Australian independent booksellers have nominated their favourite Australian books of 2023 and are thrilled to announce their Longlist for the Indie Book Awards 2024!
Since 2008, the Indie Book Awards have celebrated the best Australian writing; and who better to nominate and judge the best-of-the-best than indie booksellers! What makes indie booksellers uniquely placed to judge and recommend the best Aussie books of the past year is their incredible passion and knowledge, their contribution to the cultural diversity of the Australian reading public, by recommending beyond the big brands, and above all, their love of quality writing. The Awards recognise and celebrate indie booksellers and the crucial role they play in promoting and nurturing Australian literary talent.
Leanne Kadareanu, Head of Books at Leading Edge Retail, proud facilitator of the awards says, "We are thrilled to announce the Longlist for the Indie Book Awards 2024 - booksellers' favourite Australian titles of the last year. Indie booksellers are known for their passion and their stores are vibrant hubs for book lovers of all ages. It’s their vast knowledge and expert recommendations that see their customers return again and again. So trust them when they declare these books as the best of the best”
The Awards cover the best Australian books in six categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Debut Fiction, Illustrated Non-Fiction, Children’s books (up to 12yo) and Young Adult (12+).
Since the Awards inception, independent booksellers have a well-deserved reputation for picking the best of the best in Australian writing. Past Book of the Year winners have gone on to be bestsellers and win other major literary awards. Previous winners include: Runt by Craig Silvey, Love Stories by Trent Dalton, The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams, There Was Still Love by Favel Parrett, Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton; Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend; The Dry by Jane Harper; 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.
Announced early in the award calendar year, The Indie Book Awards are now considered the forerunners of all major Australian book awards.
The Longlist for the Indie Book Awards 2024 is:
FICTION LONGLIST
Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton (Fourth Estate Australia)
Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville (Text Publishing)
The Seven by Chris Hammer (Allen & Unwin)
Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko (University of Queensland Press)
The Hummingbird Effect by Kate Mildenhall (Scribner Australia)
Homecoming by Kate Morton (Allen & Unwin)
God Forgets About the Poor by Peter Polites (Ultimo Press)
Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson (Michael Joseph Australia)
The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams (Affirm Press)
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood (Allen & Unwin)
NON-FICTION LONGLIST
Bright Shining by Julia Baird (Fourth Estate Australia)
The Man Who Wasn't There by Dan Box (Ultimo Press)
Showing Up by Nedd Brockmann (Simon & Schuster Australia)
The Last Charge of the Australian Light Horse by Peter FitzSimons (Hachette Australia)
Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder (Hamish Hamilton)
Best Wishes by Richard Glover (ABC Books, HarperCollins Australia)
The Queen is Dead by Stan Grant (Fourth Estate Australia)
The Remarkable Mrs Reibey by Grantlee Kieza (ABC Books, HarperCollins Australia)
Killing for Country: A Family Story by David Marr (Black Inc.)
Heartbake by Charlotte Ree (Allen & Unwin)
DEBUT FICTION LONGLIST
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer (Penguin Australia)
Fed to Red Birds by Rijn Collins (Simon & Schuster Australia)
The House of Now and Then by Jo Dixon (HQ Fiction, HarperCollins)
Green Dot by Madeleine Gray (Allen & Unwin)
The Visitors by Jane Harrison (Fourth Estate Australia)
Duck à l'Orange for Breakfast by Karina May (Macmillan Australia)
Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne (Bantam Australia)
At the Foot of the Cherry Tree by Alli Parker (HarperCollins Australia)
Salt River Road by Molly Schmidt (Fremantle Press)
Things That Matter Most by Gabbie Stroud (Allen & Unwin)
ILLUSTRATED NON-FICTION LONGLIST
Paul Bangay by Paul Bangay (Thames & Hudson Australia)
The Year I Met My Brain by Matilda Boseley (Penguin Life Australia)
The Milkwood Permaculture Living Handbook by Kirsten Bradley (Murdoch Books)
The New Modernist House by Patricia Callan (Thames & Hudson Australia)
The Bird Art of William T. Cooper by Wendy Cooper (National Library of Australia)
Bush Flowers by Cassandra Hamilton & Michael Pavlou (Thames & Hudson Australia)
Getting To Know the Birds In Your Neighbourhood: A Field Guide by Darryl Jones (NewSouth Publishing)
A Seat at My Table: Philoxenia by Kon Karapanagiotidis (Hardie Grant Books)
Good Life Growing by Hannah Moloney (Affirm Press)
Songs from the Kitchen Table by Archie Roach & Ruby Hunter (Simon & Schuster Australia)
CHILDREN’S LONGLIST
If I Was a Horse by Sophie Blackall (Lothian Children's Books)
Australian Animals: From Beach to Bush by Brentos (Affirm Press)
The Lonely Lighthouse of Elston-Fright: An Elston-Fright Tale by Reece Carter (Allen & Unwin Children's)
Walk With Us: Welcome to Our Country by Adam Goodes and Ellie Laing, illustrated by David Hardy (Allen & Unwin Children's)
The 169-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton (Pan Australia)
Neil, the Amazing Sea Cucumber by Amelia McInerney, illustrated by Lucinda Gifford (Affirm Press)
The Impossible Secret of Lillian Velvet by Jaclyn Moriarty (Allen & Unwin Children's)
Silver Linings by Katrina Nannestad (ABC Books, HarperCollins Australia)
Kimmi by Favel Parrett (Hachette Australia)
Millie Mak the Maker by Alice Pung, illustrated by Sher Rill Ng (HarperCollins Australia)
YOUNG ADULT LONGLIST
Saltwater Boy by Bradley Christmas (Walker Books Australia)
Grace Notes by Karen Comer (Lothian Children's Books)
The Lorikeet Tree by Paul Jennings (Allen & Unwin Children's)
Welcome to Sex by Dr Melissa Kang & Yumi Stynes (Hardie Grant Children's Publishing)
The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kaufman (Allen & Unwin Children's)
We Could Be Something by Will Kostakis (Allen & Unwin Children's)
Some Shall Break by Ellie Marney (Allen & Unwin Children's)
The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix (Allen & Unwin Children's)
Stuck Up & Stupid by Angourie Rice & Kate Rice (Walker Books Australia)
Robert Runs by Mariah Sweetman (Magabala Books)
The Shortlist will be announced on 17 January 2024, with the Category Winners and the Overall Book of the Year Winner being announced at a virtual awards event on Monday 25 March 2024.
The Indie Book Awards would like to gratefully acknowledge the 2024 Awards Sponsors: Allen & Unwin, Affirm Press, Thames & Hudson, Hachette Australia, Penguin Random House and Awards partner Pan Macmillan.
Comments