From the time you picked up a pencil, you have been investing in your writing future. Writing is only the first step in your investment. Being a successful children’s author is about so much more than writing words and sentences.

Designed for aspiring authors, award-winning author and founder of Creative Kids Tales and the Creative Kids Tales Speakers Agency, Georgie Donaghey, will share secrets she’s learned from over 20 years in the kidlit industry. Topics are designed to strengthen your investment and increase your odds for a healthy writing return.

Course Outline:

Session 1;

• Why do you want to write?
• Learning while INVESTing
• Do’s and dont’s submitting to publishers
• Building your platform
• Networking
• Marketing yourself and your work
• Author Personal Training
• Building your website
• Pitching to Publishers

Session 2;

• Rejection
• Contracts
• ELR & PLR
• Grants and residencies
• Book launches
• Author Etiquette
• Should you be paid?
• How to secure school visits
• Talks and workshops for schools – Where do I start?

Learning Outcomes:

• How to INVEST in your writing journey
• Do’s and don’ts submitting to publishers
• How to build your author platform
• How and where to network
• Marketing yourself and your work
• Author Personal Training/Mentoring
• How to build a website
• How to pitch to publishers
• How to deal with rejection
• A guide to contracts
• What are ELR & PLR?
• How to secure grants and residencies
• How to launch your book
• All about author etiquette
• How to secure paid author visits from schools, festivals, and conference
• Talks and workshops for schools – Where to start?

What to bring:

• Laptop (optional)
• Writing material eg. pen and paper
• Ready to learn

About the Tutor:

'Georgie Donaghey is an award-winning published author, editor, mentor, and founder of Creative Kids Tales and the Creative Kids Tales Speakers Agency. Her picture books include Lulu, Clover’s Big Ideas and, In the Shadow of an Elephant. Besides publication in the Heat Anthology (for adults), she is also the publisher of The Creative Kids Tales Short Story Collection Vol 1 & 2. Her stories feature on Kinderling Kids Radio, the Virgin, and Qantas inflight entertainment channels.
Georgie was also bitten by a red-back spider at eight years old, but that’s another story.'

Other Information:

• To ensure resources are ready for you at the start of your course, we ask you ideally enrol at least one week before the course commences.
• All courses need a minimum number of students to run ("we try our hardest to get those") . If your course does not have enough students it will be cancelled before the commencement and you will be informed.