Why write and publish a memoir? Will anyone be interested?
The Clennett Report – 17 April 2026
Welcome to The Clennett Report
Everything Books and Publishing Australia
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Hello everyone 😄
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The winners of the 2026 Ena Noël Award have been announced by The Australian branch of the International Board on Books for Young People. The winners are:
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Author: Raelke Grimmer / White Noise
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The Australian Booksellers Association has a new Lifetime Achievement in Bookselling Award. This award will be given to someone who “has given extraordinary and sustained service to bookselling in Australia”. The nominations close on May 4 and winners will be announced at the ABA conference in Canberra on June 14.
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Well known US bestselling author, Frieda McFadden who writes under a pen name and wears a wig in public, has revealed her true identity. Her real name is Sara Cohen and is a doctor who treats brain disorders. She began publishing in 2013 with her self-released book The Devil Wears Scrubs, and later became a well known name with her book The Housemaid, which has now been turned into a film staring Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeny.
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Audible has added a new pricing tier for Australian listeners. It will be $8.99 and offers one audiobook a month from a curated library.
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The shortlist for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize has been announced. You can review the list here.
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The Paragraph Fellowship will extend the award to two fellows in 2026. More information on the award can be seen on their website.
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Messy Press has won Best Children’s Publisher of the Year in the Oceania region as part of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
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The shortlist for the 2026 Age Book of the Year awards have been announced:
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Fiction
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Non-Fiction
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The 2026 business award shortlist for the Australian Book Industry Awards have been announced:
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Multicategory Retailer of the Year
Amazon Australia -
Commissioning Editor/Publisher of the Year
Aviva Tuffield (University of Queensland Press)Clair Hume (Thames & Hudson)
Marisa Pintado (Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)Rebecca Saunders (Hachette Australia)
Susannah Chambers (Allen & Unwin)Vanessa Radnidge (Hachette Australia) -
Marketing/Publicity Campaign of the Year
Alchemised (SenLinYu, Penguin Random House Australia)
Cherry Lam colouring book series (Cherry Lam, Penguin Random House Australia)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (Jeff Kinney, Penguin Random House Australia)A Different Kind of Power (Jacinda Ardern, Penguin Random House Australia)
Penguin 90th anniversary celebrations (Penguin Random House Australia)Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow (Jessica Townsend, Hachette Australia) -
Children’s Publisher of the Year
Allen & Unwin -
Small Publisher of the Year
Fremantle Press -
Publisher of the Year
Allen & Unwin
Books In the Media
Nationally
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A Rising of the Lights / Steve Toltz (Fiction)
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All Them Dogs / Djamel White (Fiction)
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Circle of Wonders / Kathryn Heyman (Fiction)
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Communion / Jon Doyle (Fiction)
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Ghost-Eye / Amitav Ghosh (Fiction)
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Journey to the End of Time / Alex Miller (Literary Essays)
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No Such Thing as Monday / Sian Hughes (Fiction)
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Sororicidal / Edwina Preston (Fiction)
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The Palm House / Gwendoline Riley (Fiction)
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Transcription / Ben Lerner (Fiction)
QLD
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After The Fall /Michael Delhaye (Politics)
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The Angry Wives Club / Gabbie Stroud (Fiction)
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The Fibre Factor / Joanna McMillan (Health)
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A Rising of the Lights / Steve Toltz (Fiction)
SA
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After The Fall /Michael Delhaye (Politics)
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The Angry Wives Club / Gabbie Stroud (Fiction)
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The Fibre Factor / Joanna McMillan (Health)
TAS
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The Angry Wives Club / Gabbie Stroud (Fiction)
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The Fibre Factor / Joanna McMillan (Health)
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VIC+WA
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A Rising of the Lights / Steve Toltz (Fiction)
*News gathered from Books+Publishing, The Guardian
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Featured Blog Posts
The Cathartic Memoir – I’ve journeyed from contempt to enthusiasm
Why write and publish a memoir? Will anyone be interested?
If I was running a 45 minute training session for indie authors what would be on the curriculum?
Here an experienced indie author publisher shares 4 topics every aspiring self-publisher needs to know.
Self-publish your book by raising funds through crowdfunding
You can fully finance you project (and more) if you apply the necessary effort.
Is Goodreads good for authors?
Estimated reading...
What is typesetting?
Estimated reading...
Social media marketing for authors
Social media...
Have you got the book hierarchy blues?
Estimated reading...
The economics of selling your book
Estimated reading...
What 99.9% of authors don’t know.
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Three tips for drafting your own work
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