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Penguin Random House Australia has announced the winner for the 2020 Penguin Literary Prize.  Congratulations to Sophie Overett who won the 2020 prize with her novel The Rabbits. There were over 400 submissions and this is a huge achievement. (We recently chatted to Imbi Neeme, the winner of the 2019

Today, searching for a good book is easy to do since the internet is everywhere. Before we had the internet, people had to look for other options. Bookstores and libraries were easy places to get to for those who lived in town, but people who did not live in the

Your bookshelf can give people an insight into your soul. Big statement, we know. But your choice of books can reveal a lot about your passions, interests, hopes, fears – and everything in between.  So we’re taking a peek at what some famous people have on their bookshelf. Global English

The announcement of the 2020 Australian Book Industry Awards saw both familiar faces and rising stars rewarded for their hard work. Streamed live on YouTube, the top gong for the ABIA Book of the Year was given to a picture book for the first time: Bluey: The Beach, based on

The Australian Publishers Association has announced the shortlist for the 2020 Australian Book Industry Awards.  This year, the ABIAs category winners and overall ‘Book of the Year’ winner of the 2020 Australian Book Industry Awards will be announced via a special Virtual Awards Event that will stream LIVE on YouTube

We were sad to hear about the passing (on 22 April 2020) of author Julian Leatherdale, a true gentleman. It was only a few weeks ago that we spoke to Julian about his latest book Death in the Ladies’ Goddess Club, set in 1930s Kings Cross in episode 321 of So

This is a guest post by Cassie Hamer Until two weeks ago, I’d never ever contemplated the idea of homeschooling my three daughters. Not once. Not ever. Never ever ever. Can I make that any clearer?  Never.  As an author and mum of three, school has been a life-saver. For

With so much of the world being forced to work from home, Valerie recently reminded us that as writers, we’re already lucky to be able to do this from anywhere. And to illustrate this point, she asked for you to share pictures of YOUR writing set ups at home. Thanks

The team at the Australian Writers’ Centre are old hands at from working home. As we offer courses across Australia, we have staff all over the country. There are a lot of articles out there about how you can stay productive, organised and distraction-free – all while doing your job

So you’ve taken the plunge and signed up for an online course. Congratulations! This is the first step in an amazing online learning journey. If you haven’t studied online before, you might be feeling a bit wary. What’s the technology like? Who can you turn to for support? Can you

Above: Currarong Beach Cottage – South Coast Escapes This blog post was written by author and AWC presenter, Allison Tait Summer might be over, and the bushfires and floods behind us, but for some communities, the rebuilding is just beginning – and is going to take some time. How can we,

Do you want to be a writer? Don’t know where to start? Or whether you should quit your day job? Join internationally published bestselling children’s author Allison Tait, co-host of our top-rating So You Want To Be A Writer podcast, for this exciting fundraising seminar for the Shoalhaven Readers’ &

Want our newsletter emailed to you every Thursday? Sign up here! 30 January 2020   Last week, I promised you the big reveal of the 5-metre public art installation I’ve designed that’s going to be exhibited at Circular Quay in Sydney. Well, like many things that have to go through a creative

Nothing makes us prouder here at the Australian Writers’ Centre than seeing writers reach their publishing dreams. Over the years, our students have published hundreds of books, and 2019 has been another amazing year of success. From short stories to novels, picture books to picturesque romances, non-fiction, historical fiction, contemporary

Congratulations to AWC alumna Petronella McGovern for being longlisted for the Australian Indie Book Awards in the debut fiction category with her novel, Six Minutes. You can read more about Petronella’s journey to publication here.  According to the media release: Established in 2008, what makes the Indie Book Awards unique

Help us build the world’s most loved and successful writers’ centre Guide our beloved students in choosing the right course for them Support a community of students as they navigate their writing courses Enjoy working autonomously (and remotely) as part of a great team where your efforts are recognised Please

This week, we need your help to settle a debate that’s been raging in the AWC office – and no doubt throughout history. (No pressure!) Tea and coffee have both been trusty companions of writers for many centuries. More than 300 years ago, author Jonathan Swift stated that “coffee makes us severe, and

The Australian Writers’ Centre team is growing and we need an Assistant Project Manager. Please note: This role is not a writing-based role. This role won’t be a stepping stone for you to publish your novel – but you will help others pursue their passion for writing. And hey, you

We love books. And we love dogs. So we were pretty chuffed to discover The Dog Book Company. It’s a business that’s only recently started but we love the idea behind it: It creates stylish hardcover coffee table books about the world’s favourite dog breeds. Importantly, $1 from every sale

I talk often about how much I love Scrivener so I won’t waste time effusing here. Instead, I’ll dive straight into how Scrivener helped me to write The French Photographer. There were three particular features of Scrivener that I found most useful. The Coloured Binder This is probably my favourite