Holden Sheppard is an award-winning Australian novelist once described as "the lovechild of Rambo and Rimbaud".

​

A country boy, a weightlifter and a self-proclaimed “bromosexual”, Holden has won acclaim for the raw, blokey honesty of his emotional novels about the modern experiences of Aussie men. 

 

Holden's bestselling debut Invisible Boys - a confessional novel about young gay men growing up in rural Australia - picked up major accolades including the WA Premier's Prize and the Hungerford Award. In 2025, Invisible Boys was adapted as a ten-episode television series for Stan Australia, which was nominated for the prestigious Peabody Awards in the USA and two AACTA Awards in Australia. 

​​

Holden's subsequent novels include The Brink – a thriller about young adults grappling with a murder during their schoolies trip – and King of Dirt, a gay bogan love story set in the world of construction workers. Holden's books have won widespread award recognition nationally, including winning the Indie Book Awards and Ena Noel Award, and  shortlistings in the VIC, NSW and SA Premier's Literary Awards, the Queensland Writers Centre's Adaptable Program and the Australian Book Industry Awards. 

​

Holden's new release novel Yeah the Boys, the long-awaited sequel to Invisible Boys, won the 2025 Minderoo Artist Fund Award and is available in stores now.

 

Holden has worked as a screenwriter, writing two episodes of the Invisible Boys series. His writing has been widely published in books, journals and the media. He served as Deputy Chair of Writing WA from 2019-2023. Holden is an outspoken advocate for artists' rights, gay rights and men's mental health, for which he was recognised in the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards as a WA finalist in the Australia's Local Hero Award.

 

Known for a trademark larrikin humour that balances the heavier content of his books, Holden appeared in the 2022 "Bogans" episode of hit ABC TV series You Can't Ask That, was once featured in a bourbon advertisement, and barracks for the Collingwood Football Club.

 

Born and bred in Geraldton, Western Australia, Holden now lives in Perth's north with his husband and his V8 ute.