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When She Was Gone (Sara Foster, HarperCollins) 

Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Sara Foster’s When She Was Gone stands out in a crowded thriller market for its unique blend of suspense, character depth and emotional resonance. Set in the fictional town of...

S&S acquires Sakakibara memoir 

a portrait of Saya Sakakibara Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Simon & Schuster (S&S) Australia has acquired world rights to Olympic gold medallist and BMX champion Saya Sakakibara’s memoir, in a deal brokered by Ryan Chipperfield at Blue Chip Management....

NZ Booklovers Awards 2025 shortlists announced

NZ booklovers logo Monday, 24 February 2025
The NZ Booklovers Awards 2025 shortlists have been announced by the organisation. Shortlisted titles include: Best Adult Fiction Book Award Better Left Dead (Catherine Lea, Bateman Books) The Call (Gavin Strawhan,...

Affirm acquires new Brissenden crime novel 

a portrait of Michael Brissenden Monday, 24 February 2025
Affirm Press has acquired ANZ rights to Michael Brissenden’s upcoming outback noir crime thriller, Dust, via literary agent Daniel Pilkington. Set in the remote Australian town of Lake Herrod, Dust...

Stewart wins 2025 MUD Literary Prize

a photo of cameron stewart in black and white Monday, 24 February 2025
Cameron Stewart's Why Do Horses Run? (Allen & Unwin) has been announced as the 2025 winner of the $10,000 MUD Literary Prize. The prize, now in its eighth year, is...

Major wins 2025 Louie Award 

a portrait of KT Major Thursday, 20 February 2025
The Australian Crime Writers Association (ACWA) has named KT Major as the winner of the 2025 Louie Award, worth $500, for her story 'Bitter'. The judges also highly commended two...

A&U acquires Kirk debut fiction 

a portrait of Eleanor Kirk Thursday, 20 February 2025
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired ANZ rights to Eleanor Kirk’s debut novel, Very Impressive for Your Age, in a deal brokered by Grace Heifetz at a4 Literary. ‘Twenty-six-year-old Evelyn is...

Text acquires new Winkler fiction 

a portrait of Michael Winkler Thursday, 20 February 2025
Text has acquired world rights for Griefdogg by Michael Winkler. The novel introduces Jeffrey Watson-Johnson, a hydrologist living with his wife, Martine, and child, Reggie, in Mildura. After inheriting a...

Rights round-up 

Wednesday, 19 February 2025
Sales Fiction Simon & Schuster (S&S) Australia has sold international rights to An Academic Affair (Jodi McAlister), into seven different territories: Atria, an imprint of S&S in the US; S&S...

OverDrive – ‘libraries can create new readers’

Wednesday, 19 February 2025
In the lead-up to the 2025 ABIAs, Books+Publishing is in conversation with the event's major sponsors about the status of the industry, what excites them about the future, and what they have...

Summit Books acquires new Lee fiction 

a portrait of Bri Lee in Antarctica Wednesday, 19 February 2025
Simon & Schuster (S&S) imprint Summit Books has acquired ANZ rights to Bri Lee’s second novel, Seed, from agent Grace Heifetz at a4 Literary. The novel introduces Mitchell and Frances,...

Read the latest Publishers Weekly 

Wednesday, 19 February 2025
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. View the edition here.

Lyrebird (Jane Caro, A&U) 

Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Walkley Award-winning journalist, social commentator and author Jane Caro (The Mother) returns to crime fiction for her second adult novel, The Lyrebird. The titular bird first appears in the prologue,...

Barren Cape (Michelle Prak, S&S) 

Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Take one remote, abandoned site, a pack of unhinged teenagers, some drug-fuelled young adults, and an escaped convict – what could possibly go wrong? Welcome to Barren Cape, the latest...

Consider Yourself Kissed (Jessica Stanley, Text) 

Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Consider Yourself Kissed is a romance set in London against the backdrop of the UK’s escalating political crises of the 21st century: Tory leadership struggles and re-election and Brexit, culminating...

Skin (Deborah Kelly, Rhiza Press) 

Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Skin is a powerful reminder of how heavily appearances and beauty standards influence us during our teenage years and beyond. Multi-award-winning author Deborah Kelly (The Mosaic) delivers an easy-to-read yet emotionally...

Stricker wins 2025 Peter Porter Poetry Prize

a portrait of Meredith Stricker Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Meredith Stricker was awarded the 2025 Peter Porter Poetry Prize, run by the Australian Book Review (ABR) and worth $6000, at a ceremony in Melbourne last night. ABR outgoing editor Peter...

Atlantic acquires Stephens debut 

a portrait of Clare Stephens Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Atlantic Books Australia, a division of Allen & Unwin (A&U), has acquired ANZ rights to Clare Stephens’s debut novel The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done, in a deal brokered by...

Keeperton to publish five TL Swan books 

a portrait of TL Swan Monday, 17 February 2025
Arndell, an imprint of Keeperton, has announced it will publish worldwide print editions of The Miles High Club series by author and Keeperton founder TL Swan. The series consists of...

Carnegie 2025 longlists announced

the logo of the carnegies, a green square with a white torch and yellow flames Thursday, 13 February 2025
In the UK, the longlists for the Carnegie Medal for Writing and the Carnegie Medal for Illustration have been announced. The 35 longlisted titles (19 for the Carnegie Medal for...

DANZ Children’s Book Award 2025 longlists announced

DANZ logo Thursday, 13 February 2025
The 2025 longlists for the Australian School Library Association (ASLA) DANZ (Diversity in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand) Children’s Book Award have been announced. The longlisted titles in each category...

Remembering Michael Webster

Photograph of Michael Webster. Credit: Debora Webster-Bain Wednesday, 12 February 2025
More tributes have come in, after the passing of publisher, academic, and distinguished industry professional Michael Webster. University of Melbourne head of program, publishing & communications Katherine Day writes: We...