Lifecycle of a Book with Simon & Schuster

Anthea Bariamis is a publisher at Simon & Schuster Australia, where she has worked since 2018. Anthea publishes across a range of genres, with a focus on commercial and book-club fiction. She was shortlisted for the ABIA Commissioning Editor/Publisher of the Year in 2024 and 2025. In 2025, Anthea launched Atria Books Australia, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

Laura (she/her) works as an editor at Melbourne-based publishing house Affirm Press. She has a Master’s in Creative Writing, Editing and Publishing from the University of Melbourne and has been working as an editor in commercial publishing for four years. Some of the notable titles she’s edited include The German Ward by Pip Williams, The Ledge by Christian White, The Butterfly Women by Madeleine Cleary and Unbury the Dead by Fiona Hardy.

Madeleine Gerber is a book publicist based in Naarm. She spends her days at Simon & Schuster Australia, working with wonderful authors to get their books into the hands of readers. Maddy’s also a musician, a bit of a history geek and is obsessed with literary fiction (though partial to a dragon or two). She also messes around on Substack and Instagram @bookishnooks.

Elizabeth Robinson-Griffith is an editor on the adult list with Simon and Schuster. She loves collaborating with authors to craft the best version of their manuscripts. She started her career in editing because she truly believes that books have the power to change lives for the better.

Fiona Hardy is a writer, bookseller, reviewer and general word-put-together-er from Melbourne. Among her published works include three middle fiction books, including the CBCA Notable How to Make a Movie in 12 Days, and two adult crime books, including Unbury the Dead, which was shortlisted for the 2025 Ned Kelly Awards.

Michaela McGuire is a literary agent with a4 Literary. She represents Romy Ash, Jordan Prosser, Emma Hardy, Sami Shah and Lisa Nan Joo, as well as many future debut authors you haven’t heard of yet. Michaela was previously artistic director of Melbourne Writers Festival, Sydney Writers’ Festival and Emerging Writers’ Festival. She spent most of her 30s programming some of the world’s most highly regarded writers festival programs, using her discerning taste to connect and introduce Australian readers to their favourite authors.

Penny Tangey is a librarian and mother living in East Melbourne. Penny has worked as a researcher for TV quiz shows Hard Quiz and The Chase, but she’s still terrible at trivia. She’s published a number of children’s books with UQP, one of which, As Fast As I Can (2020), won a Queensland Literary Award and the Readings Children’s Book Prize. Her latest middle-grade book, Music Camp, was published in June 2025. What Rhymes with Murder? is Penny’s first novel for adults.

Alistair Trapnell has worked in marketing at Affirm Press, and now Simon and Schuster Australia, for four years. In that time, he has worked on numerous campaigns including the ABIA award-winning campaign for The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams. In 2021, Alistair completed a Master of Creative Writing, Publishing and Editing at The University of Melbourne. As a singer, songwriter, actor and writer himself, Alistair is passionate about storytelling in all its forms and loves playing a small role in helping aspiring and emerging authors realise their dreams.

Lauren is the author of crime thriller, ‘Neighbourhood Watch’ and has a second on the way for next year. Before turning to fiction, Lauren worked as a lawyer, diplomat, actor, arts journalist, and museum communications manager (not all at once).