ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Prize shortlist announced

The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) and HarperCollins imprint HQ Fiction have announced the inaugural shortlist for the ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Prize for an unpublished manuscript.

HQ Fiction publishers and editors chose the shortlist from 120 entries. The shortlisted manuscripts are:

• ‘Brunswick Street Blues’, a ‘distinctly Australian’ mystery set on the streets of Melbourne, by Sally Bothroyd (Darwin)
• ‘Sargasso’, a ‘clever and darkly gothic’ referencing of Jean Rhys’ novel Wide Sargasso Sea, by K W George (Brisbane)
• ‘Nina and Pearl’, a ‘meditative and evocative’ story of love, loss and difficult decisions, by Fleur Glenn (Melbourne)
• ‘The Vet from Snowy River’, a ‘warm-hearted’ Australian story of a new beginning of a small country town, by Stella Quinn (Brisbane).

Head of local fiction for HQ Jo Mackay said, ‘We were never in doubt of the range and quality of Australian commercial fiction writing. This shortlist simply confirms the vibrancy and vigour of our storytelling. All the authors on the shortlist impressed us.’

The winner of the prize will receive a book contract with HQ and a $10,000 advance against royalties. A runner-up will receive 20 hours of consultation towards a new website and an online presence audit from Leading Hand Design, worth $3000.

The winner and runner-up will be announced on Friday, 27 March. For more information about the shortlist, see the ASA website.

Category: Awards Local news