SMH – What to read in 2018

Wow! Got a mention beside the big kids in today's Sydney Morning Herald. Jane Sullivan has an article called 'What to read in 2018: a selection of the big books on the shelves next year.' And if you scroll right down (keep going, yep keep going), you might find a mention of me. Huzzah! From Sullivan's list I'm also keen to read: Eleanor Limprecht (The Passengers, Allen & Unwin, March) - because I've enjoyed her earlier novels. Ruby Murray (The Biographer's Lover, Black Inc., April) - because with a title like [...]

2018-03-24T02:35:25+11:00December 29th, 2017|Interesting Articles, Work in Progress, Writing|6 Comments
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Finding images for the book

When you pick up a biography, do you first turn to those glossy pages in the middle? The pages with the pictures, the paintings, the maps. The pages that somehow tell you what it is you're going to be reading about. The pages that the author - a person by definition good with words, rather than images - has sweated blood over. Reader, I know of what I speak! When I signed the contract with Text Publishing, my agent carefully pointed out the clause that says I'm responsible for [...]

2018-03-25T00:36:28+11:00December 21st, 2017|Work in Progress, Writing|19 Comments
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The stories that get left out

What should biographers do with all the wonderful stories - or snippets - they discover along the way but can't include in their books? Many biographers do, of course, include them. But readers often don't like it - for example wonderful reviewer Whispering Gums recently discussed a biography she enjoyed, but felt contained too much extraneous detail. And, I'll confess, as a reader I feel the same way. I just want to read about the biographical subject, please. But as a writer? Of course I want to include all [...]

2018-03-24T23:03:43+11:00December 4th, 2017|Work in Progress, Writing|18 Comments
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Shortlist for the 2017 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards – Updated to include the winners

UPDATE: Winners announced 1 December - winners are in bold, below. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Minister for the Arts Mitch Fifield had a big, distracting day yesterday (YES!) but today they have actually got some work done and have announced the shortlist for the 2017 Prime Minister's Literary Awards. According to the press release there were more than 450 entries and "The 30 shortlisted books showcase the breadth and depth of Australia's literary talent across six categories—fiction, non-fiction, Australian history, young adult fiction, children's fiction and poetry." This [...]

2018-03-24T22:58:18+11:00November 17th, 2017|Writing|4 Comments
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Inside the publishing industry

How do books get from the publisher's hot little hands onto the shelves of bookstores? No, I don't really know either but yesterday it became a little clearer. Traditional publishers are part of a logistical chain. From the sale of each book, every player in the chain takes their cut. However online sales, self-publishing and e-books have increasingly muddied the waters. Still, the typical chain - and the typical cut for each player - looks something like this: How do books get from the publisher's hot little hands onto [...]

2018-03-25T00:38:49+11:00November 10th, 2017|Work in Progress, Writing|17 Comments
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Help me with this paragraph?

To set the scene, I'm reading my manuscript out loud, to test for clarity and sense. The dog seems nonplussed but the cat is appreciative. I'm also beginning to realise how lazy my pronunciation usually is. Govvumen. Govvament. Government. Anyway. I'm reading the part where it is 1790, Elizabeth has just arrived in New South Wales, and is lonely and bored. It's the third paragraph (in the second half) where I'd like your opinion - what am I trying to imply? Is it clear enough? Elizabeth ‘filled up the [...]

2018-04-26T14:44:20+10:00October 13th, 2017|Colonial History, Work in Progress, Writing|22 Comments
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What do publicists do for authors anyway?

This week I met with my publicist, Alice Lewinsky. A few weeks earlier she'd sent me four pages of questions: about me, my career, my writing experience, and about the background to my book. She also wanted to know about the likely readership, my marketing and promotional ideas, and the names of people who might provide praise quotes about the book. Answering it all was fun, and a little bit daunting. So I asked Alice if we could meet, mainly so I could pick her brains about how it was [...]

2018-03-22T01:59:21+11:00September 29th, 2017|Work in Progress, Writing|6 Comments
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Drafting a Blurb – the craft of catching a reader

Once I started thinking about blurbs, it became clear how little I rely on them these days. I usually choose books to read because I've already read or heard about them - on blogs, in reviews, in articles, on podcasts. It's rare for me to pick up a random book, read the blurb on the back and buy it. Even at the library, whether or not a book takes my fancy seems to very much depend on my mood at exactly that point in time. But that said, when I [...]

2018-03-25T00:51:28+11:00September 23rd, 2017|Work in Progress, Writing|15 Comments
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How to edit a manuscript

So the manuscript is returning to me gradually, a few chapters at a time. My editor at Text, Jane Pearson, met with me before sending any of it back. For over an hour she walked me through the first few chapters, explaining what she'd done and why. It looks pretty confronting on the page but really, that's because she's thorough. If two sentences need to be joined into one, she marks up all the relevant punctuation - delete that capital letter, delete that full stop, add a comma. Nothing [...]

2018-03-25T00:52:17+11:00September 15th, 2017|Writing|12 Comments
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