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Winton wins 2019 Voss Literary Prize for ‘The Shepherd’s Hut’

Tuesday, 10 December 2019
Tim Winton has won the 2019 Voss Literary Prize, worth $5000, for his novel The Shepherd’s Hut (Hamish Hamilton). Now in its sixth year, the Voss Literary Prize is awarded...

Melbourne City of Lit announces Quebec City exchange recipients

Tuesday, 10 December 2019
The Melbourne City of Literature has announced the six Victorian-based book-industry professionals who will spend a week in Quebec City, as part of a new exchange program between the two...

‘Bridget Crack’ wins 2019 Tasmania Book Prize

Friday, 6 December 2019
The winners of the 2019 Tasmanian Premier’s Literary Prizes have been announced. The winning works and their authors are: Tasmania Book Prize for the best book with Tasmanian content in...

Arts to be merged into new government ‘super-department’

Friday, 6 December 2019
From 1 February 2020, the Department of Communications and the Arts (DCA) will be incorporated into the new Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, meaning the arts will...

Booton appointed Stella Prize executive director

Friday, 6 December 2019
The Stella Prize has appointed Jaclyn Booton as its new executive director, replacing previous ED Michelle Scott Tucker, who in July left the role after less than a year to...

Chen wins Deborah Cass Prize 2019

Friday, 6 December 2019
Writer Janette Chen has won the 2019 Deborah Cass Prize for emerging writers from migrant backgrounds for her manuscript extract ‘Wall of Men’. Chosen from a shortlist of 10, ‘Wall of...

Final ‘B+P Daily’ for 2019

Friday, 6 December 2019
This issue of the Books+Publishing Daily will be the last for 2019. The Daily will return on Monday, 13 January 2020. The Books+Publishing team wishes our subscribers all the best...

Aman, Brabon named joint winners of the David Harold Tribe Fiction Award

Thursday, 5 December 2019
Writers Claire Aman and Katherine Brabon are the joint winners of the 2019 David Harold Tribe Fiction Award, worth $12,000. The award is offered by the University of Sydney’s Department...

MidnightSun acquires Steve Heron picture book

Thursday, 5 December 2019
MidnightSun has acquired world rights to the picture book Ling Li’s Lantern, by Steve Heron and illustrated by Benjamin Johnston. Ling Li’s Lantern follows Ling Li on a quest that...

Big Sky sells six children’s titles to US imprint Windmill Books

Thursday, 5 December 2019
Big Sky Publishing has sold North American and US territories rights to six children’s titles to Windmill Books, an imprint of independent educational publishing house Rosen Publishing. The deal, which...

‘The Dirt Hole and its Variations’ wins 2019 Diagram Prize

Thursday, 5 December 2019
Charles L Dobbins' self-published title The Dirt Hole and its Variations has won the 2019 Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year presented by the Bookseller. Dobbins, who was...

SPN conference 2019: ‘Extremely positive’ feedback from delegates

Wednesday, 4 December 2019
The Small Press Network’s (SPN) eighth Independent Publishing Conference was held at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne on 21–23 November. SPN general manager Tim Coronel said that 180 tickets were...

Christmas closing list 2019

Wednesday, 4 December 2019
We have collated company closing dates for the Christmas period below. (more…)

To market, to market: Jane Curry on marketing

Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Ventura Press publisher Jane Curry argues that despite the dominance of multinational publishers, there are still opportunities for small presses to flourish—and sell plenty of copies. This is my final...

Marchetta’s ‘On the Jellicoe Road’ to be adapted for drama series

Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Melina Marchetta’s 2006 young adult novel On the Jellicoe Road (Penguin) is being adapted for a young adult drama series, reports Deadline. The project is a co-production by the US’s...

Hardie Grant Travel acquires Steffensen’s book on Indigenous fire management

Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Hardie Grant Travel has acquired world rights to Fire Country, the memoir of Indigenous fire practitioner Victor Steffensen. Steffensen is a Tagalaka descendant from Far North Queensland who is dedicated...

‘The Book Ninja’ optioned for film

Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus’ novel The Book Ninja (S&S) has been optioned for film by producers Chris Brown of Pictures in Paradise and Veronica Fury of Fury Film Co....

Beasley wins inaugural OzCo Arts and Disability Award for an emerging artist

Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Tennant Creek-based artist and illustrator Dion Beasley was one of three winners at the Australia Council’s inaugural Arts and Disability Awards, presented at a ceremony at Canberra’s National Portrait Gallery...

Van Zweden wins 2019 KYD unpublished manuscript award

Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Literary journal Kill Your Darlings (KYD) has announced Sam van Zweden as the winner of its 2019 unpublished manuscript award for her manuscript ‘Eating with my Mouth Open’. Van Zweden...

Indie Book Awards 2020 longlists announced

Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Leading Edge Books has announced the longlists for the 2020 Indie Book Awards for books published in 2019. The longlisted titles in each category are: Fiction The White Girl (Tony...

One more ‘WBN’ this year, last chance to submit job ads

Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Next week’s Weekly Book Newsletter on 11 December will be the last for 2019. If you would like to post a job ad or classified, please use the submissions portal...

More than 380,000 UK children don’t own a single book: National Literary Trust

Tuesday, 3 December 2019
In the UK, research from the National Literary Trust (NLT) has found more than 380,000 children don’t own a single book, reports the Bookseller. The research found children who own...

Former Macmillan Education staff launch new educational publisher

Tuesday, 3 December 2019
Former staff from Macmillan Education Australia’s school division have formed a new educational publishing company called Matilda Education. After Macmillan Education Australia announced in August that it would withdraw its...

Thomson receives inaugural Varuna/New England Writers’ Centre Fellowship

Tuesday, 3 December 2019
Armidale writer Anna Thomson is the inaugural recipient of the Varuna/New England Writers’ Centre (NEWC) Fellowship. Thomson’s winning submission included an extract from her paranormal fantasy manuscript ‘Bloodwood’. The fellowship...