It’s been a big week of news for Text Publishing, the Melbourne-based publisher that has just recently announced the discontinuation of its Text Prize For Children and Young Adults Writing after a 16-year run. The publisher has now notified its social media pages that it has signed an agreement to join Penguin Random House (PRH), the largest trade publishing house.
Such an acquisition is inclusive of all the company’s publishing material in Australia, but Text will retain its creative independence in a move that echoes Affirm Press’ recent merger with international behemoth Simon & Schuster and also Pantera with Hardie Grant.
Thuy On is the Reviews and Literary Editor of ArtsHub and an arts journalist, critic and poet who’s written for a range of publications including The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, Sydney Review of Books, The Australian, The Age/SMH and Australian Book Review. She was the Books Editor of The Big Issue for 8 years and a former Melbourne theatre critic correspondent for The Australian.
She has three collections of poetry published by the University of Western Australian Press (UWAP): Turbulence (2020), Decadence (2022) and Essence (2025).
Threads: @thuy_on123 Instagram: poemsbythuy
