Rising stars

Australian debut novelists Kirsten Alexander and Holly Ringland may not be familiar names in international publishing circles yet, but they soon will be. Alexander’s Half Moon Lake has just sold into the US and Canada ahead of its Australian publication in January next year; and Ringland’s The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart—which has now sold into more than 25 territories—is being adapted for television by one of the producers behind the TV adaptation of Big Little Lies (see book-to-screen news for more information). As Affirm Press publisher Martin Hughes recently wrote in a column for Books+Publishing, Australian debut novels—and not just crime fiction and thrillers—are hitting it out of the park.

Of course, Australian crime fiction and thrillers remain incredibly popular, and were among the most sought-after titles at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, along with ‘uplit’ and popular science, according to the Australian publishers who attended.

Looking ahead, a delegation of Australian publishers and literary festival programmers will tour India in January 2019 as part of Australia Fest; local and international authors will descend on Perth and Adelaide for their respective writers’ festivals in February and March; and the Melbourne City of Literature will celebrate its 10th anniversary at the end of this month.

Andrea Hanke
Editor
Think Australian
andrea@booksandpublishing.com.au

Category: Think Australian editorial