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Book designer spotlight: Hazel Lam

Wednesday, 25 September 2019
Hazel Lam began her career as a motion graphics designer before moving into publishing, and has spent the past six years working for HarperCollins. Her cover for The Lost Flowers...

IBBY Australia names Atkins, Kennedy for 2020 Honour List

Wednesday, 25 September 2019
IBBY Australia has selected writer Clare Atkins and illustrator Lisa Kennedy for the 2020 International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Honour List. Atkins was selected for the writing...

Ventura Press acquires Dalgarno’s debut novel ‘Poly’

Wednesday, 25 September 2019
Ventura Press has acquired world rights to Paul Dalgarno’s debut novel, Poly. The rights were acquired via Martin Shaw at Alex Adsett Publishing Services. Shaw described Dalgarno’s novel as ‘a...

Audiobooks for children double in popularity in UK

Wednesday, 25 September 2019
In the UK, the popularity of children's audiobooks has increased by 138% since January 2018, reports the Bookseller. In a report shared at the Bookseller Children's Conference in London, market...

CHASS Australia Book Prize 2019 longlist announced

Tuesday, 24 September 2019
The Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS) has announced the longlist for the 2019 Australia Book Prize. The prize, worth $3500, is part of the CHASS Australia...

National Book Award 2019 fiction longlist announced

Monday, 23 September 2019
In the US, the National Book Award fiction longlist has been announced. The finalists in the fiction category are: Fleishman Is in Trouble (Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Wildfire) Trust Exercise (Susan Choi,...

Hoffmann’s ‘inclusive, uplifting’ picture books sold to US

Monday, 23 September 2019
Hardie Grant Egmont has sold US rights to Susann Hoffmann’s Girls are Pretty ... (smart, clever, fast) and Boys Will Be ... (kind, calm, creative) to Penguin Philomel. Girls are...

S&S acquires Mildenhall’s ‘The Mother Fault’ in two-book deal

Monday, 23 September 2019
Simon & Schuster (S&S) has acquired ANZ rights at auction to Kate Mildenhall’s ‘genre-busting’ sophomore novel The Mother Fault in a two-book deal, via Pippa Masson at Curtis Brown. S&S...

Publishers Weekly

Monday, 23 September 2019
Books+Publishing is partnering with US trade news magazine Publishers Weekly to provide our subscribers with exclusive access to the weekly digital edition of PW magazine for a limited time. This edition features...

US$75k Cundill History Prize 2019 shortlist announced

Monday, 23 September 2019
In North America, the shortlist has been announced for the Cundill History Prize, which rewards ‘the best history writing in English’. The shortlisted titles are: Orphans of Empire: The fate...

Charts this week

Monday, 23 September 2019
Top 10 bestsellers Index Title Author Imprint 1 The Testaments Margaret Atwood Chatto & Windus 2 The 117-Storey Treehouse Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton Pan 3 The Institute Stephen King...

National Book Award 2019 longlists announced

Friday, 20 September 2019
In the US, longlists in four categories of the National Book Award have been announced. The longlists announced so far are: Nonfiction Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A...

A&U acquires ‘Larrimah’ for six-figure sum

Friday, 20 September 2019
Allen & Unwin has acquired rights to Larrimah: An outback town, a missing man and 11 people, who mostly hate each other by journalists Kylie Stevenson and Caroline Graham. ANZ...

May Gibbs trust announces 2020 fellows

Friday, 20 September 2019
The May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust has announced six fellows for 2020. The recipients of the fellowship are: Mark Carthew Deb Fitzpatrick Sadami Konchi Meg McKinlay Chrissie Perry Michelle Vasiliu....

NewSouth to publish Bryant’s debut ‘Hysteria’

Friday, 20 September 2019
NewSouth Publishing has acquired world rights to Hysteria, the debut nonfiction book by Adelaide writer Katerina Bryant, via Sarah McKenzie Literary Management. Hysteria is a hybrid memoir that explores chronic mental...

Longlists for Tasmanian Premier’s Literary Prizes announced

Thursday, 19 September 2019
The longlists for the Tasmanian Premier’s Literary Prizes have been announced. The longlisted works and their authors are: Tasmania Book Prize for the best book with Tasmanian content in any...

Lucashenko, Wright announced for inaugural Bangkok literary festival

Thursday, 19 September 2019
Australian authors Melissa Lucashenko and Clare Wright will feature among 25 speakers at the inaugural Neilson Hays Bangkok Literature Festival, running from 16–17 November. Lucashenko will speak at the festival's...

Book industry orgs support climate strike

Wednesday, 18 September 2019
Booksellers, publishers and other industry organisations across Australia are participating in the global climate strike, taking place on Friday, 20 September. With almost 100 locations across Australia registered to strike,...

Bragg UNSW Press Prize for Science Writing 2019 shortlist announced

Wednesday, 18 September 2019
The shortlist for this year’s Bragg UNSW Press Prize for Science Writing has been announced. The shortlisted pieces are: ‘Getting cliterate’ (Melissa Fyfe, Good Weekend) ‘When planetary catastrophe is your...

Australian book industry orgs pledge to attend climate strike

Wednesday, 18 September 2019
'Lost sales pale in significance against the threat global warming poses to our future. Candelo Books has never closed its doors on a whim … We are a small store...

Rights round-up

Wednesday, 18 September 2019
Sales Fiction Black Inc. has sold UK and Commonwealth rights (ex ANZ) to The Last Man in Europe (Dennis Glover) to Polygon (see news). Martin Shaw of Alex Adsett Publishing Services...

‘The patriarchy has it coming’: Festival director Tam Zimet on Broadside

Wednesday, 18 September 2019
Writers including Zadie Smith, Curtis Sittenfeld and Helen Garner have recently been announced as part of the line-up for the Wheeler Centre's inaugural Broadside feminist ideas festival. Sarah Farquharson spoke...

Drawn to writing: Rove McManus on ‘Disgusting McGrossface’

Wednesday, 18 September 2019
Aussie television personality Rove McManus makes his foray into children’s books with picture book Disgusting McGrossface (Scholastic, September) and younger readers novel Rocky Lobstar (Scholastic, October). Kelsey Oldham spoke to...