Our local authors are inking their place onto must-read lists
More unknown debut Aussie writers than ever before are making it onto the bestseller lists alongside established local writers like Liane Moriarty proving our stories are worth telling
Books & Magazines
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Classic novelists such as Jane Austen and Charles Dickens are mainstays on lists of must-read books but a growing number of Australian authors are now also rubbing shoulders alongside these timeless bestsellers.
You will likely recognise names such as Liane Moriarty, Markus Zusak and Tim Winton on the latest popular book lists for 2019 but a bunch of brand new local authors, who you may not have heard of yet, have joined the lists voted for by readers.
The annual Dymocks Top 101 poll features 39 homegrown writers — the most in the list’s 12-year history, and a jump from just 25 in 2017.
And the Better Reading Top 100 list includes 51 local writers — again the most the book readers’ community has had.
“This is a really exciting time to be publishing Australian fiction,” HarperCollins Australia head of fiction Catherine Milne says. “It used to be the hardest thing in the world to introduce Aussie stories but that has all changed now.
“There’s a real thirst for Australian voices in book publishing.”
Milne says international success stories such as Big Little Lies, The Dry by Jane Harper and Zusak’s The Book Thief have opened up new avenues for authors, both established writers and newcomers.
Better Reading founder Cheryl Akle agrees.
“The Liane Moriartys of the world have helped with (Aussie success), particularly when it comes to new or debut authors,” she says.
“If you’re reading Liane Moriarty in New York and you loved her, you’ll look for more like that.”
The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland has been published in 24 territories around the world, while Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton, his debut coming-of-age novel set in 1980s Brisbane, has sold — after a heated international auction ended in a six-figure sum — to 38 markets. Christian White’s The Nowhere Child and Pip Drysdale’s The Sunday Girl have also done well both in Australia and overseas.
Dymocks national category manager Kate Mayor says the demand for local stories is not just reflected in popularity lists as voted by consumers but also where it counts — sales. Each year Dymocks puts together its Top 20 lists of books based on sales and, in 2018, 12 of these were Australian novels, up from just six in 2016.
“It seems to be titles that are debuts are selling well beyond expectations and publishers are really backing Australian stories,” Mayor says.
“The best example of a debut Australian novel at the moment is Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton, it’s one of those real Australian favourites. It’s still in our top 10 even though it’s now come out in its second, smaller format, which indicates it will continue to stick around.”
Milne has a theory that local success was born out of dark times in the book publishing world.
“When the market dipped in 2012 with the closing of Borders and Angus & Robertson, we had less of a market from which to sell, so we had to learn as publishers how to publish smarter and promote better,” she says.
“It came down to us doing what we do best, which is to uncover local voices. There’s a real confidence in our stories and Australian voices are more than ever before being sought after internationally because of the success here but also because what Australian authors are doing is really fresh and exciting and in demand. This success will continue to pave the way for emerging authors.”
Originally published as Our local authors are inking their place onto must-read lists