The longlists for the 2020 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs) have been announced. The ABIAs celebrate the best books of the year, as judged by Australian book industry members.
The titles in each category are…
General fiction book of the year
- Bruny by Heather Rose
- Call Me Evie by J.P. Pomare
- Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris
- Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham
- Peace by Garry Disher
- Silver by Chris Hammer
- The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan
- The Wife and the Widow by Christian White
Literary fiction book of the year
- Damascus by Christos Tsiolkas
- Exploded View by Carrie Tiffany
- Room for a Stranger by Melanie Cheng
- The Drover’s Wife by Leah Purcell
- The Weekend by Charlotte Wood
- The Yield by Tara June Winch
- There Was Still Love by Favel Parrett
- Wolfe Island by Lucy Treloar
General nonfiction book of the year
- Accidental Feminists by Jane Caro
- Against All Odds by Craig Challen & Richard Harris with Ellis Henican
- Banking Bad by Adele Ferguson
- Fake by Stephanie Wood
- Kitty Flanagan’s 488 Rules for Life by Kitty Flanagan
- See What You Made Me Do by Jess Hill
- The Yellow Notebook by Helen Garner
- Troll Hunting by Ginger Gorman
Biography book of the year
- Australia Day by Stan Grant
- Jack Charles: Born-again Blakfella by Jack Charles
- Gulpilil by Derek Rielly
- Penny Wong: Passion and Principle by Margaret Simons
- Tell Me Why by Archie Roach
- The Prettiest Horse In The Glue Factory by Corey White
- When All is Said & Done by Neale Daniher with Warwick Green
- Your Own Kind of Girl by Clare Bowditch
Book of the year for older children (ages 13+)
- Detention by Tristan Bancks
- How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox
- It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood
- Kindred edited by Michael Earp
- The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim
- This Is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield
- Welcome to Country: Youth Edition by Marcia Langton
- Welcome To Your Period by Yumi Stynes & Dr Melissa Kang
Book of the year for younger children (ages 7-13)
- Explore Your World: Weird, Wild, Amazing! by Tim Flannery
- Funny Bones edited by Kate Temple, Jol Temple & Oliver Phommavanh
- How to Make a Movie in 12 Days by Fiona Hardy
- Real Pigeons Nest Hard by Andrew McDonald & Ben Wood
- The 117-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton
- The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals Sami Bayly
- Under the Stars by Lisa Harvey-Smith & Mel Matthews
- Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe
Children’s picture book of the year (ages 0-6)
- All of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors by Davina Bell & Jenny Løvlie
- Bluey: The Beach
- Kindness Makes Us Strong by Sophie Beer
- Lottie and Walter by Anna Walker
- Mr Chicken All Over Australia by Leigh Hobbs
- The Painted Ponies by Alison Lester
- The Tiny Star by Mem Fox & Freya Blackwood
- Tilly by Jane Godwin & Anna Walker
- Wilam by Andrew Kelly, Aunty Joy Murphy & Lisa Kennedy
Illustrated book of the year
- Australia Modern: Architecture, Landscape & Design 1925–1975 by Hannah Lewi & Philip Goad
- Ben Quilty by Ben Quilty
- Finding the Heart of the Nation by Thomas Mayor
-
Macquarie Atlas of Indigenous Australia: Second Edition Bill Arthur by Frances Morphy (eds.)
- Olive Cotton by Helen Ennis
- Step into Paradise by Jenny Kee & Linda Jackson
- The Lost Boys: The untold stories of the under-age soldiers who fought in the First World War by Paul Byrnes
- The Whole Fish Cookbook by Josh Niland
- Three Birds Renovations by Erin Cayless, Bonnie Hindmarsh & Lana Taylor
International book of the year
- Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow
- Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
- Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
- Lanny by Max Porter
- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
- The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
- Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Small publishers’ adult book of the year
- Cosmic Chronicles by Fred Watson
- Feeding the Birds at Your Table: A guide for Australia by Darryl Jones
- Invented Lives by Andrea Goldsmith
- Kindred by Kirli Saunders
- Paris Savages by Katherine Johnson
-
Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta
- Split by Lee Kofman
- The White Girl by Tony Birch
Small publishers’ children’s book of the year
- Baby Business by Jasmine Seymour
- Cooee Mittigar by Jasmine Seymour & Leanne Mulgo Watson
- Little Bird’s Day by Sally Morgan & Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr
- Love Your Body by Jessica Sanders & Carol Rossetti
- Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street by Felicita Sala
- Sick Bay by Nova Weetman
- Summer Time by Hilary Bell & Antonia Pesenti
- You Can Change the World: The Kids’ Guide to a Better Planet by Lucy Bell
The Matt Richell award for new writer of the year
- Being Black ‘n Chicken, and Chips by Matt Okine
- Call Me Evie by J.P. Pomare
- It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood
- Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta
- The Prettiest Horse In The Glue Factory by Corey White
- The Whole Fish Cookbook by Josh Niland
-
Troll Hunting by Ginger Gorman
- Your Own Kind of Girl by Clare Bowditch
The 2020 shortlists will be announced on 9 April, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony at the Sydney International Convention Centre on 29 April. For more information, please visit the ABIA website.