Print Media
HarperCollins to publish Purcell’s ‘The Girl on the Page’
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HarperCollins Australia has acquired The Girl on the Page, an ‘industry insider’ novel by Booktopia director of books John Purcell.
Described as ‘a smart, sexy, provocative and powerful novel of ambition, betrayal and redemption’, The Girl on the Page follows the story of ‘hard-drinking, bed-hopping, hot-shot young book editor’ Amy Winston ‘on a downward spiral’. Publisher Catherine Milne said: ‘The joy of this novel isn’t just that it’s a complete page-turner, with lashings of sex, glamour, bad behaviour and wonderfully wicked insider publishing references, but that at its heart The Girl on the Page is a deeply serious and intelligent novel about the power of literature, which asks searching questions about art and commerce, integrity and authenticity’. Purcell is the author of the erotic trilogy The Secret Lives of Emma (Bantam) published under the pseudonym Natasha Walker. The Girl on the Page will be published in October 2018. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of news about the book industry |
The road from literary snob to author of erotic fiction was a covert one for John Purcell, writes Linda Morris in the Sydney Morning Herald
Photo: Danielle Smith
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Male readers would become much more interesting people if only they broke out of the ''cul-de-sac of maledom'' and read women authors, according to bookseller, John Purcell.
Purcell recently outed himself as the reclusive author Natasha Walker, writer of the erotic fiction trilogy, The Secret Lives of Emma, which followed Fifty Shades of Grey into the mainstream. Once I crossed over into reading women authors, I never crossed back. The greatest propagandist for moral behaviour is Jane Austen. ''A lot of guys I know will stay in the men's section. They'll read their Cormac McCarthy and their Martin Amis and they will return again and again to this cul-de-sac of maledom. But once I crossed over to reading women authors, I never crossed back. The greatest propagandist for moral behaviour is Jane Austen. I fell in love with Fanny Burney, Elizabeth Gaskell and the Brontes, then I found George Eliot - the list goes on. ''I think that's something a lot of male readers have to do, eventually: read more women … they'll become much more interesting people.'' |
Meet Natasha Walker: She's not who you think she is, writes Caroline Overington in The Australian Women's Weekly
Photography by Alana Landsberry.
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Natasha Walker is the best-selling authoress of Australia's hottest erotic fiction … or is she? Caroline Overington reveals Natasha's big secret.
Don't read this if you don't like the feeling of being duped. Okay. The Weekly is exclusively revealing today that the author of the racy Australian trilogy, The Secret Lives of Emma, isn't a woman called Natasha Walker. It's a man. The books, which became best-sellers last year on the back of the Fifty Shades of Greyphenomenon, were written by a married father-of-two, John Purcell. John is the chief book buyer and head of marketing at Australia's largest online bookstore, Booktopia. The Emma trilogy, an erotic tale of a bored housewife and the young man who lives next door, has sold more than 50,000 copies, which makes John one of Australia's best-selling authors of "mummy porn". |
Australia's queen of erotica - Natasha Walker, author of the Secret Life of Emma - is actually a man, writes Matt Gilbertson in The Herald Sun
HER saucy and racy books have propelled Natasha Walker from a nobody to one of Australia's most prolific and successful writers of erotica.
But the author, who burst on to the literary scene with the series The Secret Life of Emma, has been harbouring a secret - "she" is a man.
John Purcell this week outed himself to the Australian Women's Weekly, revealing he is behind the trilogy that has sold more than 50,000 copies on the back of the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon. The books have made him one of Australia's best-sellers of "mummy porn". The father of two told the Sunday Mail: "A long time ago it was women who weren't ever able to be published as writers. Now it's the other way around in the world of erotic novels.
"I started writing under Natasha's name because those sort of stories would only appeal to women if they knew a woman had written them. Like a secret club in a way."
But the author, who burst on to the literary scene with the series The Secret Life of Emma, has been harbouring a secret - "she" is a man.
John Purcell this week outed himself to the Australian Women's Weekly, revealing he is behind the trilogy that has sold more than 50,000 copies on the back of the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon. The books have made him one of Australia's best-sellers of "mummy porn". The father of two told the Sunday Mail: "A long time ago it was women who weren't ever able to be published as writers. Now it's the other way around in the world of erotic novels.
"I started writing under Natasha's name because those sort of stories would only appeal to women if they knew a woman had written them. Like a secret club in a way."
John Purcell reveals himself as erotic author Natasha Walker, writes Kate Crawford in The Daily Telegraph
Picture: Jeff Herbert.
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JOHN Purcell has been unmasked as the best-selling author of erotic fiction, inspired by the true confessions of Mosman women.
He has revealed that much of his material came from listening to the sexual revelations of Mosman women while he sat behind the counter of his Mosman bookshop. With the renewed respectability of erotic fiction prompted by Fifty Shades of Grey, Purcell felt more comfortable about recently confessing he was the true author of the Emma trilogy. |
Bestselling Australian Erotica Author Natasha Walker Reveals Secret Life As A Man, writes Anne Lu in the International Business Times
Natasha Walker has entered the Australian literary scene last year to a rousing success. Her erotica series "The Secret Life of Emma" has sold more than 50,000 copies since its debut. But just like Emma, Natasha has also been living a secret life... as a man.
Unmasked, John Purcell, a father of two, admitted that he is behind the "mummy porn" trilogy. He "invented" Natasha to be able to connect with his target readers.
"A long time ago it was women who weren't ever able to be published aswriters. Now it's the other way around in the world of erotic novels," he told Sunday Mail.
"I started writing under Natasha's name because those sort of stories would only appeal to women if they knew a woman had written them. Like a secret club in a way.
Unmasked, John Purcell, a father of two, admitted that he is behind the "mummy porn" trilogy. He "invented" Natasha to be able to connect with his target readers.
"A long time ago it was women who weren't ever able to be published aswriters. Now it's the other way around in the world of erotic novels," he told Sunday Mail.
"I started writing under Natasha's name because those sort of stories would only appeal to women if they knew a woman had written them. Like a secret club in a way.
Booktopia’s John Purcell shares 3 ways to sell more books, on Australian Writers' Centre
The rise of online shopping has revolutionised the way that we buy books. From a bookseller’s point of view, the playing field has been significantly levelled – with every book just a search and a click away. And from an author’s point of view, this makes marketing your book more important than ever.
One man who knows all about this is John Purcell, chief book buyer and head of marketing at Booktopia – Australia’s fastest-growing online bookstore. Not only does he decide which books to stock, but he’s also been a published author himself, seeing first-hand the effect good marketing can have on sales.
Clearly if you self-publish, by definition you do the sales legwork yourself. But when it comes to being traditionally published, don’t assume someone else will do it all. Finding success with a publishing house is definitely impressive (congratulations!), but this is no time to put your feet up and wait for the cheques to start flying through the door. Back in episode 5 of our top-rating podcast So you want to be a writer, we chatted with John Purcell and here are his 3 top tips for ensuring your book meets its marketing potential.
One man who knows all about this is John Purcell, chief book buyer and head of marketing at Booktopia – Australia’s fastest-growing online bookstore. Not only does he decide which books to stock, but he’s also been a published author himself, seeing first-hand the effect good marketing can have on sales.
Clearly if you self-publish, by definition you do the sales legwork yourself. But when it comes to being traditionally published, don’t assume someone else will do it all. Finding success with a publishing house is definitely impressive (congratulations!), but this is no time to put your feet up and wait for the cheques to start flying through the door. Back in episode 5 of our top-rating podcast So you want to be a writer, we chatted with John Purcell and here are his 3 top tips for ensuring your book meets its marketing potential.