Falling For YA: Around The World: Author Donna Hosie

Friday, March 29, 2013

Welcome to the Fifth week of Around The World! Every Friday I feature a Blogger, Author or Publisher and ask questions about the country or state they are from and what it is like to be a member of the book world there! If you are interested in being featured please sign up here.

This week I have author Donna Hosie on the blog!

Interview
Where are you from?

I’m an English writer currently living in Australia.

What is the best and worst thing about living in the Australia?

The best thing is the fact it is so family orientated. There is a great work/family life balance here which you don’t get in the UK. The worst thing is the spiders. OMG, the spiders! Thankfully, we have only had a couple of Huntsman Spiders in the house, but they were the size of dinner plates!

What is the biggest challenge of being a book blogger/Author there?

There is no publishing industry in Australia. There are a few writers, a few agents, a few publishing imprints, but there is no industry. My biggest markets for sales remain the UK and US, and my agent is NY-based.

Are Publishers willing to work with you were you live?

Is it hard to find Industry Professionals? See above. I belong to a Writer’s Centre, but I get very little out of it. It’s a real shame.

Is it necessary to travel to larger cities to meet with publishing professionals?

Are they willing to work with you via e-mail? It’s all done via email because all of my business is conducted in other countries.

Are there any publishers that work exclusively in Australia or publish only books written by authors in Australia?

When I was searching for an agent in Australia, the first thing that took me by surprise was how few there were. The next surprise was how many only deal in non-fiction written by Australian writers. If I wanted to write a Political Memoir, then I had a chance, but YA Fantasy? Forget it!

Do you have any favorite books set in in Australia or written by Aussie authors?

My favourite Australian author is Kate Morton – I love her. And all of her books are set in the UK. That about sums it up, I think. I don’t want this to sound like I’m bashing Australia, because I love this country with a passion. I uprooted my family and moved halfway across the world to settle here, and I have never regretted it. But publishing here is hard – really hard.

A Few Of My Favorite Things Section:

Favorite Book (overall): The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Favorite Book Recent Release: The Sea of Tranquillity by Katja Millay

Author: J.K. Rowling
Social Media: Goodreads
International Food: Mexican

Connect with Donna:

Goodreads ♥Amazon ♥Website ♥ Twitter ♥ Facebook