User:Keef Austin

Originally from London’s East End, Keith Austin has been a journalist more than 35 years. After working in local newspapers in London, Essex and the Home Counties he made the move to Fleet Street in 1986 when he joined The Sunday Times as deputy chief sub. Since then Keith has worked in Glasgow, Beijing and, for the past 18 years, Sydney, Australia.

HE HAS been, variously, a chief sub, production editor, travel editor, feature writer, regular columnist, news reporter, restaurant and book reviewer, and has also edited two cookbooks, Blokes and Seafood.

HE IS also the author of GRYMM, a novel for Young Adults, available in Australia and the UK from July, 2012, and SNOW, WHITE, due out in March 2014. He is currently working on a series of e-books and the 4th edition of the Pub Food Guide for NSW.

His CV is as follows: Currently: First book for Young Adults, GRYMM, now available in Britain and Australia, published by Random House. His second book for RHUK, SNOW, WHITE, is due out in March 2014. In 2013 The Guardian in the UK reviewed Grymm and described as "up there with the best, up there with Stephen King and Neil Gaiman".

Editor of the NSW Good Pub Food Guide (2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014); freelance for the Spectator Australia, NZ Cuisine magazine, the(sydney)magazine, the Sun-Herald, SMH Traveller, Good Weekend, South China Morning Post, Stamford Magazines Singapore, The Guardian, Reader’s Digest, and anybody else who’ll have him.

February-October 2009: Moved to Paris, France, for six months to accompany partner Helen O’Neill on her Australia Arts Council residency.

October 2008: Took voluntary redundancy from the Sydney Morning Herald after 14 years.

1995-2008: at Sydney Morning Herald as page one editor, chief sub, senior feature writer, book reviewer, restaurant reviewer, TV reviewer, columnist, travel editor, stand-in editor on Good Living.

2007/2008: Editor of two cookbooks - Blokes and Seafood.

1992-1995: Freelance sub-editing in London (The Sunday Times, The Times, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Evening Standard). Assistant Business Editor, The Sunday Times, London. Acting editor (Sunday Times Scotland).

1991-1992: Foreign expert on China Daily newspaper, Beijing, China.

1990-1991: Deputy Chief Sub (features), The Daily Mirror, London.

1986-1990: Deputy Chief Sub on The Sunday Times. Regional Editor (Northern Ireland, Irish Republic, Scotland). Production editor for launch of Sunday Times Scotland. Production editor (News Review).

1986: Freelance sub-editing in London (The Sun and The Sunday Times).

1985-1986: Travelling in USA, Canada, Hong Kong, China and Thailand. 1985: Freelance sub-editor on The Sun.

1983-1985: Yellow Advertiser group in Basildon. Deputy Editor and Editor in South Woodford office (5 titles).

1983: Chief Reporter on Oxford Journal, Sheffield Journal, Cardiff Journal, Bristol Journal and Banbury Cake.

1982: Travelling/backpacking in Israel, Egypt and Europe.

1978-1982: Trainee reporter, Barking and Dagenham Post and then The East London Advertiser, Bethnal Green, London. Covered hard news, features, council meetings, learned to sub and design pages, worked as Arts Editor too. Took block release courses in Journalism at Harlow tech.