BREAKING NEWS: Some of your favourite books have been nominated

The shortlist for the 2019 Indie Book Awards has been announced!

Established in 2008, the Indie Book Awards recognise and celebrate Australia’s incredible writing talent, and the pivotal role that independent booksellers play in supporting and nurturing our country’s great literature.

The awards are divided into six categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Debut Fiction, Illustrated Non-Fiction, Children’s, and Young Adult.

Now, without further ado – here is the Shortlist for the 2019 Indie Book Awards:

FICTION SHORTLIST

The Lost Man by Jane Harper (Macmillan Australia)

Shell by Kristina Olsson (Scribner Australia)

The Shepherd’s Hut by Tim Winton (Penguin Random House Australia)

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak (Picador Australia)

NON-FICTION SHORTLIST

The Land Before Avocado by Richard Glover (ABC Books, HarperCollins Australia)

The Arsonist by Chloe Hooper (Penguin Random House Australia)

Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee (Allen & Unwin)

Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales (Penguin Random House Australia)

DEBUT FICTION SHORTLIST

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton (HarperCollins Australia)

Scrublands by Chris Hammer (Allen & Unwin)

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris (Echo Publishing)

The Nowhere Child by Christian White (Affirm Press)

ILLUSTRATED NON-FICTION SHORTLIST

A Painted Landscape: Across Australia from Bush to Coast by Amber Creswell Bell (Thames & Hudson Australia)

Marcia Langton: Welcome to Country by Marcia Langton (Hardie Grant Travel)

Family: New vegetable classics to comfort and nourish by Hetty McKinnon (Plum)

Australian Dreamscapes by Claire Takacs (Hardie Grant Books)

CHILDREN’S SHORTLIST

All the Ways to be Smart by Davina Bell & Allison Colpoys (Illus) (Scribe Publications)

Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee (Allen & Unwin)

Tales from the Inner City by Shaun Tan (Allen & Unwin)

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (Hachette Australia)

YOUNG ADULT SHORTLIST

Hive by A. J. Betts (Pan Australia)

Amelia Westlake by Erin Gough (Hardie Grant Egmont)

A Song Only I Can Hear by Barry Jonsberg (Allen & Unwin)

Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin Kwaymullina & Ezekiel Kwaymullina (Allen & Unwin)

The twenty-four shortlisted books across all six categories, as nominated by Australian independent booksellers themselves, will each be vying for the number one spot of Indie ‘Book of the Year’ for 2019. A panel of expert judges (composed of indie booksellers and avid readers) will select a winner from each category, and independent booksellers from around the country will then vote to select their favourite overall book of the year from the six category winners.

The Category Winners and the Overall ‘Book of the Year’ Winner will be announced on Monday the 18th of March, 2019, at the Leading Edge Books Annual Conference Awards Dinner in Adelaide, SA.

Keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for winner announcements and updates.