Originally self-published book ‘Grimmish’ nominated for prestigious Australian award
Arts journalist, critic and poet Thuy On has written a great piece for ArtsHub called Should I Self-Publish? The article is about the experience of Australian authors who have chosen – or been forced – to self-publish.
The catalyst for the article was the announcement that self-published book and ‘cult classic’ Grimmish, by Australian writer Michael Winkler, has been longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award. NB: The book has also now found a home with Australian publisher Puncher and Wattmann.
The Miles Franklin Literary Award is awarded to “a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases”. Previous winners have included Patrick White, Thea Astley, Thomas Keneally, Peter Carey, Elizabeth Jolley, David Malouf, Tim Winton, Anna Funder, Sofie Laguna, Michelle de Kretser, Melissa Lucashenko, Tara June Winch and Amanda Lohrey. Others on the 2022 longlist include Christos Tsiolkas, Alice Pung and Michael Mohammed Ahmad.
For a self-published book to be longlisted for the award shows just how easy it is for traditional publishers to reject quality manuscripts and writers.
Thuy’s article explores Michael Winkler’s experience, as well as that of other self-published authors including Jessica Mudditt, Amra Pajalic and Anna Featherstone…oh yeh, that’s me! It’s great to see the topic of indie publishing being covered by ArtsHub.
‘Should I self-publish?’ is a question more and more writers are asking. And if you want to know the answer, Look – It’s Your Book will help you discover what’s right for you.