When I was researching last Monday's post on development programs for writers, I came across several references to publisher "pitch" days. As someone who isn't writing a book, and who has no plans to, the concept of a "pitch" day was something that hadn't made a big impact on me, though of course I knew what … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Pitch days
Publishing
Monday musings on Australian literature: Unpublished manuscript awards
I've recently reviewed a couple of books which have won unpublished manuscript awards: Hannah Kent won the inaugural Writing Australia Unpublished Manuscript Award in 2011 for Burial rites (my review), and Margaret Merrilees won the Unpublished Manuscript Award at the Adelaide Writer's Week in 2012 for The first week (my review). Now, I've discussed awards a few … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Unpublished manuscript awards
Monday musings on Australian literature: Qantas flight-length book deal
Some of you have probably sussed that Whispering Gums is not at her usual desk - and you'd be right. I've been travelling since mid-August, mostly in Europe, and will be back home in early October. I had hoped to read some books and write reviews while on the road, but somehow the reviews haven't … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Qantas flight-length book deal
On the titling of books
Forget about judging books by their covers, what about titles? How important are they to you? Do you ever decide to read a book based on the title alone? Do you always (never, sometimes) consider the title when thinking about the meaning of a book? It seems to be a fraught issue, this book titling … Continue reading On the titling of books
Monday musings on Australian literature: eBook publishing in Australia
First off, the disclaimer: I don't know a lot about what is happening with eBook publishing in Australia, so my goal here is as much to find out more from readers of this post as it is to impart knowledge. I thought a good place to start would be the Australian Publishers Association (APA) but didn't … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: eBook publishing in Australia
Monday musings on Australian literature: SPUNC has spunk
Yes, come here for your wit. I bet I'm the first one to have thought of that line! SPUNC*, in case you haven't heard of them and you probably haven't, is the Small Press Network (in Australia). The acronym actually stands for Small Press Underground Networking Community. It was formed in Melbourne in 2006 and … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: SPUNC has spunk