Wakefield launches dedicated YA list

Tuesday, 5 February 2019 Books+Publishing

Adelaide-based small publisher Wakefield Press will launch a dedicated YA list this year, under the direction of newly appointed publisher Margot Lloyd.

Wakefield aims to publish three to four YA books per year to start with, beginning with the March 2019 publication of Poppy Nwosu’s Making Friends with Alice Dyson.

The new list is a result of the small press’ involvement with the Adelaide Festival’s biennial unpublished manuscript award. Lloyd has been a regular judge of the award, which offers publication by Wakefield Press plus $10,000 to the winning writer.

Publication of Charlie Archbold’s Mallee Boys, which was a 2018 CBCA Honour book, came about through the 2016 award, and Nwosu was shortlisted for the same award in 2018.

‘We’re looking for those stories that grab you by the short and curlies. Stories that might not get a look-in with other publishers, whether because they’re unconventional, or because they require some work to get to the finish line,’ said Lloyd.

‘We don’t think books for teens should be predictable or formulaic, and together with three amazing authors (Simon Butters, Charlie Archbold, Poppy Nwosu), we’ve so far brought three very different acclaimed books to light. Given the amount of talent in Australian YA, we think it’s a really exciting area to be working in, and that there are plenty of new authors and stories out there to be discovered, nurtured and published.’

Wakefield is currently accepting YA submissions. For more information about submissions, see the website.

Category: Junior Local news