New Release from Gordon J R Smith

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We are delighted to announce the release of an updated version of Gordon’s previously self-published memoir, Learning a Trade: 1944-1949. Publishing these memoirs is something Gordon has said gave him a new lease on life, and at 98 years old, to still be publishing books is quite an achievement. We find it inspirational. Gordon describes the memoir as being about, “My apprenticeship as a fitter and turner at the Newport Workshops from 1944 to 1949 which were no ordinary years. World War II was in a critical stage, and the workshops were manufacturing a huge range of armaments, as well as keeping the VR railways running. This book is not only about my apprenticeship, but is a history of how Victorians coped with life, particularly during the war years of 1944 to 1945.” The memoir also covers the campaign for a 40-hour workweek and provides a compelling first-hand account of the struggle and lessons learnt from a difficult war-time and post-war era.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Learning-Trade-1944-1949-Gordon-Smith/dp/1763836827/

New Release from Bala Mudaly

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We are delighted to announce that Tale Publishing author, Bala Mudaly, has a new poetry collection he has just released. It is a thought provoking read, but you don’t have to take our word for it. Kieran Carroll, Playwright and author of The Night I Saw Terry Alderman Dancing to Nick Cave at Chasers (Ginninderra Press, 2003), was kind enought to review the collection. He said, “Bala Mudaly’s poems are born and constructed from a profound wisdom. Memory, mortality, politics, the wonder of local settings and occurrences, the day-to-day fluctuations of happiness versus sorrow, war, destruction and religion combine in an accessible style that superbly uses brevity, wit and a gentle sense of music. Mudaly’s poems make you pause and reflect and then get on with your day in a better, stronger way.”

The book is available from all booksellers, but we’ve shared a few links below. Congratulations, Bala!

https://www.dymocks.com.au/no-rhyme-no-reason-by-bala-mudaly-9781763836839

https://www.booktopia.com.au/no-rhyme-no-reason-bala-mudaly/book/9781763836839.html

https://www.amazon.com.au/No-Rhyme-Reason-Searching-Equanimity/dp/1763836835/

New Anthology Release

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In 2016 The Monash Writers Group launched their first anthology, The View From the Hill. It led to follow-up anthologies and this June, Tale Publishing are proud to launch their sixth collection.

This time the authors have taken the theme of I’ll Never Forget and used it to craft a compelling collection of stories, poems and memoirs. With a diverse range of styles and genres, this collection has something for every reader.

We are pleased to be able to bring you this anthology. While we congratulate all of the dozen member’s on their contributions, we are especially excited that two authors will be seeing their work published for the first time. The joy of these anthologies is that they bring new readers to authors, and we hope each reader finds a new favourite writer from the book.

After the launch the book will be available to order from all bookshops and online booksellers.

ISBN: 9781763836808 (paperback) available from the end of June, 2025.

ISBN: 9781763836815 (E-Book) available from the end of July, 2025.

What’s on for the second half of 2024

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After a busy start to the year where we sold many books at market stalls, we then had a table for the weekend at the 16th Continuum Convention. We had a blast there and met many people who liked and bought our books.

We have launched only one book this year so far – the wonderfully funny Lightbridge Method by R.H. Polden. It is a short prequel to Stewards of Octarma which we will be launching in November. The best comparison for these books is the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series, so if you liked those you like these too.

Last year we put out the call for submissions for an anthology which we are calling Showcase: Spark. It is an anthology with a difference – authors are given ten thousand words to showcase their writing and can do so in one, two or three stories. We whittled down the submissions to 8 authors from all over Australia who we have chosen to celebrate in the anthology. It will be on sale on the 1st of September.

We also have a new memoir by Gordon Smith. This will be his third with us, and we are delighted that he is still going strong with his writing at 96 years of age. The release date is still being determined, but the manuscript is in hand, so it will be this year.

We have a few other books we are discussing with authors, but they are not at the stage where we are ready to make announcements about them. So, stay tuned for more news later in the year.

Call for Submissions Extended to November 7th.

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Australian Showcase: Spark

A new themed anthology to be published in 2024.

Tale Publishing is asking for authors to submit stories of ~10,000 words (+/- 10%) which incorporate the theme of “spark”.

The aim is to showcase your writing so you may submit 1, 2 or 3 stories to reach the 10,000 word total. However, this is a good chance to get that awkward length longer short story out there.

There is no set interpretation of this theme so authors may write about a bright spark, electricity, fire, an event being generated, the kindling of a friendship/partnership or any other context where the word spark might be used.

The main requirement is that each story must contain the word spark.

The book will be published in paperback and e-book formats.

Contributors will be paid $50 and receive a copy of the e-book. Tale Publishing will retain print and ebooks rights (only) to the story for two years from publication, after which they revert to the author.

Submissions should include:

A synopsis of your story/stories.

The completed story/stories.

There is no need for a cover letter beyond a simple here’s a submission for the Spark anthology. Submissions will be assessed on their merits, not the author background.

Rules for submissions:

Please format submissions in English (AU) according to standard format.*

Reprints are acceptable if you hold the rights, but must be identified as such as the places for these will be limited.

Stories that are x-rated or exclusively romance will not be accepted (romance is okay if it is combined with another genre).

Authors must be Australian citizens or permanent residents, but we welcome authors from any background.

Deadline for submission is the 7th November 2023. Submissions will be acknowledged. Notification to successful authors will be sent in December.

How to submit:

Email your submissions to submissions@talepublishing.com with the word spark in the subject line (a filter will be set-up so these emails receive priority attention). Emails should be addressed to the submissions manager, Michael Ryder.

*ie: A4 paper size, Times New Roman Font, 12-point font, Double-spaced lines of text,   2.54cm margins, Paragraph indentation of 1.27cm.

Find out more about Tale Publishing at our website.

Call for submissions.

robertsnew Anthology, submissions , , , ,

Australian Showcase: Spark

A new themed anthology to be published in 2024.

Tale Publishing is asking for authors to submit stories of ~10,000 words (+/- 10%) which incorporate the theme of “spark”.

The aim is to showcase your writing so you may submit 1, 2 or 3 stories to reach the 10,000 word total. However, this is a good chance to get that awkward length longer short story out there.

There is no set interpretation of this theme so authors may write about a bright spark, electricity, fire, an event being generated, the kindling of a friendship/partnership or any other context where the word spark might be used.

The main requirement is that each story must contain the word spark.

The book will be published in paperback and e-book formats.

Contributors will be paid $50 and receive a copy of the e-book. Tale Publishing will retain print and ebooks rights (only) to the story for two years from publication, after which they revert to the author.

Submissions should include:

A synopsis of your story/stories.

The completed story/stories.

There is no need for a cover letter beyond a simple here’s a submission for the Spark anthology. Submissions will be assessed on their merits, not the author background.

Rules for submissions:

Please format submissions in English (AU) according to standard format.*

Reprints are acceptable if you hold the rights, but must be identified as such as the places for these will be limited.

Stories that are x-rated or exclusively romance will not be accepted (romance is okay if it is combined with another genre).

Authors must be Australian citizens or permanent residents, but we welcome authors from any background.

Deadline for submission is the 15th of October 2023. Submissions will be acknowledged. Notification to successful authors will be sent in December.

How to submit:

Email your submissions to submissions@talepublishing.com with the word spark in the subject line (a filter will be set-up so these emails receive priority attention). Emails should be addressed to the submissions manager, Michael Ryder.

*ie: A4 paper size, Times New Roman Font, 12-point font, Double-spaced lines of text,   2.54cm margins, Paragraph indentation of 1.27cm.

Find out more about Tale Publishing at our website.

Newspaper Interview with Shannon Azzaro

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There was a buzz at the Peterborough launch of From Fame to Infamy: Captain Forbes and the loss of the Schomberg. The book tells how the Schomberg came to become shipwrecked off the coast of Peterborough and the aftermath. After the launch, the Warrnambool Standard got in touch and asked to interview the author Shannon Azzaro. They published the interview today. Such was the Standard’s dedication, they even asked Shannon to pose in front of the coastline where the wreck occurred!

The journalist was interested in how through writing the book Shannon found sources about the shipwreck which had not been used by other writers and that in doing so she reached some different conclusions to other accounts of what transpired on that fateful Boxing Day in 1855. To learn more, you’ll have to read the book.

The book can be purchased from bookshops and online retailers. Here are some links to retailers Amazon, Dymocks, Booktopia, Readings.

Cover Reveal for From Fame to Infamy: Captain Forbes and the loss of the Schomberg

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Part of the coastline of Victoria is known as the Shipwreck Coast for good reason – many ships have been sunk after crashing into its reefs and rocks. One of the famous wrecks which lies off the coast of Peterborough is the Schomberg. Peterborough local, Shannon Azzaro became fascinated by the tale of this wreck and began to research it. Shannon is a retired librarian who utilised her skills to track down rarely seen sources which led to her questioning the traditional narrative of the wreck and its captain, Captain Forbes.

Her debut non-fiction book From Fame to Infamy: Captain Forbes and the loss of the Schomberg uses new sources of information and tracks the whole story of the Schomberg in greater detail against the narratives of the day. Historians, sailing, and shipwreck enthusiasts have published many versions of the shocking tale of Master Mariner, Captain “Bully” Forbes, who wrecked the mighty clipper Schomberg along the Victorian Shipwreck Coast in 1855. But what if those books got it wrong?
Was the journey a case of “Hell or Melbourne in 60 days?” Did Forbes bring about his own downfall? Was his reputation ruined by others, and if so, why?

The book will be launched in November 2022 and on sale in December. We are delighted to reveal the cover for the book, which was designed by our cover designer, Cathy Larsen.

Cover Reveal for Colours of Death 2

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Robert New has written a follow-up series of stories to his ReadFreely “Best Book We’ve Read All Year – Runner Up” anthology Colours of Death: Sergeant Thomas’ Casebook. The new collection, Colours of Death 2 contains nine new Sergeant Thomas stories and continues the colour theme of the first book.

Robert is particularly proud of this collection and feels the mysteries are even more beguiling than before. “I’d be hard pressed to name a favourite story. They each offer something unique,” he said when pitching the stories to us. They are filled with his usual mix of quirky science facts and novel ideas, but what impressed us most was how the stories are more involved and twisty than before. As such we are sure these stories will thrill and entertain mystery lovers.

The book will be released this December. Here are the details for the nine stories in the anthology:
Red: Poison Fire
A horrific death and an obvious suspect. However, is the case as simple as it appears?
Violet: The Unique Vision of Mr Kallang
A rare ability leads to a major drug bust, but what happens when it’s challenged in court?
Blue: Froggy
The mayor of Sergeant Thomas’ hometown has been murdered. Could someone he knows have done it?
Green: Fuller
When soil is found in the stomach of a deceased teenager, the autopsy only makes it harder to determine a cause of death. Why did she die?
Indigo: Pressure Point
A mysterious summons leads an informant of Sergeant Thomas to seek help locating his girlfriend.
White: The White Tales
Sergeant Thomas joins a newly formed club and is presented with a mystery. Why did a newlywed drown her husband? More importantly how did she get away with it?
Yellow: A Billionaire’s Bath
A mining magnate practically lives in her bathtub, until one evening, when she is electrocuted in it.
Orange: The Hartog Tulip
A new type of diamond attracts the world’s attention. How could it have come from a salt mine, and why is Sergeant Thomas unsurprised when it is stolen?
Black: The Billionaires Club
An exclusive club for billionaires has been robbed. Sergeant Thomas and his friends have to solve the locked room mystery before word gets out.

And without further ado, here is the cover as designed by the wonderful Cathy Larsen:

Preorders are available now from your favourite bookshop (ISBN 9780648681687). Paperback/Ebook available from Amazon (AU, CA, UK, US).