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20,000 attend PFWW; Beer tops bestsellers

Wednesday, 7 March 2018
Twenty thousand people attended the 2018 Perth Festival Writer’s Week (PFWW), which ran from 19 to 25 February. Attendance was down on last year’s event, but a festival spokesperson said...

New spec fic festival announces headliners Kaufman, Kristoff and Canavan

Wednesday, 7 March 2018
The creators of the Morning Bell literary podcast have announced a new festival focusing on speculative fiction and ‘the craft of writing’. The Speculate Literary Festival will run on Saturday...

NewSouth withdraws ‘Deadly Woman Blues’ from publication

Tuesday, 6 March 2018
NewSouth Publishing has withdrawn Clinton Walker’s recently released book Deadly Woman Blues from publication, after factual inaccuracies were brought to light by women who were featured in the book. The...

HarperCollins launches unpublished manuscript prize

Tuesday, 6 March 2018
HarperCollins has launched The Banjo Prize, an annual unpublished manuscript prize for Australian commercial fiction. The winner of the prize will receive a publishing contract with HarperCollins and an advance...

Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2018 shortlists announced

Tuesday, 6 March 2018
The shortlists for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards have been announced. The shortlisted titles in each category are: Fiction The New Animals (Pip Adam, Victoria University Press) Salt Picnic...

Schmidt wins inaugural MUD Literary Prize for debut fiction

Tuesday, 6 March 2018
Sarah Schmidt's See What I Have Done (Hachette) has won the inaugural MUD Literary Prize, awarded to a debut novelist. As part of the prize, Schmidt received a cash prize...

‘The Jade Lily’ sold into North America

Tuesday, 6 March 2018
Australian author Kirsty Manning’s forthcoming historical-fiction novel, The Jade Lily (A&U), has sold in the US at auction to William Morrow in a two-book deal. The deal was negotiated by...

‘Overland’ Neilma Sidney Prize winners announced

Monday, 5 March 2018
The winner and runners-up for Overland’s second Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize for travel-themed short fiction have been announced. Laura Elvery’s story ‘Unspooling’—about a woman ‘overwhelmed by a pair of...

Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature 2018 winners announced; Winton donates prize money to Ningaloo Reef protection

Monday, 5 March 2018
The winners of the 2018 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature were announced at a ceremony on 3 March as part of Adelaide Writers’ Week. The winners in each category are:...

Pascoe honoured for Lifetime Achievement in Literature

Monday, 5 March 2018
Bunurong writer Bruce Pascoe has won the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature. The Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature ‘acknowledges the achievements of eminent literary writers...

Shortlist announced for NGV’s Cornish Family Prize

Monday, 5 March 2018
The NGV has announced the shortlist for the Cornish Family Prize for Art and Design Publishing. The shortlisted titles are: Sirius (John Dunn, Ben Peake & Amiera Piscopo, Piper Press) 3...

Readings Carlton store robbed

Friday, 2 March 2018
Readings’ flagship bookstore in Carlton has been robbed, with the burglars stealing a safe containing more than $10,000, reports the Age. Readings managing director Mark Rubbo said the crime happened...

Glover longlisted for Walter Scott Prize 2018

Friday, 2 March 2018
Australian writer Dennis Glover has been longlisted for the 2018 Walter Scott Prize for The Last Man in Europe (Black Inc.). Glover’s novel about the writing of George Orwell’s classic,...

Inky Awards 2018 longlist announced

Thursday, 1 March 2018
The longlists for the 2018 Inky Awards have been announced. The awards are presented by the Centre for Youth Literature at the State Library of Victoria for local and international...

HGE sells US rights to Sydney bookseller’s middle-grade debut

Thursday, 1 March 2018
Hardie Grant Egmont (HGE) has sold US rights to Sydney bookseller Jeremy Lachlan’s middle-grade adventure novel Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds to Lerner Publishing imprint Carolrhoda Books....

Munoz announced as inaugural digital writer in residence

Thursday, 1 March 2018
Gabriella Munoz has been announced as Writers Victoria’s inaugural digital writer in residence. As part of her residency, Munoz will receive professional development including six paid commissions of 800-1000 words...

Lake Press to purchase Parragon Australia assets

Wednesday, 28 February 2018
Australian publisher Lake Press has announced it will purchase Parragon Publishing Australia’s stock and intellectual property together with the assets of Parragon’s distribution centre on 1 March. Lake Press COO...

Text sells ‘The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted’ into North America

Wednesday, 28 February 2018
Text Publishing has sold North American rights to Robert Hillman’s forthcoming novel The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted to Putnam and Penguin Canada ‘for a significant sum’. Hillman’s book, which...

Bray appointed Bloomsbury Australia MD

Wednesday, 28 February 2018
Liz Bray has been appointed the managing director of Bloomsbury Australia following the recent departure of Kate Cubitt. Bray has worked in the publishing industry for more than 20 years,...

CBCA Notable Books for 2018 announced

Wednesday, 28 February 2018
The Children’s Book Council of Australian (CBCA) has released its list of Notable Books for 2018. They are as follows: Older readers Mallee Boys (Charlie Archbold, Wakefield Press) The Fall...

Asialink 2018 arts exchanges announced

Wednesday, 28 February 2018
The recipients of the University of Melbourne’s Asialink Arts Exchanges Program (previously known as the Residencies Program) for 2018 have been announced. Writers receiving residencies in Asian countries are: Annee Lawrence,...