New ways to find your next great read
May 5, 2022
As autumn is now in full swing, what better time is there to dive further into reading; whether it’s curling up alone with a new book for self-care time, joining your local library, hitting up your independent bookshops or starting a book club with your friends?
The Australian literary book prize season is well under way with longlists, shortlists and winners set to appear throughout the news in April, May, and June. There are so many great Australian stories being published and it can be overwhelming in the most wonderful way to decide what to read next! Here is just a brief timeline of literary book prizes for the first half of 2022:
- Indie Book Awards – (Winners announced in late March)
- The Stella Prize – Winner announced – Congratulations to Evelyn Araluen for ‘Drop Bear’! You can explore the full list of nominees here.
- ABIA Awards – Longlist
- Bookseller’s Choice Book of the Year – Shortlist announced.
- Miles Franklin Literary Award – longlist to be announced later this month.
While these awards bring to light some of Australia’s best and brightest authors and their books, there are still so many more writers to discover that might just be the next big thing.
Emerging authors can be discovered through word of mouth and viral engagement, and the way we connect with each other in the digital world helps to spread the good word on a new book that can’t be put down.
It is exciting to see new pathways opening for people to engage with books and connect with each other on their literary interests. Now, readers are sharing their love of literature via social media platforms, with a new trend being dubbed as ‘Booktok’ and ‘Booktube’.
Mainly accessible on YouTube and Tiktok respectfully, the channels are driven by passionate bibliophiles who have a lot to say about the books they are reading. They are paving their own way when it comes to reviewing, starting conversations, and promoting their favourite reads to audiences with an impressive reach.
This wildly growing movement can be useful to people who can’t decide what to read, or don’t know anyone in the real world to talk books with. Just one video can inspire your next foray into a new genre or series and have you running to the bookshop to collect your next adventure. Want to know who to follow online? Read ArtsHub’s full story on this new craze here.
If social media isn’t your thing, there are also plenty of podcasts to tune into on the topic: ‘All Things Bookish’, ABC’s ‘The Bookshelf’, and ‘Talking Aussie Books’ are just scratching the surface of what is available online. As print media pays less attention to the arts, could this be the new way forward?
While these digital avenues for reviewing on social media have been popular for some time overseas, they are slowly but surely on the rise in Australia, which can only be a good thing.The more people there are talking about Australian books, the healthier our publishing industry will be!