australian Poetry. “She has worked...
HarperCollins acquires “Bondi Terror” by Markson and Ryvchin
Monday, 23 February 2026
HarperCollins Australia has acquired world rights to Bondi Terror: The Tragedy, the Courage, the Aftermath by Sharri Markson and Alex Ryvchin. “Bondi Terror reconstructs the massacre in real time, from...
A&U acquires “Being” by Menzies & 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
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...
