ANZ authors among 2024 Dublin Literary Award longlistees
Friday, 19 January 2024
Several books by Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand authors have been longlisted for the €100,000 (A$166,000) International Dublin Literary Award, the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work...
Strong Christmas boosts 2023 book sales
Thursday, 18 January 2024
While book sales for the year overall were down on 2022 figures, 2023 finished strong, with Christmas sales up overall according to Nielsen BookScan figures. According to Nielsen, Australian sales...
‘Get Your Story Straight’ sells to Levine Querido
Thursday, 18 January 2024
Irene Vázquez at Levine Querido (LQ) has acquired world English (excl ANZ) rights and world Spanish and Dutch rights in Briar Rolfe’s graphic novel Get Your Story Straight in a...
DANZ Children’s Book Award longlists announced
Thursday, 18 January 2024
The longlists for the inaugural DANZ (Diversity in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand) Children’s Book Award have been announced. The longlisted titles in each category are: Picture books Echo (Lisa...
New organisation to ‘certify’ fair AI
Thursday, 18 January 2024
In the US, the Association of American Publishers is among those supporting a new nonprofit organisation called Fairly Trained that aims to ‘certify fair training data use’ in generative AI,...
Roberts to leave Scribe
Thursday, 18 January 2024
Scribe Publications has announced Cora Roberts is leaving her role as publicity director after more than 12 years at the company. Scribe publisher and CEO Henry Rosenbloom said: ‘Cora has been...
Audible to cut staff
Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Audible CEO Bob Carrigan, in a memo to staff, said that Audible is cutting its workforce, reports Publishers Weekly (PW). PW said the cuts are believed to be about 5%...
Explainer: Why did the costs of printing a book go up?
Wednesday, 17 January 2024
In 2022 when Books+Publishing reported on the increasing costs of print in Australia, IVE Group CEO Cliff Brigstocke said he had 'never witnessed such a challenging set of circumstances’ in...
HarperCollins acquires Dalgarno novel
Wednesday, 17 January 2024
HarperCollins has acquired ANZ rights to The Travelling Library by Paul Dalgarno, in a deal brokered by Martin Shaw of Shaw Literary. The Travelling Library is 'a tender coming-of-age story...
Küster appointed as director of CSIRO Publishing
Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Arend Küster has been appointed as director of CSIRO Publishing. Previously in the role the director, academic affairs at Springer Nature, Küster had focused on building strategic relationships with government...
Government releases interim report on Safe and Responsible AI
Wednesday, 17 January 2024
The government has released its interim report on Safe and Responsible AI in Australia. The Department of Industry, Science and Resources report acknowledges that submissions to its earlier discussion paper...
POD and the pandemic: How are publishers using print on demand now?
Wednesday, 17 January 2024
For many publishers around the world, the supply-chain chaos of the pandemic drove a move to print on demand (POD). Books+Publishing asks what role POD plays for publishers and booksellers...
Thank you for your Christmas survey responses, deadline extended
Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Thank you to all the booksellers and publishers who have responded to our annual Christmas survey. We have extended the deadline for submissions to COB, Monday, 22 January, to give...
Alice joins Byron Writers Festival as artistic director
Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Byron Writers Festival has announced the appointment of Jessica Alice as its new artistic director. Alice, who announced in December that she was resigning as CEO of Writers SA, replaces...
Australian book market down 2.1% in value
Wednesday, 17 January 2024
The book market was down in Australia by 2.1% in value and 1.7% in volume, according to figures from Nielsen BookData's BookScan service. Nielsen's 2023 snapshot, covering 1 January to...
Indie Book Awards 2024 shortlists announced
Wednesday, 17 January 2024
The shortlists for the 2024 Indie Book Awards, presented by Leading Edge Books, have been announced. The titles shortlisted in each category are: Fiction Lola in the Mirror (Trent Dalton, Fourth...
Gougoulis to depart Text
Tuesday, 16 January 2024
Alaina Gougoulis is departing her role as senior editor at Text Publishing, after almost 15 years at the company. Said Gougoulis: ‘I’ve worked at Text for nearly fifteen years, so...
Bookshop in Kerang to close
Tuesday, 16 January 2024
The Little Blue Book Shop in Kerang, Victoria, has announced that it will close at the end of March. Bookseller Amanda Day told Books+Publishing: ‘The business was doing okay until...
Pearl Prize finalists announced
Tuesday, 16 January 2024
Midsumma Festival has announced the 15 finalists for its inaugural Pearl Prize. The prize accepted entries of short pieces of unpublished prose and/or poetry from LGBTIQA+ writers and their allies...
Allen-Paisant wins 2023 T S Eliot Prize
Tuesday, 16 January 2024
In the UK, Jason Allen-Paisant has won the 2023 T S Eliot Prize, worth £25,000 (A$47,773), for his collection Self-Portrait as Othello (Carcanet Press), reports the Bookseller. Self-Portrait as Othello...
S&S announces staff restructure, new appointments
Monday, 15 January 2024
Simon & Schuster (S&S) Australia has announced several staff changes, including the creation of several new roles, in a restructure following the resignation of international and client product director Caitlin...
Harper launches YA imprint
Monday, 15 January 2024
In the UK, HarperCollins Children’s Books (HCCB) is launching a new YA imprint, Harper Fire, reports the Bookseller. HarperCollins said the new imprint would be a chance to 'publish standout,...
Ferguson to depart PANZ, join Auckland Writers Festival
Monday, 15 January 2024
Catriona Ferguson has resigned as director of the Publishers Association of New Zealand Te Rau o Tākupu (PANZ) after six years in the role. In a message announcing the move,...
2024 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship shortlist announced
Thursday, 11 January 2024
Writers Victoria has announced the shortlist for the 2024 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship. The shortlist includes nine writers: Carolyn Dowley (WA), ‘for a biography of Sadie Canning, a Wongutha woman,...
Larrikin House acquires Harry, Foster junior fiction
Thursday, 11 January 2024
Larrikin House has acquired world rights to a junior fiction text titled Camp Spook: Attack of the Aliants! co-authored by Pip Harry and Kate Foster. In this book, 10-year-old Julia...
B&N aims to open 50 stores in 2024
Thursday, 11 January 2024
In the US, Barnes & Noble (B&N) CEO James Daunt has announced the chain has set a goal of opening 50 new stores in 2024, reports Publishers Weekly (PW). According...
Anton Clifford-Motopi recommends
Wednesday, 10 January 2024
I recently finished reading What About Thao? by Oliver Phommavanh. I loved the portrayal of everyday life in a small country town and the likeable and relatable cast of characters....
Please complete our Christmas survey
Wednesday, 10 January 2024
Books+Publishing is currently conducting its annual Christmas survey of booksellers and publishers. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey online. We are accepting submissions until Wednesday, 17 January. Booksellers...
Writers’ Prize 2024 shortlist announced
Wednesday, 10 January 2024
The shortlist for the 2024 Writers' Prize, formerly the Rathbones Folio Prize, has been announced. The shortlisted books in each category are: Fiction The Wren, The Wren (Anne Enright, Vintage)...
100 Story Building among Creative Ventures Program recipients
Wednesday, 10 January 2024
The 100 Story Building in Footscray, Victoria, is among the funding recipients of the Creative Ventures Program, a Creative Victoria program that provides two-year grants to small creative organisations. The program...
