Gabrielle Wang is an Australian writer and and illustrator who has been writing books for over 20 years. Her work includes Zadie Ma and the Dog Who Chased the Moon, The Beast of Hushing Wood, Ting Ting the Ghosthunter and more. She served as the Australian Children’s Laureate for 2022
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
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
Courses taken at AWC:
Writing Picture Books
Writing Chapter Books for 6-9 year olds
Laugh Out Loud
Millie Lewis had an unexpected birthday treat when she received an ‘I’m interested’ email from publisher James Layton at Larrikin Books. While on maternity leave from her job as a paediatric psychologist, Millie had turned to writing to reclaim her pre-mummy identity, enrolling in courses at the Australian Writers’ Centre. And just a short time later, she had a positive response to her manuscript for Mr Price’s Pet Emporium.
Courses taken at AWC:
Writing Picture Books
Reinvent Yourself
“I knew it was worth taking the time to workshop it a bit and, serendipitously, an AWC Writing Picture Books course was starting the following week. I took the leap and signed up straight away,” Rebecca says.
That manuscript became Facing the Wave and it has now been published by Larrikin House.
“I was very excited to be published from my first pitch and I know that the things I learned through the AWC helped me be as prepared as possible.”
Congratulations to all the wonderful authors, illustrators and publishers who have made it onto the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s (CBCA) shortlisted books for 2022. We’re particularly chuffed for the talented graduates from our Writing Picture Books course – children’s authors Vikki Conley, Sandhya Parappukkaran and author/illustrator Freda Chiu –
Courses taken at AWC:
Writing Picture Books
Presenting to Kids
“Enrolling on the course meant I had actually invested in myself and my dream,” Jeanette says. “While I was taking the course, I felt a strong sense of ‘this is what I should be doing’.”
Jeanette’s decision to invest in herself paid off and she can now call herself a published author. Her debut picture book Shadow and the Girl has been released by Red Paper Kite with illustrations by Demelsa Haughton.
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has released its list of Notable books for 2022 and we’re giving a standing ovation to our talented presenters and graduates who have been recognised – as well as the wonderful authors we’ve had on our So you want to be a writer
Zanni Louise, author of Too Busy Sleeping and Archie and the Bear, has launched a picture book series designed to help preschool and early primary readers engage with values. Feeling a personal draw to themes of friendship, family and kindness, Zanni says she wanted to create books which were useful
We’re so thrilled that our Director of Creative Writing Pamela Freeman and acclaimed illustrator Liz Anelli have won the Eve Pownall Award for their book Dry to Dry at the CBCA Book of the Year Awards. Congratulations to this dynamic duo! We chatted to Pamela about the win… 1. What
Turning ten is a big deal – once you hit double digits, there’s no going back. And this is exactly the milestone author and AWC presenter Lesley Gibbes is celebrating with the publication of her 10th picture book. Dinosaur Dads illustrated by Marjorie Crosby-Fairall, is out now with Scholastic Australia.
Picture book author – and AWC alumna – Victoria Mackinlay has had an extraordinary month. She has published not one but TWO new picture books, The Lion Who Came To Stay and The Bark Book. As if that wasn’t achievement enough, her first picture book Ribbit Rabbit Robot has been
Mandy Foot has illustrated dozens of picture books with Hachette Australia. But when she decided to write her own story, she knew she had to gain new skills. After completing the Writing Picture Books course at the Australian Writers’ Centre, Mandy published her debut picture book as an author, Joey
In the world of publishing, new houses occasionally pop up to fill a niche. One such new publisher is Larrikin House, created by James Layton after he identified a need for more Aussie picture books. Like any traditional publishing house, Larrikin’s focus is on high-quality stories that resonate with readers.
Courses taken at AWC:
History, Mystery and Magic
How to Write for Children and Young Adults
Pitch Your Novel: How to Attract Agents and Publishers
Laugh Out Loud
Courses taken at AWC:
Writing Picture Books
Anxiety is better recognised and understood than ever before, but for parents of teenagers struggling with anxiety it can still be hard to know how to help. One great way is to encourage them to express themselves via writing. Bestselling parenting book author Michael Grose shares with us some practical
By Anna Morgan. The latest book by YA writer and bookseller Anna Morgan is Before the Beginning. Here she reveals her top five ways to engage readers in your young adult book. Do strengthen your plot. One of the most common pieces of feedback I’ve heard from readers is: ‘Once
Image above: By Judith Rossell Multi-award-winning author and illustrator Judith Rossell teaches Writing Picture Books and How to Write for Children and Young Adults at the Australian Writers’ Centre, and has been writing and illustrating children’s books for nearly 20 years. She was an illustrator first before adding writing to
By R.A. Spratt. The latest book from R.A. Spratt is The Peski Kids 5: The Final Mission, a mystery story for kids. We get her to spill five tips on how to write a great mystery story for children. 1. Plot backwards I usually come up with the big reveal
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