Tell us a bit about yourself!

I was born in Sydney but grew up in Hobart. My husband and I moved back to Sydney for better job opportunities in 2015 and after five years of being assaulted by cockroaches and the heat we fled back to Tasmania just in time to work remotely in 2020. When I’m not at work I am probably about a metre away from my desk, on the couch reading.

You have so much experience in the industry, from interning at Murdoch Books and Hachette Australia Books, to your current role in events at the Australian Publishers Association. What has been your favourite part of working in the industry so far?

A real highlight has been working with the APA’s Children’s Publishing Committee and the Australian Booksellers Association to provide professional development seminars for booksellers and publishing professionals who work with children’s books. 

Tell us about your role on the ABIA committee and what brought you to join the committee.

I manage the project from the APA side of things, which means making sure everyone has access to whatever they need to get their tasks done, and helping when needed. I answer a lot of enquiries about the awards, and also do loads of admin. The ABIAs has been part of my job at the APA since 2017 so I’ve worked with some really great committee members over the years.

How long have you worked in publishing, and how did you get started in the industry?

When I moved to Sydney and started a Masters of Publishing, I didn’t have much of an idea of what I particularly wanted to do aside from read books (so original in publishing). I learnt a lot about all different aspects of publishing. My internship at Hachette was particularly good at providing me with opportunities to try a range of things and also talk to staff in different departments. My first proper job was at the APA as Team Assistant, a job which very quickly morphed into a rather ad-hoc assortment of responsibilities to do with running the office, but also helping with the ABIAs and other events. Since moving back to Tasmania I’ve dropped all the office stuff, and am focused mostly on the ABIAs and our education awards, the EPAAs, as well as assisting with our professional development programs.

Who would you like to recognise in the industry as someone who has supported your career in publishing? What did they do for you?

I really have to say a huge thank you to Agata Mrva-Montoya from Sydney Uni Press who also taught me at Sydney Uni. She’s incredibly encouraging, one of the best teachers I’ve had, and I have enjoyed being able to catch up with her at various industry events since graduating.

What are you reading at the moment?

I have almost finished Born Into This by Adam Thompson, which is a short story collection published by UQP Books. I am pretty sure it is going to be an all-time favourite, the writing is incredible and every time I finish a story I can’t stop thinking about it.

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Thanks, Gillian!

If you’re keen to join Gillian and the committee at the ABIAs this year, and you work for a member company of the APA, view ticket options here.

General Admission tickets are available from the Sydney Writers’ Festival website.

Nominations are now open for:

• Publisher of the Year
• Small Publisher of the Year
• Retailer of the Year
• Bookshop of the Year
• Rising Star of the Year

From booksellers in Sydney to Townsville; publishers in WA to Melbourne; and emerging publishing professionals all across the country, we want to see your nominations coming in for the best and brightest in the Australian book industry.

Booksellers – Nominate your bookshop! Or a Rising Star in your team! Nominations are free to enter for this category.

Publishers – Don’t think twice! Nominate yourself in the appropriate Publisher of the Year category.

Publishing Managers – Who of your staff that are in the first ten years of their publishing career deserve accolades? Who do you know is a future leader of the industry? Nominate them in the Rising Star Awards. 

Start your submission here or check out the details below for more information on how to enter.

The Business Award submissions close at 11:59 pm on Monday 09 March (AEDT).

 

Award Categories, Descriptions and Sample forms

Publisher of the Year

This is an award for the Australian publisher with a turnover of more than $10 million whose publishing programme (including sales, promotion, editorial and production) demonstrated excellence, commensurate with the publisher’s size, for the period January to December 2019, and which contributed to the success of the industry.

Download a sample copy of the nomination form.

Small Publisher of the Year

This is an award for the Australian publisher with a turnover of less than $10 million whose publishing programme (including sales, promotion, editorial and production) demonstrated excellence, commensurate with the publisher’s size, for the period January to December 2019, and which has contributed to the overall success of the industry.

Download a sample copy of the nomination form.

Retailer of the Year

This is an award for the Australian company or group of companies or retailers that has best demonstrated excellence and contributed to the overall success of the industry over the course of the year January to December 2019.

This award is open only to Australian-registered national retailers, including: book retail chains, discount department stores, online retailers and other retailers successfully selling books as part of a larger range of products.

Download a sample copy of the nomination form.

Bookshop of the Year

This is an award is for an individual physical bookshop in Australia that has demonstrated excellence over the course of the 2019 calendar year. The bookshop may be part of a larger chain, but this award is for an individual store as listed on the entry form.

Download a sample copy of the nomination form.

Rising Star of the Year

This award recognises emerging talent in the Australian book publishing industry whose record reflects ongoing excellence and growth in contribution to their profession. The nominee must currently be working in the Australian publishing industry as a permanent employee, and have been part of the industry for no more than 10 years as of 31 December 2019. Self-nominations will not be accepted.

Download a sample copy of the nomination form.

ABIA Business Awards open 06 February and close 09 March 2019.

Nominations are now open for:

• Publisher of the Year
• Small Publisher of the Year
• Retailer of the Year
• Independent Retailer of the Year
• Rising Star of the Year

From booksellers in Sydney to Townsville; publishers in WA to Melbourne; and emerging publishing professionals all across the country, we want to see a wide representation of nominations coming in. Make the competition fierce! 

Booksellers – Nominating is FREE for National and Independent Retailer Award – Independent or bigger, we know it’s a bit weird nominating yourself. But you work very hard getting books into the hands of readers and we want to celebrate you! Nominate your bookshop! Or a Rising Star in your team!

Publishers – don’t think twice! Nominate yourself in the appropriate Publisher of the Year category. Join the likes of Thames & Hudson and HarperCollins — winners of the 2018 Publisher of the Year awards. 

Publishing Managers – who of your staff that are in the first ten years of their publishing career deserve accolades? Who do you know is a future leader of the industry? Nominate them in the Rising Star Awards. 
 

Start your submission here or check out the details below for more information on how to enter.

The Business Award submissions close at 5 pm on Tuesday 19 March (AEDT).

Happy nominating!

 

Award Categories, Descriptions and Sample forms

Publisher of the Year

This is an award for the Australian publisher with a turnover of more than $10 million whose publishing programme (including sales, promotion, editorial and production) demonstrated excellence, commensurate with the publisher’s size, for the period January to December 2018, and which contributed to the success of the industry.

Download a sample copy of the nomination form.

Small Publisher of the Year

This is an award for the Australian publisher with a turnover of less than $10 million whose publishing programme (including sales, promotion, editorial and production) demonstrated excellence, commensurate with the publisher’s size, for the period January to December 2018, and which has contributed to the overall success of the industry.

Download a sample copy of the nomination form.

Retailer of the Year

This is an award for the Australian company or group of companies or retailers that has best demonstrated excellence and contributed to the overall success of the industry over the course of the year January to December 2018.

This award is open only to Australian-registered national retailers, including: book retail chains, discount department stores, online retailers and other retailers successfully selling books as part of a larger range of products.

Download a sample copy of the nomination form.

Independent Retailer of the Year

This is an award for the Australian independent book retailer who best demonstrated excellence over the course of the year January to December 2018. Entrants should have no more than ten stores and a turnover of less than $50M and should not be a part of group of companies or retailers with a combined turnover of more than $50M.

Download a sample copy of the nomination form.

Rising Star of the Year

This award recognises emerging talent in the Australian publishing industry, whose individual record reflects ongoing excellence and growth in contribution to their profession. The nominee must be currently working in the Australian publishing industry, and have been part of the industry for less than 10 years as of 31 December 2018. Self-nominations will not be accepted.

Download a sample copy of the nomination form.

ABIA Business Awards open 13 February and close 19 March 2019.

When is it? When is it for 2019?

And where is it for that matter?

Well, read on, dear book lover.

 

Rub shoulders with the biggest national and international names in publishing at the industry night of nights – The Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) – on Thursday 2 May 2019.

This year, the awards remain at the International Convention Centre Sydney but in a new room with city views, that at night with the lights will set the scene for this flagship event.

Celebrating the best and brightest stars of the publishing scene alongside guests from the arts, entertainment, business and government, the awards coincide with the Sydney Writers’ Festival which runs from the 29 April – 5 May 2019.
 
The ABIA showcase the collaborative efforts of author, publisher, editor, illustrator, PR manager and many more in the book creation space, of what is the 14th largest publishing industry in the world, generating $2 billion in annual revenue with more than 7,000 new titles published each year. 
 
Nominations for the 2019 awards will open 15 January. Look out for ‘how to nominate’ announcements coming soon.