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The day has finally come! After weeks of nominations and voting, we have our Top 10 Favourite Australian Authors of 2018.<\/p>\n
Before we move on to the fun stuff, we\u00a0have to say a\u00a0BIG thank you to everyone involved with this poll. To our amazing Australian authors, not only do you write the books we love and champion, but we have to thank you for your support\u00a0of this campaign!<\/p>\n
To the publishers, we couldn’t have done this without your tireless support, and your incredible passion for Australian books.<\/p>\n
And last but not least, thank YOU readers. Your passion for Australian authors was amazing to see through all your thousands of nominations and votes. Booktopia is a proudly Australian owned and operated bookstore, created for Australians by Australians. Your support means the world to us. Thank you!<\/p>\n
We think Australian authors are pretty damn important, and want to do whatever we can to support them. That’s why we set up this poll, and made January our month of\u00a0Australian Stories<\/a>.<\/p>\n Check out the authors ranked 50-41\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Check out the authors ranked 40-31\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Check out the authors\u00a0ranked 30-21\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Check out the authors ranked 20-11\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ok, we promise we’ll stop now and get onto the important stuff… the Top 10!<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s Favourite Australian Authors:\u00a0Top 10<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n 10. Di Morrissey<\/strong><\/p>\n Coming in at number 10 is Di Morrissey – one of the most successful authors Australia has ever produced! She trained as a journalist, working in the media around the world. Her fascination with different countries; their landscape, their cultural, political and environmental issues, forms the inspiration for her novels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Di is a tireless activist for many causes: opposing large scale development and commercial food chains into Byron Bay NSW, fighting gas and mining intrusion into sacred lands in the Kimberly, and stopping massive and unnecessary power lines intruding into the Manning Valley NSW. Di also established The Golden Land Education Foundation in Myanmar.<\/span><\/p>\n Some of Di’s many books include\u00a0The Plantation<\/a><\/em>, Monsoon<\/a>, Rain Music<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>and her most recent novel\u00a0The Red Coast<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Listen to our podcast interview with Di on\u00a0The Red Coast<\/em> here<\/a>.<\/p>\n We have celebrated over 25 years of incredible Di Morrissey magic. Listen to our podcast with her on this incredible milestone here<\/a>. Visit Di’s Booktopia author page<\/a>.<\/p>\n 9. Andy Griffiths<\/strong><\/p>\n Next up is Mr. Andy Griffiths. Who, you ask? PFFT, just one of Australia\u2019s most popular children\u2019s authors! From his bestselling, award-winning Treehouse<\/a> series\u2014now published in more than 30 countries\u2014to the JUST!<\/a> books (both illustrated by long-time friend and collaborator Terry Denton) and\u00a0The Day My Bum Went Psycho<\/i><\/a>, Andy\u2019s books have captivated and kept Australian kids laughing for more than twenty years. Adults, too. Many adults, all laughing hysterically.<\/span><\/p>\n Andy\u2019s books have been\u00a0New York Times<\/i>\u00a0bestsellers, adapted for stage and television and won over 70 Australian children\u2019s choice awards. Andy, a passionate advocate for literacy, is an ambassador for The Indigenous Literacy Foundation and The Pyjama Foundation. Go Andy!<\/span><\/p>\n Visit Andy’s Booktopia author page<\/a>.<\/p>\n 8. Monica McInerney<\/strong><\/p>\n She’s a\u00a0star of Australian fiction. That’s right, we’re talking about Monica McInerney. We’re now going to list some<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>of her\u00a0internationally bestselling novels. Ready? Take a deep breath.\u00a0A Taste for It<\/em><\/a>, Upside Down Inside Out<\/em><\/a>, Spin the Bottle<\/em><\/a>, The Alphabet Sisters<\/em><\/a>, Family Baggage<\/em><\/a>, Those Faraday Girls<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0At Home with the Templetons<\/em><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n Those Faraday Girls<\/em>\u00a0was the winner of the General Fiction Book of the Year at the 2008 Australian Book Industry Awards. Her collection of short fiction,\u00a0All Together Now<\/em><\/a>, was shortlisted for the same award in 2009.\u00a0At Home with the Templeton<\/em>s\u00a0was shortlisted in the Popular Fiction category of the 2010 Irish Book Awards and in the Romantic Elements category of the 2011 Australian Romantic Book of the Year Awards. In 2006 she was the ambassador for the Australian Government initiative Books Alive, with her novella Odd One Out<\/em>. Monica’s latest novel is called\u00a0The Trip of a Lifetime<\/a><\/em> and you can listen to our\u00a0interview with her here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Monica grew up in a family of seven children in the Clare Valley of South Australia and has been living between Australia and Ireland for twenty years. She and her Irish husband currently live in Dublin. Visit Monica’s Booktopia author page<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n 7. John Marsden<\/strong><\/p>\n Whilst working at the prestigious Geelong Grammar School,\u00a0following his dissatisfaction with his students\u2019 apathy towards reading and the observation that teenagers simply weren\u2019t reading any more, Marsden made the decision to write for teenagers. What a guy! Marsden then wrote\u00a0So Much To Tell You<\/a>\u00a0<\/i>in only three weeks (*impressed face*), and the book was published in 1987. The book sold record numbers and won numerous awards including Book of the Year as awarded by the Children\u2019s Book Council of Australia.<\/span><\/p>\n In 1993 Marsden published\u00a0Tomorrow, When the War Began<\/i><\/a>\u00a0the first book in the Tomorrow series and his most acclaimed and best-selling work to date. Recently it was selected in the American Library Association list of 100 Best Books for Teens since 1966.<\/span><\/p>\n Marsden has won every major writing award in Australia for young people\u2019s fiction, including what Marsden describes as one of the highlights of his career, the 2006 Lloyd O\u2019Neil Award for contributions to Australian publishing. This award means that Marsden is one of only five authors to be honoured for lifelong services to the Australian book industry. John Marsden was also nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2008, the world\u2019s largest children\u2019s and youth literature award, and the second largest literature prize in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n Visit John’s Booktopia author page<\/a>.<\/p>\n 6. Bryce Courtenay<\/strong><\/p>\n You may have heard of a little book called\u00a0The Power of One<\/a>.<\/em>\u00a0Or maybe you saw the movie? If you haven’t seen or read this incredible story, please, GO NOW. Why? Much of it is based on Bryce’s own life.<\/p>\n Bryce was born in 1933 in South Africa, in an isolate community, among farm folk and African people. Sent to ‘boarding school’, he was taught to box as a means to stay alive. Now, we don’t want to say much more because that would spoil the story\u00a0but<\/em>, trust us,\u00a0The Power of One<\/em> is indeed a powerful story.\u00a0More like\u00a0‘the power of one BOOK’.<\/p>\n Some of Bryce’s other books include\u00a0Jessica<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0Tandia<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>and The Australian Series –\u00a0The Potato Factory<\/a>, Tommo & Hawk <\/a><\/em>and Solomon’s Song<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Bryce Courtenay died in 2012 at his home in Canberra, Australia. He was 79.\u00a0Courtenay is survived by his second wife Christine Gee and his children Adam and Brett.<\/p>\n Visit Bryce’s Booktopia author page<\/a>.<\/p>\n 5. Tim Winton<\/strong><\/p>\n Coming in at number 5 is\u00a0the\u00a0<\/em>Tim Winton!\u00a0Tim’s literary reputation was established early when his first novel,\u00a0An Open Swimmer<\/em><\/a>, won the 1981 Australian Vogel Award; his second novel\u00a0Shallows<\/em><\/a>, won the Miles Franklin Award in 1984; and his third book,\u00a0Scission<\/em><\/a>, a collection of short stories, won the West Australian Council Literary Award in 1985. Tim has won<\/span>\u00a0the Miles Franklin Award four times (for\u00a0Shallows<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0Cloudstreet<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0Dirt Music<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Breath<\/em><\/a>) and twice been shortlisted for the Booker Prize (for\u00a0The Riders<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Dirt Music<\/em>).<\/p>\n That Eye, the Sky<\/em><\/a>\u00a0was adapted for the stage by Justin Monjo and Richard Roxburgh, and also made into a film. A second film adaptation was made of\u00a0In the Winter Dark<\/em><\/a>, featuring Brenda Blethyn.<\/span><\/p>\n Tim’s fifth novel,\u00a0Cloudstreet\u00a0<\/em>(ring a bell?), the story of two working-class families rebuilding their lives, was a huge literary and commercial success. Not to mention\u00a0Breath, Eyrie<\/a>, The Boy Behind the Curtain<\/a><\/em>… just to name a few!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We sat down to chat with Tim about\u00a0The Boy Behind the Curtain<\/em>, listen here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tim’s\u00a0upcoming novel is called\u00a0The Shepherd’s Hut<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Visit Tim’s Booktopia author page<\/a>.<\/p>\n 4. Anh Do<\/strong><\/p>\n Time for a laugh with Anh Do, coming in at number 4. Anh\u00a0is an author, actor and comedian – a real triple threat!\u00a0He has appeared on many Australian TV shows such as Thank God You’re Here<\/em> and Good News Week<\/em>, and was runner-up on Dancing With The Stars<\/em> in 2007. So he can dance too? Unfair! Not to mention his talent with a paint brush. Anh gets up close and personal with Australian celebrities on his very own TV show,\u00a0Anh’s Brush with Fame,<\/em> where he paints famous Aussies.<\/span><\/p>\n Some of Anh’s recent books include installations in his\u00a0WeirDo<\/a> series,\u00a0The Hotdog series<\/a> and\u00a0What Do They Do With All the Poo From All the Animals At the Zoo?<\/a><\/em> Try saying that ten times fast. Anh has recently come out with his own story in\u00a0The Happiest Refugee<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>a laugh-out-loud, reach-for-your-hanky story.<\/p>\n Visit Anh’s Booktopia author page<\/a>.<\/p>\n 3. Mem Fox<\/strong><\/p>\n We’re up to the final THREE Favourite Australian Authors of 2018. Let’s be honest, no one is really surprised that the incredible Mem Fox is sitting comfortable at #3. Some of Mem’s books that you\u00a0may<\/em>\u00a0have heard of (note the sarcasm) are\u00a0Baby Bedtime<\/a>, Ducks Away!<\/a><\/em>\u00a0and, of course,\u00a0Possum Magic<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Her first book,\u00a0Possum Magic<\/em>, is the best selling children’s book ever in Australia, with sales of over three and a half million. And in the USA, Time for Bed<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge<\/em>\u00a0have each sold over a million copies.\u00a0Time for Bed<\/em> is on Oprah’s list of the twenty best children’s books of all time.<\/span><\/p>\n Mem Fox was born in Australia, grew up in Africa, studied drama in England, and returned to Adelaide, Australia in 1970, where she has lived with her husband, Malcolm, and daughter Chloe, happily ever after.<\/span><\/p>\n Listen to our interview with Mem on her\u00a0recent book\u00a0I’m Australian Too<\/em><\/a> on the Booktopia podcast here<\/a>.\u00a0Visit Mem’s Booktopia author page<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2. Liane Moriarty<\/strong><\/p>\n Liane Moriarty is the Australian author of seven internationally best-selling novels, including\u00a0Three Wishes<\/i><\/a>,\u00a0The Last Anniversary<\/i><\/a>,\u00a0What Alice Forgot<\/i><\/a>,\u00a0The Hypnotist’s Love Story<\/i><\/a>\u00a0and the #1\u00a0New York Times<\/i>\u00a0bestsellers,\u00a0The Husband’s Secret<\/i><\/a>,\u00a0Big Little Lies<\/i><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Truly Madly Guilty<\/a>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n With the launch of\u00a0Big Little Lies<\/i>, Liane became the first Australian author to have a novel debut at number one on the\u00a0New York Times<\/i>\u00a0bestseller list. Film and television rights were snapped up by Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon and the series was a massive hit! Trust us, if you haven’t read or watched it, go now!<\/span><\/p>\n Truly Madly Guilty<\/i>\u00a0also debuted at #1 in its first week of publication on the\u00a0New York Times<\/i>\u00a0bestseller list and both\u00a0Big Little Lies<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0Truly Madly Guilty<\/i>\u00a0were number one bestsellers in Australia. Listen to our podcast with Liane on Truly Madly Guilty<\/em> here<\/a>.\u00a0Writing as L.M. Moriarty, Liane has also written a series of books for children.<\/span><\/p>\n A huge congratulations to Liane for being voted #2 in our #AusFaveAuthor poll!\u00a0Visit Liane’s Booktopia author page.<\/a><\/p>\n 1. Matthew Reilly<\/strong><\/p>\n Here it is – our NUMBER ONE Favourite Australian Author, as voted by you. Matthew Reilly, everybody! Congratulations Matthew on this amazing achievement and a huge thank you to everyone who voted for Matthew. We had over 1000 authors nominated for this poll and after thousands of votes, the public has spoken. Matthew was also voted our #1 Favourite Australian Author last year.<\/p>\n Born July 2nd, 1974, Matthew Reilly is\u00a0an international bestselling author for novels including\u00a0Ice Station<\/a>, Temple<\/a>, Contest<\/a>, Area 7<\/a>, Scarecrow<\/a>, Hover Car Racer<\/a>, Seven Ancient Wonders<\/a>, The Six Sacred Stones<\/a>, The Five Greatest Warriors<\/a><\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0The Four Legendary Kingdoms<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n Matthew has been published in over 20 countries and his books have sold over 7.5 million copies around the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As a young man, Matthew wasn’t too fond of set reading projects in high-school and was inspired to ‘do it better’. He wrote and self-published\u00a0Contest<\/em> in 1996 while just 19 years old, deliberately aiming to have his book noticed by publishers who talent-scout at bookstores. His dedication and hard work paid off and now Matthew is the bestselling author he is today. His first industry-produced novel,\u00a0Ice Station<\/em>, was so popular it had to be reprinted six times in the first two years after publication!<\/p>\n Sit back and listen to our interview<\/a> with Matthew on\u00a0The Four Legendary Kingdoms<\/em><\/a>, book four in his\u00a0Jack West Jr.\u00a0<\/em>series.<\/p>\n Just a few hours ago, Matthew dropped that book 5 in his Jack West Jr. series,\u00a0The Three Secret Cities<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>is coming our way this November and it’s no surprise that his fans are going\u00a0nuts<\/em> (us included).<\/p>\n Visit Matthew’s Booktopia author page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Check out the authors ranked 50-41\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Check out the authors ranked 40-31\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Check out the authors\u00a0ranked 30-21\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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