This could be you | Australian Writers' Centre

Stef Gemmill’s debut picture book finds a home

Stef Gemmill used the few minutes she had each morning before her family woke up to work on her creative writing. With a background in music journalism, Stef was no slouch at writing, but knew that she needed guidance to really hone her picture book manuscripts. After signing up for the Australian Writers’ Centre’s Writing Picture Books course, Stef got the valuable feedback she was looking for. Her first picture book, A Home for Luna, has now been published by New Frontier Publishing and it won the 2020 International Rubery Book Award (children's category).

Leah Mether supercharged her business after publishing her first book

In just 12 months, Leah Mether took her business book idea and turned it into a reality. After completing the Australian Writers’ Centre Write a Business Book course, Leah published Soft is the New Hard: How to Communicate Effectively Under Pressure, which has been featured alongside the likes of The Barefoot Investor and Brene Brown.

Laura Waters’ trek into travel writing success

Laura Waters walked over 3000 kilometres across New Zealand to conquer her anxieties and find her true passion: writing. After finishing the Australian Writers’ Centre Travel Writing course, Laura turned her hobby into a profession and now writes travel articles fulltime. She is also a published author with Bewildered, the incredible story of her extraordinary hike, out now with Affirm Press.

Sandy Barker: How her dedication and online presence led to published novels

Sandy Barker’s goal for her novels was always to get a publishing deal. Two self-published novels and years of determination later, her debut novel, One Summer in Santorini, has just been published by HarperCollins.

Kaneana May: From TV scriptwriter to published author

When Kaneana May, a stay-at-home mother living in regional NSW, took a trip to Sydney to do Popular Women's Fiction with the Australian Writers' Centre she came away inspired, motivated with new ideas and a new direction. Today she is a published author and her debut novel The One, published by Harlequin hit the bookshelves in July 2019.

Frances Chapman’s successful transition from freelance writer to published author

The “loneliness of the solitary pursuit of fiction writing” led Frances Chapman to AWC’s Novel Writing Essentials course and her subsequently winning the Hardie Grant Egmont 2018 Ampersand Prize for her ‘vibrant’ debut YA novel, Stars Like Us, published by Hardie Grant Egmont.

Ashleigh Mills launches her travel directory – ‘Hotels with Cats'

Ashleigh Mills wanted to combine her passion for cats, travel and freelance writing. So she took AWC’s courses in Blogging for Beginners, Travel Writing and Freelance Writing Stage 1. Then everything fell into place.

Jo Hartley’s life-changing leap from recruitment to successful freelance writer

When Jo Hartley took Australian Writers' Centre’s Freelance Writing Stage 1 course it totally changed her life. Today she calls herself a freelance writer and says she can’t imagine her life without writing.

Margaret Morgan: Author of ‘The Second Cure'

Thanks to the Australian Writers' Centre’s Write Your Novelcourse, and the subsequent publishing of her first novel, The Second Cure (Penguin Random House), Margaret Morgan now proudly calls herself an author.

Jaci Byrne’s dreams of being a published author come true

After self-publishing four novels and a series of eight illustrated children’s educational books on Amazon, Jaci Byrne decided that she wanted to get her books ‘traditionally published’.