We’re getting close now to the Top 10 of #AusFaveAuthor – make sure you stay tuned because tomorrow we announce your Top 10. Today we reveal the authors who came in at numbers 20-11.

This has been a huge month for Aussie authors and for you our voters! This month we asked you to nominate your favourite Australian authors and we had over 1000 authors nominated – incredible! Next came the voting rounds over three weeks in the Heats and Finals. We’ve collated all your votes and are ready to announce your Top 50 Favourite Australian Authors for 2018.

We received thousands of votes, so thank you all for taking the time to do so. Your authors thank you, and hopefully they’ll pen another book as a sign of their gratitude.

Today we take a look at your favourite authors, 20-11. Congratulations to all the authors who have been voted into the Top 50! Today you’ll see amazing authors like Hannah Kent, Luke Hines and May Gibbs.

This week we’ll be counting down your Favourite Australian Authors, all leading up to the big reveal on Thursday, where we’ll be announcing your Top 10 and… your #1 Favourite Australian Author!

Check out the authors ranked 50-41 here.

Check out the authors ranked 40-31 here.

Check out the authors ranked 30-21 here.

So without further ado, meet the authors ranked 20-11:

Australia’s Favourite Australian Authors: 20-11

20. Tony Park

Tony Park was born in 1964 and grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney. He has worked as a newspaper reporter in Australia and England, a government press secretary, a public relations consultant, and freelance writer. His novels have been acclaimed bestsellers since his very first, Far Horizon. Some of his other books include African Sky, Ivory and Safari.

He is also a Major in the Australian Army Reserve and served six months in Afghanistan in 2002 as the public affairs officer for the Australian ground forces. He and his wife, Nicola, divide their time between Sydney and southern Africa where they own a home on the border of the Kruger National Park.

Tony’s most recent book is The Cull. Visit Tony’s Booktopia author page.

19. May Gibbs

May Gibbs (1877-1969) came to Australia at the age of four. Even as a child May drew and painted, encouraged by her parents. She studied art, both in Western Australia and in England, before settling in Sydney to follow a successful career as a writer and illustrator of children’s books.

Her most famous book, Tales of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, was published in 1918. Her bestselling series featuring the Gumnut babies, their friends and their foes, established an enduring mythology of the Australian bush for generations raised firmly on traditional European fairytales. In 1955, she received an MBE for her contribution to children’s literature. Visit May’s Booktopia author page.

18. Jackie French

Jackie was the Australian Children’s Laureate for 2014/15 and the 2015 Senior Australian of the Year. She is also an historian, ecologist, dyslexic, and a passionate worker for literacy; she believes in the right of all children to be able to read, and the power of books.

Jackie’s writing career spans 25 years, 148 wombats, over 140 books, 36 languages, 3,721 bush rats, and over 60 awards in Australia and overseas. Her books range from provocative historical fiction such as Hitler’s Daughter to the hilarious international bestseller, Diary of a Wombat with Bruce Whatley, as well as many nonfiction titles.

Jackie’s most recent book is Facing the Flame and you can listen to our podcast with Jackie here. Visit Jackie’s Booktopia author page.

17. Graeme Base

Graeme Base is one of the world’s leading creators of picture books. His alphabet book Animalia, received international acclaim when it was first published in 1986, and has achieved classic status with worldwide sales approaching three million copies. It has now inspired an animated TV series.

In 2003, his first novel for young readers, TruckDogs, was released. It was short-listed for the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards the following year. In 2009 Graeme produced the the fascinating, beautiful and challenging book Enigma.

Graeme’s most recent book is Amazing Monster Detectoscope. Visit Graeme’s Booktopia author page.

16. Hannah Kent

Hannah Kent is a Melbourne-based writer, born in Adelaide in 1985. Her first novel, Burial Rites, has been translated into over twenty languages and was shortlisted for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction (formerly the Orange Prize) and the Guardian First Book Award. It won the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year, the Indie Awards Debut Fiction Book of the Year and the Victorian Premier’s People’s Choice Award, and has most recently been long-listed for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

Her second novel, The Good People, is set in pre-famine rural Ireland. Listen to Hannah chatting with us about The Good People. Hannah is also the co-founder and publishing director of Australian literary journal Kill Your Darlings. Visit Hannah’s Booktopia author page.

15. Banjo Patterson

Andrew Barton ‘Banjo’ Paterson (17 February 1864 – 5 February 1941) was an Australian bush journalist and author. He was popularly known as “Banjo” Paterson from his pen name, “The Banjo”. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong, New South Wales where he spent much of his childhood.

He is best known for his rousing folk classics The Man from Snowy River and Waltzing Matilda and is widely acknowledged as Australia’s greatest and most popular balladist. His poems, written with great gusto and humour, celebrate all the romance and rough-and-tumble of old Australia. Visit Banjo’s Booktopia author page.

14. Luke Hines

13. Rachael Johns

Rachael Johns is one of the most successful Romance Writers in Australia. In a relatively short space of time, Rachael has shown herself a force to be reckoned with, helping to bolster a new movement in Australian Romance writing.

At 17 she began writing, enlightened by the thought that she could create whatever ending she liked, and almost a decade later, after many, many attempts at writing different types of novels, she joined the Romance Writers of Australia association. It was there that Rachael learnt there was more to writing a book than just typing out random thoughts. She learnt about the craft, conflict, consistent characters, etc, and also discovered that she loved contemporary romance.

Some of Rachael’s books include The Patterson Girls and The Art of Keeping Secrets. Rachael’s most recent novel is called The Greatest Gift and you can listen to Rachael chat with us on The Booktopia Podcast here.

Visit Rachael’s Booktopia author page.

12. Paul Jennings

The Paul Jennings phenomenon began with the publication of Unreal! in 1985. Since then, readers all around the world have devoured his books.

Paul Jennings has written over one hundred stories and has been voted ‘favourite author’ over forty times by children in Australia, winning every children’s choice award. The top rating TV series Round the Twist and Driven Crazy are based on a selection of his enormously popular short-story collections such as Unseen! which was awarded the 1999 Queensland Premier’s Literary Award for Best Children’s Book.

In 1995 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for services to children’s literature and was awarded the prestigious Dromkeen Medal in 2001. Paul has sold more than 8 million books worldwide. Visit Paul’s Booktopia author page.

11. Markus Zusak

Australian author Markus Zusak grew up hearing stories about Nazi Germany, about the bombing of Munich and about Jews being marched through his mother’s small, German town. He always knew it was a story he wanted to tell.

You may have heard of a little book called The Book Thief (now a major motion picture), which saw Zusak dubbed a ‘literary phenomenon’ by Australian and U.S. critics. Zusak is the award-winning author of four previous books for young adults: The Underdog, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, Getting the Girl, and I Am the Messenger.

Check out the authors ranked 50-41 here.

Check out the authors ranked 40-31 here.

Check out the authors ranked 30-21 here.

TOMORROW we announce the Top 10 Favourite Australian Authors. Stay tuned!

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About the Contributor

Bronwyn Eley

Before entering the exciting world of books, Bronwyn served in the Royal Australian Air Force, travelled extensively and worked (still does!) as a barista on the weekends. Books are her true passion. Bronwyn's debut fantasy novel Relic is coming out in 2019 with indie publishing house Talem Press. They are to publish her entire trilogy called The Relic Trilogy. In her spare time, Bronwyn writes, reads and enjoys keeping fit (which she undoes by eating loads of chocolate) with Martial Arts and personal training. She can't answer what her favourite book is but she has a soft spot for Peter Pan (J.M Barrie), Outlander (Diana Gabaldon), Stardust (Neil Gaiman), The Illuminae Files (Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman) and Six of Crows (Leigh Bardugo). Fantasy, sci-fi and YA make up the majority of her bookshelves.

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