Will Kostakis
Photograph of Will Kostakis at lectern
Will Kostakis in July 2017
BornWilliam Kostakis
(1989-06-02) 2 June 1989
OccupationNovelist
NationalityAustralian
EducationNewington College/Sydney University
Notable worksThe First Third; The Sidekicks
Notable awardsSydney Morning Herald Young Writer of the Year (2005); Inky Awards (2014)
Website
www.willkostakis.com

William Kostakis (born 2 June 1989) is an Australian author and journalist. In high school, he won the Sydney Morning Herald Young Writer of the Year prize for a short story called 'Bing Me'. He went on to sign his first book deal in his final year of high school.

Works

Young adult novels

  • Loathing Lola (2008)
  • The First Third (2013)
  • The Sidekicks (2016)
  • Monuments (2019)
  • Rebel Gods (2020)
  • The Greatest Hit (2020)
  • We Could Be Something (2023)

Chapter books

  • Stuff Happens: Sean (2014)

Short stories

  • 'Bing Me'[1] (The Sydney Morning Herald, 2005)
  • 'An Alternate Life' (The Star Observer, 2016)
  • 'The Bounce Back' (The Star Observer, 2016)
  • 'Hatchet' (The Book That Made Me,[2] 2016)
  • 'I Can See The Ending' (Begin, End, Begin: A #LoveOzYA Anthology,[3] 2017)

Young adult novels

Loathing Lola (2008)

His first novel for young adults, Loathing Lola, was released in August 2008 through Pan Macmillan under his birth name William Kostakis.[4] Kostakis scored his first publishing contract at 17, while still completing his final year of high school,[5] Newington College.[6] He began work on a variant of Loathing Lola when he was 11 years old, and has since been refining it.[7] The novel has been a critical success, dubbed a "kickass debut", "a smart, sharp tale about fame, love and loss" by Australian DOLLY Magazine,[8] "brilliant" by The Examiner,[9] "a promising debut from a young and talented Australian writer" by Danielle Trabsky at Australian Book Review, "polished" and "extremely funny" by Mike Shuttleworth at the State Library of Victoria,[10] "highly entertaining" by Angela Meyer at LiteraryMinded,[11] "a witty tale of trust, teenage friendship, school politics, family relationships and teenage love that is propelled by regular humour, satirical characters and loads of drama... a popular addition to the mid-teen market" by Allison Paterson at Magpies Magazine,[12] and rated four stars by Anastasia Gonis at Good Reading Magazine, who said, "The story sparkles through the humorous dialogue of a cast of cleverly chosen characters".[13]

Awards and recognition

His second novel, The First Third won the 2014 Inky Awards, and was shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers and Prime Minister's Literary Awards.[14] His novel The Sidekicks, published in 2016, was shortlisted for the Queensland Literary Awards. We Could Be Something was shortlisted for the 2024 Victorian Premier's Prize for Writing for Young Adults.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Bing Me - Books - Entertainment - smh.com.au". www.smh.com.au. 17 September 2005. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "The Book That Made Me". Goodreads. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  3. ↑ "Begin, End, Begin". Goodreads. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  4. ↑ Loathing Lola – Pan Macmillan
  5. ↑ William Kostakis.com Archived 14 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "Laughter and loathing". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 September 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  7. ↑ Bates, Rob. "Author's debut looks through feminine eyes". Wentworth-courier.whereilive.com.au. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  8. ↑ "Dolly Magazine Review". Williamkostakis.wordpress.com. 6 August 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  9. ↑ Chris Christodoulou. "The Examiner Review". Northerntasmania.yourguide.com.au. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  10. ↑ "Mike Shuttleworth Review". Williamkostakis.wordpress.com. 18 August 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  11. ↑ "LiteraryMinded". Blogs.crikey.com.au. 2 October 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  12. ↑ "Magpies Magazine Review". Williamkostakis.wordpress.com. 18 October 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  13. ↑ "Good Reading Magazine Review". Goodreadingmagazine.com.au. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  14. ↑ "Novels | Will Kostakis". willkostakis.com. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  15. ↑ "Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2024 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
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