By Allison Tait. Unless you’re planning to write just one amazing book and disappear (hello, Harper Lee), chances are you’re hoping to establish and build a long-term career as an author. But just what does that take? One person who has insider insights on that question is Sophie Hamley, currently
By Allison Tait. Every author, whether aspiring or emerging or established, dreams of writing a bestseller. A book that will rocket up the sales charts, whether propelled by word of mouth or prize-winning status, dragging its writer behind it into a dream life of champagne and literary lunches. Whether the
By Allison Tait. When people talk about landing pages, writers seem to look the other way, assuming that landing pages are for people with, I don’t know, products to sell. The fact is, though, that if you are an author, with a book to sell, you have a product. Not
What are the dos and don’ts about approaching publishers at a festival? Australian Writers’ Centre CEO Valerie Khoo lays out the tips you need to make a good impression and find the publisher that’s the right fit for your book.
By Diane Connell. If you had visited my high school and asked my English teacher to point out the student least likely to end up writing for a living, he would have pointed to me, the irritant sitting at the back of the classroom scribbling what I thought were hilarious
By Allison Tait. When you’re beavering away on a manuscript, dreaming of being a published author, getting that first publishing deal can feel a million miles away. But it happens! And, while sometimes publishing works in mysterious ways, the truth is that for most authors it’s about being in the
By Allison Tait. Rejection is part of every writer’s life. Published or unpublished, beginner or established, every writer experiences the crushing emotion that accompanies a “sorry, not for us” or a “thanks, but no thanks”. The difference between writers who go on to have successful careers and those who don’t
For authors looking to write for children and young adults, it’s important to understand that what they want to read is evolving. Young readers now have screens and devices constantly competing for their attention, but they are still interested in reading engaging, well-written books. While you don’t need to follow
Literary agent specialising in children’s and young adult authors Annabel Barker shares her inside knowledge with Australian Writers’ Centre CEO Valerie Khoo in our ‘Creative Conversations’ Facebook Live event. We’ve shared the replay here so you don’t miss out on Annabel’s invaluable insights. In a 20-year-long career in the literary
We already knew that AWC presenter Pamela Freeman was amazing but now we think she’s stratospheric! She currently has not one, not two, not five, but NINE books under contract! Incredible. We were so impressed by this feat that we had to ask Pamela just what it means to have
There’s nothing like the convenience of online learning to help you fit personal projects around your busy schedule. And if you’ve had the same writing resolutions popping up on your list again after again – why not make 2019 YOUR year to make them happen. Your future self will high
If you are an unagented author with a work of fiction, then this is for you. Ebury Press (an imprint of Penguin Books Limited) is open for fiction submissions. From the Ebury Press website: This open submissions period is a chance for unagented authors to get their manuscript to us. If you have
Penguin Random House Australia is delighted to announce that the Penguin Literary Prize for 2018 is now open for submissions. From the Penguin website: “Established in 2017 in conjunction with Leading Edge Books, the Prize offers aspiring authors the opportunity to get their work into the hands of booksellers and
The hottest date in a romance writer’s calendar is fast approaching – the Romance Writers of Australia Conference from 17-19 August 2018. This year the conference is in Sydney’s Sofitel Wentworth Hotel and registrations are open to the public. With workshops from bestselling author Rachel Bailey on The Anatomy of
Writing fiction is one of the most fulfilling and demanding things you can commit to, and at every stage you will have questions – about the process and about yourself! We understand that it can be both exciting and exasperating, and sometimes you want to just have a cup of
Today we’re chatting with Mark Gottlieb, a Literary Agent with New York’s Trident Media Group. Given that so many of us know all about writing but are often in the dark about the agent process, we thought we’d find out more about the world from an agent’s point of view…
Guest post by Claire Scobie This a story about how I’m using crowdfunding to get my novel The Pagoda Tree published in the UK. I’m using Unbound, a UK publishing model with a distinguished past. Once known as “subscription publishing”, in 1688 the first edition of Milton’s Paradise Lost was
Most aspiring authors looking to publish their manuscript traditionally can envisage a finish line with a publisher and a contract. But the path to that line is often arduous, which is where agents can help. After more than 25 years in the book industry, Melbourne-based Jacinta Di Mase started her
Brandon VanOver began his career in New York at the literary agency Curtis Brown on the switchboard before becoming an assistant to the legendary children’s book agent Marilyn E. Marlow. He then moved to Sydney and an opening eventually came up as an editorial assistant at Random House. He progressed through the ranks
Ever wanted to ask questions directly to a publisher? Hachette Australia’s “Ask the publisher” initiative will give you the chance to do just that. It will take place each Friday between 3pm-4pm (Sydney time) on Twitter. Just tweet @HachetteAus and include the hashtag #askHAU. Then one of Hachette’s publishers will chat
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