Australian independent booksellers, members of Leading Edge Books, are proud to announce the Longlist for The Indie Book Awards 2017. Established in 2008, the Indie Book Awards see independent booksellers take their rightful place in the spotlight as key supporters of Australian authors. The incredible passion and knowledge of independent booksellers makes them uniquely placed to judge and recommend the best Australian books of the past year to their customers and the general reading public. The Awards, for best book of a calendar year, cover the best Australian books in five categories: Fiction, Non-fiction, Debut fiction, Children’s and Young Adult
Independent booksellers of Australia, affectionately termed ‘indies’, have a deserved reputation for choosing the best in Australian writing. These books often go on to be bestsellers and win other major literary awards. Previous winners include, The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood, The Bush by Don Watson, The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan, The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, All That I Am by Anna Funder, The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do, Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey and Breath by Tim Winton.
Galina Marinov, National Group Manager of Leading Edge Books says, 2016 has been a fantastic year for Australian publishing and independent bookselling in this country. Amidst ongoing changes in the book industry, the independent sector is thriving and support for Australian writing is as strong as ever, with independent booksellers playing an indispensable role in nurturing new Australian talent. Their passion, enthusiasm and dedication go a long way in fostering strong and vibrant Australian writing and culture. The Indie Book Awards Longlist gather in one place the best of the best in Australian writing of 2016 as chosen by Australian independent booksellers.
Announced early in the calendar year, The Indie Book Awards are now considered the forerunners of all major Australian book awards.
The Longlist for The Indie Book Awards 2017 is:
FICTION LONGLIST
The Easy Way Out by Steven Amsterdam (Hachette Australia)
Between a Wolf and a Dog by Georgia Blain (Scribe Publications)
The Better Son by Katherine Johnson (Ventura Press)
The Good People by Hannah Kent (Pan Macmillan Australia)
An Isolated Incident by Emily Maguire (Pan Macmillan Australia)
Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil by Melina Marchetta (Penguin Books Australia)
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty (Pan Macmillan Australia)
The Rules of Backyard Cricket by Jock Serong (Text Publishing)
Where the Trees Were by Inga Simpson (Hachette Australia)
The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith (Allen & Unwin)
NON-FICTION LONGLIST
Songs of a War Boy by Deng Thiak Adut, Ben Mckelvey (Hachette Australia)
Working Class Boy by Jimmy Barnes (HarperCollins Australia)
The Hate Race by Maxine Beneba Clarke (Hachette Australia)
Penguin Bloom by Cameron Bloom and Bradley Trevor Greive (ABC Books, HarperCollins Australia)
Ghost Empire by Richard Fidler (ABC Books, HarperCollins Australia)
Fight Like a Girl by Clementine Ford (Allen & Unwin)
Everywhere I Look by Helen Garner (Text Publishing)
Talking To My Country by Stan Grant (HarperCollins Australia)
True Girt: The Unauthorised History of Australia by David Hunt (Black Inc)
The Boy Behind the Curtain by Tim Winton (Penguin Books Australia)
DEBUT FICTION LONGLIST
The Birdman's Wife by Melissa Ashley (Affirm Press)
The Memory Artist by Katherine Brabon (Allen & Unwin)
The Windy Season by Sam Carmody (Allen & Unwin)
The Midnight Watch by David Dyer (Penguin Books Australia)
The Dry by Jane Harper (Pan Macmillan Australia)
Skylarking by Kate Mildenhall (Black Inc)
Music and Freedom by Zoe Morrison (Random House Australia)
The Toymaker by Liam Pieper (Penguin Books Australia)
Ruins by Rajith Savanadasa (Hachette Australia)
Goodwood by Holly Throsby (Allen & Unwin)
CHILDREN’S LONGLIST
Circle by Jeannie Baker (Walker Books Australia)
Pig the Winner by Aaron Blabey (Scholastic Australia)
Charlie and the War Against the Grannies by Alan Brough (Pan Macmillan Australia)
What do they do with all the Poo from all the Animals at the Zoo? by Anh Do & Laura Wood (Illus) (Scholastic Australia)
The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon (Hachette Australia)
The 78-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton (Illus) (Pan Macmillan Australia)
Welcome To Country by Joy Murphy & Lisa Kennedy (Illus) (Walker Books Australia)
Molly and Mae by Danny Parker and Freya Blackwood (Illus) (Hardie Grant Egmont)
Wormwood Mire by Judith Rossell (ABC Books, HarperCollins Australia)
Artie and the Grime Wave by Richard Roxburgh (Allen & Unwin)
YOUNG ADULT LONGLIST
When Michael Met Mina by Randa Abdel-Fattah (Pan Macmillan Australia)
Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley (Pan Macmillan Australia)
The Other Side of Summer by Emily Gale (Random House Australia)
Breathing Under Water by Sophie Hardcastle (Hachette Australia)
Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (Allen & Unwin)
The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis (Penguin Books Australia)
My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier (Allen & Unwin)
The Road to Winter by Mark Smith (Text Publishing)
Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland (Penguin Books Australia)
One Would Think the Deep by Claire Zorn (University of Queensland Press)
The Shortlist will be announced on 16 January 2017, with the Category Winners and the Overall Book of the Year Winner being announced at the Leading Edge Books 2017 Conference on Monday, 20th March 2017 at the Marriott, Surfers Paradise.
The Indie Book Awards would like to gratefully acknowledge the 2017 Awards Sponsors: HarperCollins Australia, Pan Macmillan Australia, Hardie Grant, Hachette Australia, Bonnier Publishing and Hardie Grant Egmont, and Awards supporter: Simon & Schuster Australia.