Thirteen lucky for some: Fremantle Press authors shortlisted for Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards

Eleven books representing 13 writers are in the running for a Western Australian Premier’s Book Award worth $15,000.
With four new categories offering WA authors more opportunities to shine, the Awards recognise and support the State’s literary talent and creative output.
CEO of Fremantle Press Alex Allan said she was excited to see the changes to the Awards. Alex said, ‘We are a tight-knit, supportive industry and these new categories enhance everyone’s chances of getting more great books into the hands of readers. We all benefit from a strong local book award and the publicity that generates. I know our librarians and booksellers will be using this as another tool with which to recommend WA stories – as will I.’
The Fremantle Press books shortlisted are:
YA
A Wreck of Seabirds by Karleah Olson
Children’s
A Leaf Called Greaf by Kelly Canby
Courage Be My Friend by Jenny Davis
Fiction
Death Holds the Key by Alexander Thorpe
Non-fiction
Anatomy of a Secret by Gerard McCann
Some People Want to Shoot Me by Wayne Bergmann & Madelaine Dickie
How to Avoid a Happy Life by Julia Lawrinson
Poetry
Tossed Up by the Beak of a Cormorant by Nandi Chinna & Anne Poelina
Personal Logistics by Chris Palazzolo
Emerging
The Skeleton House by Katherine Allum
The winners will be announced towards the end of July 2025.