The Breaking is her debut novel. It won the NSW Writers’ Centre Varuna Fellowship Award and received development funding from artsACT and CAPO. Irma is Ambassador for Thailand’s Save Elephant Foundation and has worked with rescued elephants in Chiang Mai, Surin and Kanchanaburi. www.irmagold.com
PB 448 | 198 x 128 | ISBN: 9781925227772 | $19.99
YA Fiction | Also available as ebook
MidnightSun Publishing | February 2021
Distributed by NewSouth Books
Imagine a world where all seems normal and yet nothing is — a world very much like our own, yet jarringly unlike. A world where two clandestine organisations, the Ghost Squad and the Base, are engaged in a secret battle for control of information so dangerous it could literally change life as humans have always known it… Continue reading The Ghost Squad
Sophie’s novel The Ghost Squad was published by MidnightSun in February 2021.
As an intern at MidnightSun Publishing, every day brings something different. No two books are the same and so neither is the publishing process. I have the wonderful opportunity to get a glimpse behind the curtain, so to speak, to be a small part of every process involved in taking a project from its genesis as a humble manuscript, to its completion as a published and tangible book that people will hold in their hands and lose themselves in.
For children’s book author Steve Heron and illustrator Benjamin Johnston, that process is finally complete, with their masterpiece, Ling Li’s Lantern published on 1st September 2020. I had a chat with Steve and Ben about the making of their book and what the different stages of the journey looked like for them.
As with many fantastic books, the beginning of Ling Li’s journey was almost also the end. Ling Li’s Lantern was sent to many different publishing houses before MidnightSun fell in love with her story. Finally, after months of hearing ‘nothing but crickets and rejections’, as Steve puts it, from publishers other than MidnightSun, his manuscript was finally Continue reading The Making of Ling Li’s Lantern
PB 368 | 198 x 128 | ISBN: 9781925227741
$19.99 | Young Adult | Also available as ebook
MidnightSun Publishing | November 2020
Distributed by NewSouth Books
The second book in The Burning Days series
The River People and the Mountain People have survived for another season. But at what cost? Pandora has returned to her village. She is haunted both by her failure to bring her friend home and the vision she has seen of the last days, The Burning, when creatures swarmed the city. How did these monsters come into being in the first place? And are the last remnants of humanity really safe from them? Continue reading Mountain Arrow
The month of August has arrived and MidnightSun is now open for submissions. Thank you for your patience. It’s great to be back! We have managed to read through the slush pile (when I say ‘we’ I really mean our amazing editor Alicia) so now we are looking for new work.
We are especially interested in picture books that tell an intriguing story; it could be contemporary or historical. We love books that reflect the diverse society we live in, that considers the environment and give children hope for a better world. However, books that are didactic and only have a mission to teach, rather than to tell a story, bores us. We want stories about kids with two mums or two dads (or more), stories about kids who don’t conform to gender norms, kids who are adventurous, shy, scared, happy, travelling the world, looking after their parents. Stories that surprise and delight us. Most of all, we want stories where the language sings.
In terms of middle-grade books for 8-12 year olds we want books with strong protagonists who experience a lot in a short space of time and change through their adventures.
We are always on the lookout for edgy, contemporary YA stories. Maybe the characters are rebelling against gender constraints at school or explore their sexuality. Perhaps they are saving the world through activism, coping with the death of a loved one or are bullied.
Adult fiction is the backbone of MidnightSun and we love stories that are not easily defined or pigeon-holed. Stories that cross over several genres: literary fiction and thriller, crime and speculative fiction. We regularly publish short story collections, often by new writers, because we love them. As for all the books we publish, the language has to lead the way into the story.
In fact, the bottom line for every single book we publish is that we have to love it! So send us your most beloved writing and we look forward to reading it. Just remember to please read the updated submission guidelines carefully before submitting. Thank you!
HB 32 | 215 x 215
ISBN: 9781925227666 | $29.99
Picture book | October 2020
MidnightSun Publishing
Distributed by NewSouth Books
Each day Esmeralda collects a variety of objects and waddles down the hill.
Everyone wonders why the Saddleback sow is carrying a bottle, fencing wire and a pair of trousers in her mouth.
Only Esmeralda knows. Nothing will stop her. Continue reading Esmeralda’s Nest
Teachers’ Notes for Esmeralda’s Nest (
pdf, 176 kb)
HB 32 | 210 x 297 | ISBN: 9781925227673 | $29.99
Picture book | September 2020
MidnightSun Publishing
Distributed by NewSouth Books
After she is set a challenge to test her wisdom, Ling Li returns from the village marketplace with only a lantern to light her way. How will she prove herself to her father?
Ling Li’s Lantern is a heart-warming story about compassion, kindness and the true nature of Continue reading Ling Li’s Lantern
Teachers’ Notes for Ling Li’s Lantern (pdf, 750 kb)
HB 32 | 250 x 300 | ISBN: 9781925227659
$29.99 | Picture book
MidnightSun Publishing | September 2020
Distributed by NewSouth Books
Mama Ocean had eyes that sparkled, like the sunlight on the sea, and tresses which tumbled and trailed through the tides.
But something is troubling Mama Ocean.
Who will help her? Continue reading Mama Ocean
