Auckland Writers Festival program announced
Monday, 18 March 2024
The program for the Auckland Writers Festival, which will run 14–19 May 2024, has been announced. Fiction headliners include prize-winning novelist Ann Patchett; international bestselling author Celeste Ng; Pulitzer Prize–winning...
Yarros tops 2023 ebook charts
Monday, 18 March 2024
Rebecca Yarros’ romantasy titles Fourth Wing and Iron Flame (both Piatkus) have taken out the top two places in Nielsen BookScan’s 2023 ebook charts—and the second and third place overall...
Aurealis Awards shortlists announced
Monday, 18 March 2024
The shortlists for the 2023 Aurealis Awards, presented for science fiction, fantasy and horror writing in Australia, have been announced. Among longer-form works shortlisted for this year’s awards are: Best...
‘The Bee Sting’ wins Nero Book Prize
Monday, 18 March 2024
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray (Hamish Hamilton) has won the overall Nero Book Prize, worth £30,000 (A$57,684). Murray’s novel was chosen unanimously as the winner by a judging panel chaired...
Local publishers nominated for Bologna Prize
Thursday, 14 March 2024
Australian publishers Affirm Press, Fremantle Press and Hardie Grant Children's Publishing and Aotearoa New Zealand publishers Scholastic New Zealand and Huia Publishers have been shortlisted for this year’s Bologna Prize...
Affirm Press signs Sweatshop mentees Nour and Barnette
Thursday, 14 March 2024
Affirm Press has acquired world rights to books by Egyptian-Australian writer and journalist Daniel Nour and African-American Australian writer Tyree Barnette. Nour and Barnette were recipients of the 2021 Affirm...
Carnegie Medal 2024 shortlists announced
Thursday, 14 March 2024
In the UK, the 2024 shortlists for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration (previously known as the Kate Greenaway Medal for Illustration) and the Carnegie Medal for Writing have been announced....
Berry wins overall Writers’ Prize for ‘The Home Child’
Thursday, 14 March 2024
Poet Liz Berry is the winner of the 2024 Writers' Prize overall Book of the Year award, worth £30,000 (A$58,000), for The Home Child (Vintage). Berry’s novel-in-verse was inspired by the...
Fullagar wins 2024 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship
Thursday, 14 March 2024
Social and cultural historian Kate Fullagar is the winner of the 2024 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship, worth $20,000. Fullagar was awarded the fellowship for her proposed biography, ‘The Secret Life...
S&S acquires three titles by Heiss
Thursday, 14 March 2024
Simon & Schuster Australia (S&S) has acquired world rights to three new books by Anita Heiss, via Tara Wynne of Curtis Brown Australia. The first book, which has the working...
The party’s over: Publicists, burnout and a ‘far more creative’ role
Wednesday, 13 March 2024
Last week, Books+Publishing heard why book publicists are picking and choosing when (or, more often, when not) to put efforts into TikTok coverage. Here, they argue against big launch parties—and...
Global book report highlights growing book prices
Wednesday, 13 March 2024
A new Nielsen BookData-GfK study of the global book market has found that publishing revenue and book prices grew in many countries in 2023, reports Publishing Perspectives. The Global Book...
Christmas Press acquires Kelleher SF novel ‘The Lastling’
Wednesday, 13 March 2024
Christmas Press has acquired world rights to The Lastling, a science fiction novel for upper middle-grade readers by Victor Kelleher, via Margaret Connolly of Margaret Connolly and Associates. The Lastling,...
Shankari Chandran recommends
Wednesday, 13 March 2024
Winnie Dunn’s debut, Dirt Poor Islanders (Hachette). She explores Australian Tongan life with defiance and audacious honesty. It’s something we’ve never seen in Australian literature before. It was ferocious and...
Larrikin House acquires ‘I Can’t Believe…’ nonfiction series
Wednesday, 13 March 2024
Larrikin House has acquired world rights to a nonfiction series with multiple authors, including John Larkin, Cristy Burne, Louise Park and George Ivanoff, to be illustrated by Jules Faber. The...
New York, New York: Insights from the 2024 Australian publishing delegation
Wednesday, 13 March 2024
This year’s New York Publishers’ Program took place between 12 and 16 February, with nine delegates accompanying Creative Australia’s Jo Simpson as part of the program. Alex Adsett of Alex...
Hachette acquires Paris debut ‘The Unravelling’ in two-book deal
Wednesday, 13 March 2024
Hachette Australia and Hachette New Zealand have acquired world rights to The Unravelling, a debut novel from Rachel Paris, in a six-figure two-book deal. Describing the book, Hachette said it...
Shankari Chandran on ‘Safe Haven’
Tuesday, 12 March 2024
Australian Tamil lawyer and author Shankari Chandran, who won the 2023 Miles Franklin Award for her novel Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens (Ultimo), returns with her fourth novel, Safe Haven (Ultimo,...
Sort Of Books acquires UK rights to De Kretser novel
Tuesday, 12 March 2024
UK independent publisher Sort Of Books has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights (ex ANZ) to Michelle de Kretser’s forthcoming novel Theory & Practice, via Sarah Lutyens at Lutyens & Rubenstein....
Needham wins 2024 MUD Literary Prize
Tuesday, 12 March 2024
Kylie Needham has been announced as the winner of the 2024 MUD Literary Prize, at an event at the Adelaide Festival, for her novel Girl in a Pink Dress (Hamish...
International Booker Prize 2024 longlist
Tuesday, 12 March 2024
The longlist for the 2024 International Booker Prize, worth £50,000 (A$96,900), has been announced. The titles in the running for this year’s prize are: Crooked Plow (Itamar Vieira Junior, trans...
Zhan receives 2024 Kat Muscat Fellowship
Tuesday, 12 March 2024
Express Media and the Kat Muscat Fellowship Committee have announced that Xiaole Zhan is the recipient of the 2024 Kat Muscat Fellowship. Selected from a shortlist of six announced last...
Garmus, Patchett, Connelly, Ng to headline SWF
Friday, 8 March 2024
The program for this year’s Sydney Writers' Festival (SWF), which runs 20–26 May under the theme Take Me Away, has been announced. The program includes almost 300 guests and comprises...
No newsletter on Monday
Friday, 8 March 2024
There will be no Books+Publishing newsletter on Monday, 11 March, due to the Labour Day public holiday in Victoria. The next Books+Publishing newsletter will be published Tuesday, 12 March. The...
Penguin Literary Prize 2024 shortlist announced
Thursday, 7 March 2024
Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) has announced the shortlist for the 2024 Penguin Literary Prize. The shortlisted manuscripts are: ‘What Is Left for Us’ by Sophie Stern (Sydney, NSW)—When Rebecca...
Aotearoa publishers receive audiobook funding
Thursday, 7 March 2024
The successful recipients of the second round of funding in the Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture & Heritage audiobook publishing seed program in Aotearoa New Zealand have been announced by...
Affirm acquires Hardy’s ‘Unbury the Dead’
Thursday, 7 March 2024
Affirm Press has acquired world English rights to Unbury the Dead, a debut adult crime novel from Fiona Hardy, via Jacinta di Mase and Danielle Binks at Jacinta di Mase...
Former PRH, Macmillan executives launch new profit-share publishing venture
Thursday, 7 March 2024
In the US, three former high-level staff from Penguin Random House (PRH) and Macmillan have launched a new publishing company, Authors Equity, reports Publishers Weekly. Former PRH US CEO Madeline...
Australian Book Design Awards 2024 longlists announced
Wednesday, 6 March 2024
The longlists for the 2024 Australian Book Design Awards, presented by the Australian Book Designers Association (ABDA), have been announced. The longlisted titles in the first three categories, and the...
Book publicity in the TikTok age: What moves the needle now?
Wednesday, 6 March 2024
With the consolidation of print reviews that appear in some of Australia’s key newspapers and a reduction in the number that appear in others, how much effort should publishers expend...
