Industry representatives at AI inquiry; ACT Book of the Year; Writing Australia survey
Wednesday, 28 October 2026 Books+Publishing
Industry representatives have argued against changes to copyright in appearances before the Joint Select Committee on AI in Canberra; Writing Australia has launched a survey to inform a study of the economic value of Australia’s literature and publishing sector; the second Australian Publishing Industry Workforce Survey on Diversity and Inclusion has found Australia’s publishing workforce is become more culturally diverse; Kay Drury has joined Woodslane; the Australian Publishers Association is offering two Beatrice Davis fellowships in 2027; the winner of the Patrick White Literary Award has been announced, as have the recipients of the inaugural Stories Matter NSW Literary Fellowships and the winner of the Albert Ullin Award; Adelaide independent Dillons Books is set to open a second store; the screen adaptation of Tim Ayliffe’s John Bailey series is due next year; members of the Diversity in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand committee have created Authentic Voices Australia; the Footpath Library has received a funding boost; andthe Booksmart podcast is moving into publishing.
In Aotearoa New Zealand, Allen & Unwin has announced the winner of its 2026 Fiction Prize; the Coalition for Books will launch a new nationwide Aotearoa NZ Book of the Month campaign; the recipient of this year’s NZSA Peter and Dianne Beatson Fellowship has been announced; and Catherine Chidgey has been named an Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate.
Pip Adam has won the Ursula K Le Guin Prize for Fiction; and the ACT Book of the Year has been announced.
Sales were up for Love Your Bookshop Day
Sales were up for Love Your Bookshop Day week and in Aotearoa New Zealand for the week of Bookshop Day; and the Same Page Art Book Fair program has been announced.
Bundyi has signed ANZ rights to a “dark comedy” by Megan Albany; Allen & Unwin has acquired a nonfiction work by Anthony Ham and a novel by Gabby Stroud; Summit Books has signed a novel by Ashley Hay; MidnightSun has signed a new take on Sense & Sensibility; and University of Western Australia Publishing has acquired a literary novella.
In the UK, the Society of Authors has withdrawn from the Ethical AI Charter it launched with organisations including the Australian Society of Authors; Penguin Michael Joseph has announced the launch of a health, wellbeing and personal development imprint; and HarperCollins has launched new imprint Wildlit. And the winner of the Cundill History Prize has been announced.
We talk with founder Henry Rosenbloom about 50
We talk with founder Henry Rosenbloom about 50 years of Scribe Publications; and hear from Bakers Lane Books founder Ginny Grant about her first experience of the Frankfurt Book Fair.
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