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My path to publication

From small press to Big Five

  • ONLINE VIA ZOOM

Jess Kitching’s life ambition was to be an author, and she approached the publication process with a determination to get her foot in the door, prove herself, and achieve her goals. With five books now under her belt, she’s living her dream — but it wasn’t a straightforward path to success.

Jess’s debut thriller, The Girl She Was Before, was published in 2021 by a small, overseas publisher, and she went on to publish two subsequent thrillers with them in 2022 and 2023. Then, in 2025, her author career took an exciting new turn. Through an agent, her contemporary romance novel, The Life Experiment, was acquired and published by Simon and Schuster in Australia and the UK. This was Jess’s official mainstream debut — and it was highly acclaimed. Jess quickly followed its success with the 2026 release of her latest thriller, The Secrets of Strangers.

From starting small overseas to acquiring agent representation and international deals with one of the Big Five publishers, Jess’s author career has come a long way in just a few years. Jess will join Kate Adams, the ASA’s Professional Development and Events Manager, in conversation to share what she’s learned about the twisty path to publication.

Jess will discuss:

  • How she first approached publication as a debut author, and how her approach and publishing goals evolved over time
  • The challenges and benefits of publishing with a small, overseas publisher, and what she’s learned from that experience
  • How she has navigated the author/publisher relationship and the different experiences offered by small and large publishers
  • What authors need to consider about the differences between publishing overseas and locally
  • How she has found the experience of moving between genres and connecting with two different readerships

There will be time for questions from the audience.

If you’re contemplating how you want to approach publication of your work, or you want to know what you could expect from the process, don’t miss this opportunity to learn directly from an author who has lived through it and benefit from Jess’s varied experience.

 

Who is this for?

  • Emerging authors eager to learn about the publication process
  • Emerging authors curious about navigating the path to publication and beyond
  • Authors seeking inspiration and insight from a real-life publication success story

About the presenter

Jess Kitching
Jess Kitching
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Can't make it to the live session?

No problem! Everyone booked in to this event will be emailed a link and passcode to access the recording afterwards. This recording will be available to view for 10 days after the live session. This also means that if you wish to revisit the session after attending it live to take further notes, you can do so!

After 10 days, the link will expire and the recording will no longer be available to view.