Pan Macmillan and Affirm win at 2019 ABIAs; ‘Boy Swallows Universe’ wins book of the year

The winners of the 2019 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs) were announced in Sydney on 2 May.

Pan Macmillan won publisher of the year, while Affirm Press won small publisher of the year, with an honourable mention going to Magabala Books.

In retailing, Mary Martin Bookshops was named independent book retailer of the year and Booktopia was named national book retailer of the year.

Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe (Fourth Estate) topped the winners list with four awards, including book of the year.

The full list of winners is:

Book of the year

• Boy Swallows Universe (Trent Dalton, Fourth Estate)

General fiction book of the year

• The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (Holly Ringland, Fourth Estate)

Literary fiction book of the year

• Boy Swallows Universe (Trent Dalton, Fourth Estate)

General nonfiction book of the year

• No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison (Behrouz Boochani, trans by Omid Tofighian, Picador)
• Honourable mention: Any Ordinary Day (Leigh Sales, Hamish Hamilton)

Biography of the year

• Eggshell Skull (Bri Lee, A&U)

Book of the year for older children (ages 13+)

• Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds (Jeremy Lachlan, Hardie Grant Egmont)

Book of the year for younger children (ages 7-12)

• The 104-Storey Treehouse (Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton, Pan)

Children’s picture book of the year (ages 0-6)

• All the Ways to be Smart (Davina Bell & Allison Colpoys, Scribble)

Illustrated book of the year

• Family: New vegetable classics to comfort and nourish (Hetty McKinnon, Plum)

Matt Richell Award for new writer of the year

• Boy Swallows Universe (Trent Dalton, Fourth Estate)

Small publishers’ adult book of the year

• Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia (ed by Anita Heiss, Black Inc.)

Small publishers’ children’s book of the year

• Whisper (Lynette Noni, Pantera)

International Book of the Year

• Less (Andrew Sean Greer, Abacus)

Audiobook of the year

• Boy Swallows Universe (Trent Dalton, narrated by Stig Wemyss, HarperCollins)
• Honourable mention: Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia (ed by Anita Heiss, narrated by Shari Sebbens, Gregory J Fryer et al, Wavesound)

Publisher’s fellowship ($15,000)

• Justin Ractliffe

As previously reported, publisher and author Richard Walsh was presented with the Lloyd O’Neil Award for service to the Australian book industry, and children’s book specialist Kathy Kozlowski received the Pixie O’Harris Award for service to Australian children’s literature. Hachette head of marketing communications Ella Chapman won this year’s ABIA rising star of the year award, presented to an emerging talent in Australian publishing who has spent less than 10 years in the industry.

Award winners were selected from shortlists announced in April by a panel of industry figures, publishers and booksellers.

Tags: abia

Category: Awards Local news