Next year, Kill Your Darlings will celebrate its 10th birthday. In 2009 Hannah Kent and Rebecca Starford launched KYD with a mission to shake up the literary landscape. They wanted to create a magazine driven by strong editorial values, one that didn’t discriminate between high- and low-brow culture, a magazine that published energetic work by emerging writers. Nearly 10 years later, KYD is one of Australia’s most eminent cultural publications.

Here are some stats that make us very proud. In 10 years we have:

• Published over 500 writers
• Reached over 900,000 readers
• Published 29 print journals
• Published over 100 interviews
• Published writers from every state in Australia
• Launched 2 writing prizes
• Donated over $20,000 in prize money
• Recorded 36 podcast episodes
• Featured 35 books in our First Book Club
• Hosted over 50 events

KYD is proudly independent. We are a small team who think big, but we do operate on very tight budgets. In the often-precarious world of independent publishing and arts funding, maintaining KYD’s financial security can be a challenge.

We’re asking for your help to ensure we can continue supporting emerging writers for another 10 years.

Please see below for some truly amazing rewards that have been generously donated by the contributors, publishers, institutions and festivals we love.

THANK YOU!

Ensuring our contributors are well paid for their work is a top priority for KYD.

Here are 10 different ways KYD could use $10,000.

1. We could run the New Critic Award for 4 years, giving early-career critics a change to expand and develop their craft in a media landscape with decreasing opportunities for longform criticism.

2. We could publish 40 new pieces by early-career writers, giving them the opportunity to build a public profile and develop their craft through regular editorial feedback.

3. We could produce 60 podcast episodes, making Australian literature accessible to the world.

4. We could publish 100 book reviews, giving crucial attention to a wide range of Australian and international fiction and non-fiction titles.  

5. We could publish 28 pieces of new fiction, giving a platform to emerging and established writers.

6. We could publish 4 contributing editors for a year, giving them the opportunity to explore topics not given space elsewhere. 

7. We could run the Unpublished Manuscript Award for 2 years, bringing the work of emerging writers to the attention of agents and publishers. 

8. We could feature 40 books in our First Book Club, directly supporting Australia’s debut authors and securing readership for new names. 

9. We could publish 50 interviews with some of Australia's most interesting thinkers, writers and artists. 

10. We could publish 8 writing showcases, focusing a spotlight on locations and voices often under-represented in our media landscape.