News | Books+Publishing

Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

News >

Graphic novel publishing guide released by Beatrice Davis Editorial Fellow

Monday, 30 September 2024
Beatrice Davis Editorial Fellow Sophie Splatt has produced a guide to graphic novel publishing. The report, titled ‘Graphic Novels: Can We Grow Them at Home? The Editing and Publishing of Graphic...

PRH acquires Chidgey dystopian fiction ‘The Book of Guilt’

Thursday, 26 September 2024
Penguin Random House (PRH) Australia has acquired Australian rights to dystopian novel The Book of Guilt by Aotearoa New Zealand writer Catherine Chidgey. The novel will be published in New...

Wolfson History Prize 2024 shortlist announced

Thursday, 26 September 2024
The shortlist for the 2024 Wolfson History Prize, worth £50,000 (A$97,650), has been announced, reports BookBrunch. The shortlisted books are: Shadows at Noon: The South Asian Twentieth Century (Joya Chatterji,...

Magabala to move sales and distribution to Hachette and ADS

Thursday, 26 September 2024
Magabala Books has announced a partnership with Hachette Australia for sales representation, and Alliance Distribution Services (ADS) for distribution services, beginning February 2025. Said Magabala CEO Lilly Brown: ‘Hachette’s commitment...

Ned Kelly Awards 2024 winners announced

Thursday, 26 September 2024
The Australian Crime Writers Association has announced the 2024 Ned Kelly Awards winners. The winning works in each category, chosen from shortlists announced in August, are: Best crime fiction Darling...

Hage Award for First Nations Writers 2024 winners announced

Thursday, 26 September 2024
Sweatshop Literacy Movement has announced the winners of the inaugural Hage Award for First Nations Writers. The winners of the award are Murrawarri hip hop artist DOBBY and Wiradjuri writer...

No newsletter on Friday

Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Books+Publishing will not publish a newsletter on Friday, 27 September, due to a public holiday in Victoria on that day.

Hardie Grant acquires Pantera Press

Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Hardie Grant has signed an agreement to acquire Pantera Press. Completion of the sale is set for 30 September, subject to customary closing conditions. Founded in 2008 by the Green...

HQ acquires James debut, ‘Second Skin’

Wednesday, 25 September 2024
HQ, a division of HarperCollins Australia, has acquired ANZ rights to Arianne James’ debut gothic novel, Second Skin, via Abigail Nathan at Alex Adsett Literary. A finalist in the 2024 ASA/HQ Fiction...

Inga Simpson recommends

Tuesday, 24 September 2024
Dusk by Robbie Arnott. I admire his capacity to embed characters in the landscape and the way he evokes Tasmania’s central highlands as such wild, strange places where humans can...

Inga Simpson on ‘The Thinning’

Tuesday, 24 September 2024
Novelist and nature writer Inga Simpson's sixth novel, The Thinning (November 2024, Hachette), imagines a potential future through an astronomical lens. Books+Publishing reviewer Ana Brawls describes the book as 'an...

Sage ‘considering’ licensing content for AI

Tuesday, 24 September 2024
In the UK, academic publisher Sage has confirmed the company is considering licensing authors’ content to artificial intelligence companies, reports the Bookseller. A Sage spokesperson told the Bookseller: ‘We have...

Newcastle Poetry Prize 2024 winners announced

Tuesday, 24 September 2024
The Hunter Writers’ Centre has announced the winners of the 2024 Newcastle Poetry Prize. Winning pieces include: First prize ($15,000) ‘Dombóvár’ by Christopher (Kit) Kelen Second prize ($5000) ‘Welcome Swallow’...

Kostakis appointed to PLR Committee

Tuesday, 24 September 2024
Author Will Kostakis has been appointed to the Public Lending Right (PLR) Committee for a four-year term as an author representative. Minister for the Arts Tony Burke said: ‘Will is...

PRH acquires Westerfeld, Larbalestier novel ‘The Mortons’

Tuesday, 24 September 2024
Penguin Random House (PRH) Australia has acquired ANZ rights to The Mortons by Scott Westerfeld and Justine Larbalestier in a two-book deal at auction, via Jill Grinberg Literary Management. The Mortons was...

Affirm acquires Lefevre’s memoir

Tuesday, 24 September 2024
Affirm Press has acquired world rights to Carol Lefevre’s memoir Bloomer, via literary agent Fran Moore. Lefevre is a visiting research fellow at the University of Adelaide, where she gained...

Chief Minister’s NT Book Awards shortlist announced

Monday, 23 September 2024
The shortlists for the 2024 Chief Minister’s NT Book Awards have been announced. Shortlisted titles in each category are: Fiction futurespective (Sophie Benkemoun, Travel Maker Press) Hush (Ciella Williams, Playlab...

‘Rewi’ wins best book at PANZ Book Design Awards

Monday, 23 September 2024
The winners in the 2024 New Zealand Te Rau o Tākupu Publishers Association (PANZ) Book Design Awards have been announced, with Māori and Pasifika designers winning the top honours. Winners...

Leckie awarded 2024 NZSA Peter and Dianne Beatson Fellowship

Monday, 23 September 2024
The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc) has announced Jacqueline Leckie as the recipient of the 2024 NZSA Peter and Dianne Beatson Fellowship,...

De Tores wins 2024 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize

Monday, 23 September 2024
In the UK, Australian author Francesca de Tores has won the 2024 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize for Best Published Novel for her novel Saltblood (Bloomsbury). De Tores’ novel charts...

City of Fremantle Hungerford Award 2024 shortlist announced

Monday, 23 September 2024
The shortlist for the 2024 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award has been announced. Shortlisted manuscripts include: ‘Far From Wonderful’, a fiction work by Howard McKenzie-Murray ‘Screech’, a fiction work by...

Canberra Writers Festival 2024 program announced

Thursday, 19 September 2024
Canberra Writers Festival (CWF) has announced its program for the 2024 festival, to be held on 23–27 October, featuring over 100 guests. Among guests speaking at the event are Tim...

The Brand Licensing Group to distribute Phidal children’s books

Thursday, 19 September 2024
Victorian wholesaler The Brand Licensing Group has partnered with Canadian children’s publisher Phidal Publishing to distribute its books into the Australian market, beginning October. Phidal's list includes books for younger...