From podcast to paperback - The Journey of Sunward Sky

When indie author Henry Neilsen started writing his debut novel in 2020 he decided to challenge himself: write and release it as a weekly podcast. 

This turned into a much more difficult project than he expected, with a number of unexpected outcomes. After four years, more than 80,000 downloads and a successful Kickstarter campaign, Henry's debut novel Sunward Sky has made it out of the audio realm and into paperback form.

Sunward Sky is a science fiction novel set in the near future, on the eponymous spacecraft as it services the satellites that are now vital to keep society functioning. The lives of the spacefarers aboard are that of poorly treated minimum wage workers, and they are unable to survive back on Earth after too long in space. They are visited by Alyssa, a researcher who is trying to understand the health impacts of long-term spaceflight, but stumbles into more than she bargained for.

In this talk, Henry will share the perks and pitfalls of this unusual route to publication, talk about the ideas and values that drove him to write Sunward Sky and what inspires him as an author.

Contact

Merri-bek Libraries
Merri-bek Libraries, Merri-bek Libraries
Phone: 9353 4000
Email: libraryevents@merri-bek.vic.gov.au