Australian Society of Authors

Pitch Perfect - Australian Society of Authors Do you want to nail your pitch to publishers and literary agents? Our four-week Pitch Perfect course with Dr Emily Booth is designed to teach you how. You’ll discover how the submission process works,...

Do you want to nail your pitch to publishers and literary agents?

Our four-week Pitch Perfect course is designed to teach you how. You’ll discover how the submission process works, how to craft your pitch, and how to find the best publication outcome for your book.

Book your spot:

Big Tech’s AI original sin: pirating my books without compensation All of us will profit if we ensure AI training data is licensed, and writers, musicians and artists will continue to have a livelihood.

Ahead of his speech at the National Press Club today, Professor Toby Walsh, chief scientist at the UNSW AI Institute, penned an op-ed for the Australian Financial Review calling for government action on AI regulation, and fair and ethical AI training through licensing.

National Poet Laureate The National Poet Laureate is a three‑year appointment that recognises an outstanding Australian poet whose work and cultural contribution have shaped contemporary poetry and its readership.

Applications are now open for Writing Australia's inaugural National Poet Laureate. The Laureate will be appointed for a three-year term and act as a champion for Australian poetry.

creative.gov.au/investments-opportunities/national-poet-laureate

The schedule of the attending publishers and agents for our Picture Book Matchmaker event has been announced! ✨

Applications will open 9 February and will close on 19 February.

View the schedule: www.asauthors.org.au/picture-book...

Writing Australia to open new investment opportunities for 2026 Writing Australia has outlined its first new investment opportunities for 2026, alongside new partnerships and targeted investments to strengthen Australia’s literature sector.

Writing Australia has announced new investments, partnerships, and opportunities for 2026!

Read more: creative.gov.au/news-events/...

Pitch Perfect: Picture Books - Australian Society of Authors Join us for Pitch Perfect: Picture Books with publishing professional and illustrator Erica Wagner. Learn what’s involved in submitting a picture book manuscript or illustrator portfolio to publishers...

A reminder to book into our Pitch Perfect: Picture Books event next week!

With over four decades of experience, Erica Wagner will teach you how the submission process works, how you can craft your pitch, and how to find the best publication outcome for your picture book or illustrations.

The 2026 CA/ASA Developmental Leadership Program is now open for submissions - Australian Society of Authors CA/ASA Developmental Leadership mentorships help Australian writers and illustrators develop their work and build sustainable careers.

There is still time to apply for the CA/ASA Developmental Leadership Program! Submissions close on 6 February.

Find out more and apply: www.asauthors.org.au/news/2026-ca-asa-developmental-leadership-program-entries-now-open/

@copyright.com.au

The CA/ASA Developmental Leadership Program is now open for applications from Australian writers and illustrators! Thanks to the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund, this program builds on the successes of the ASA’s long-running Award Mentorship Program.

Apply now: www.asauthors.org.au/award/award-...

2026 ASA/HQ Fiction Prize now open - Australian Society of Authors The ASA and HQ, a publishing division of HarperCollins, are thrilled to announce that the 2026 ASA/HQ Fiction Prize is now open for submissions.

We are pleased to announce that entries are now open for the 2026 ASA/HQ Fiction Prize, offering one winner a publishing contract with HQ and a $10,000 advance against royalties. Entries close on 30 January 2026!

Find out more: www.asauthors.org.au/news/2026-as...

Help us review our rates of pay for school appearances - Australian Society of Authors Are you an author or illustrator who has conducted a paid appearance at a school? Your feedback is crucial.

Contribute to our review of the ASA’s School Appearances Rates of Pay by sharing your experiences and the rates you’ve been paid in 2024-25. Your feedback is crucial to help us advocate for fair pay and set minimum recommended rates for creators.

ASA/HQ Fiction Prize - Australian Society of Authors The ASA/HQ Fiction Prize is offered bienially for the best unpublished manuscript. The winner receives a publishing contract and $10,000 advance.

Save the date: We are pleased to announce that entries are opening soon for the 2026 ASA/HQ Fiction Prize, offering one winner a publishing contract with HQ and a $10,000 advance against royalties. Entries open on 26 November!

www.asauthors.org.au/award/asa-hq-commercial-fiction-prize/

ASA welcomes new Chair, Jennifer Mills - Australian Society of Authors We are delighted to announce Jennifer Mills has been appointed Chair of the Australian Society of Authors.

We are delighted to announce that Jennifer Mills has been appointed Chair of the ASA Board of Directors. Outgoing Chair, Sophie Cunningham, will remain on the Board as Deputy Chair, continuing her valued contribution to the ASA.

www.asauthors.org.au/news/asa-welcomes-new-chair-jennifer-mills/

Helen Garner’s diaries win 2025 Baillie Gifford prize for nonfiction Tracing the author’s life from bohemian Melbourne in the 70s to the breakdown of her marriage in the 90s, How to End a Story was praised by judges for ‘taking the diary form to new heights’

Helen Garner has won The Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction for 'How to End a Story', her collection of diaries. Helen is an ASA life member and ASA Medal recipient, and we offer our warmest congratulations to her for being awarded this major international prize!

‘This is a watershed moment. Upholding copyright protections is a strong step towards setting a world-leading ethical and sustainable standard for AI development.'

‘The next steps are to ensure that Australian authors and illustrators are compensated for the theft of their work to train large language models, and that AI developers seek permission to use copyright work into the future through established licensing pathways.’

‘It’s also an important acknowledgement of the value of Australian stories and storytellers, and a vital first step in redressing the harm that has been caused by what has been called “the greatest act of copyright theft in history.”'

Australian Government rules out TDM exception for AI training; stands behind creative industries - Australian Society of Authors We welcome the Albanese government’s decision to rule out a Text and Data Mining exception to Australian copyright law.

‘We thank the Attorney-General for this crucial decision and commitment to stand behind the creative industries and protect the rights of authors and illustrators. This represents a clear message from government that creators should be paid for their work.'

www.asauthors.org.au/news/austral...

2025 Blake-Beckett Trust Scholarship winner announced - Australian Society of Authors The Australian Society of Authors is thrilled to announce the winner and runner-up of the 2025 Blake-Beckett Trust Scholarship.

The ASA is thrilled to share that Ann-Marie Priest is the 2025 recipient of the Blake-Beckett Trust Scholarship for her biography 'Tell it Slant: The Life and Loves of Henry Handel Richardson'. Lenny Bartulin is this year’s runner-up for his manuscript 'A Calendar of Vandemonian Saint'.

Read more:

Thank also to every single creator who shared the news with their networks, wrote to their MPs and loudly backed our sector. Nothing we do is ever possible without you.

Our warm thanks to all the authors and illustrators who contributed to our advocacy campaign to push back on this copyright exception, including Anna Funder, Tom Keneally, Caroline Overington, Sally Rippin, and Professor Toby Walsh.

We look forward to continuing to consult with the Attorney-General's Department and the Copyright and AI Reference Group on appropriate mechanisms to ensure creators are compensated for the theft of their work, and that AI developers seek permission for future use of copyright work for AI training.

We thank the Attorney-General for standing firmly behind the creative industries and protecting the rights of authors and illustrators. This represents a clear message from the government that creators should be paid for their work.

Copyright laws to protect creatives from AI data mining Tech developers will not have a "free pass" to use creative works to train AI systems, but advocates say more protections are needed against copyright theft.

The ASA welcomes the Albanese Government’s decision to rule out a Text and Data Mining (TDM) exception to Australian copyright law, which would have allowed for AI training on authors’ work.

aapnews.aap.com.au/news/copyrig...

Back book creators and support Australian stories on AusArt Day - Australian Society of Authors The ASA is participating in the inaugural AusArt Day, a national day of giving to the arts being held on Thursday 23 October 2025.

Lots of worthy arts orgs to support today - @asauthors.bsky.social is one of them! Help us fight AI theft and stand up for writers’ rights ✊🏼

www.asauthors.org.au/news/back-bo...

Boy Swallows Universe voted our favourite read of the century The results are in — Trent Dalton's Boy Swallows Universe has won Radio National's inaugural Top 100 Books of the 21st Century.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent and The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams also made the top 10.

Congratulations to all the authors on the list.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-19/top-100-books-trent-dalton-boy-swallows-universe/105872764

Boy Swallows Universe voted our favourite read of the century The results are in — Trent Dalton's Boy Swallows Universe has won Radio National's inaugural Top 100 Books of the 21st Century.

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton has placed first in Radio National's Top 100 Books of the 21st century countdown, with The Book Thief by Markus Zusak taking the second spot!

‘We want our stories to be told’: NSW Labor pledges $3.2m to support writing and literature amid AI onslaught Stories Matter strategy responds to urgent pressures such as declining reading rates and growing impact of digital media on publishing, minister says

Our sincere thanks to Minister John Graham and the NSW Government for this vital support, and acknowledgement that our stories matter.

Read more: www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

‘We want our stories to be told’: NSW Labor pledges $3.2m to support writing and literature amid AI onslaught Stories Matter strategy responds to urgent pressures such as declining reading rates and growing impact of digital media on publishing, minister says

James Bradley said: "The... new literature strategy will make a material difference to the lives of the state’s writers by investing in creators, strengthening the literary ecosystem and fostering a range of new partnerships with universities, cultural institutions and other organisations."

Charlotte Wood said: “Australian books and writers are a dynamic contributor to the cultural, economic and political thinking that shapes our society. And unless governments begin to take reading and literary contribution seriously, that flourishing intellectual life is doomed to evaporate.”

‘We want our stories to be told’: NSW Labor pledges $3.2m to support writing and literature amid AI onslaught Stories Matter strategy responds to urgent pressures such as declining reading rates and growing impact of digital media on publishing, minister says

Today the NSW government launched a nation-leading literature strategy which puts authors at the heart of investment. The Stories Matter strategy is the state's first writing and literature strategy, and promises a $3.2m commitment to the sector.