Overview
– specialising in touring & festivals – for writers & their books.
I've championed authors and books to media, festival directors, booksellers, and readers, since I landed a job as a book publicist in 2006. I've been all about author care ever since.
I knew I wanted a life with books when the love of reading hit me in my year 7 English class. After studying English literature and Creative Writing at The University of Sydney, I got a job with Angus & Robertson as a bookseller so I could be surrounded by books. I was soon promoted to Events Manager at Angus & Robertson’s flagship store on Pitt St Mall. It was during this time of running events and those legendary long-lined lunchtime book signings, from Steve Waugh to Warrick Capper to Jane Fonda, that I got to know a lot of the book publicists from the major publishers. When a role was advertised for publicist with the Orion division at Hachette Australia, I applied. It was the role I was made for. Publicity gave me the chance to work closely with books and authors and the platform to champion them in my own voice, in my own way.
During my 8-year career as in-house book publicist - 5 years with Hachette as publicist and 3 years with Bloomsbury Australia as Publicity Manager - I worked across the lists, specialising in literary fiction, genre fiction (sci-fi and fantasy), poetry and a broad range of non-fiction titles (music, rock journalism, history, science, politics, art, fashion, philosophy).
My former in-house authors include, Elizabeth Gilbert, Germaine Greer, Robyn Davidson, Richard Ford, A.C. Grayling, Margaret Atwood, Khaled Hosseini, Tim Cope, Paul West, Jeff Lindsay, Charlaine Harris, Mick Wall and Favel Parrett.
During my time at Bloomsbury, I toured marquee authors around Australia to all the major writers festivals, and overseas: Sydney Writers Festival; Sydney Opera House All About Women Festival and Festival of Dangerous Ideas; Melbourne Writers Festival; The Wheeler Centre, Melbourne; Brisbane Writers Festival; Brisbane Powerhouse; Perth Writers Festival; Adelaide Writers Week; Byron Bay Writers Festival; Newcastle Writers Festival; Jaipur Literature Festival 2014, India; Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2014; and Wellington Writers Festival 2013.
Born and raised in Sydney’s Balmain, I still live in, and work out of, Sydney.
Services
Non-Fiction
Fiction
Certifications
- Bachelor of Arts, English Literature Major (Media & Communications, Philosophy, History, Performance Studies)
- Honours, Post 1500 English Literature
- Master of Arts, Creative Writing
Work experience
Self-employed
My clients include:
Sydney Opera House
A Rock and Roll Writers Festival
The Planting Festival
Griffith Review
The Chaser
Inkerman and Blunt
Echo Publishing
Harlequin
Harper Collins
University of Queensland Press
Wild Dingo Press
Margaret River Press
Authors:
Steve Bisley
Nick Earls
Brentley Frazer
Charles Firth
Cassie Lane
Lee Zachariah
Bloomsbury Publishing Australia
Bloomsbury Publishing Australia
Publicity Manager, April 2012 – May 2015
Managed and developed creative and successful publicity campaigns for key titles, securing national media and high profile appearances for marquee, bestselling authors. Acclaimed, bestselling campaigns include:
Australian authors: Tim Cope, On the Trail of Genghis Khan; Germaine Greer, White Beech; Robyn Davidson, Tracks (paperback reissue & film tie-in); Paul West, The River Cottage Australia Cookbook.
International authors: Elizabeth Gilbert, The Signature of All Things; Richard Ford, Canada, Let Me Be Frank With You; Khaled Hosseini, And the Mountains Echoed; William Dalrymple, Return of a King; Margaret Atwood, MaddAddam, Stone Mattress; A.C. Grayling, The Good Book, The God Argument; Rayya Elias, Harley Loco; Samantha Shannon, The Bone Season, The Mime Order; Jesmyn Ward, Men We Reaped; Simon Singh, The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets; Esther Freud, Mr Mac & Me; Joanna Rakoff, My Salinger Year; Laurie Penny, Unspeakable Things; Porochista Khakpour, The Last Illusion; Mitchell S. Jackson, The Residue Years.
Chef authors: Heston Blumenthal, Heston at Home, Historic Heston; Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Three Good Things, The River Cottage Fish Book, River Cottage Fruit Every Day, River Cottage Light & Easy; Fergus Henderson, The Complete Nose to Tail; Paul Hollywood, How to Bake, Paul Hollywood’s Bread; David Chang, Momofuku; Christina Tosi, Momofuku Milk Bar; Alex Mackay, Everybody Everyday.
High profile national & international tours: Elizabeth Gilbert; Richard Ford; Tim Cope; Robyn Davidson; Germaine Greer; A.C. Grayling; William Dalrymple; Stella Rimington; Carlos Acosta; Anchee Min; Christina Tosi; Samantha Shannon; and Paul West.
Hachette Australia
Hachette Australia
Orion Publicist, 2006 – 2011
Hodder Headline Publicist, 2011 - 2012
Devised successful publicity campaigns, securing national media and high profile appearances for marquee, bestselling authors:
Orion: Jeff Lindsay, Darkly Dreaming Dexter (TV tie-in), Dearly Devoted Dexter, Dexter in the Dark, Dexter by Design; Favel Parett, Past the Shallows; Arwa el Masri, Tea with Arwa; Fiona O’Loughlin, Me of the Never Never; Mick Wall, When Giants Walked the Earth & Enter Night; Keith Richards, Life.
Hodder: Lady Gaga, Lady Gaga X Terry Richardson.
Gollancz: Charlaine Harris, Dead Until Dark (TV tie-in), Sookie Stackhouse & Harper Connelly series; Richard Morgan, Black Man, The Steel Remains; Patrick Rothfuss, In the Name of the Wind; Alistair Reynolds, The Prefect, House of Suns, Terminal World; Joe Abercrombie, The Blade Itself series, Best Served Cold, The Heroes; Kristin Cashore, Graceling; Joe Hill, Heart-Shaped Box, Horns.
Angus & Robertson Bookstore
Angus & Robertson
Events Manager, Imperial Arcade, Pitt St Mall, 2003 - 2006
Store Manager, Town Hall Arcade, 2001 – 2002
Projects
Wisdom Tree Novella Project
Portfolio
