AGP Executive Report

AI and Copyright: Global music publishers say AI firms used songs by Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave without permission or payment, warning that pressure to weaken Australian copyright rules could strip creators of control and income. Publishing Moves: Universal Music Publishing Group promoted Sydney-based Maree Hamblion to lead A&R and creative across Australia and New Zealand. Literary Honours: New Zealand novelist Catherine Chidgey has been named an Arts Foundation laureate; her latest novel, The Starving Bride, was released in Australia this month. Australian Books: Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet topped ABC Radio National’s Top 100 Australian Books poll, with more than 280,000 votes cast. Music on the Page: A new book, World is Almost at Peace, gathers late Midnight Oil songwriter Rob Hirst’s lyrics, notes, photographs and reflections on the band’s best-known songs. Canberra Prize: Little Bones has won the capital’s top book award.

Australian Book Poll: Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet has been voted Australia’s favourite book in ABC Radio National’s Top 100, ahead of The Book Thief and Boy Swallows Universe. Winton recalled writing the novel while broke; its publisher chose an affordable paperback, and it became a hit. Canberra Prize: Little Bones has claimed the capital’s top book award. Local Bookshops: A new feature highlights how community ties are helping independent bookshops connect with readers. New Fiction: WA author Rebecca Higgie’s upcoming near-future novel explores the afterlife in a story set in Perth.

Australian Reading: Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet has topped ABC Radio National’s poll of the 100 best Australian books, ahead of The Book Thief and Boy Swallows Universe. The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book also made the list, at No. 22. New Fiction: Perth author Rebecca Higgie’s second novel, The Book of the After, imagines an afterlife shaped by whether the living remember the dead. Awards and Festivals: Little Bones has claimed Canberra’s top book award, while the upcoming Headland Writers Festival is drawing big names. The 2026 Walkley Book Award longlist has also been announced. Bookshops: A new report highlights how community connections are helping local bookshops.

Australian Fiction: Perth author Rebecca Higgie’s second novel, The Book of the After, imagines a 2049 where the dead endure only while they’re remembered, exploring fame, political power and legacy. Book Awards: Little Bones has claimed Canberra’s top book award, putting a local title in the spotlight. Readers and Bookshops: New coverage examines the challenge of raising readers amid screens and how community connections can help local bookshops thrive. Literary Events: The upcoming Headland Writers Festival is drawing big names, adding to a busy calendar for Australian readers.

Writers’ Festivals: Headland Writers Festival, running October 23–25 in Tathra, will bring Australian writers together to discuss AI, immigration and ethics, alongside local books including James Saunders’ biography of Indigenous war veteran Reg Saunders. Screen Deal: A.F. Steadman’s fantasy novel TimeLess, due in 2027, is attracting film interest from Amazon MGM, United Artists and Heyday Films; Simon & Schuster has secured the trilogy for coordinated publication in Australia, the UK and the US. Melbourne History: Chris Macheras’s new coffee-table book revisits the city’s culinary past, from landmark restaurants to suburban smorgasbords—a project that grew from a lockdown Instagram account. Book Awards: Little Bones has won Canberra’s top book award, while a novel about a young woman accused of witchcraft has taken a $100,000 prize.

Book Awards: “Little Bones” has claimed Canberra’s top book award, while the 2026 Walkley Book Award longlist puts nonfiction titles in contention. A novel about a young woman accused of witchcraft has also won a $100,000 book prize. Australian Publishing: An Australian publisher’s decades-long effort to understand China’s Long March is in focus in a new book tracing its legacy. Bookshops & Reading: Local bookshops are drawing on community connections, while reading parties turn solitary reading into a social occasion. Melbourne History: Chris Macheras’s Old Vintage Melbourne: A Culinary Chronicle revisits the city’s vanished eateries, growing from a lockdown photo project he continued while undergoing treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma.

Canberra Book Prize: Sandy Bigna’s Little Bones, a verse novel about grief and friendship, has won the $10,000 ACT Book of the Year Award. Major Literary Awards: A novel about a young woman accused of witchcraft has taken a $100,000 book prize, while the 2026 Walkley Book Award longlist has also been announced. Publishing and History: Australian publisher Harold Weldon reflects on four decades spent exploring China’s Long March and bringing its history to readers. Reading Picks: Critics have shared new fiction and non-fiction recommendations, and Australian experts have weighed in on the country’s best book.

Book Prizes: Bernice Barry’s The Names of a Hare, published by Fremantle Press, has won the $100,000 adult ARA Historical Novel Prize. Meg Caddy took the children’s and YA prize for UQP’s A Flash in the Dust, while Wayne Marshall won readers’ choice for Henry Goes Bush. Literary Awards: The 2026 Walkley Book Award longlist has been announced, putting Australian nonfiction titles in the spotlight. Writers’ Festivals: Canberra Writers Festival is on this weekend, with a packed programme of sessions for readers and writers. Australian Literary History: A new look at the question of Australia’s first novel revisits the country’s early fiction and its place in the national story.

Publishing and Free Speech: Sally Rooney says Faber will stop supplying her books in the UK because her support for the banned group Palestine Action could make fulfilling UK publishing contracts a criminal offence. Literary Events: The Canberra Writers Festival is on this weekend, bringing authors and readers together for sessions across the capital. Australian Books: The government has cleared a history of Australia’s Afghanistan war for publication after a three-year delay. Publishing: A feature revisits an Australian publisher’s decades-long quest to understand China through the Long March.

Reading Habits: An Australian essay asks whether audiobooks count as “cheating”, making the case for listening as another way to experience a book. Festival Season: Canberra Writers Festival is on this weekend, with author talks and sessions among the program highlights. Publishing History: A new profile revisits editor Hilary McPhee’s lasting impact on Australian publishing, beginning in 1975. Books and China: An Australian publisher’s decades-long quest to understand China’s Long March is the focus of a recent story. Young Readers: One article asks whether cash incentives could help get more Australian children reading.

Canberra Writers Festival: The festival returns this weekend, with a packed programme of sessions and tips on where to eat and drink between events. Australian Publishing: A feature revisits an Australian publisher’s decades-long quest to understand China through the Long March. Industry Legacy: A look back at editor Hilary McPhee’s influence on Australian publishing highlights the people who helped shape the local book industry. New Writing: Mao’s Last Dancer Li Cunxin discusses his long-awaited follow-up, 14 years in the making. AI and Authorship: An author says someone used AI to create and sell a book about them, raising fresh concerns about consent and impersonation.

Canberra Writers Festival: More than 100 events run October 15–18, but over half had already sold out. The program includes local debut novelists Emma Pei Yin and sessions on the publishing industry. Australian Books: Mao’s Last Dancer Li Cunxin has a long-awaited follow-up after 14 years, while another feature traces an Australian publisher’s decades-long quest to understand China’s Long March. Author Safety: A report on literary scams reveals organized outreach targeting authors, including Australians; some victims paid $1,200 upfront for services. Publishing Legacy: Hilary McPhee’s influence on Australian publishing is back in focus, with a look at how the editor helped reshape the industry in 1975.

Publishing and China: Australian publisher Harold Weldon says decades of engagement with China and two journeys along the Long March helped shape his quest to understand the country. New Australian Fiction: Award-winning horror author JJ Carpenter returns to Mount Gambier Library on October 27 to launch The First House, inspired by a Tasmanian historic site. Reading Culture: Book doofs and reading parties are turning solitary reading into a social activity, while a separate debate asks whether cash incentives could get more children reading. Publishing Legacy: A look back at editor Hilary McPhee’s impact highlights how she helped transform Australian publishing in 1975. Local Authors: Seven writers have been shortlisted for the ACT Book of the Year.

New Fiction: Heather Morris returns with The Piano Teacher of Montparnasse, a novel inspired by a piano teacher who sheltered a Jewish girl in occupied Paris. Official Histories: The first volume of Australia’s Iraq and Afghanistan war history has been cleared for publication after a three-year wait; three further volumes remain unpublished. Writers’ Festivals: A call to make more room for comics highlights a debate over whose work belongs on festival stages. Canberra Books: Independent shop Paperchain has announced its Braddon opening date, while seven local authors have made the ACT Book of the Year shortlist. Publishing Legacy: A new look back at editor Hilary McPhee explores how she helped reshape Australian publishing from 1975. AI and Authorship: An Australian writer says an AI-generated book about them was published and sold online, raising fresh questions about consent and accountability.

Publishing & China: Melbourne publisher Harold Weldon reflects on two journeys along the Long March and four decades of engagement with China. Official Histories: The first volume of Australia’s Iraq and Afghanistan war history has been cleared for publication after a three-year wait; three more Afghanistan volumes remain unpublished. Books on Screen: SBS has acquired the Australian rights to Hildur, adapted from Satu Rämö’s thriller series, which has sold more than two million copies worldwide. Australian Fiction: Amanda Curtin’s Six Days, published by Upswell, explores homelessness, addiction and fragile acts of care in a layered story set across Paris and Europe. Comics & Awards: Lee Lai’s Stella Prize win for graphic novel Cannon is fuelling calls for writers’ festivals to give comics more space; seven local authors have also been shortlisted for the ACT Book of the Year.

New Australian Fiction: Canberra crime writer Jack Heath returns with Choppy Water, a cruise-ship thriller set as the world shuts its borders in March 2020. It is due November 3. Local Bookselling: Canberra’s Paperchain Braddon has announced an opening date, while four authors are helping turn a new page for Murrumburrah-Harden. Awards: A debut inspired by a segregated shantytown has won a top Queensland literary award. Publishing History: A new look back credits editor Hilary McPhee with changing Australian publishing in 1975. Writers and Readers: Li Cunxin discusses the 14-year wait for his follow-up to Mao’s Last Dancer, and a report of an AI-generated book about a real person being sold online raises fresh questions about authorship and consent.