Self-publishing can provide author autonomy but there are many aspects to navigate, from distribution to marketing. Photo by Shutterstock.
The 2022 Miles Franklin awards long list was recently released. Among the 12 nominees was a book by Michael Winkler called Grimmish that has gathered a swag of good reviews. It was described by JM Coetzee as ‘The strangest book you are likely to read this year,’ while Helen Garner called it, ‘A moving subterranean glint of strange masculine tenderness’.
Despite such lofty acclaim, Grimmish had very humble beginnings. It is the only book on the long list of Australia’s most prestigious literary prize to have started out as a self-published title before being picked up by a small press publisher and reprinted.
Thuy On is the Reviews and Literary Editor of ArtsHub and an arts journalist, critic and poet who’s written for a range of publications including The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, Sydney Review of Books, The Australian, The Age/SMH and Australian Book Review. She was the Books Editor of The Big Issue for 8 years and a former Melbourne theatre critic correspondent for The Australian.
Her debut, a collection of poetry called Turbulence, came out in 2020 and was released by University of Western Australia Publishing (UWAP). Her second collection, Decadence, was published in July 2022, also by UWAP. Her third book, Essence, will be published in 2025.
Threads: @thuy_on123 Instagram: poemsbythuy
