It’s time for your picture book to take flight
Writing Picture Books Masterclass is ideal for graduates of Writing Picture Books who want to get published.
You will:
Discover how to structurally edit your manuscript
Master a strong narrative voice
Understand how to think like an editor
Make your picture book appealing to publishers
Learn the right way to pitch your idea
Receive personalised feedback on your manuscript.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the course and am a bit sad that it’s finished! It felt like it was providing me with everything I needed to know in order to improve my work and prepare it for presentation.”
– Julianne Lord, Writing Picture Books Masterclass graduate
See more reviews
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Duration 1
This is an online self-paced course
Duration:
Your 12 months' access begins straight away
BONUS Feedback:
Personalised feedback on final assignment by editor Margaret Whiskin
Course Creator: Cathie Tasker $395 | |||||
We are holding a special edition of Writing Picture Books Masterclass. It starts 5 September with a 1 hour zoom session with course creator and experienced picture book editor, Cathie Tasker.
In this session, Cathie will provide guidance on how to get the most out of the course as well as discussing some of the concepts that are critical for the development of your picture book.
In this session, Cathie will provide guidance on how to get the most out of the course as well as discussing some of the concepts that are critical for the development of your picture book.Cathie will also be able to answer all your questions that you might have as you set out on this next stage of your picture book journey.
Another zoom session with Cathie will be held 10 weeks after the start of the course. Many of you will have worked your way through the 10 modules contained in the course (although this is not a prerequisite for attending the session as you have access to the course materials for 12 months). This will be a great opportunity to ask questions and discuss the application of the information contained in the course modules to the picture book you are working on. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t completed all 10 modules by this date but hopefully you have done enough to raise some of your questions.
Then of course after you have had your questions answered and discussed the pertinent issues with Cathie in the zoom session you can continue to work on your picture book and your all important pitch to publishers. If you get this pitch ready within 12 months of the course start date Cathie will review it for you and provide guidance on how to get it into its best possible shape.
So you’ve written your picture book. Now what?
- Give your picture book the best chance for success.
- Tighten your prose and make your story more compelling.
- Master line editing, patterning and rhythm.
- Learn skills you can apply to any picture book.
Congratulations! You have followed the rules, techniques and guidelines to creating your own picture book manuscript. So, it just needs pictures and you're done, right?
Not so fast.
The picture book publishing process is a long one, so it makes sense to ensure yours is the best it can be, before you introduce your story to the world. Is your manuscript ready to submit to publishers? This masterclass will help you decide – for your current story and any you write in the future.
Open only to graduates of the Australian Writers’ Centre course in Writing Picture Books, this masterclass will help 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.
Maybe you’ve been so inspired that you’ve written several picture books. How do you determine which one is the best? Alternatively, you may be looking for that final spark of guidance to iron out your story.
And then there’s the question of getting an editor’s attention.
The good news is that all of this is covered.
The course is designed to give you the tools to ensure your picture book is appealing to publishers. By the end of the course, you'll know how to prepare your picture book manuscript for pitching and publication.
When you enrol in this course, you received BONUS feedback on your whole manuscript. This invaluable feedback is provided by Margaret Whiskin, one of Australia’s most experienced editors, with more than 30 years’ experience. Margaret is the Senior Editor at Magabala Books. Her feedback will help you polish your story and give it the best chance of success. This feedback is usually $350, so it’s an incredible opportunity! You can read more about Margaret Whiskin below.
How the Writing Picture Books Masterclass works
This masterclass won’t tell you how to shape a new story (that’s what our foundation course is for). Instead, you work on your current manuscript – and improve it. You will also learn how to pitch them effectively to an editor of a publishing house.
In addition to learning the theory behind how to undertake a structural edit, you go deeper into essential picture book writing techniques, on style, point of view and narrative position.
An essential part of getting published is ensuring that you have the right tools at your disposal. So you’ll also work on your blurb and pitch. This way, you’ll be ready to pitch your book when you connect with a publisher.
Importantly, this course will give you the skills so that you’ll know how to put on your editor’s hat and be confident in assessing all your future manuscripts.
Success stories
Shelly Unwin
Graduate of Australian Writers' Centre, now a full-time author
Victoria Mackinlay
Graduate of Australian Writers' Centre, author of Ribbit Rabit Robot
Freda Chiu
Graduate of Australian Writers' Centre, author of A Trip To The Hospital
You will:
- discover whether your manuscript is marketable – or what you need to do to make it more appealing
- polish the pitch for your book – because a publisher won’t even look at your manuscript if they aren’t hooked in by your pitch.
- receive valuable one-on-one feedback from an industry expert on your picture book manuscript text.
You will learn how to think like an editor and discover how to cast a critical eye over your manuscript – whether it works from a structural point of view and whether you have created the right characters. You’ll know what your writing strengths are, and how to build on them.
We’ll delve deeply into picture books, looking at examples and discussing different writing techniques throughout the day. A celebration of story, characters and structure.
One of the best parts of this masterclass is that you can do it all online – at your own pace. With 10 modules, there are exercises in each module to help gain a deeper understanding of the industry and how your book fits into it. When you complete all the modules, you’ll be able to refine your manuscript and your pitch for your best chance at success.
Reviews of Writing Picture Books Masterclass
– Karen Kepert
– Tania Virgo
“The course is informative, well-structured and provides the tools for you to write your picture book. Thank you for creating the Masterclass course. The information I have learnt is valuable and provides me with the tools to create my picture book.”
– Gail Turnham
– Julianne Lord
You'll receive personalised feedback from:
Margaret Whiskin an editor with more than 30 years’ experience. She has worked with many authors at all stages of manuscript development including Julie Janson, Gladys Milroy, Bruce Pascoe, Marie Munkara, and Sue McPherson.
Margaret is a tutor for the Australian Writers’ Centre and has held many positions in the Australian publishing industry. She is the Senior Editor at Magabala Books. She has been an editor, publishing manager and publisher for Fremantle Press, Weldon Owen and HarperCollins as well as mentoring and training in-house editors. Margaret has also worked as a freelance editor throughout her career.
Your course creator
Cathie Tasker is a fiction editor with more than 25 years’ experience and has also been a judge of the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and the Aurealis Awards. Cathie has worked for children’s publishers such as HarperCollins Publishers, Scholastic Australia and Koala Books. She has edited books by Mem Fox, Jackie French, Bruce Whatley, Judith Rossell, Sue Whiting, Pamela Freeman, Coral Vass, Craig Smith, Dee Huxley, Hazel Edwards, Ann James, Matt Cosgrove, Meredith Costain, Rod Clement, Sally Odgers, Patricia Mullins, Rodney McRae, Pamela Lofts, Junko Morimoto and more. Many of her students end up with published deals.
Cathie’s insights and insider information will be invaluable for you at this stage of your journey – sharing tips that you will keep for life.
This course is exclusively available to all graduates of Writing Picture Books who want to take their writing further. It’s suitable for students who have studied Writing Picture Books face-to-face or online.
Get confidence and a clear path forward for your manuscript.
How our “self-paced courses” work
This is one of AWC’s 35+ “self-paced” online courses. But what does that mean? Allow us to explain:
What’s included in your online course?
- 7.5 hours of content – access anytime at your own pace
- 10 audio lessons
- 10 practical exercises to solidify your new skill
BONUS valued at $350
- Feedback on your entire picture book manuscript from an experiences editor
Enjoy exclusive access to our AWC Graduates’ Club
Want to know where all the cool kids hang out? The Graduates’ Club of course! Now, calm down – there are no cigars, leather armchairs or loud ticking grandfather clocks here. But it IS exclusive invitation only (on completion of a course) and it’s free! Meet other writers online and share successes, seek help or just get something off your chest. Many students believe this ‘legacy learning’ is one of the most valuable things about our AWC community, and who are we to argue? So if you want to receive feedback, support and a heads-up on opportunities … join the Club!
| Key information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key information: | |||||
Duration 1
This is an online self-paced course
Duration:
Your 12 months' access begins straight away
BONUS Feedback:
Personalised feedback on final assignment by editor Margaret Whiskin
Course Creator: Cathie Tasker $395 | |||||
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