| EXPRESS MEDIA: Brilliantly showcasing a range of young, emerging writing talent, the current issue of Voiceworks – on the theme of play – is extremely appealing.
| TEXT PUBLISHING: A finely written, thought-provoking and satisfying novel about a young ballerina coming to terms with adolescence and her burgeoning sexuality.
| ALLEN & UNWIN: For the student of theatre, John Bell’s first-hand reminiscences are hard to beat.
| SCRIBE: While not offering much in the way of new insights, Meryle Secrest's biography of the artists is an engaging, worthwhile read.
| BLACK INC: The Best Australian Essays 2011 is a deeply affecting, highly intelligent look at an Australia we may or may not be familiar with.
| Black Inc: An important publication featuring 31 of Australia's best authors, The Best Australian Stories 2011 is an earnest, affecting look at modern-day Australia.
| ARCADE PUBLICATIONS: Winner of the 2010 Fellowship of Australian Writers' Walter Stone Award for Life Writing, this tale of Australia's first novelist is carefully researched but a tad academic.
| PENGUIN: Anna Funder's follow-up to the award-winning Stasiland is an an important, factual narrative that addresses a largely ignored subject.
| CURRENCY PRESS: Sonya Hartnett's analysis of Wolf Creek for the Australian Screen Classics series of publications is under-explored and problematic.
| LAURENCE KING PUBLISHING: Professor Terry Smith's astutely written, intriguingly illustrated book on a global cultural phenomenon is at once profoundly expert and very accessible.