Books+Publishing to produce Australian Book Industry Awards
The Australian Publishers Association (APA) has announced that Books+Publishing will ‘take the production reins’ of the annual Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs) under a new licensing agreement.
In 2025, which will be the 25th year of the ABIAs, the awards will be known as ‘The Australian Book Industry Awards presented by Books+Publishing’.
APA CEO Patrizia Di Biase-Dyson said of the agreement: ‘It’s a huge achievement to have delivered 24 years of industry awards, and I want to acknowledge and give thanks to the many sponsors and hundreds of industry volunteers who have contributed to its success over many years. We believe this partnership will shine an even brighter spotlight on the best Australian books, audiobooks and the exceptional talent across the entire book industry.’
Books+Publishing CEO Gary Pengelly said: ‘This is an exciting opportunity for Books+Publishing to diversify our industry activity, following in the footsteps of other international trade publications hosting industry events. We hope that the central positioning of Books+Publishing in our industry will allow us to broaden audience engagement, in order to nurture and grow an event that is the only celebration of local publishing and books of its kind.’
Books+Publishing will present the 2025 awards with contributions from industry leaders who serve on the ABIA committee, including Simon & Schuster Australia managing director Dan Ruffino, Hachette Australia CEO Louise Stark, and Affirm Press sales director Keiran Rogers.
Stark said of the news: ‘Books+Publishing’s central and independent role within the industry makes them the perfect partner to grow the ABIA. We can’t wait to start planning next year.’
Further information about the 2025 awards, including dates for nominations, tickets and shortlists, will be announced later this year.
The 2024 awards ceremony took place in Melbourne in May, with The Voice to Parliament Handbook (Thomas Mayo & Kerry O’Brien, HG Explore) taking out the overall book of the year award.
Category: Local news
