We are delighted that four Readings staff members have signed publishing contracts for their debut books in recent months. They join the already long list of Readings booksellers who have published books, including Leanne Hall, Gabrielle Williams, H.J. Harper, Miles Allinson, Chris Somerville, Angela Crocombe, Pilgrim Lee and A.S. Patrić – to name a few!

Rosebud by Fiona Hardy

Affirm Press Kids (APK) has acquired ANZ rights to Rosebud, a middle-grade novel from Readings bookseller Fiona Hardy, who works at our Carlton and Doncaster shop, and also writes the crime column for the Readings Monthly, our free monthly newsletter.

APK senior editor Davina Bell says: ‘ Rosebud, like Fiona Hardy herself, is clever, funny and captivating… (Hardy’s) writing sings, the relationships are rich and beautifully drawn, the plot is compelling, but most of all, Rosebud is a love-song to the power of creativity.’

Rosebud will be published in September 2019.

It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood

Readings’ Marketing Manager Nina Kenwood won the 2018 Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing for her YA manuscript It Sounded Better in My Head, and won a publishing contract with Text.

Text publisher Michael Heyward says: ‘Nina Kenwood’s It Sounded Better in My Head is a finely written and compulsively readable story for young adults about someone who is discovering who she is. Natalie, Lucy, Zach and Alex are a beautifully drawn quartet of characters. Their dialogue sparkles. Together, they set in train a romantic comedy that will charm and delight readers.’

It Sounded Better in My Head will be published in August 2019.

Something Flammable: Approaching the Ghost of Rowland S Howard by Gerard Elson

St Kilda bookseller Gerard Elson has been snapped up by Scribe, who have acquired world rights to his biography of post-punk musician Rowland S Howard.

Scribe senior commissioning editor Marika Webb-Pullman says: ‘Rowland S Howard has attained cult status both here and internationally since his death, and I can’t imagine a person better placed to write about him than Gerard. He’s intimately acquainted with Howard’s work, and is approaching it with the enthusiasm of a fan and the rigour of a critic. This book will be a significant addition to Australian cultural history.’

Something Flammable will be published in late 2019, to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of Howard’s death.

A short story collection by Sean O'Beirne

Black Inc have picked up the first book from Sean O'Beirne, who has worked at Readings for many years, as a bookseller and event host. At yet untitled, this is Sean’s first book and a collection of short stories.

Black Inc publisher Chris Feik says: ‘Sean’s debut is accomplished, extremely funny and altogether original. A young woman meets Barry Humphries on a boat to London in 1958. A man bemusedly recalls his youthful adventures with the scouts. A jingoistic leader takes a press conference after an election triumph. Each story is distinct and perfectly rendered, but together they do Australia in many voices.’

O'Beirne’s collection will be published in early 2020.