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Prime Minister’s Literary Awards 2019 shortlists announced

Friday, 13 September 2019
The shortlists for the 2019 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards have been announced. The shortlisted titles in each category are: Fiction A Stolen Season (Rodney Hall, Picador) Beautiful Revolutionary (Laura Elizabeth...

BWF: YA, women authors top bestsellers

Friday, 13 September 2019
The State Library of Queensland (SLQ) bookshop recorded a 5.9 percent growth in sales at the Brisbane Writers Festival (BWF) bookstore from the previous year, thanks to ‘the strong six-day...

Dechian wins 2019 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize

Thursday, 12 September 2019
Victoria-based writer Sonja Dechian has won the Australian Book Review’s (ABR) 2019 Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize for her story ‘The Point-Blank Murder’. The judges said of the winning story: 'At...

Love wins 2019 Klaus Flugge Prize

Thursday, 12 September 2019
In the UK, Jessica Love has won the £5000 (A$8990) Klaus Flugge Prize for most promising newcomer to children’s picture book illustration for Julian is a Mermaid (Walker Books), reports...

The Children’s Bookshop to close in November

Wednesday, 11 September 2019
The Children’s Bookshop in the Sydney suburb of Beecroft will close at the end of November. The shop opened in 1971 and has been owned by Paul Macdonald for the...

Digital loans spike at Mackay libraries

Wednesday, 11 September 2019
Mackay Regional Council libraries has reported a spike in its digital loans over the past year, reports the Daily Mercury. In 2018–19, the number of electronic loans of magazines more...

Gippsland library trials 24-hour access

Wednesday, 11 September 2019
Foster library in Gippsland, Victoria, is running a trial to give its members 24-hour a day access, reports the Age. Members will use a swipe card to enter the library...

Book designer spotlight: Sarah Davis

Wednesday, 11 September 2019
After working for over a decade as a freelance picture book illustrator and designer, Sarah Davies joined Walker Books Australia as associate art director. She spoke to Books+Publishing for our ‘book...

We don’t need a map: The growth in illustrated travel titles 

Wednesday, 11 September 2019
Travellers are looking beyond traditional guidebooks for recommendations and inspiration—and publishers are finding new niche audiences in a shifting travel market. Andrea Hanke investigates the growth in illustrated travel titles....

Print revenue up for Canadian indies in 2017–18

Wednesday, 11 September 2019
In Canada, industry research group BookNet has revealed 65% of indie booksellers saw increased revenue from new print book sales between 2017–18, reports Publishing Perspectives. The report, called What’s in Store:...

Walker to distribute new UK children’s publisher in ANZ

Wednesday, 11 September 2019
A new UK-based independent children’s publisher will launch in 2020, with Walker Books Australia to handle local distribution. Australian ex-pat Rachel Williams and colleague Jenny Broom will launch Magic Cat...

Foulcher wins 2019 ACU poetry prize

Wednesday, 11 September 2019
Canberra-based poet John Foulcher has won the 2019 Australian Catholic University (ACU) Prize for Poetry, worth $10,000, for his poem ‘Revising Casuarinas’. Geoff Page received $5000 as the runner-up for...

Booktique Merimbula to close 

Tuesday, 10 September 2019
The owner of Booktique Merimbula on the New South Wales Far South Coast won’t renew the shop's lease from September. Hope Davis told Books+Publishing the town’s high rents, a challenging...

Australian Centre Literary Awards 2019 winners announced

Tuesday, 10 September 2019
The winners of the University of Melbourne’s Australian Centre Literary Awards have been announced. Ellen van Neerven won the $15,000 Peter Blazey Fellowship, named in memory of journalist, author and...

Writers, literary orgs among latest OzCo funding recipients

Monday, 9 September 2019
Twenty-seven writers and literary organisations are among the recipients of the latest Australia Council grants round, which awarded $6.2 million to 201 projects. Grants in the literature category were worth...

Richell Prize 2019 longlist announced

Monday, 9 September 2019
Hachette Australia and the Emerging Writers’ Festival (EWF) have announced the longlist for the 2019 Richell Prize for emerging writers. The longlisted works are: ‘Where the Lost Boys Go’ (Sarah...

‘The Teacher’s Pet’ wins 2019 Danger Prize

Monday, 9 September 2019
Australian journalist Hedley Thomas’ podcast The Teacher’s Pet has won the 2019 Danger Prize, awarded for the best book, film, podcast or TV drama about Sydney and crime. Open to...

Winners of the Ned Kelly Awards 2019 announced

Monday, 9 September 2019
The Australian Crime Writers Association (ACWA) has announced the winners for this year’s Ned Kelly Awards for Australian crime writing. The winning titles in each category are: Best first fiction...

Vavilova wins 2019 Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award

Monday, 9 September 2019
Tanya Vavilova has won the 2019 Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award for her short story collection Grub. Author and prize judge Moya Costello described Grub as ‘astonishingly outside of realism—vividly...

Meyer to leave Echo 

Thursday, 5 September 2019
Echo publisher Angela Meyer is leaving the company to pursue a career in writing and freelance editing. Meyer joined Echo as commissioning editor in 2014 and was promoted to publisher...