My original plan was to win the Victorian Premier’s prize for an unpublished manuscript, leading to a flood of publication offers, and general fame and fortune. Needless to say, this didn’t happen for me (although it did work out for Jane Harper. Grrr.)
I did, however, take two important lessons from this experience: firstly, I learned that I work better with a deadline; and secondly, I learned that you’re unlikely to succeed in your first attempt. I continued re-drafting my manuscript, and I kept entering competitions.
Because of Australia’s small population (compared to the US or UK), it seems to me that the Australian publishing industry relies less on the literary agent system and is turning more and more to unpublished manuscript competitions to uncover new writing talent.
As time passed and I continued on my writing journey (as much as was possible amid paid employment and motherhood), I entered many more competitions: The Banjo Prize, the Penguin Prize, the Richell Prize, and more.
I had some success at one stage, being named as the runner-up for the CALScribe Award (since discontinued, as far as I can discover). This was a huge boost to my confidence, but did not result in any offers from agents or publishers. Around the same time my manuscript was also selected for a Varuna/HarperCollins retreat. Again this was a huge boost - plus I got to spend 10 days at the beautiful Varuna house in the Blue Mountains and meet some fellow writers - but it did not result in any offers.
In 2019, when I saw there was a new competition, the ASA/HQ Prize for Commercial Fiction, I nearly didn’t enter, unsure whether my manuscript fitted the description. But in the end I thought I may as well give it a go: and what do you know? I finally won!
As a result, my novel Brunswick Street Blues is set to be published by HQAustralia in March next year.
There are other paths to publication, but the competition process is one that finally worked for me.
The Australian Society of Authors was kind enough to profile me as a result of the prize, and I’d like to thank them again for partnering with HQ Australia to offer this opportunity to writers of commercial fiction.