diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index e802b7d4..8741426f 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 # also update the version number in the m4 macros below
 
-AC_INIT([vips], [8.8.1], [vipsip@jiscmail.ac.uk])
+AC_INIT([vips], [8.9.0], [vipsip@jiscmail.ac.uk])
 # required for gobject-introspection
 AC_PREREQ(2.62)
 
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR([m4])
 
 # user-visible library versioning
 m4_define([vips_major_version], [8])
-m4_define([vips_minor_version], [8])
-m4_define([vips_micro_version], [1])
+m4_define([vips_minor_version], [9])
+m4_define([vips_micro_version], [0])
 m4_define([vips_version],
           [vips_major_version.vips_minor_version.vips_micro_version])
 
@@ -37,9 +37,9 @@ VIPS_VERSION_STRING=$VIPS_VERSION-`date -u -r ChangeLog`
 #   binary interface changes backwards compatible?: increment age
 #   binary interface changes not backwards compatible?: reset age to 0
 
-LIBRARY_CURRENT=53
+LIBRARY_CURRENT=54
 LIBRARY_REVISION=0
-LIBRARY_AGE=11
+LIBRARY_AGE=12
 
 # patched into include/vips/version.h
 AC_SUBST(VIPS_VERSION)