Deborah Abela trained as a teacher before becoming writer/producer of a national children’s TV show. Since then, she’s become an internationally published and awarded author of 28 books about WW2, pesky wolves, bears in space, spelling bees and kids living in a climate-changed world. Her latest novel, The Book of Wondrous Possibilities, is a 2023 […]

James Bradley is an author and critic. His books include the novels Wrack, The Deep Field, The Resurrectionist, Clade and Ghost Species, a book of poetry, Paper Nautilus, and The Penguin Book of the Ocean. His first book of non-fiction, Deep Water, will be published in 2024.

Tamar Chnorhokian is associate director of Sweatshop. She completed a communications degree in writing and publishing at Western Sydney University in 2004. Her debut novel is The Diet Starts on Monday (Sweatshop 2014). She is the recipient of the 2016 Copyright Agency WestWords Western Sydney Emerging Writers’ Fellowship and is currently developing her second work […]

Graham Davidson has been a professional creative for over 45 years working as both a visual and commercial artist, and as a writer. Having founded the IF Maitland Writers Festival in 2020, he now runs a small publishing company in the Hunter Valley. Website Instagram

Sarah Davis illustrated her first picture book in 2008, and in 2010 she quit her day job and began illustrating books full-time. Since then, she has illustrated 39 books and been short-listed for more than 30 major awards in Australia and New Zealand. Her first book as author/illustrator will be released by HarperCollins in 2019.

Jacqueline de Rose-Ahern is a Canberra author and recipient of the ACT Writers’ Centre 2017 Anne Edgeworth Fellowship. Her debut picture book, Charlie’s Adventures…in Hawaii, was short-listed for the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards and chosen as a finalist in the American Best Book Awards. The second book in the Charlie’s Adventures… […]

Anne Helen Donnelly is a Sydney-based author/illustrator. She has targeted the preschool/kindy market with her Ori Octopus series. The third Ori book is due out in mid-2018 and combines another of Anne’s passions, the care of our environment. She is an engaging children’s presenter, having done 67 events in 2017 and thoroughly enjoys having fun […]

Kate Forsyth is an award-winning author and storyteller. She wrote her first novel aged seven & has now written more than forty books for both adults and children, translated into more than twenty languages and selling more than a million copies. Her historical novels include The Crimson Thread, Beauty in Thorns, The Wild Girl & […]

Eleni Hale‘s debut, Stone Girl, is published by Penguin Random House. In a previous working life, she was a reporter at the Herald Sun, a communications strategist for the union movement and published across many print and online news publications. She has received three Varuna awards, lives in Melbourne and is currently working on her […]

After a successful twenty-year career in education, Jacqueline Harvey is now one of Australia’s most popular authors for children. She has written over 60 books including the bestselling Alice-Miranda, Clementine Rose, Kensy and Max and Willa and Woof series, which have received numerous short-listings and awards and are published internationally. Her picture book The Sound […]

Megan Jacobson is a YA author whose debut novel, Yellow, was short-listed in the Older Readers category of the 2017 CBCA Book of the Year Awards. Her second novel, The Build-Up Season, is short-listed for the 2018 Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature. She has also written for television and has had several short […]

Will Kostakis is an award-winning author, but his real claim to fame is a Twitter spat with Guy Sebastian. After dabbling in celebrity journalism and reality TV, he now writes for young adults. His latest novel, The Sidekicks, recently won the IBBY Australia Ena Noel Award.

Dub Leffler has written two books for children and illustrated for over 20 publications, collaborating with the likes of Shaun Tan, Sally Morgan and Banksy. His latest book, Sorry Day, written by Coral Vass and published by The National Library of Australia, will be out in May 2018.

Jaclyn Moriarty is the prize-winning, best-selling author of novels for young adults including the Colours of Madeleine trilogy. The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone, Jaclyn’s first book for middle-grade readers, has been short-listed for the Reading Children’s Book Prize and the Aurealis Awards, and named a CBCA Notable Book.

Garth Nix is a New York Times bestselling author of many books, and numerous short stories. He has won the Aurealis Award, Ditmar, Mythopoeic and others. His work is published around the world, in 42 languages. More than six million copies of his work have been sold.

Louise Park draws from a background in education, literacy and publishing to produce her bestsellers that include Zac Power Test Drives, Spy Recruit, Star Girl, and the Harriet Clare series. She is the co-author of the hugely successful series, Boy v Beast and D-Bot Squad. Her latest middle grade series, a historical time-slip mystery trilogy, […]

Aura Parker is an exciting new voice in children’s publishing. Her work is whimsical and full of details to pore over. Twig, Aura’s first picture book as writer and illustrator, is a 2017 CBCA Notable Book for Early Childhood. Aura’s new book, Cocoon, will be out soon—followed by a bunch of cheeky meerkats for Meerkat […]

Oliver Phommavanh is an author and comedian, who uses his experience as a primary school teacher to inspire kids to write funny stories. His books include Thai-riffic!, The Other Christy and What About Thao. Oliver’s new book, Sneakerheads will be released later this year.

Yvette Poshoglian has written over 45 books for young people including the bestselling Ella and Olivia series. Her new book, Dear Greta, for ages 8+ is out now and is all about food, family and finding your place in the world. Yvette works in education at the intersection of pedagogy, technology and innovation. Website Twitter […]

Katrina Roe is a picture book author and broadcaster who loves talking about books almost as much as she enjoys reading them. Her newest book is a philosophical picture book, Lily’s Balloon (Wombat Books), which teaches kids that it’s not all about them!

Paul Russell has always been passionate about stories, even before he could read. Determined never to grow up and lose his imagination, he is a teacher, playwright, father, artist and author—but maybe not always in that order. He is passionate about children’s literacy and building an appetite within children for the written word.

Kirli Saunders is a proud Gunai woman. She is a children’s author, poet, educator and motorcycle enthusiast. Kirli founded the Poetry in First Languages project. Her first children’s picture book, The Incredible Freedom Machines, has been published in French and English. Her forthcoming titles include Our Dreaming (Scholastic), Happy Ever After (Scholastic), and poetry collection, Kindred (May, 2019, Magabala).

Laura Sieveking has been an editor for many years and in recent times has turned to writing books of her own. She has had many educational titles published and in 2017 her series, The Royal Academy of Sport for Girls, was published by Penguin Random House. Her new series, Amelia Chamelia, will be published in […]

RA Spratt wrote Friday Barnes, Girl Detective and The Adventures of Nanny Piggins. Her new series is The Peski Kids—the story of siblings who have to stop fighting with each other for just long enough to fight crime. RA lives in Bowral with her husband and two daughters. She has three chickens, two goldfish and […]

Allison Tait (AL Tait) is the bestselling internationally published author of two epic middle-grade adventure series—The Mapmaker Chronicles and The Ateban Cipher—and a new mystery series for readers 12+ featuring Maven & Reeve. There is nothing she loves more than creating mayhem. Website Twitter Instagram

Zoe Walton is a publisher of books for young readers at Penguin Random House Australia. Zoe edits New York Times bestselling author John Flanagan, whose Ranger’s Apprentice and Brotherband series have sold fifteen million copies worldwide. She also publishes many popular and award-winning Australian authors, including Deborah Abela, Tristan Bancks, Fleur Ferris, Emily Gale, Tim Harris, Belinda […]

Debra Tidball is a social worker who morphed into an author. Her latest picture book, The Scared Book, is a CBCA Notable and heaps of interactive fun, and the gentler When I See Grandma was short-listed for the Speech Pathology Book of the Year. She has flash fiction and short stories published, and she blogs, […]