New literary journal, student press; Age Book of the Year shortlists; Michael Gifkins Prize longlist

In this week’s news are two new ventures: new independent publishing house Vitagraph Publishing has launched Written Off, a new literary journal dedicated to Australian literature; and student-run Elephant Page Publishing has launched at Curtin University.

Meanwhile, in awards news, the Age has announced the shortlists for its 2024 Book of the Year awards; Text Publishing and the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc) have announced the longlist for the 2024 Michael Gifkins Prize for an unpublished novel; Meanjin has announced Ella Ferris as the inaugural recipient of the Meanjin InPlace residency; and in the UK, the Crime Writers’ Association has announced the longlists for its Dagger Awards, with local writers Chris Hammer and Kate Morton longlisted for the Gold Dagger.

Elsewhere in international news, the Bookseller reported that HarperCollins UK announced a partnership with US-based audio AI company ElevenLabs to create audiobooks for its non-English language business, as well as that data released by Spotify shows that 25% of the platform’s Premium users are ‘engaging’ with its audiobooks offering; and the 2024 shortlists for the Jhalak Prize and Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize have been announced.

Category: This week’s news