Michael Winkler’s novel Grimmish is the first self-published novel to be shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award. Join Michael in this online author talk as he shares his top tips for self publishing.

If you have a draft manuscript that's already been rejected, or a dream project that you just don't think fits mainstream publishing avenues, this author talk is for you. After multiple rejections, Michael Winkler decided to self-publish his novel Grimmish, which is now shortlisted for the Miles Franklin award! Join Michael for this online author talk to hear his journey of self-publishing Grimmish, his top tips for writers of all backgrounds considering self-publishing and to ask your burning questions.

In Michael’s words “Grimmish is ostensibly about the visit to Australia in 1908-09 of Joe Grim, an Italian-American boxer with a prodigious capacity for absorbing physical punishment. The book is really about pain, masculinity, philosophy, resilience, and how stories might be told. It is a weird bricolage of wild fiction, memoir, found texts and questionable jokes.”

JM Coetzee: “The strangest book you are likely to read this year.”

Helen Garner: "Grimmish meets a need I didn't even know I had. I lurched between bursts of wild laughter, shudders of horror, and gasps of awe at Winkler’s verbal command: the freshness and muscle of his verbs, the unstoppable flow of his images, the bizarre wit of the language of pugilism—and all the while, a moving subterranean glint of strange masculine tenderness."

Emmett Stinson, Overland: “Grimmish is probably the most unusual Australian book I will read in 2021, and, without a doubt one of the best.” overland.org.au/2021/06/the-exploded-non-fiction-novel-michael-winklers-grimmish/

Beejay Silcox: “All the makings of a cult classic. It’s grotesque and gorgeous, smart and searching.” www.theguardian.com/books/2021/dec/13/the-25-best-australian-books-of-2021-helen-garner-alice-pung-tony-birch-and-more

This session will be recorded for those who cannot attend on the night but you must register for the session before the cut-off date of July 25. This session is suitable for all writers at all levels. 

—Online events are easy to access! You will need an internet connection and (ideally) a device with a camera – computers/laptops or even phones can be used to dial in. You will be sent a link to join a few days before the event. The link will take you to a private digital meeting where you can join the session. You can test the link at any time to ensure you can log in. Please respect the other participants in your event and mute your microphone at all times while the presenter is presenting. Background noise in houses such as TVs, pets and children can affect the sound quality.

About Michael Winkler

Michael Winkler is a writer of fiction and non-fiction. He has self-published three titles, as well as writing books for major publishers including Penguin, Hardie Grant and Melbourne University Press. His novel Grimmish - described by Nobel Laureate JM Coetzee as ‘The strangest book you are likely to read this year’ - is the first self-published work ever long-listed for the Miles Franklin Award. His journalism, short fiction, reviews and essays have been widely published and anthologised. Winkler won the 2016 Calibre Prize for his essay ‘The Great Red Whale’. Website: michaelwinkler.com.au

Members $35 / Non-members $50

This session will be delivered via Zoom. Instructions will be emailed to you, please check your spam/junk folders.

—Writers SA members must be logged in to receive the member discount. If you are a member of another state based writers centre, please contact [email protected] at least five working days before the event to get a code for the member price. Our staff don’t work full time and we don’t want you to miss out!