Cathie Tasker

Cathie Tasker is a fiction editor with over 25 years’ experience. She has mentored many manuscripts to publication and guided and motivated countless writers to develop their work.

Cathie works as a tutor for the Australian Writers’ Centre and in freelance editing and project management, notably for Magabala Books. She has worked as an editor and publisher with HarperCollins, Scholastic Australia and Koala Books. She also worked as Marketing Manager for Koala Books and as a Book Club Editor at Scholastic Australia. In her career, Cathie has edited and commissioned about 800 books, many of which went on to become bestsellers and win awards.

Cathie has edited novels and picture books for dozens of authors, including Bruce Pascoe, Nat Amoore, Charmaine Ledden-Lewis, Dub Leffler, Jackie French, Wendy Orr, Garth Nix, Mem Fox, Cathy Wilcox, Bruce Whatley, Jennifer Fallon, Garry Disher, and three Australian Writers’ Centre presenters:  Pamela FreemanJudith Rossell and Sue Whiting.

She has judged and convened panels for numerous literary awards including the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year awards, the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, the Aurealis Awards, and IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People). Cathie also updated the Australasian entries for The Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature (2nd ed, 2015).

Some of the books Cathie has worked on include:

Presenter for:

Creative Writing Stage 1
Want to write fiction? Want it to be amazing? Dive into a supportive environment of creativity, information and inspiration!
Novel Writing Essentials
Everyone has a novel in them, they say. If yours is ready to come to the surface, we can help you take the first steps towards getting your name on a book cover.
Short Story Essentials
Uncover the secrets of stellar short-form fiction – perfect for entering in competitions and anthologies. Includes a personalised assessment on a 2500-word story.
Write Your Novel
Want to get from draft to published sooner? Our program puts you on the fast track to success, with valuable critiques and detailed advice.
Writing Picture Books
Want to be the next big thing for little people? Learn the essentials to creating the perfect picture prose that will delight small folk every time.
Writing Picture Books Masterclass
Remove the fog of this tricky transition from writing to selling your book. After all, you only have one shot at this, so it makes sense to get it right.
Presenting to Kids
Discover how to enhance your author career by earning a steady income from school visits and other paid appearances.

What our students say about Cathie:

“Cathie is incredible. So knowledgeable, practical and her feedback is so well presented (and spot on!) Areas for development were provided in an honest and supportive manner and I loved the recommendations for wider reading.”

– Leanne Anderson


“Cathie was phenomenal! Fantastic! Fabulous! Inspiring! Honest! It’s a wonderful opportunity for writers to work along Cathie Tasker. Her experience in the publishing industry is priceless to any writer.”

– Tania Cox


“Cathie was extremely knowledgeable. It was beneficial to get an editor’s point of view – it felt like we were given an insider’s perspective on the picture book industry. The timing of the course over five weeks was also nice. It was just the right amount of time.”

– Laura Wuellner


“I thought Cathie was excellent. I appreciated her direct feedback and honesty. It was obvious that she had a great depth of experience and knowledge. I thought the course was interesting and Cathie’s directness and sense of humour made it fun!”

– Jodie Hamblin


“Cathie was a very knowledgeable presenter and I liked that she was open to all sorts of questions. It was great to hear how the publishing works from someone who has been there.”

– Catherine Golding


“Cathie was a genuine, honest presenter who was generous with her experience and quietly firm about what is expected of the author of a children’s picture book. She had a wry sense of humour and an engaging and organised way of delivering the work. I was really inspired to go home and get on with my book.”

– Catherine Falk


“Cathie is extremely knowledgeable on the topic of picture books, and with so much relevant industry experience, her tips and insights were invaluable. The workshop aspect of the course and meeting other writers was terrific. Cathie was awesome. She was direct, honest, informative, funny – perfect!”

– Natalie Keen

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