Magabala Books acquires Bruce Pascoe’s “The European Mind”
Thursday, 11 June 2026
Magabala Books has acquired The European Mind: Colonialism, Capitalism, Christianity & How to Recover by Bruce Pascoe. Described by the publisher as the follow-up title to Pascoe’s Dark Emu, the...
Has the number of bookshops in Australia really halved? Probably not, but we should still be worried
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
It’s a dramatic and depressing statistic: that in the decade to 2023, the number of bookshops in Australia roughly halved; but it’s also based on unverified data and unlikely to...
So very many books
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
New ISBN data show the number of books being published in Australia is booming (but published by whom?); the Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2026 shortlists have been...
UK reaches “highest-ever revenue” in 2025
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
In the UK, the publishing industry “reached its highest-ever revenue in 2025”, reports the Bookseller, with Australia one of the country’s 3 largest markets for book exports. Citing statistics from...
Black Inc. acquires Don Watson book on Dezi Freeman
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Black Inc. has acquired world rights to a nonfiction book by Don Watson on the case of Dezi Freeman that will build on the theme of Watson’s December 2025 article...
ISBN growth shows Australian book market boom
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
The number of books being published in Australia is booming, according to figures extracted from the ISBN titles recorded in Bowker’s Books in Print, with both the number of publishers...
Local translator on Voices of Today Literary Translation Prize
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Brisbane-based translator Jenny Lu has been shortlisted for the inaugural Voices of Today Literary Translation Prize. Participants were invited to translate a substantial excerpt from the novel Salty Jokes by...
Visiting International Publishers on commercial fiction trends in Indonesia, Italy and France
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
As part of the Visiting International Publishers (VIPs) program, Writing Australia held an industry forum and networking lunch at the State Library of NSW in Sydney on 20 May. The...
Berkelouw Books Leichhardt confirms move, will remain open
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Berkelouw Books Leichhardt has confirmed it will move to a new location in Leichhardt, rather than closing as previously announced. In a post on social media, the bookstore said it...
Writers among First Nations Arts d/Deaf and/or Disabilities Project Fund recipients
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Writers are among the successful applicants to Creative Australia’s First Nations Arts d/Deaf and/or Disabilities Project Fund. Those to receive funding include: Sharleigh Crittenden, for the project “Developing Children of...
Te Pae Tawhiti Awards 2026 shortlists announced
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
The shortlists for the Te Pae Tawhiti Awards for Aotearoa and Pasifika speculative fiction writers have been announced. The shortlisted works in each category are: Outstanding Achievement for Adult Novel...
New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2026 shortlists announced
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
The shortlists for the 2026 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults have been announced. The shortlists in each category, chosen from 159 entries, are: BookHub Picture Book...
Text Publishing acquires “What Gentlemen Do” by Todd Babiak
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Text has acquired ANZ rights to adult fiction What Gentlemen Do by Todd Babiak from Carolyn Buszynski at CookeMcDermid Agency in Canada. The “uplifting and outrageously funny story of a...
Rhiza Press acquires Riveted Press
Tuesday, 9 June 2026
Rhiza Press has acquired Riveted Press in a deal that will come into effect on 1 October. In a statement, Rhiza Press said Riveted Press would continue to publish under...
“Hellions” wins 2026 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction
Tuesday, 9 June 2026
Julia Elliott has won this year’s Carol Shields Prize for Fiction for her short story collection Hellions (Tin House). The prize jury, made up of Carmen Maria Machado (chair), Ivan...
Writers, industry professionals named in King’s Birthday Honours
Tuesday, 9 June 2026
The recipients of the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours have been announced. Various writers and book industry professionals are among those presented with awards. Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) ...
Anna Fienberg, Datsun Tran on 2026 IBBY Honour List
Tuesday, 9 June 2026
IBBY Australia has announced its 2026 selection for the biennial IBBY Honour List: for writing, Anna Fienberg’s Picasso and the Greatest Show on Earth (Allen & Unwin, 2023), and for illustration,...
UQP acquires Tim Loveday’s “your father was a bastard”
Tuesday, 9 June 2026
University of Queensland Press (UQP) has acquired world rights to your father was a bastard, the debut poetry collection by Naarm-based poet and academic Tim Loveday. According to the publisher,...
A&U acquires artist biography by Andrew Bailey
Tuesday, 9 June 2026
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this article contains the name of a deceased person. Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to the nonfiction title...
Vannessa Hearman’s “The Good Sea” tops NT Writers Festival bestsellers
Tuesday, 9 June 2026
Ticket sales at this year’s NT Writers Festival were lower than expected, but some sessions did sell out, with performance nights proving to be the most popular events. Held annually,...
Kaye Wright joins Woodslane
Tuesday, 9 June 2026
Former Leading Edge member services manager Kaye Wright has joined distributor Woodslane as head of trade. Woodslane said the newly created head of trade role “will involve working with local...
Junior Book Club – this month’s reads
Friday, 5 June 2026
Searching for your next great read to share with kids? Our Junior Book Club highlights new titles each month that are perfect for classrooms, libraries and family reading time. From...
McCaulay wins 2026 RSL Ondaatje Prize
Thursday, 4 June 2026
Jamaican writer Diana McCaulay has won the £10,000 Royal Society of Literature (RSL) Ondaatje Prize for A House for Miss Pauline (Dialogue Books), reports the Bookseller. On winning the prize that...
Wilson resigns from UQP in protest at “Bila” cancellation
Thursday, 4 June 2026
University of Queensland Press (UQP) sales and distribution manager Kirsty Wilson has resigned from the role in protest at the decision of the University of Queensland (UQ) to cancel the...
A&U acquires Split Enz history
Thursday, 4 June 2026
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to Split Enz: An Adventure in Music and Design, the official history of the band Split Enz by Noel Crombie and Michael...
ACT Literary Awards 2026 shortlists announced
Thursday, 4 June 2026
MARION has announced the shortlists for the 2026 ACT Literary Awards. The shortlisted titles are: Children’s literature Creature Corridors (Billie Rooney, illustrated by Anke Noack, CSIRO Publishing) The Drought Kangaroo...
Mossop steps down at SWF
Thursday, 4 June 2026
Sydney Writers’ Festival (SWF) has announced that artistic director Ann Mossop will step down from her role. In a statement, SWF CEO Brooke Webb said Mossop would remain in the...
Creative Australia releases arts survey results
Wednesday, 3 June 2026
Creative Australia has released the results of the most recent National Arts Participation Survey; Big Day of Books Perth will broadcast on ABC Radio; this year’s Willy Lit Fest program will...
Fiction Over Reality on bookshop life in Queensland’s Wellington Point
Wednesday, 3 June 2026
Late last year, new bookstore Fiction Over Reality opened in the seaside suburb of Wellington Point in Queensland. Owner Aimee Boyd spoke with Books+Publishing about the first months of operation and...
Arts participation survey 2025: More people reading at least once a week across all formats
Wednesday, 3 June 2026
Creative Australia has released the results of the most recent National Arts Participation Survey, which shows that more people are engaging with reading at least once a week across all formats,...
