Some exciting news – the Sutherland Shire Writers’ Festival is on again, and I’m lucky enough to be one of the presenters. Called Writers Unleashed, it contains workshops, author talks, book signings and publishing consultations. It’s on at Gymea Tradies on 18 August – so there’s still time to buy a ticket! My talk is …
After getting my first junior novel published nearly two years ago, I felt certain that all would be plain sailing from then on. I had my foot in the door, as they say. It was a rude awakening when I discovered that wasn’t necessarily so – at least, not for fiction. Thankfully my non-fiction work was …
It’s a common complaint. It’s not what you know, but who you know. Or – when it comes to getting published – it’s not how well you write, but whether you have contacts in the industry. But is it true? When I first started getting published, I had no contacts whatsoever. I sent an article …
I’ve discovered that submitting a second book to your publisher can be even more nerve-wracking than sending the first. The first time you approach a publisher, you’re kind of expecting rejection. You’ve steeled yourself for it, often through long and hard experience. But the second time, a whole new set of worries suddenly appears. Do …
Sending your manuscript out for review is a bit like sending your child to school for the first time. This beautiful but fragile thing, once a part of you, is going out into the cold cruel world. In both cases, you need to wait until the time is right. Your first draft is where you …
Stella Tarakson 