Local publishers are currently anticipating delays to some book supply due to printer closures in China, with most commercial printers expected to resume operations this week.

In more positive news, children’s author Ursula Dubosarsky was yesterday named the next Australian Children’s Laureate, and during her term aims to increase the number of children who join their local library. Australian women writers were also celebrated at last week’s Stella Prize longlist party, where for the first time a graphic work was selected as part of the 12-strong longlist. In other good news for writers, national arts reviews and criticism will be funded to the tune of $150,000, thanks to new investment from the Copyright Agency.

International guests attending the Visiting International Publishers (VIPs) program in late April have been announced, with OzCo supporting an additional three VIPs fellows to attend for the first time this year. UQP has instigated a new program for Indigenous university graduates hoping to enter publishing, while Magabala’s Rachel Bin Salleh has been recognised as ‘trailblazer’ and an ‘unparalleled advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices and stories’ through a new WA award.

In international headlines, a new prize for women writers in Canada is offering C$150,000 for a single work of fiction, and Barnes & Noble and Penguin Random House have cancelled a planned Black History Month promotion in the US after a social media backlash that accused the companies of ‘literary blackface’.

For all the latest local, international and rights news, sign up to our Daily newsletter here.

This year marks the 100-year anniversary of Fullers Bookshop in Hobart, which was opened by Bill Fuller, his wife Frances and Jim Boa on 16... Read more

Prolific children’s author Ursula Dubosarsky has been chosen as the Australian Children’s Laureate. She spoke with Sarah Farquharson about her plans for her two-year term... Read more

Sales Children’s Hardie Grant has sold Italian-language rights to All of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors (Davina Bell & Jenny Løvlie); Danish-language rights... Read more

Trent Dalton’s multi-award-winning debut novel Boy Swallows Universe and Scott Pape’s 2016 guide to household finance The Barefoot Investor topped the Australian fiction and nonfiction charts... Read more

After five consecutive weeks in the top spot on the bestsellers chart, Bluey has been knocked to number two (Time to Play!, Puffin) and replaced... Read more

Sarah Epstein’s latest young adult thriller is equipped with enough intrigue and twists to rival any adult or international title in the genre. Deep Water... Read more

‘Writing probably doesn’t feel like the most crucial response here, and maybe it’s not. There is lots of other work to be done. But writing can help us see connections, record violence, build empathy, address possible futures. Writing in an emergency means pulling yourself back from the nostalgic deep dive. It means unwriting our lusty paradises, because they never were.’—Briohny Doyle, speaking at the announcement of the 2020 Stella Prize longlist, on writing in the climate change era.

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... Read more

Tickets are now on sale for the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA). ABIA invites book industry professionals to celebrate the best books and finest talent... Read more