Tash Besliev is currently Executive Publisher, Children’s at S&S Australia having spent 25 years in children’s publishing working almost every job except operating the printing press (she’d have a go if they let her). With experience spanning editorial, marketing and sales, she has driven bestselling series like Billie B Brown and Life Lessons for Little Ones, worked with brands like Disney and ABC Kids, beloved creators like Jess Racklyeft and Brentos and iconic estates including Enid Blyton and Tintin. 

Patrizia Di Biase-Dyson is Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Publishers Association (APA), where she works closely with publishers across the country to advocate for the industry and support its growth and future direction. She built her career in Australian trade publishing, with roles at Allen & Unwin, Black Inc. and Murdoch Books, and now also enjoys advocating for educational and scholarly publishers through her current role.

Patrizia has a strong commitment to literacy, diversity, and creating pathways into publishing, acting as a Director of Australia Reads and Treasurer of Open Book: Australian Publishing Internships. 

Susannah Bowen’s career has been shaped by a deep passion for books, literacy, education and community. With experience spanning bookselling, publishing, authorship, and academic research and lecturing, she brings a uniquely multifaceted perspective to the Australian book industry. As CEO of the Australian Booksellers Association, Susannah works alongside and on behalf of bookshops, championing the vital role they play in the cultural and community life of Australia.

Anna Burkey has a passion for books and reading, and lives exactly halfway between two excellent bookshops in Melbourne/Naarm.

After several years with State Library Victoria and the Centre for Youth Literature, Anna’s leading Australia Reads on behalf of the book sector. Australia Reads advocates for investment in reading, commissions research, and is developing campaigns that to get more Australians reading more books more often.

Wenona Byrne is Director, Writing Australia, a newly established body within Creative Australia focussed on growing markets and readers for Australian books. Prior to this role Wenona worked in publishing for more than a decade including nine years as international rights manager at Australia’s largest independent publisher, Allen & Unwin.

Zoe is a Bundjalung Widubul-Wiabul woman from Northern NSW. She has more than 15 years of experience working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander not-for-profit and for-purpose organisations, workshop and education resource development, consultations in Community and a focus on Community-led areas of education. 

Zoe has collaborated on and delivered workshops, panels, presentations, and cultural competency projects that have taken her to rural and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities around Australia and overseas. 

Zoe currently manages and coordinates the ILF Programs and Publishing teams, including regional staff in WA, Tiwi Islands, Alice Springs in the Northern Territory and Coffs Harbour in NSW. 

Cat Colwell is the Head of Product for the Australian Publishers Association. She manages TitlePage, the industry’s bibliographic look-up service, and is passionate about improving the industry’s data infrastructure. Previously she coordinated the APA’s international book fair programs, including the launch of the Books From Australia website. Cat has an operations background from children’s toys and as a bookseller, and when not geeking out about data and tech she’ll take any opportunity to lose herself in books, the bush or up a mountain.  

Bronwyn Coulston is the Stakeholder Engagement Manager — Arts at Service and Creative Skills Australia (SaCSA). Bronwyn joined SaCSA in November 2023 and brings over 20 years of experience as an Arts Manager and professional, working across both metro and regional arts organisations.

Before joining SaCSA, Bronwyn was the Director at the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery. During her time at the gallery, Bronwyn delivered a range of initiatives to support community engagement with arts and culture including major public art projects, supporting the establishment of a regional arts development office in the Shoalhaven area and the delivery of a collection digitisation project across five volunteer museums in the Shoalhaven.

Since joining SaCSA, Bronwyn has been crucial in leading key Arts workforce initiatives, including the Creative Workforce Scoping Study, which is a groundbreaking piece of research that provides critical insights into long-standing and emerging workforce challenges in Australia’s creative sector.

Jo Dabrowski is a Melbourne-based children’s author and bookseller at Book and Paper, Williamston VIC who is passionate about children’s literacy and soft cheeses. Jo’s titles include the middle-grade novels Get Your Act Together, Doris Kozlowski, (shortlisted for the 2024 Readings Prize) and The Making of Martha Mayfield (CBCA Notable 2026), as well as the hugely popular picture book, Dear Broccoli (CBCA Shortlist 2026). Her forthcoming picture book The Good Decision is out September 2026. 

Simon Davis is a publisher at Hardie Grant Books, specialising in food and lifestyle. With nearly two decades in illustrated publishing across Australia and the UK, he has worked with many of the world’s leading culinary voices – from chefs and broadcasters to emerging talent. His list spans bestselling, award-winning cookbooks for local and global audiences. Working across acquisitions and shaping projects through editorial and design, Simon brings a sharp market perspective and a focus on creating distinctive, enduring books.

Brooke Davis attempted to write her first novel when she was ten years old. It was a genre-busting foray into the inner-workings of a young teenage girl’s mind.

LOST & FOUND was her first proper novel and received the ABIA Award for General Fiction Book of the Year, the ABIA Award for New Writer, and the iBooks Fiction Book of the Year. It was also short-listed for the Indie Awards Debut and the ABIA Awards Book of the Year.

Brooke is living back in Victoria and working as a bookseller when not writing.

Michael Earp is a non-binary writer and bookseller living in Naarm, the editor of Everything Under the Moon, Kindred, Out-Side and co-edited Avast!  with Alison Evans. They have a teaching degree and a Masters in children’s literature and have worked between bookselling and publishing for over twenty-four years as a children’s literature specialist. They are the new owner of The Little Bookroom and have previously been awarded the Australian Booksellers Association Bookseller of the Year. 

Jennifer Jackson is a bookseller / owner of Paper Bird Children’s Bookshop and child psychoanalytic psychotherapist. She opened the store 10 years ago in Walyalup / Fremantle. It is internationally renowned as a destination bookshop for the magical experience of climbing through the Narnia Wardrobe among a wonderland of fascinating books. All kids, no matter how small, are taken seriously, from selecting a book, to writing and illustrating their own stories through workshops. Jennifer sees children’s access to literature as a human right and the preventative medicine arm of her clinical practice located in the same building.

Tim Jarvis is the director of Fullers Bookshop, Tasmania. He was the ABA/PRH Young Bookseller of the Year in 2018, and has been on the ABA board since 2019, serving as president 2023-2025. He is an inaugural member of the Writing Australia Council. Nearly twenty years ago he abandoned a computer science degree to study philosophy instead.

Adam Liaw is a cook, writer, broadcaster and producer, and winner of MasterChef Australia. A former lawyer, he is now one of Australia’s most recognisable food voices, spanning television, publishing and journalism. He is the author of multiple bestselling cookbooks and the host of SBS’s The Cook Up, one of the network’s largest ever commissions. Known for his clarity and depth, Adam brings a sharp, thoughtful perspective to food storytelling and the evolving role of the modern cookbook.

Meg Mason is the author of You Be Mother and Sorrow and Bliss, which became an international bestseller after it was published in 2021. Winner of the 2022 Fiction Book of the Year at the British Book Awards, and shortlisted for the 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction, it has since been translated into thirty languages. Meg’s first career was in journalism, beginning at The Times of London and later writing for Vogue, Elle, GQ, Sunday Style and the New Yorker’s ‘Daily Shouts and Murmurs’. Born in New Zealand, she lives in Sydney with her husband and two daughters. Her third novel, Sophie, Standing There, will be published in 2026.

Clare Meldrum is the owner/operator of The Bookshop Bowral and The Bookshop Kiama located in the Southern Highlands and the South Coast of NSW.

Prior to her adventures as a bookseller, Clare worked in the Australian Publishing Industry for over 20 years for companies including, Hachette Australia, Penguin Random House, Allen & Unwin, Pan Macmillan and Bloomsbury Australia.

She lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands with her husband, 3 kids and a very spoilt staffy named Rosie.

Jane Morrow is the publishing director of global lifestyle publisher Murdoch Books, owned by Australia’s biggest independent publisher, Allen & Unwin. She leads a close-knit team of publishers, marketers, editors and designers who are industry leaders in illustrated and narrative nonfiction. Jane has personally published numerous bestsellers and award winners, particularly in the areas of food, personal development and entertainment. Authors she has worked with include Alice Zaslavsky, Emelia Jackson, Helen Goh, Neil Perry, Bill Granger, Sooshi Mango, Matthew Evans, Ryan ‘Brickman’ McNaught, Annabel Crabb and Indira Naidoo.

Fabian Paagman (1976) is Managing Director and co-owner of Paagman Bookstores, one of the leading independent bookselling groups in the Netherlands. Together with his sister Nadine, he represents the third generation at the helm of this family-owned company, founded in 1951 and headquartered in The Hague. Under their leadership, Paagman has grown into a multi-location retail and cultural platform, combining physical bookstores, e-commerce, events, and hospitality into a distinctive omnichannel concept.

Today, Paagman operates several bookstores across the western Netherlands and continues to expand, including recent acquisitions and new flagship locations. The company is known for its strong focus on customer experience, innovation, and community engagement, hosting hundreds of cultural events annually and positioning its stores as meeting places for readers of all ages.

In addition to his entrepreneurial role, Fabian has been deeply involved in international bookselling advocacy. Since 2012, he has been active within the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF), where he has served for over a decade in leadership roles, including President. EIBF represents national booksellers’ associations worldwide and speaks on behalf of more than 25,000 individual booksellers, promoting the cultural and economic importance of the sector on a global scale.

He is married and has two children.

In 2011, Favel Parrett’s career was launched with her critically acclaimed debut PAST THE SHALLOWS. A heart-breaking novel, it was shortlisted in the prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award and won the Dobbie Literary Award.

Favel herself won the ABIA Newcomer of the Year Award in 2012. Her next novel, WHEN THE NIGHT COMES, was also critically acclaimed and further consolidated Favel’s reputation with booksellers and readers.

Favel’s first novel for younger readers, WANDI, was published in 2021 and has received critical acclaim. KIMMI, also for younger readers, was published in 2023.

Bruce Pascoe is an Aboriginal farmer and writer of literary fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays and children’s literature, based on Yuin Country. His publications have won numerous awards including the NSW Premier’s Award for Literature, the Booksellers Association Prize and the CBCA Eve Pownall award. He is the author of the groundbreaking, bestselling book Dark Emu.

Whether it is a sweeping commercial fiction, a thought-provoking literary novel, an action thriller, inspiring memoir or a timely and compelling work of non-fiction, Vanessa is always looking for captivating storytellers. Her list is eclectic, but a common link remains eloquent and evocative storytelling that engages and transports the reader.

Katie Smith opened Ramona Books in December 2024 in Westgarth, in Melbourne’s inner north, with no prior bookselling experience. In a short time, she has renovated the space, developed the community, and welcomed her third child. With a background in brand marketing and trend forecasting, she brings a keen eye for culture and storytelling to bookselling. It’s also, occasionally, a convenient place to hide from her three boys.

Magda Szubanski is one of Australia’s best known and most loved performers. Her character of Sharon Strzelecki rose to fame in ABC TV’s Kath and Kim. Her bestselling memoir Reckoning won the 2016 Indie Award for Non-Fiction, the 2016 NSW Premier’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction, the 2016 Nielsen Bookdata Booksellers Choice Award, the 2016 Australian Book Industry Award for Biography and the Australian Book Industry Award for Book of the Year 2016.

Nicole Venter is the Stakeholder Engagement Manager — Retail at Service and Creative Skills Australia (SaCSA). With two decades of experience, Nicole has played a key role in projects aimed at improving talent attraction and retention, addressing customer aggression, and increasing awareness of the power of retail career pathways to empower young leaders and provide fulfilling roles from front line to management. 
 

A key milestone in Nicole’s career was leading the development of Australia’s first retail-focused business degree, which includes over 1,000 hours of tailored content. Nicole is committed to advancing the retail industry, combining strategic insights with practical action to support businesses, employees and customers alike. Most recently, Nicole’s outstanding reputation and experience were recognised on a global level when she was named one of RETHINK Retail’s International “Top Retail Experts for 2025”. 
 

Before joining SaCSA, Nicole worked at a retail specialist consultancy and IBM, collaborating with high profile companies and brands to drive business innovation, such as Sydney Foreshore Authority (The Rocks and Darling Harbour), Sydney Ferries, MYER, BBC Worldwide, CommBank, Qantas, Masterchef, Supercheap Auto among others. 

Myf Warhurst began her career writing for The Age and Inpress. She moved into radio at Triple J, later joining Triple Mand hosting ABC Radio’s daily afternoon show. Myf has written for The Guardian and The Age and regularly reports for The Project.

Best known as a long-time team captain on Spicks and Specks, she now co-hosts the Bang On podcast with Zan Rowe, voices characters on Bluey, appears on Play School, hosts Eurovision with Joel Creasey, and competed on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Australia.

Bianca started her career in book publishing at Murdoch Books and spent several years spanning various roles including Inventory Management. In her role as General Manager at NielsenIQ BookData Australia she leads the Australian business including its BookScan, Research and Metadata services. In recent years she completed several long running projects including establishing NielsenIQ BookScan’s first Australian & New Zealand e book sales measurement service and undertaking several consumer surveys around book buying and listening behaviour.

Gavin Williams is the owner of Matilda Bookshop and has been selling books on Peramangk Land since he and his wife, Jo Hill, bought the bookshop in 2008. He has been on the Book People board since 2017. He is a passionate believer in the positive capacity of books to unlock new worlds and possibilities and thinks you should read Flesh by David Szalay.

Alice Zaslavsky is an award-winning author, broadcaster and food educator. Born in Georgia, she champions a veg-first philosophy through her books, columns, radio and television work. In 2025, she was inducted into the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival Legends Hall of Fame as a Trailblazer. Alice is the author of 4 internationally bestselling cookbooks including her latest, Salad for Days. As host of hit TV show ‘A Bite to Eat with Alice’, she inspires home cooks of all skill levels to explore new and fresh flavours, connect through food, and cook with curiosity and creativity. You’ll find her columns in SMH/The Age Good Food, and The Guardian, and her musings on the socials as @aliceinframes.