Welcome to this week's Book Briefing where we round up the news for the week!
This week we had SO many updates, thanks to Comic-Con in America taking place, the NZ Booksellers conference here in Aotearoa happening, and just the usual amazing announcements of new projects heading our way. We hope you enjoy this week's round up!
Book Hero are a finalsist for the NZ Retail Awards Online Store of the Year
There are still a couple more weeks to get your votes in for the Spark Retail Awards (and we think you should totally vote for us!). We are honoured to be a finalist for the 2026 Retail NZ Awards, and to continue to do our absolute best to reach more readers and promote books as a superpower for everyone. Being nominated means so much to us, and we would be so grateful if you took the time to go and vote too!
Claire Mabey awarded the Lynley Dodd Children’s Writers Award!
We were so happy to see the absolutely amazing Claire Mabey awarded with the prestigious Lynley Dodd Children’s Writers Award for 2026. Selected by an independent panel to receive $30 000 to support her ongoing work with writing incredible children’s books and her work supporting reading and writing in Aotearoa. Claire said about the award “I have so many ideas in my head and in notebooks and now, thanks to this generosity, I can take a sabbatical and work on them, full time.”
The fantasy world's funniest feud
Matt Dinniman and Pierce Brown have one of the funniest author rivalries around. From playful video jabs and convention pranks to battling it out in Street Fighter, the pair are constantly trolling each other. Whether it's Pierce joking about "helping" Matt sign books or Matt proudly reminding everyone he beat Pierce at the Howler Games, the banter has become almost as entertaining as the books themselves.
We need the new ‘Heated Rivalry’ exclusive hardback edition!
A deluxe new limited edition hardback for our favourite hockey romance is arriving early next year and we are SO excited to get our hands on it. Featuring a custom designed dust jacket, incredible character artwork and of course gorgeous sprayed edges. We can’t wait for an excuse to return to Shane and Ilya.
Grand Finale in the ‘Seasons of Carnage’ trilogy revealed!
Fans of the hilariously hot and murderous dark rom-com series ‘Seasons of Carnage’ are excited to have the finale revealed with ‘Hunting Season’. Hitting bookstores in April next year, Brynne says we can expect a second chance small town romance, with enemies to lovers , grumpy & grumpy, and some forced proximity with a side of murderous intent. We are here for it.
Criticism of children’s literature festival due to diversity comments
The Bath Children’s Literature Festival is facing public backlast after authors have revealed that their comments were deleted when they asked about the lack of diversity in 2026 programme. The founded emailed authors asking them to delete or retract comments and says they wanted to ensure the information being shared was correct, but the festival now says it has listened to the feedback and will work to ensure better representation.
Lynne Painter is bringing us a new cowboy romance and we can’t wait
In April 2027 we are all going to be lassoed into a brand new romance by best selling romantic-comedy writer Lynne Painter. ‘Cowboy Like Me’ has a gorgeous cover, a gruff cowboy and city girl brought together on a ranch, and a ruse that may end up in flames.
Pop-tastic artwork by Coco Solid unveiled for 2026 NZ Bookshop Day!
It was so exciting to see the unveiling of the official artwork for this year’s NZ Bookshop Day 2026! A gorgeous piece created by the talented writer, artist and musician Coco Solid, the design is a tribute to the importance of bookshops as community spaces full of ideas and inspiration (and people!). We love how vibrant and fun this design is, and look forward to celebrating NZ Bookshop Day on Saturday 10th October! Coco Solid is also author of a genre-bending book called 'How to Loiter In a Turf War' which is both ferocious and funny all at once.
New Romantasy Publishing Imprint Announced!
Going against those who may think Romantasy is just a phase, Harper Collins publishers have lunched a new imprint that will be focused on the genre. With the stunningly appropriate name, Moonfire, Harper Collins will publish a range of Romantasy titles from the start of 2027, with around 12 expected per year.
Hunger Games Collectors Edition is coming!
Dropping on November 3rd, there is a stunningly beautiful new special edition heading our way for dystopian classic, ‘The Hunger Games’. Featuring a foil-stamped slipcase, ribbon bookmark, illustrated endpapers, and of course gorgeous stained and stenciled edges, we just know this is going to be breathtaking.
Fashion & Books Collide - Dior is hosting next runway show inside a library
Dior has announced that their Pre-Fall 2027 collection will be presented for the first time ever on the island or Ireland, and even more excitingly will be shown at Trinity College’s Old Library in Dublin, within the Long Room which houses almost 200,00 of the university’s oldest books and manuscripts. It is so exciting to see fashion and literature continue to overlap and interact and we have no doubt this will be a show stopper.
A divisive dark romance series is being adapted into adult graphic novels!
And we can’t wait! Announced at Comic-Con this weekend, ‘Haunting Adeline’, the first in a dark romance series that is currently being adapted into film, is also going to be turned into a graphic novel and released next year. Author H.D. Carlton said “I’m thrilled for my readers to immerse themselves into this world in a whole new way”.
Matt Dinniman teases his next standalone novel
On a recent interview with Maude from ‘Maude’s Book Club’, Matt Dinniman (author of the ridiculous and excellent Dungeon Crawler Carl series) shared his current writing project and it sounds… wonderfully weird? He described it as a super violent and somehow also cosy fantasy standalone, set in a petting zoo. We’re all in. If you haven't already read Matt's other standalone novel, 'Operation Bounce House', you absolutely should! It's a riot fight against war machines piloted from Earth, and a story abut friendship and capitalism like nothing else.
Aotearoa NZ Book Industry Award Winners for 2026
15 awards were presented to bookshops, booksellers, publishers, authors, and other book trade stalwarts for their mahi in the industry over the last year. Among the many awards, Allen & Unwin won NZ Publishers of the Year, and Nigel Latta was awarded a special achievement award in memorium, accepted by his wife Dr Natalie Flynn. Congratulations to all the amazing winners!
‘Legends & Lattes’ is getting a graphic novel adaptation
Travis Baldree’s cosy fantasy novel is being adapted by Samuel Sattin and illustrated by Shanti Rittgets and Sarah Webb in the form of a full-colour graphic novel. Legends & Lattes is a slice of life story about barbarian Viv who is ready to pursue a quieter life and decides to open a coffee shop. We are so excited to see this low stakes and heartwarming story brought to life in a new way.
14,087 titles from Bloomsbury publishers involved in settlement with Anthropic
The publisher Bloomsbury who are home to authors such as novelist Sarah J Maas, Susanna Clarke, and JK Rowling, has received a multimillion pound payout as part of a copyright settlement between thousands of authors who have had their work used by AI startup Anthropic. Copyright has become a huge topic, both locally the recent NZ Booksellers Conference, and internationally as creatives demand better protection of their work.
Jon Klassen and music icon Raffi are collaborating on new picture book
Internationally beloved children’s singer-songwriter Raffi is pairing up with the incredible illustrator Jon Klassen to bring one of his songs to life in a gorgeous picture book. ‘I wonder if I’m growing’ is a book about getting taller and older, and we can’t wait for it to arrive in October 2026.
George R. R. Martin continues to write everything except the Winds of Winter
Despite us waiting 15 years from the last book in the ‘Game of Thrones’ series, George R.R. Marin is working on the fourth novella in the Dunk and Egg series. He has shared outlines of up to 12 novellas with the showrunner for ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’. Martin says he does still plan to finish the ‘Game of Thrones’ series.
That's all for this book briefing! For more bookish news, new releases, staff picks and plenty more from all the team at Book Hero, follow us on Instagram at @bookheronz and check back here on our blog as we post regularly!
