Announcing the 2018 Australian Book Industry Awards Longlist

A HUGE congratulations to everyone on the ABIA 2018 longlist – especially our alumni Sarah Bailey for The Dark Lake and Tania Blanchard for The Girl from Munich. Great to see our graduates kicking so many goals. Bravo!

Also to these fantastic authors who have all featured in the Australian Writers’ Centre podcast So You Want to be a Writer:

Jaclyn Moriarty who was on Episode 209 (Begin, End, Begin: A #LoveOzYA Anthology and The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone)
Andy Griffiths who was on Episode 67 (The 91-Storey Treehouse)
Sophie Green who was on Episode 194 (The Inaugural Meeting Of The Fairvale Ladies Book Club)
Michael Robotham who was on Episode 26 (The Secrets She Keep)
Fiona McIntosh for The Tea Gardens

From the ABIA website:

The longlist was voted for by the ABIA Academy, a group of publishers, booksellers, agents, media and industry representatives. After an extensive recruitment campaign, the 2018 academy is the largest and broadest in ABIA history, comprising over 250 members.

ABIA LONGLIST 2018

Biography Book of the Year

• A Writing Life: Helen Garner and Her Work, Bernadette Brennan (Text Publishing, Text Publishing)
• Danger Music, Eddie Ayres (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• The Enigmatic Mr Deakin, Judith Brett (Text Publishing, Text Publishing)
• Tracker, Alexis Wright (Giramondo Publishing, Giramondo Publishing Company)
• Unbreakable, Jelena Dokic and Jess Halloran (Ebury Australia, Penguin Random House Australia)
• Unmasked, Turia Pitt (Ebury Australia, Penguin Random House Australia)
• Wednesdays with Bob, Derek Rielly and Bob Hawke (Macmillan Australia, Pan Macmillan Australia,)
• Working Class Man, Jimmy Barnes (HarperCollins Publishers, HarperCollins Publishers)

General Fiction Book of the Year

• Force of Nature, Jane Harper (Macmillan Australia, Pan Macmillan Australia)
• On the Java Ridge, Jock Serong (Text Publishing, Text Publishing)
• The Dark Lake, Sarah Bailey (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• The Girl from Munich, Tania Blanchard (Simon & Schuster Australia, Simon & Schuster Australia)
• The Inaugural Meeting Of The Fairvale Ladies Book Club, Sophie Green (Hachette, Hachette Australia)
• The Secrets She Keeps, Michael Robotham (Hachette, Hachette Australia)
• The Tea Gardens, Fiona McIntosh (Michael Joseph Australia, Penguin Random House Australia)
• The Trip of A Lifetime, Monica McInerney (Michael Joseph Australia, Penguin Random House Australia)

General Non-fiction Book of the Year

• Anaesthesia: The Gift of Oblivion and the Mystery of Consciousness, Kate Cole-Adams (Text Publishing, Text Publishing)
• Being 14, Madonna King (Hachette, Hachette Australia)
• Depends What You Mean By Extremist, John Safran (Hamish Hamilton Australia, Penguin Random House Australia)
• First, We Make The Beast Beautiful, Sarah Wilson (Macmillan Australia, Pan Macmillan Australia)
• Not Just Lucky, Jamila Rizvi (Viking Australia, Penguin Random House Australia)
• Saga Land, Richard Fidler and Kári Gíslason (ABC Books, HarperCollins Publishers)
• Taming Toxic People, David Gillespie (Macmillan Australia, Pan Macmillan Australia)
• The Harbour: A City’s Heart, A Country’s Soul, Scott Bevan (Simon & Schuster Australia, Simon & Schuster Australia)
• The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman’s Extraordinary Life in Death, Decay & Disaster, Sarah Krasnostein (Text Publishing, Text Publishing)

Illustrated Book of the Year

• Basics to Brilliance Kids, Donna Hay (Fourth Estate, HarperCollins Publishers)
• Cornersmith: Salads and Pickles, Alex Elliott-Howery and Sabine Spindler (Murdoch Books, Murdoch Books)
• Hummus and Co, Michael Rantissi and Kristy Frawley (Murdoch Books, Murdoch Books)
• Maggie’s Recipe for Life, Maggie Beer and Professor Ralph Martins (A Julie Gibbs Book for Simon & Schuster Australia, Simon & Schuster Australia)
• Native: Art and Design with Australian Plants, Kate Herd and Jela Ivankovic-Waters (Thames & Hudson Australia, Thames & Hudson Australia)
• Ostro, Julia Busuttil Nishimura (Plum, Pan Macmillan Australia)
• Paris: Through a Fashion Eye, Megan Hess (Hardie Grant Books, Hardie Grant Publishing)
• The Vegetable, Caroline Griffiths and Vicki Valsamis (Smith Street Books, Smith Street Books)

International Book of the Year

• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman (HarperCollins Publishers, HarperCollins Publishers)
• Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo (Particular Books -UK Juvenile, Penguin Random House Australia)
• Here We Are: Notes For Living On Planet Earth, Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins Publishers, HarperCollins Publishers)
• Home Fire, Kamila Shamsie (Bloomsbury Circus, Bloomsbury Publishing)
• La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One, Philip Pullman (David Fickling Books, Penguin Random House Australia)
• Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders (Bloomsbury Publishing, Bloomsbury Publishing)
• Mythos, Stephen Fry (Michael Joseph – UK, Penguin Random House Australia)
• The Sun and her Flowers, Rupi Kaur (Simon & Schuster UK, Simon & Schuster UK)

Literary Fiction Book of the Year

• A Long Way Home, Peter Carey (Hamish Hamilton Australia, Penguin Random House Australia)
• Australia Day, Melanie Cheng (Text Publishing, Text Publishing)
• First Person, Richard Flanagan (Knopf Australia, Penguin Random House Australia)
• See What I Have Done, Sarah Schmidt (Hachette, Hachette Australia)
• Taboo, Kim Scott (Picador Australia, Pan Macmillan Australia)
• The Choke, Sofie Laguna (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• The Life to Come, Michelle de Kretser (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• Wimmera, Mark Brandi (Hachette, Hachette Australia)

Small Publishers’ Adult Book of the Year

• Atlantic Black, A. S. Patric (Transit Lounge, Transit Lounge)
• Call of the Reed Warbler – A New Agriculture – A New Earth, Charles Massy (The University of Queensland Press, The University of Queensland Press)
• Cardinal, Louise Milligan (Melbourne University Press, Melbourne University Publishing)
• Journeys into the Wild: The Photography of Peter Dombrovskis, Introduction & Commentary by Bob Brown (NLA Publishing, National Library of Australia)
• The Australian Bird Guide, Peter Menkhorst, Danny Rogers, Rohan Clarke, Jeff Davies, Peter Marsack and Kim Franklin (CSIRO Publishing, CSIRO Publishing)
• The Restorer, Michael Sala (Text Publishing, Text Publishing)
• Museum of Words, Georgia Blain (Scribe Publications, Scribe Publications)
• Mirror Sydney, Vanessa Berry (Giramondo Publishing, Giramondo Publishing Company)

Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of the Year

• At the Beach I See, Kamsani Bin Salleh (Magabala Books, Magabala Books)
• At the Zoo I See, Joshua Button and Robyn Wells (Magabala Books, Magabala Books)
• Big Fella Rain, Beryl Webber and illustrated by Fern Martins (Magabala Books, Magabala Books)
• Hello, Melbourne!, Megan McKean (Thames & Hudson Australia, Thames & Hudson Australia)
• It’s OK to Feel the Way You Do, Josh Langley (Big Sky Publishing, Big Sky Publishing)
• The Elephant, Peter Carnavas (The University of Queensland Press, The University of Queensland Press)
• Slow Down, World, Tai Snaith (Thames & Hudson Australia, Thames & Hudson Australia)
• Under the Love Umbrella, Davina Bell and Allison Colpoys (Scribble Kids’ Books, Scribe Publications)

The Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year

• Australia Day, Melanie Cheng (Text Publishing, Text Publishing)
• Nevermoor, Jessica Townsend (Lothian Children’s Books, Hachette Australia)
• See What I Have Done, Sarah Schmidt (Hachette, Hachette Australia)
• Terra Nullius, Claire G Coleman (Hachette, Hachette Australia)
• The Inaugural Meeting Of The Fairvale Ladies Book Club, Sophie Green (Hachette, Hachette Australia)
• The Girl from Munich, Tania Blanchard (Simon & Schuster Australia, Simon & Schuster Australia)
• The Last Man in Europe: A Novel, Dennis Glover (Black Inc., Black Inc. Books)
• The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman’s Extraordinary Life in Death, Decay & Disaster, Sarah Krasnostein (Text Publishing, Text Publishing)
• Wimmera, Mark Brandi (Hachette, Hachette Australia)

Book of the Year for Older Children (ages 13+)

• Beautiful Mess, Claire Christian (Text Publishing, Text Publishing)
• Begin, End, Begin: A #LoveOzYA Anthology, Amie Kaufman, Melissa Keil, Will Kostakis, Ellie Marney, Jaclyn Moriarty, Michael Pryor, Alice Pgun, Gabrielle Tozer, Lili Wilkinson and Danielle Binks (HarperCollins Publishers, HarperCollins Publishers)
• Frogkisser!, Garth Nix (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• My Life as a Hashtag, Gabrielle Williams (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• Take Three Girls, Simmone Howell, Cath Crowley and Fiona Wood (Pan Australia, Pan Macmillan Australia)
• Tales From a Tall Forest, Shaun Micallef and illustrated by Jonathan Bentley (Hardie Grant Egmont, Hardie Grant Egmont)
• The Silent Invasion, James Bradley (Pan Australia, Pan Macmillan Australia)
• Untidy Towns, Kate O’Donnell (The University of Queensland Press, The University of Queensland Press)

Book of the Year for Younger Children (ages 7-12)

• Frankie Fish and the Sonic Suitcase, Peter Helliar and illustrated by Lesley Vamos (Hardie Grant Egmont, Hardie Grant Egmont)
• Funny Kid for President, Matt Stanton (ABC Books, HarperCollins Publishers)
• Maybe, Morris Gleitzman (Viking – AU YR, Penguin Random House Australia)
• Nevermoor, Jessica Townsend (Lothian Children’s Books, Hachette Australia)
• Polly and Buster: The Wayward Witch and the Feelings Monster, Sally Rippin (Hardie Grant Egmont, Hardie Grant Egmont)
• The Bad Guys Episode 6, Aaron Blabey (Scholastic Press, Scholastic Australia)
• The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone, Jaclyn Moriarty (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome, Katrina Nannestad (ABC Books, HarperCollins Publishers)
• The 91-Storey Treehouse, Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton (Pan Australia, Pan Macmillan Australia)

Children’s Picture Book of the Year (ages 0-6)

• Do Not Lick This Book, Idan Ben-Barak and illustrated by Julian Frost (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• Florette, Anna Walker (Viking – AU YR, Penguin Random House Australia)
• I Just Ate My Friend, Heidi McKinnon (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• I’m Australian Too, Mem Fox and illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh (Scholastic Press, Scholastic Australia)
• Mopoke, Philip Bunting (Scholastic Press, Scholastic Australia)
• Pig the Star, Aaron Blabey (Scholastic Press, Scholastic Australia)
• No One Likes a Fart, Zoë Foster Blake (Viking – AU YR, Penguin Random House Australia)
• The Bum Book, Kate Mayes and illustrated by Andrew Joyner (ABC Books, HarperCollins Publishers)
• The Very Noisy Baby, Alison Lester (Affirm Press, Affirm Press)

A shortlist will be released on Thursday 19 April 2018, with the winners announced at the publishing industry’s night of nights on Thursday 3 May 2018. The red carpet event will be held at Sydney’s International Convention Centre and hosted by ABC TV’s Zoe Norton-Lodge and Ben Jenkins (The Checkout).

Good luck to everyone.