Annabel Smith is the author of The Ark, US bestseller Whisky Charlie Foxtrot, and A New Map of the Universe, which was shortlisted for the WA Premier’s Book Awards. She was one of five inaugural recipients of an Australia Council Creative Australia Fellowship for Emerging Artists, for her interactive digital novel/app The Ark. She holds […]

Rosanna Arciuli has worked in the publishing industry for over 30 years, starting off as a Sydney bookseller, moving to Penguin Books as a sales representative before working for an independent publisher in London. On her return from London, she worked with the merchandising divisions of ABC Enterprises and SOCOG. Rosanna then relocated back to […]

Jennifer Wong is a comedian, writer, and former bookseller known for her bookishness and love of wordplay. She’s performed at arts and comedy festivals around the world, and her interviews with writers and artists can be heard on ABC RN’s Books & Arts and seen on ABC iview’s Bookish.

Founding publisher of Simon & Schuster Australia, Kirsty Melville moved to the US in 1994 as Vice-President and Publisher for Ten Speed Press in Berkeley, California, and led in its transformation from a niche publishing company into an internationally recognized, award-winning publisher. She departed Ten Speed to work as Publisher for San Francisco’s University Games, […]

Dr Per Henningsgaard is a lecturer in professional writing and publishing at Curtin University. Prior to arriving in Perth, he was the director of the master’s degree in book publishing at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. His publications include ‘Kim Scott’s Publishing History in Three Contexts: Australian Aboriginal, National, and International’ in A Companion […]

Anne Beilby is the Rights Manager at Text Publishing. She handles and negotiates contracts relating to both acquisitions and international licensing, audio and film contracts for the Text list. She has been presenting at international book fairs for more than 10 years.

Wenona Byrne is the Head of Practice, Literature, at the Australia Council for the Arts. In this role she is responsible for overseeing the core grants program and other strategic initiatives that support the literary sector. Before joining the Council Wenona worked in publishing for 11 years, 9 years as Rights Manager with independent publisher […]

Alex Adsett is a literary agent and publishing consultant. As a consultant, Alex offers strategic and commercial contract advice to authors and publishers, helping them negotiate the sometimes fraught landscape of publishing agreements. As a literary agent, she represents exceptional manuscripts for all ages, with a focus on science fiction, fantasy, romance, and crime. She […]

Juliet Rogers is the CEO of the Australian Society of Authors (ASA). She has had a long career in publishing, including Managing Director of Random House (NZ and Australia) and CEO of Murdoch Books. Before joining the ASA, she ran her own small publishing and consultancy business, The Wild Colonial Company. She has chaired Booksellers […]