This was the first of two panel discussions where publishers were pitching to the conference about ‘why you should go on a date with me’. Some got the concept better than others, but it was a lot of fun.
First panel consisted of:
- Clare Foster – Curtis Brown Australia (agents)
- Joel Naoum – Momentum
- Larissa Edwards – Simon & Schuster
- Haylee Kerans – Harlequin Australia
- Anna Valdinger – Harper Collins / Avon
Clare Foster – Curtis Brown Australia
- oldest Australian agents
- a blue ‘fainting couch’ in the Victorian office
- miss most of this pitch. sorry!
Joel Naoum – Momentum
- Australian only digital imprint, part of Pan MacMillan
- 80 titles in the past 10 months
- Hot Down Under launching in November – 13 erotic shorts
- unsolicited submissions every Monday
- guidelines on website – please follow
- general digital publisher, looking for anything
Larissa Edwards – Simon & Schuster
- experience as a book shop owner, book seller, book publisher
- book world in state of flux
- looking for anything – commercial woman’s fiction
- any form, print and digital
- send paper submissions to head office at Cammeray addressed to Larissa
Haylee Kerans – Harlequin Australia
- just launched Harlequin Escape – not inundated with manuscripts
- small responsive team
- hot – have you seen their covers
- dedicated space in discount stores (Big W, Kmart etc)
Anna Valdinger – Harper Collins / Avon
- experience with manuscript development
- 2nd biggest romance publisher ‘they try harder’
- big in the US but can expand in the Australian writers market
- can’t promise to be monogamous, but hope everyone will have a good time
- accepting unsolicited submissions but could be very slow – a few chapters and a synopsis
General:
- Multiple submissions are fine (be as slutty as you like)
- It will take people a long time to get back to you, it is unfortunate but a reality now
- Many publishers have overseas officers for international distribution rights
- ePublishers usually do world wide rights simultaneously
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