2021 Indie Book Awards shortlist announced

The shortlist for the 2021 Indie Book Awards has been released with 24 incredible books making it through in six categories. According to the press release, the Indie Book Awards celebrate the best Australian writing as chosen by Australia's independent booksellers.

The Indie Book Awards have been supporting and championing the best Australian writing since 2008. This year, the awards are divided into fiction, non-fiction, debut fiction, illustrated non-fiction, children's, and young adult books. 

As well as winners in each category, one book will be chosen as the Overall Indie ‘Book of the Year’ for 2021. The judging panel is made up of independent booksellers – who are all obviously avid readers and keen supporters of Australian authors.

One of the shortlistees is Amelia Mellor for her children's book The Grandest Bookshop in the World, published by Affirm Press. 

“I'm thrilled to be selected as a finalist for the Indie Book Awards!” Amelia says. “How glorious it is that even after a hundred and fifty years, indie books, publishers and booksellers are still thriving in Australia. Thank you, indie booksellers, for championing The Grandest Bookshop in the World and keeping the spirit of Cole's Book Arcade alive!”

You can listen to the first chapter of The Grandest Bookshop in the World on our Story Sessions podcast.

We congratulate all the incredible authors who have made the shortlist. The winners will be announced on 22 March 2021. Good luck!

The complete shortlist:

FICTION

All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton (HarperCollins Australia)
The Living Sea of Waking Dreams by Richard Flanagan (Knopf Australia)
Mammoth by Chris Flynn (University of Queensland Press)
Honeybee by Craig Silvey (Allen & Unwin)

NON-FICTION

Phosphorescence by Julia Baird (Fourth Estate Australia)
The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku (Macmillan Australia)
People of the River by Grace Karskens (Allen & Unwin)
Truganini by Cassandra Pybus (Allen & Unwin)

DEBUT FICTION

The Bluffs by Kyle Perry (Michael Joseph Australia)
Song of the Crocodile by Nardi Simpson (Hachette Australia)
A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing by Jessie Tu (Allen & Unwin)
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams (Affirm Press)

ILLUSTRATED NON-FICTION

Sam Bloom: Heartache & Birdsong by Samantha Bloom, Cameron Bloom & Bradley Trevor Greive (ABC Books, HarperCollins Australia)
Plantopedia by Lauren Camilleri & Sophia Kaplan (Smith Street Books)
Beatrix Bakes by Natalie Paull (Hardie Grant Books)
In Praise of Veg by Alice Zaslavsky (Murdoch Books)

CHILDREN’S

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals by Sami Bayly (Lothian Children's Books)
Sing Me The Summer by Jane Godwin, illustrated by Alison Lester (Affirm Press)
The Grandest Bookshop in the World by Amelia Mellor (Affirm Press)
Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (Lothian Children's Books)

YOUNG ADULT

Future Girl by Asphyxia (Allen & Unwin Children's)
Catch Me If I Fall by Barry Jonsberg (Allen & Unwin Children's)
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix (Allen & Unwin Children's)
This One is Ours by Kate O'Donnell (University of Queensland Press)