Winners revealed in the 2026 Indie Book Awards

Australian independent booksellers have announced Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (Penguin Australia) as the best book from the last year, and the winner of the Indie Book Awards 2026 Book of the Year.

The Book of the Year is voted by independent booksellers across the country from the six category winners. Bookseller judge Leisa Morton from Paperbark Merchants Albany (WA) described McConaghy’s book: “Wild Dark Shore was transportive. This is the perfect blend of literary fiction and thriller; filled with stunning lines exploring the emotions of the characters and philosophical thought about the future of humanity, paced expertly and threaded through with breath-catching tension. A truly remarkable novel takes something from the reader, and it nestles inside of them in return, and Wild Dark Shore has done this for me.”

Sentiments shared with bookseller judge Amy Lynch from The Book Warehouse Ballina (NSW) commenting on McConaghy’s book: “Wild Dark Shore is a beautifully atmospheric and emotionally layered read that completely pulls you into its rugged, windswept setting. The sense of isolation and untamed landscape seeps into every page, creating a haunting backdrop for a story driven by grief, resilience, and complicated human connection. The characters feel raw and authentic, each carrying their own quiet burdens, and the tension builds in a way that feels both intimate and unsettling. It’s the kind of novel that moves slowly but deliberately, rewarding you with depth, mood, and powerful emotional moments.”

On winning the Award, Charlotte McConaghy said:

“I want to take this moment to express my profound gratitude. You (Independent booksellers) are a fundamental, crucial part of our arts industry, of our cultural identities, of the way we connect to ideas and stories, and to each other.”

Charlotte’s Publisher, Nikki Christer (Penguin Random House Australia) said:

“It is a testament to the passion and support of our exceptional independent booksellers that Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore has found the readership that it has. Readers, authors and publishers owe the Indies so much.”

The Awards recognise and celebrate indie booksellers as the number one supporters of Australian authors. What makes indie booksellers uniquely placed to judge and recommend the best Aussie books of the past year, is their incredible passion and knowledge, their contribution to the cultural diversity of the Australian reading public, by recommending beyond the big brands, and above all, their love of quality writing.

The individual category winners in Fiction, Debut Fiction, Non-Fiction, Illustrated Non-Fiction, Children’s and Young Adult were also announced. From these six category winners, the independent booksellers selected the best of the best – The 2026 Indie Book of the Year.

The Winners for the Indie Book Awards 2026 are:

BOOK OF THE YEAR

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (Penguin Australia)

FICTION

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (Penguin Australia)

NON-FICTION

Always Home, Always Homesick by Hannah Kent (Picador Australia)

DEBUT FICTION

When Sleeping Women Wake by Emma Pei Yin (Hachette Australia)

ILLUSTRATED NON-FICTION

Wild by Design by Tim Pilgrim (Murdoch Books)

CHILDREN’S

Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (Lothian Children's Books)

YOUNG ADULT

Eleanor Jones is Playing with Fire by Amy Doak (Penguin Australia)

The Indie Book Awards would like to gratefully acknowledge the 2026 Awards Sponsors:

Book of the Year Award sponsored by HarperCollins Publishers

Fiction Award sponsored by Allen & Unwin

Non-Fiction Award sponsored by Melbourne University Press

Debut Fiction Award sponsored by Pan Macmillan Australia

Illustrated Non-Fiction Award sponsored by Thames & Hudson

Children’s Award sponsored by Hachette Australia

Young Adult Award sponsored by Penguin Random House 

The Indie Book Awards are proudly coordinated by Leading Edge Retail.