The Clennett Report - 17 April 2026

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Everything Books and Publishing Australia

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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:
- Author: Raelke Grimmer / White Noise
- Illustrator Sami Bayly / The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Extinct Animals
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.
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.
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.
The shortlist for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize has been announced. You can review the list here.
The Paragraph Fellowship will extend the award to two fellows in 2026. More information on the award can be seen on their website.
Messy Press has won Best Children’s Publisher of the Year in the Oceania region as part of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
The shortlist for the 2026 Age Book of the Year awards have been announced:
- Fiction
  
  Fierceland / Omar Musa
  
  The Immigrants / Moreno Giovannoni
  
  Out of the Woods / Gretchen Shirm
  
  A Piece of Red Cloth Leonie Norrington
  
  Salvage / Jennifer Mills
  
  You Must Remember This / Sean Wilson
- Non-Fiction
  
  Blue Poles / Tom McIlroy
  
  Gutsy Girls / Josie McSkimming
  
  Mr and Mrs Gould / Grantlee Kieza
  
  The Red House / Kate Wild
  
  The Shortest History of Australia / Mark McKenna
  
  A Woman’s Eye, Her Art / Drusilla Modjeska
The 2026 business award shortlist for the Australian Book Industry Awards have been announced:
- Bookshop of the Year
  Books Kinokuniya Sydney
  Collins Booksellers Warrnambool
  
  Constant Reader
  Fullers Bookshop
  
  Gleebooks Dulwich Hill
  Paper Bird
- Book Retailer of the Year
  Booktopia
  Dymocks
  The Nile
  QBD Books
  Readings
- Multicategory Retailer of the Year
  Amazon Australia
  
  Big W
  Kmart
  
  WHSmith 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
  
  Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing
  Little Book Press
  
  Magabala Books
  Penguin Random House Australia
  
  Thames & Hudson Australia
- Small Publisher of the Year
  Fremantle Press
  
  Little Book Press
  Magabala Books
  
  Rockpool Publishing
  Smith Street Books
  
  University of Queensland Press
- Publisher of the Year
  Allen & Unwin
  
  Hachette Australia
  Hardie Grant Publishing
  
  HarperCollins Publishers
  
  Pan Macmillan Australia