tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post2115498805743558704..comments2023-09-21T18:55:56.147+10:00Comments on Call My Agent!: The real reason why it's so hard to get your Australian novel publishedAgent Sydneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10784243352820485192noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post-40031371592583504422014-08-08T15:11:43.419+10:002014-08-08T15:11:43.419+10:00I write Australian novels. I even write novels abo...I write Australian novels. I even write novels about Australians. I also buy and read Australian novels all the time. However, my book sales are over 80% to the USA and about 10% to the UK. The small residue is to other countries (Germany, Canada,and Australia, mostly). If I ever think about that, I can end up feeling quite bitter. graywavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11609426782409481706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post-53131970380274030282014-01-08T10:49:55.104+11:002014-01-08T10:49:55.104+11:00As a bookseller and aspiring agent, I can tell you...As a bookseller and aspiring agent, I can tell you how incredibly frustrating it is to have to sell the books at the prices we do. I have worked for franchises as well as independent stores and being a manager, I can see how the industry of bookselling is going down hill. It's like a train wreck. <br /><br />Publishers need to drop their prices, then bookstores can drop their prices. I know that nothing is as simple as that though. I constantly get told by customers how ridiculous our pricing is, " how can a book cost this much!?" is heard several times a day. I give them the same answer every time - " Imagine the amount of work that is put into this one novel. The author, editiors, copywriters, printers, reps, marketing people, graphic designers etc..." but it falls on deaf ears.<br /><br />Anyway.. As a bookseller, we constantly try to recommend aussie authors. Traci Harding and Kim Falconer are two aussie fantasy authors I highly recommend :)Triciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09312551753569124676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post-47830013270532157272012-03-18T16:40:04.337+11:002012-03-18T16:40:04.337+11:00I just looked on bedside tables and it is 50/50......I just looked on bedside tables and it is 50/50... sparrow, marieke hardy, ben law, peter temple, garner, micallef, brimingham, (i have no idea what is in his kindle) sleep (hmmmm forgotten author walking two rooms) and others all in last 12 months.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post-11273361908197346972012-03-18T13:33:00.078+11:002012-03-18T13:33:00.078+11:00I buy more Australian writers - many of them women...I buy more Australian writers - many of them women - than others. Since the beginning of the year I've bought and read these Australian books: Stormlord's Exile (Glenda Larke), all three books of the Second sons trilogy (Jennifer Fallon), Reign of Beasts (Tansy Rayner Roberts) and Sea Hearts (Margo Lanagan). There would normally be some male authors on the list as well but none I want to read have come out recently. I also buy a lot of small press books whenever I can. With Swancon coming up I'll be doing some buying there so I'll soon have a new pile to read.Helen V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07989670682260643429noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post-7485817774474518682012-03-15T09:34:57.343+11:002012-03-15T09:34:57.343+11:00I subscribe to emails from good bookstores such as...I subscribe to emails from good bookstores such as Readings and hear about Australian authors and titles there. They seem to promote Australian authors and I have bought some of those titles either in print or as ebooks.MEWriterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07978019111913305456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post-59854478557933927602012-03-07T21:02:33.601+11:002012-03-07T21:02:33.601+11:00After a long period of being met with ambivalence ...After a long period of being met with ambivalence by Australian Publishers for my Australian themed novel, I was picked up by a Canadian Publisher.<br /><br />I haven't looked back.<br /><br />Sad really...DeanfromAustraliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12292995600982621329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post-13478955637269979492012-03-07T18:13:27.825+11:002012-03-07T18:13:27.825+11:00I'm a romance author, and I've sat at writ...I'm a romance author, and I've sat at writers' conferences where Australian publishers have told us either romance doesn't sell (?!), or that they don't really know how to market romance to the Australian reader. I do buy Australian authors (and we have soooo many fantastic authors!), but these authors are largely published overseas, and its hard to get their books (at affordable prices!) here in Australia. I think pricing is a real issue, though. I'd love to support Australian bookstores and Australian publishing more, I buy them when I can, but they don't make it easy.Shannon Curtishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18310684063138858104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post-70949082820336814992012-03-07T11:35:52.487+11:002012-03-07T11:35:52.487+11:00You could also look at awards lists from years gon...You could also look at awards lists from years gone by. The Prime Minister's Literary Awards, the state-based Premier's Awards, and other juried national awards such as the CBCA Book of the Year (Children & YA) and Aurealis Awards. Good starting point for quality!Tehani Wesselyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11745568705129833233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post-15443749844185955042012-03-07T10:11:44.779+11:002012-03-07T10:11:44.779+11:00Thanks for this great post, Agent Sydney!
For the ...Thanks for this great post, Agent Sydney!<br />For the readers who are asking about lists of books, here are a few:<br /><br />http://www.australianwomenwriters.com/p/sf-fantasy-horror.html<br /><br />http://www.voyageronline.com.au/default.cfm<br /><br /><br />In addition to Fair Dinkum and crimedownunder, which are excellent resources, http://www.austcrimefiction.org/ has extensive lists, reviews, and highlights which authors are Australian.<br /><br />http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/australian-genre-fiction<br /><br />cheers,<br />Katherine.Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15375859112191861018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post-63512787908970852812012-03-07T09:50:26.111+11:002012-03-07T09:50:26.111+11:00I read a lot of Australian writers - the ones I...I read a lot of Australian writers - the ones I've read in the past month are Margo Lanagan (fantasy), Sulari Gentil (historical crime), and Anne Gracie (romance). There's a group on Goodreads dedicated to Australian authors which might help you too. As for Australian fantasy authors, can I recommend Alison Goodman, Alison Croggan, Lian Hearn, Kim Wilkins, Pamela Freeman, Garth Nix, Fiona McIntosh and me (Kate Forsyth)- there are so many amazing Australian authors out there - a few more off the top of my head - Tara Moss and Kathryn Fox(crime), Kate Morton (historical), Kimberley Freeman (family drama), Kerry Greenwood (author of the Miss Fisher mysteries) ... I could go on forever ....Kate Forsythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04653155154318079452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post-88540906276411894532012-03-06T18:35:02.930+11:002012-03-06T18:35:02.930+11:00Thanks Vicki, I'll check out the ebook databas...Thanks Vicki, I'll check out the ebook database. <br /><br />I'd love to see a list of Aus Fantasy writers (I only really know Sara Douglass), or other genres too. <br /><br />Failing that, I'll ask twitter.Veronica Foalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05519401661788911341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post-15692921405517357472012-03-06T15:58:21.816+11:002012-03-06T15:58:21.816+11:00Oops... forgot Fair Dinkum Crime for fans of Austr...Oops... forgot <a href="http://fairdinkumcrime.com/" rel="nofollow">Fair Dinkum Crime</a> for fans of Australian Crime Fiction:<br /><br /><i>"Fair Dinkum Crime is hosted by two Adelaide-based book bloggers, Kerrie and Bernadette, who are fans of Australian crime fiction. The site is a place for their reviews of Australian crime fiction to be highlighted and includes author interviews, news, award updates and anything else relevant to Australian crime fiction."</i>Vickihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02678687120165473412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post-26355090459781410002012-03-06T15:44:44.835+11:002012-03-06T15:44:44.835+11:00@Veronica: I think that’s part of the problem. Man...@Veronica: I think that’s part of the problem. Many of the Australian authors I read are either the well known ones (hence why I’m reading Michael Robotham) or have been recommended to me. Others I’ve just stumbled upon.<br /><br />If you read crime fiction, there’s a good database of authors/books here: <a href="http://www.crimedownunder.com/" rel="nofollow">www.crimedownunder.com</a> How up to date it is, though, I don’t know.<br /><br />If you’re an ebook reader, you could try <a href="http://ebookauthor.com.au/" rel="nofollow">www.ebookauthor.com.au</a> (from the number of books listed, I’d say they’re still building the database).Vickihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02678687120165473412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post-26716906952253861692012-03-06T13:12:56.706+11:002012-03-06T13:12:56.706+11:00Can I ask, where would you recommend people go to ...Can I ask, where would you recommend people go to discover new (to them) Australian authors? Sometimes it's hard for the general public to know who they ought to be reading next.Veronica Foalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05519401661788911341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post-30095263675943714062012-03-06T00:41:52.240+11:002012-03-06T00:41:52.240+11:00Also, if you can't afford to buy Australian no...Also, if you can't afford to buy Australian novels, then borrow them from your public library! The greater the demand, the more copies your library will buy, and authors will still get paid through the Australian Public Lending Rights scheme.lib_idolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09887547089876625807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-632086038992984402.post-4941843147845587032012-03-05T18:59:00.211+11:002012-03-05T18:59:00.211+11:00"If you're one of those writers who regul...<i>"If you're one of those writers who regularly reads Australian novels, fantastic - we love you, you help keep our local fiction publishing alive."</i><br /><br />Hi AS<br /><br />I love Australian crime fiction, but tend to only buy it if it’s available as an ebook. I’ve just bought Michael Robotham’s <a href="" rel="nofollow">Bleed for Me</a>, which I am very much looking forward to.<br /><br />There an Amazon thread dedicated to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/forum/kindle/ref=cm_cd_tfp_ef_tft_tp?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx1D7SY3BVSESG&cdThread=TxU69G38O7Y3X4" rel="nofollow">Australian Kindle Users</a>. (Warning: They’re not happy with the exorbitant prices some Australian publishers are charging.)<br /><br />Cheers<br />VickiVickihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02678687120165473412noreply@blogger.com