Williams wins 2022 Text Prize; Matthews receives Steph Bowe Mentorship
22 June 2022
Megan Williams is the winner of the $10,000 Text Prize for her debut YA manuscript 'Let’s Never Speak of This Again'. According to Text, Williams' debut novel is a celebration...
Australia Council latest funding announced
22 June 2022
The Australia Council has announced its latest round of funding, with $11.9 million going to 283 creative projects and activities. 'This investment will support diverse, impactful projects for the benefit...
PRH acquires Madabushi debut ‘The Days Toppled Over’
22 June 2022
Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) has acquired ANZ rights to The Days Toppled Over, the debut novel by Vidya Madabushi, in 'a competitive auction' managed by Rach Crawford at Wolf...
Scribble, Think+DO Tank Foundation announce inaugural Mirror Mentorship Program winners
16 June 2022
Scribe children's imprint Scribble and the Think+DO Tank Foundation have announced the winners of the inaugural Mirror Mentorship Program, which provides support and mentoring 'with the aim of making new...
Opus acquisition of Ovato book printing unopposed by ACCC
16 June 2022
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has stated that it does not oppose the acquisition of Ovato Book Printing (formerly Griffin Press) by Opus Group, owner of McPherson's. The...
Text Prize 2022 shortlist announced
8 June 2022
The shortlist for the Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing, worth $10,000, has been announced. The shortlisted manuscripts are: ‘Bellamy Jones and the Lost Treeheart’ by Emily Beck...
Neilma Sidney Travel Fund 2022 recipients announced
8 June 2022
Writers Victoria has announced the seventh round of recipients for the Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund, which has opened up to international travel again after pandemic-related travel restrictions in 2021....
black&write! fellowships 2022 recipients announced
1 June 2022
The 2022 black&write! fellowships for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers have been awarded to Queensland Elder Herbert Wharton and Lay Maloney from Victoria. Each fellowship is worth $10,000 and...
BookUp full 2022 program announced
1 June 2022
The Australian Publishers Association (APA) has released the full program for the one-day BookUp publishing conference, to be held in Sydney next Thursday, 9 June, ahead of the Australian Book...
Grant, Hathorn to be inducted into ABIA Hall of Fame; business, Rising Star shortlists announced
31 May 2022
Hardie Grant CEO Sandy Grant and children's author Libby Hathorn will be inducted into the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Hall of Fame at the 2022 ABIA awards ceremony on...
Mason wins fiction book of the year at 2022 British Book Awards
25 May 2022
Sydney-based Aotearoa New Zealand writer Meg Mason has won the 2022 British Book Award for fiction book of the year for her second novel Sorrow and Bliss (Fourth Estate). The...
Chief Minister’s NT Book Awards 2022 shortlists announced
25 May 2022
The shortlists for the 2022 Chief Minister’s NT Book Awards, which celebrate excellence in writing across the Northern Territory, have been announced. The shortlisted titles in each category are: Fiction...
Lui acquires first three books for Joan imprint
25 May 2022
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has announced the first three titles to be published under its new Nakkiah Lui-curated Joan imprint, acquiring ANZ rights to debuts by Brooke Boney, Sarah Firth...
SWF: 2022 festival wraps up with change of government
25 May 2022
This year's Sydney Writers Festival (SWF), the final for outgoing artistic director Michael Williams, has all but wrapped up, having run from 16 to 22 May. Two events, The SWF...
Solomun to wind up The Rights Hive
25 May 2022
Natasha Solomun, who founded The Rights Hive agency in 2017, has announced the business will cease operating at the end of June. Solumun, who has worked in international rights for...
BWF 2022: ‘Big, diverse festival that attracted a diverse audience’
18 May 2022
Brisbane Writers Festival (BWF) wrapped up last week, having run 3–8 May, with an online festival running 10–14 May. BWF CEO Sarah Runcie told Books+Publishing 'particular standouts' were the festival's...
Prize money increase for Spark Prize
18 May 2022
Hardie Grant Books and RMIT Writing and Publishing have announced the prize money for the Spark Prize has increased from $2000 to $5000. The biennial developmental prize for narrative nonfiction,...
Vivas replaces Byng at HarperCollins
18 May 2022
HarperCollins Australia has announced the appointment of Ana Vivas as its new head of Australian children's publishing. Currently children's publisher at Hardie Grant, Vivas replaces Chren Byng, who was appointed...
‘In the Clearing’ to become Disney+ drama series
18 May 2022
A series adaptation of In the Clearing by J P Pomare (Hachette) has been acquired by Disney for its streaming service Disney+. Pomare's 2019 novel is a fictionalised account of...
ABA 2022 Bookseller of the Year shortlists announced
18 May 2022
The Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) has announced the shortlists for the 2022 ABA Bookseller of the Year awards. The awards recognise an individual bookseller for their outstanding achievement in the...
New PRH longform mentoring program
11 May 2022
The Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas (JNI) has partnered with Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) and the Copyright Agency on a new initiative to provide practical experience and...
EWF 2022 program announced
11 May 2022
The Emerging Writers’ Festival (EWF) has revealed its 2022 festival program, which will take place from 15–25 June 2022. Following EWF’s successful pivot to an online format in response to...
Pantera acquires Madigan book on stalking
4 May 2022
Pantera Press has acquired world rights for Obsession: The psychology of stalking by journalist Nicole Madigan, from Jeanne Ryckmans at Cameron's Management. In Obsession, Madigan tells the story of how...
Centre for Stories Writing Fellowships 2022 winners announced
4 May 2022
The Centre for Stories has announced the winners of the 2022 Centre for Stories Writing Fellowships. The six winning writers are: Ana Brawls, for a manuscript of literary fiction Melanie...
‘The Dictionary of Lost Words’ picked for Reese’s Book Club
4 May 2022
Pip Williams’ novel The Dictionary of Lost Words (Affirm) is the first Australian book to be selected for Reese’s Book Club. US actor and producer Reese Witherspoon founded the book...
‘Sorrow and Bliss’ shortlisted for 2022 Women’s Prize
28 April 2022
Sydney-based Aotearoa New Zealand writer Meg Mason has been shortlisted for the £30,000 (A$52,800) Women’s Prize for Fiction for her second novel Sorrow and Bliss (Fourth Estate). First published in...
Byng joins HGCP as publisher
28 April 2022
Chren Byng has been appointed publisher at Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing (HGCP). Currently head of head of Australian children’s publishing at HarperCollins, Byng will work from Hardie Grant's Sydney office...
Macquarie University launches author survey
28 April 2022
Macquarie University has launched a national survey investigating the practices of Australian authors in the contemporary national and international book industry. The survey, which follows on from a similar study...
Dorothy Hewett Award 2022 shortlist announced
28 April 2022
UWA Publishing (UWAP) has announced the shortlist for the 2022 Dorothy Hewett Award for an unpublished manuscript. The winner receives $10,000 prize money, as well as manuscript development and a...
UQP acquires van Neerven nonfiction book on sport
21 April 2022
UQP has acquired world rights to Personal Score, the first work of nonfiction by writer and poet Ellen van Neerven. Described by the publisher as a ‘groundbreaking look at sport...
