8/10/2025
Meet Anna McFarlane, Publisher for Children & Young Adults at Allen & Unwin, recipient of the George Robertson Award in 2025 for her unwavering dedication and contribution to the industry.
How and when did you enter the book industry?
My first proper job in publishing began in 1993 with Brian Cook and Cathie Tasker in the children’s division at HarperCollinsPublishers. I had a degree in Drama Performance but I was interested in children’s books.
‘I sat in on an editorial course to learn how to mark up a manuscript (I wasn’t even enrolled) but as anyone in my family will tell you, I like correcting other people, and I knew then that I had found my calling.’
Wanting to be in kids’ books came from working with kids (I worked in Out of Hours School Care as well as in childcare centres) but also my parents, both of whom were teachers who loved literature.
To make the transition into publishing, I did a lot of volunteer work including proofreading for the publishing department of the Education Department of South Australia and for a friend’s free music magazine, so I had some experience when I applied to be a Junior Trainee Assistant Editor at HarperCollins. I still lived in Adelaide then, but I told Cathie I was moving to Sydney. So, when I got the job, I did!
‘Working at HarperCollins was an incredibly rich experience.’
Cathie was a great mentor, and I worked with and learned a lot from many brilliant editors in that office including Jacquie Brown, Susan Gray, Nicola O’Shea, Clare Forster, Deonie Fiford, Stephanie Smith, Rosemary MacDonald and Laura Harris.
What has kept you in publishing over the years?
No two days in publishing are the same – although sometimes I wish they were. Having had a brief sojourn in film production, books are also a very economical way to produce creative work. We can work on so many projects at once! And they get made!
‘Publishing still excites me. The thrill of reading a promising manuscript, or pursuing an interesting idea, and the joy of working with talented, intelligent and creative people.’
What have been some of your career highlights?
‘Nothing really beats seeing books in kids’ hands. I moderated a Tashi trivia session with Anna and Barbara Fienberg at the Sydney Writers Festival one year and there were swarms of kids dying to tell us what they knew about Tashi. And they knew everything! It was brilliant.’
Likewise, passionate YA readers. At Allen & Unwin we’ve run a few fan nights for YA readers, and I just love watching the teenagers with their stacks of books patiently queueing for Amie Kaufman or Jay Kristoff’s autographs. And, of course, all the incredible authors and illustrators I’ve had the privilege to work with, some of whom, like Jaclyn Moriarty, I’ve been working with for twenty-five years.
And of course, publishing a bestseller! Feeling Sorry for Celia, Lenny’s Book of Everything, The Little Refugee, The Day My Bum Went Psycho and The Book Thief were all career highlights for me.
What’s next for your career? Is there a particular project or challenge you'd like to tackle next?
I’m starting to diversify a little and turning my focus to publishing non-fiction for kids. This year, for example, I’m super excited about Annabel Crabb’s children’s guide to Australia’s democracy illustrated by First Dog on the Moon. There’s a Prawn in Parliament House has been eight years in the making.
‘One of the benefits of having had a long career is the satisfaction of seeing ideas grow and develop over time. And then like magic, (by which I mean hard graft, generally from the authors!!) become brilliant books.’
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given in the industry? How have you applied it?
‘The author should enjoy the experience of being published.’
It’s a real mantra at Allen & Unwin that comes from the top. It gives permission for the process to be pleasurable for everyone.
Learn more about other George Robertson Award recipients here.