what's that smell? *

In 2001, Kirsty Brooks wrote an article for Australian Bookseller & Publisher about speculative fiction in Australia, featuring quotes from Jonathan Strahan, Garth Nix, Cate Patterson and others. It's now available on her blog and is an interesting snapshot of the industry at the time of its publication and how things have changed since. The Lord of the Rings certainly was one of the biggest movies ever made, which has changed the nature of spec fic film-making. Cover design has undergone a facelift here and in the UK, with Orbit clearly in the lead. But media tie-ins are still regarded with derision and readers are still waiting for the next Harry Potter novel. Plus ça change...

* refers to the opening line of the article, not KB!