Sponsored by the Australian Booksellers Association, the Small Press Network’s Most Underrated Book Award 2019 has this year gone to Songwoman by Ilka Tampke, published by Text Publishing.
The winner was chosen from a shortlist of three titles, all published by Small Press Network members.
Brontide by Sue McPherson (Magabala Books)
Antidote to a Curse by James Cristina (Transit Lounge)
Songwoman by Ilka Tampke (Text Publishing)
Tampke’ first novel, Skin, was, according to a Small Press Network press release,
published in eight countries and was nominated for the Voss Literary Prize and the Aurealis Awards in 2016.
The Most Underrated Book Award judges, in praising the submissions for their,
range of vibrant and contrasting voices and genres … highlighted the fact that ‘it is often small presses who take risks and the results—evident in this year’s shortlist—are richly rewarding and worthwhile reads’.
The Most Underrated Book Award is organised by the Small Press Network, the Australia and New Zealand publishers association for independent presses.
As this post goes live the Small Press Network is on its last day of the 3-day 2019 Independent Publishing Conference at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne, Australia.
Follow the Small Press network on twitter: @smallpressau
