The latest update from Fremantle Press children’s publisher Cate Sutherland

What a month! We started June with the Reading Matters conference in Melbourne, exploring the world of YA. There were some fascinating international authors as well as great local talent, with a lot of the discussion focused on the need for diversity in young adult books. Fremantle Press has always sought to bring readers the very best writing from as wide a range of voices as we can – from classics such as Sally Morgan’s My Place right up to our forthcoming August title Swimming on the Lawn by Yasmin Hamid.

Reading Matters was closely followed by SCBWI Australia West’s annual Rottnest retreat. It was a real pleasure to be part of the mainland component of the event, catching up with many of our authors and meeting some wonderful new creators for the first time. Western Australia is brimming with talent, and it’s always fantastic to see the warmth and generosity with which well-established creators share their knowledge and experiences with newcomers.

The middle of the year means lots of beautiful new books, all being celebrated at our very first Great Big Kids Book Read on 24 June. It will be a great afternoon, so RSVP before it’s too late. Keep your eyes out, too, for some dazzling bookstore windows from the very clever Kyle Hughes-Odgers, whose artwork from One Thousand Trees is currently on display at The Story Place in the State Library of Western Australia.

And, finally, this month we are sending to print the last of the books for 2017 – James Foley’s hilarious new graphic novel, Dungzilla, and the extraordinary Drawn Onward from Meg McKinlay and Bunbury artist Andrew Frazer. It’s lucky there’s only one June in a year!