Dirt Town has won the General Fiction Book of the Year award at the 2023 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs)!
The ABIAs are highly respected in our industry, and to be acknowledged among so many talented authors is truly humbling.
I want to express my gratitude to the ABIA judges for selecting Dirt Town from a ridiculously strong field. I also want to thank my publisher, Pan Macmillan, for their unwavering support and belief in my writing. Their dedication and hard work is the only reason I got to take home such a heavy metal statue (heavy enough to kill someone, I reckon!).
Attending the ABIA Award Ceremony was a memorable experience – being surrounded by fellow book nerds and witnessing the celebration of books was inspiring, so I would have been stoked whatever the outcome. Though it IS nice to say I have an ‘award-winning novel’ now!
Hayley Scrivenor 