A handful of bookshops around Australia are refusing to stock the biography of former Queensland premier Campbell Newman in an act of vengeance for his cuts to the arts.

Mr Newman today launches his biography, in which he defends his economic reforms and complains about the media cycle.

In one of his first acts after being elected premier in 2012, Mr Newman scrapped the Premier's Literary Award, a symbolic move to show that he would lead a frugal government.

The Newman government also ripped millions from the arts grant programs, including the early cessation of the Art + Place program as well as youth music program Fanfare.

Fiona Stager from Avid Reader Bookshop in Brisbane said the loss of the Literary Award was a blow to her and the industry.

She said her bookshop would not be stocking the book, while the author of the book, ex-Liberal National Party MP Gavin King, said he knew of five or six other stores that would also boycott the release.

"We saw that as an attack on the writing, editing, book-publishing, book-selling community in Queensland," Ms Stager told 612 ABC Brisbane.

"It seemed ironic that the first thing he did after losing was to turn around [and] be involved in the publication of a book.

"A lot of my customers lost their jobs.

The biography is on the shelves, and has already sold 2,500 copies. ( Facebook: Gavin King )

"They either worked in government or organisations which were defunded.

"It had a big impact on my first Christmas.

"Booksellers have a long memory."

In the shop's 18 years, only three books have been banned; Fountain Head, Mutant Message Down Under and Mein Kampf.

"I think a shop needs to reflect their communities, and reflect their feelings," Ms Stager said.

"I think I need to reflect their feeling and I don't know why they would want to turn around and relive it all through his book."

First print cycle sold out

Former journalist and ex-Liberal National Party MP Gavin King wrote the biography. ( ABC: Jess Hinchliffe )

The boycott comes after publishing house University of Queensland Press (UQP) also refused to print Mr Newman's memoir.

Eventual publisher Anthony Capello said the book was already proving popular.

He said 2,500 copies were printed for the Australian market and 1,000 for the United States and the United Kingdom.

"That Australian print run is now sold out," he told 612 ABC Brisbane.

"We are getting another organised as soon as we can."

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He was unperturbed by Avid Reader's stance, adding it was their loss.

"It's unfortunate," he said.

"I think thanks to the internet, the book isn't hard to find."

In the book, Mr Newman said he regretted scrapping the literary awards even though he was happy to justify it.

"That was a bad political decision, which I have to take responsibility for," he said.

"It became emblematic of us as a government, it was one of those important causes to the left in the community who chatter and carry on and network, it was like a rallying flag for them."

Handful of bookshops not stocking book: author

Mr King said, at his latest count, there were five or six bookshops refusing to stock the book, including in Hobart, Melbourne and across Queensland.

Sorry, this video has expired Campbell Newman returns to the land and a new interest, robotics.

"I know one of them is up in my patch in tropical north Queensland," he told 612 ABC Brisbane.

"My wife went in to ask for it, she felt almost the wrath of the store owner who said there was no way they would be stocking it.

"They are still upset about the literary award decision.

"Ever since that decision, there has been a cabal of book shop owners and publishers who don't like Campbell."

Mr Newman, who is pursuing a career in robotics, said if your ideas are what the Left do not like, you are shut out.

"It is anti-free speech, it is anti-democratic," he said.

"There are no dangerous ideas in my book, it is just one bloke's story, and quite a candid confession as well.

"There is lots of mea culpa in there."

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