Writers: how long since you went to a writers/readers/literary festival? I've just returned from one and have popped up the first of a series of blog posts about the experience. This one is about all the benefits writers receive from attending. The next post will be about how to get the most from attending. And then one on what you can do to get an invite to one! Plus I'll do a highlights post as the festival was fantastic and the impact on me/for me next level. https://annafeatherstone.com/what-are-the-benefits-for-writers-who-attend-writers-festivals/

#Australia #WritersFestival #LiteraryFestival #Author #WritingCommunity #NSW #ByronBay #AustralianWriters #AusWrites #AusAuthors #AustralianAuthors #Publishing #ByronWF2023 #ByronWritersFestival #Bangalow #BundjalungCountry

Australasian authors of historical fiction:

Entries close June 14, 2023 for the $100,000 ARA Historical Novel Prize. Run by the Historical Novel Society Australasia (HNSA) categories include Adult and CYA and are open to traditional and self-published authors.

https://annafeatherstone.com/historical-novel-society-australasia-100k-ara-historical-novel-prize/

#Australia #NewZealand #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalFiction Author #CreativeAustralia #AustralianAuthors #AustralianWriters #BoldAuthors #HNS #HNSA #BookPrize #AuthorPrizes #WritingCompetition #WritingCommunity #AuthorsofMastodon
#AmWriting
#selfPublishing #IndieAuthor #IndieAuthors

$50,000 for 1,000 to 2,500 words? That's a great $ per word rate! Entries are now open for the richest short story prize in the world... and it's being run right here in Australia. Competition website here: https://bestaustralianyarn.com.au

Story in The West Australian here:
https://thewest.com.au/lifestyle/best-australian-yarn/2023-best-australian-yarn-are-you-sitting-on-australias-next-greatest-short-story--c-10440941

#Australia #WritingCommunity #ShortStory #AmWriting #WritingCompetition #ShortStoryWriter #AustralianWriters #AustralianAuthors #CreativeAustralia #WA #WesternAustralia

Interested in book cover design?
Check out the 2023 shortlist from The Australian Book Design Awards for inspiration, and also Thuy On's article for ArtsHub where authors speak about the cover design process. Two links below.

ArtsHub article: https://www.artshub.com.au/news/features/who-judges-book-covers-we-all-do-2629546/

2023 Australian Book Design Awards Shortlist:
https://abda.com.au/2023-australian-book-design-awards-shortlist-announced/

#writingcommunity #bookcover #bookcoverdesign #Australia #AustralianWriters #AustralianAuthors #AustralianDesigners #design #bookstodon #Author

Gold Coast/Queensland authors - and tourists travelling through: Have you heard about 'Writing Sunday'? According to the Gold Coast Writers' Association, it's "a volunteer led space for writers of all levels to come and work on their own projects. This is a great chance for busy weekday people to connect with your local writing community and finish writing your story.
Held on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month.
Writing Sundays is a Queensland Writers Centre initiative, following the Pomodoro Technique of 25-minute blocks and 5-minute breaks. Every third 'Pomodoro', there is a 15-minute break to relax and recharge, while having a lunch break too. The idea behind the method is to train the mind into working effectively to reach smaller targets, improving the overall writing time and productivity.
Southport Library, Corner Garden and Lawson Streets, Southport.

Bookings: https://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/libraries/Whats-on?trumbaEmbed=filter1%3D_1668455_#tr_header

#PomodoroTechnique #GoldCoast #Queensland #GoldCoastLibraries #QueenslandWritersCentre #Libraries #WritingCommunity
#Southport #AustralianWriters #AustralianAuthors

Ooh, here's a new fellowship opportunity for Australian, regional-based, woman* freelance journalists.

https://www.walkleys.com/professional-development/scholarships-and-fellowships/the-esme-fenston-fellowship/

#Australia #AustralianWriters #AustralianJournalist #FreelanceJournalist #Writing Fellowship #TheWalkleys

Australian authors: Guess what opens for applications today? The EMDG Grant program! Have you ever applied for a creative, SME or book marketing grant before? I've been working with Amra Pajalic on a new course all about how to successfully find & apply.

https://annafeatherstone.com/grants-for-australian-writers-for-writing-and-creative-projects-book-marketing-author-business/

#Australia #AustralianWriters #AustralianAuthors #EMDG #writinggrants #writingcommunity #AuthorsofMastodon #AmraPajalic #literarygrants #AusLit #OzLit #AusWrites #AusWriters #amwriting #ampublishing #indieauthors #indieauthor #bookmarketing

Have just read a great book on mental health and psychosis that couldn't find a traditional publisher in Australia. Thanks goodness for a passionate author who wanted to spark important conversations.

https://annafeatherstone.com/if-publishers-say-no-to-you-do-you-care-enough-to-publish-anyway/

#DearPsychosis #SarahMartin #mentalhealth #books #nonfiction #memoir #Australia #AustralianWriters #writingcommunity

Great reminder from the Australian Society of Authors today about PLR & ELR 31 March deadline:

"Have you had a book published in the last 5 years? Is your print book held in public or educational libraries? Do not forget to submit your title claims to the Public and Educational Lending Right schemes via the Office for the Arts to have eligible books registered for inclusion before the 31 March deadline. Details about how to register your e-books and audiobooks will be released by the Office for the Arts shortly."

#Australia #AustralianWriters #AustralianAuthors #AusWrites #AusLit #WritingCommunity #PLR #ELR #CreativeAustralia

Authors, do you spend more than 50% of your work time on writing and publishing activities? If you're an independent author who does, the Alliance of Independent Authors is running a survey so they will be able to compare traditionally published author earnings to indie author earnings. The survey is also designed to spot the factors that most affect author income, the learnings from which will help indie authors optimise earnings in the years ahead. Please share.

To participate in the ALLi survey, head to:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SKX2XD3

#ALLi #indieauthor #indieauthors #selfpublished #selfpublishing #amwriting #writingcommunity #AustralianWriters #AusWrites #AusWriters #author #authors #AuthorsofMastodon

As writers festivals start kicking off in Australia for 2023, are you planning on attending any?

Do you have a favourite that you like to attend again and again? Have you made great contacts at a festival been inspired by your fellow authors?

Did attending a writers festival make you pick back up your pen or put it down when you came face to face with genius and thought 'I could never do that'?

Here's a list I've put together of Australian writers festivals for 2023
https://annafeatherstone.com/writing-resources/list-of-australian-writers-festivals-2023/

#WritingCommunity #WritersFestivals #Australia #AustralianWriters #AusLit #AusAuthors #LiteraryFestivals

Approximately 15% of books are returned to publishers by booksellers. Some useful information shared in Irma Gold's latest 'Inside The Green Room' podcast. The ep is titled: Booksellers.

https://annafeatherstone.com/inside-tips-for-authors-from-three-australian-booksellers/

#publishingtips #authortips #amwriting #writingcommunity #AustralianWriters #AustralianAuthors #bookstore #bookseller #IrmaGold #InsideTheGreenRoom #Podcastforwriters #Australia #author

What makes a writer happy? A great series in The Guardian asks writers what brings them joy these days. This response from Helen Garner...wow.
Reading it makes me think that what would make me happy is being able to write like this.

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/feb/05/helen-garner-on-happiness-its-taken-me-80-years-to-figure-out-its-not-a-tranquil-sunlit-realm

#writingcommunity #HelenGarner #TheGuardian #writingcommunity #authors #author #onwriting #bookstodon #Australia #AustralianWriters #OzLit #AusLit #nonfictionauthors #nonfiction

This memoir! 'Unknown'. An important, well written, inspiring, challenging, change-inducing gift to Australia and the world from Akuch Kuol Anyieth. From war-torn South Sudan, to Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp, to Australia this 📕 will break your heart but also make it beat. It throws out a challenge to all Australians (and people of other nations) to think about how we can better support and welcome people who have experienced inter-generational trauma. It also throws out another challenge: how to finish it in one sitting because you won’t want to put it down. Real people, real places and experiences, a really worthwhile read. Published by Text Publishing.

#Australia #BookRecommendation #BookReview #refugeeexperience
#Melbourne #books #memoir #SouthSudan #Kenya #AkuchKuolAnyieth #AustralianWriters #AustralianAuthors #AusLit #AustralianPublishers #OzLit #memoirwriting @bookstodon

Are you an author or writer? The Australian Society of Authors has a number of online presentations/courses/ workshops for authors coming up on topics including:
- Literary Speed Dating
- All about Editing
- Creative Non-Fiction
- Self-Publishing Strategy & Timelines (I'll be presenting this one)
- What to do after typing THE END

You can see the full list here: https://www.asauthors.org/events/category/Events

#AustralianSocietyofAuthors #ASA #writingcourses #writingcommunity #publishingtips #Australianauthors #AustralianWriters

Just submitted an extract of my new short story (in progress) to the Wheeler Centre Hot Desk Fellowships. It’s called ‘Kerania Versus the Dream’ and its based on my recently discovered Great-Great-Great Grandmother. Threw my hat in the ring because why the heck not.

Wish me luck!🤞🏽

#WritingCommunity #AustralianWriters

Good detail on the Revive Plan here - https://www.arts.gov.au/what-we-do/national-cultural-policy

Happy to see some good basic principles underpinning the thinking #arts #WritingCommunity #AustralianWriters

This is huge news! For readers what it means is that you can borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your library and know that the author is receiving some financial gain for it (just as with print books). Given the average earnings for Australian writers falls well below the poverty line (see the 2022 National Survey of Australian Book Authors), this change can make a very big difference.
#asauthors #australiansocietyofauthors #australianauthors #australianwriters #aussieauthors

Latest read, Union Falls (2011) by J.S. Breukelaar, from Collision. Deel, a very damaged widow, reluctantly hires Ame, an armless keyboard player for her bar's band-- a beginning of a change in Deel and the band's lives.
This story is kind of like a modern blues number. Fantasy? Only slightly, deserves comparison to Raymond Carver, Mariana Enriquez, Karen Joy Fowler, and Amparo Davila.
Terrific.
112 of #400FantasyStories #ShortStory #Books #australianwriters

Sydney Opera House has opened up applications for their All About Women of Colour mentorship. The 2023 program is open to women and non-binary First Nations, culturally and linguistically diverse writers who have some record of publication but have not yet published a full-length work.

More details here: https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/events/whats-on/all-about-women/2023/mentorship.html

#FirstNations #bipoc #AustralianWriters #writing #mentorship