Bold New Chapter: Bakers Lane Books Launches with $10,000 Fearless Prize to Support Emerging Women Writers

9th July 2025 — Australia's publishing landscape welcomes a powerful new player with the launch of Bakers Lane Books, an independent publishing house committed to platforming bold, inclusive storytelling.

Founded by long-time publishing veteran Ginny Grant, Bakers Lane Books will publish a select number of high-quality fiction and nonfiction titles each year, with a mission to support underrepresented and diverse Australian voices.

"After more than two decades in trade publishing, it's a dream to be able to back the authors I believe in — and create a space where new talent can thrive," said Grant. "We know there are extraordinary writers in this country who aren't being seen or published, and we want to help change that."

In tandem with its official launch, Bakers Lane also introduces its flagship initiative to tackle persistent gender inequity in the literary world: the Fearless Prize — a $10,000 award for an unpublished manuscript by an Australian woman writer. Submissions are opening soon and the prize will be published under the house's Fearless Press imprint, which will focus on stories by women in all their diversity.

The initiative comes at a time when the Stella Count continues to reveal structural inequity in the Australian literary landscape. Despite women comprising the majority of readers and book buyers, the 2023 Count found that:

• Only 43% of books reviewed in Australia's major publications were written by women;
• Women of colour and non-binary authors remained significantly underrepresented;
• Reviews of male-authored books were consistently longer and more prominently placed than those by women.

"In a market where debut authors are finding it harder than ever to break through, we're here to make space," said Grant. "The Fearless Prize is about rewriting the rules of who gets published, who gets seen, and whose stories get told."

The first title from Fearless Press, The One Remaining by Paula McLean, will be released in October this year.

Visit: www.bakerslane.com.au

Ginny Grant is available for interview.

For interviews, review copies or further information, please contact:

Julia Ferracane | Righteous PR  | E: julia@righteouspr.com.au | M: 0424 180 420