Are you an emerging writer/editor/publisher with some serious opinions about the book industry? Grattan Street Press wants to hear from you!

We are currently accepting original pieces between 1000-1500 words to feature on our student-run publishing blog! This is a great opportunity to showcase your writing for the first time or build your portfolio, while working alongside a team of passionate writers and editors.

If you have a unique perspective on current literary affairs, have beef with style guides or just want to rant and rave about your favourite BookTok trends, this is the place to do it! We accept pitches on anything related to publishing, and are keen to hear your weird and wonderful ideas.

Keen to write but need some inspiration? Below is a list of prompts to get you going. Have your own idea? Email us your pitch—we’d love to hear it!

Submit your work via Submittable.

Pitches or any other questions? Here’s our email: website@grattanstreetpress.com

Good Luck!

Allie (Publishing Blog Editor)

Prompt List:

• The emergence of AI, and how it is impacting writing, editing and publishing at large.
• Interview an industry professional! Our GSP blog team is collating a list of people we would like to profile. Or even better, reach out to someone yourself!
• Diversity in the publishing industry (or the unfortunate lack of). Is this changing and how can writers and publishers do better?
• Discuss, analyse and dissect the latest Booktok controversy. Sick of smut? Or are you an avid defender of Hockey romances? Perhaps you just want to gossip about the latest Booktok drama?
• The Death of the small press: with more and more small publishing houses being swallowed by big corporations, what does this mean for the publishing industry as a whole?
• Confessions of an ex-fanfic writer. If you were ever in the trenches of AO3/Wattpad, this is for you! How has your fanfiction and fandom experience shaped your practice as a writer today?
• Death to the classics: is the traditional literary ‘Canon’ still relevant? What seminal works do you think are overlooked (think outside of a Western, euro-centric readership). What texts do you think will become modern classics in the future?
• Literary Festivals and Bookish events. Attended a literary festival or book signing recently? Discuss your experience!
• Self-Promotion and the modern author. In a digital world, authors are often being called to market their writing in creative ways. What impact is this having (think in regards to separating the art from the artist, online book fandoms, authorial burnout, etc.)
• My literary heroes (or enemies). This is simple – write about your authors, or even better, detail a literary figure’s public fall from grace (think Neil Gaiman, JK Rowling, etc.)
• Fiction In Translation. Why it deserves more, how is it marketed and how the reception towards it is changing.
• Where are all the male novelists? This is a spicy one – is all this talk about men not being readers and writers some weird psyop? Or is there some truth to this claim?
• Writing against structure: champion a different format of writing! Think about how certain styles of language, poetry etc. originate from non-Western cultures, and how this can challenge the literary status quo.
• On ‘reading’ vs. ‘being a reader’. How has reading become performative and is buying books the same as loving reading?
• Celebrity book clubs, celebrity memoirs, celebrity authors? Is celebrities and influencers getting book deals really a good thing?
• Media Literacy (and its supposed decline). So much to say, so why not discuss!
• Brooki VS. Nagi, etc. and the issue of copyright and intellectual property when it comes to writing.
• Prizes and Prestige. What are your thoughts on literary prizes? (The Stella, Miles Franklin, the Booker). How do these prizes contribute to ideas of cultural capital and literary prestige? Is this a good or bad thing? What prizes do you wish existed?
• What’s happening in the comic and graphic novel scenes?

The MZ Blog is a place for thoughtful reflections and think pieces that explore the lived realities of Gen Z and Millennials. We’re interested in what’s catching your attention. What can’t you stop noticing? What’s making you wonder?

We want to read pieces that start small – maybe you’ve discovered a new niche hobby or tv show, or overheard something at uni – but that seem to speak to something broader. Whether it’s a personal essay, a piece of investigative writing or a reflective take on something quietly shifting around you, we’re here for all curious, conversational writing that connects the dots and taps into what it actually feels like to be a young person right now.

Pieces should be between 500 and 1,500 words. We welcome your draft via Submittable, or shoot us an email at mz@grattanstreetpress.com.

We’re interested in what interests you! If you’re short on ideas, here’s some things we’ve been thinking about:

If you’re not sure if your idea is right for the blog, reach out! We’d love to hear about what’s got you thinking.

Happy writing!

Bridget (MZ Blog Editor)

Prompt List:

• AI: How are you experiencing AI and the way it’s changing things? This could be in your working life, at school or even socially. Is AI causing conflict between people who are for and against? Is AI creating a gulf or is it a tool for progress?
• The internet, technology & social media: What is it like to be part of the first generations who are growing up online? What is the relationship between your online persona and who you are in person? Has the constant presence of technology and social media hampered our ‘real life’ social skills?
• Cultural & media criticisms: Let us know your take on the latest online/TikTok trend, Sydney Sweeney ad, sports or political happenings, or the newest show to take over streaming…
• Culture & identity: What are the consequences for how we build identity and community in the age of the personal brand? Is there a generational divide as to what constitutes Aussie culture? Do you feel represented in Australian Culture?
• Trending or niche media: Share your thoughts on any particular show/book/film/piece of media that’s taking over the zeitgeist at the moment. Why do you think that is? Is there a certain genre capturing our collective attention? What does it speak to? Is there an obscure show making a comback, or that you can’t stop watching? What do you think about the supposed decline of media literacy? What what point does ‘just enjoying things’ become problematic? Why can’t we stop watching the latest episodes of Love Island, even though we think they’re bad?

Have you read something recently that you’d like to review? The GSP Book Review Blog would love to hear about it! We are seeking enthusiastic writers to review recent contemporary fiction, non-fiction or poetry works from talented Australian writers.
 
Formal reviews should be 500-800 words in length. Each review should follow a general structure which introduces the book and the author, summarises the plot in up to 200 words. The rest of the wordcount should focus on offering your perspective and analysis of the work. Your analysis is the part of the review which interests us most!
 
Below is a list of titles which we would love to see reviewed. If you are interested in reviewing any of the titles on our list and would like to have your thoughts published on our site, please send your submissions for appraisal to Submittable.
 
Alternatively, if you have a contemporary Australian title in mind which is not on our prompt list, we welcome your pitch to: editorial@grattanstreetpress.com.
 
We look forward to reading your unique perspectives on the Australian literary scene.

Happy writing!

Rosie (Book Review Editor)

Book List:

Fiction

• Stinkbug, Sinead Stubbins
• The Burrow, Melanie Cheng
• Crimson Light Polished Wood, Monica Raszewski
• The Immigrants, Moreno Giovannoni
• What Kept you? Raaza Jamshed
• Our New Gods, Thomas Vowles
• Wait Here, Lucy Nelson
• Lonely Mouth, Jacqueline Maley
• The Passenger Seat, Vijay Khurana
• Mother Tongue, Naima Brown
• Wild Dark Shore, Charlotte McConaghy

Nonfiction

• Torn, Nicole Madigan
• Cult Bride, Liz Cameron
• Desire Paths, Megan Clement
• How to Dodge Flying Sandals, Daniel Nour
• Someone Like Me, Clem Bastow and Jo Case

Poetry

• In Your Dreams, Šime Knežević
• Not Telling, Alison J Barton
• Ritual, Sara M Saleh (ed.), Zainab Syed (ed.), Manal Younus (ed.)
• these memories require, Jacinta Le Plastrier
• Eclipse, Kirli Saunders

Grattan Street Press is seeking short stories and chapters/extracts from larger works for the Work in Progress (WIP) feature on our Publishing Blog! 

For fiction, we’re looking for chapters/extracts from larger works and short stories, of any genre from literary fiction to fantasy. 

For non-fiction, we’re looking for chapters/extracts from larger works that explore contemporary social, political and cultural issues that resonate with a modern audience.

When submitting fiction, please include the following:

• a short story or chapter/extract of no more than 4500 words (less is fine!)
• a short summary of the complete work (if submitting a chapter/extract)
• a brief author CV

When submitting non-fiction, please include the following:

• a brief author CV
• a chapter/extract of no more than 4500 words; please choose a chapter/extract that can stand on its own and that can be understood by the average layperson
• a table of contents
• a 500-word outline of the proposed work