ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Prize shortlist announced
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) and HarperCollins publishing division HQ have announced the shortlist for the 2022 ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Prize for an unpublished manuscript.
The winner will receive a publishing contract with HQ, with a $10,000 advance against royalties. The runner-up will receive $500 and a year’s complimentary membership with the ASA.
The shortlisted writers and their works are:
- ‘Someone Else’ by Lydia Evans
- ‘Untethered’ by Ayesha Inoon
- ‘Next of Kin’ by Inessa Jackson.
The shortlist, drawn from a pool of over 200 entries, was selected by a panel of judges including HQ head of publishing Jo Mackay, publisher Rachael Donovan, and authors Pamela Hart and Victoria Purman.
‘We are delighted to partner with the Australian Society of Authors to bring forward some of the best new voices in commercial fiction,’ said Mackay. ‘There were some truly exceptional entries this year—we struggled to get the shortlist down to only three. They are all impressive manuscripts.’
The winner of the inaugural prize, announced in 2020, was Sally Bothroyd for Brunswick Street Blues, which will be published in March 2022. The 2020 prize also resulted in the publication of two other shortlisted manuscripts, Sargasso by Kathy George and The Vet From Snowy River by Stella Quinn, both published in 2021.
The winner of the ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Prize will be announced online on 23 March 2022.
Category: Awards Local news
