Brief Bio:
Liz Ledden is a Sydney-based kids’ book author of quirky, fun and warm-hearted stories. Liz’s published picture books are Walking Your Human and Tulip and Brutus, with her next book Inky and Quack due out in early-2024 with Hardie Grant.
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Longer Bio:
Liz Ledden is a Sydney-based children’s author, freelance writer, book reviewer and podcaster. She lives and writes on Gadigal land.
Her picture book Walking Your Human is about the best things to do on a walk, according to some cheeky and slightly delusional dogs! It’s available in hardcover, paperback and ‘big book’ form, and was released in the UK and US, plus translated into Korean. It was also read on Sarah Ferguson’s Youtube channel, Storytime with Fergie and Friends. Her picture book Tulip and Brutus celebrates bugs and unlikely friends, and was a CYA Conference ‘Success Story’. It was also included in the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge. Liz’s next picture book Inky and Quack is due for release with Hardie Grant’s Bright Light imprint in early-2024.
In addition to children’s books, Liz’s stories have been published in The School Magazine, distributed in primary schools around Australia, and Youkie (previously known as Kookie), an intelligent, ad-free magazine aimed at the tween market.
For five years, Liz co-hosted and produced the popular kidlit podcast, One More Page, interviewing authors and other book industry guests, plus reviewing the latest kids’ book releases.
Previously, Liz was a Deputy Editor of a magazine, a copywriter, a travel columnist for an in-flight magazine, worked in marketing and helped research a travel guidebook. Amongst the mix, she studied an MA in Writing and Literature via Deakin University.
Liz is represented by Sarah McKenzie Literary Management.
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Further details, if you need the nitty gritty!
Children’s Writing
In addition to writing children’s book manuscripts, Liz has written numerous short stories as course materials for author Tim Harris’s Primary Writers business. She’s had several pieces published in The School Magazine, distributed in primary schools around Australia, and has a forthcoming short story in Youkie magazine. Liz also co-wrote a play with her One More Page podcast co-hosts for the CBCA anthology Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds.
Liz holds an MA in Writing and Literature via Deakin University, majoring in Children’s Literature, plus a BA in Media Communications. She’s completed writing workshops via Writing NSW and the Australian Writers’ Centre, plus the Scribbles course run by author Jen Storer. Liz has won awards for her writing through the CYA and Writers’ Unleashed conferences. She also won the Junior Fiction category of the 2020 Scribbles Creative Writing Awards.
Liz is a member of SCBWI, CBCA and Writing NSW, plus several critique groups.
Podcast
One More Page is an Australian kids’ book podcast featuring interviews, book reviews and a kids-led segment. It ran from 2018 to 2022, and is available via Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all the usual podcast apps. It was a finalist in the Best Newcomer category of the 2018 Australian Podcast Awards. On the show, Liz interviewed many kids’ book creators including Jane Godwin and Anna Walker, Gus Gordon, Yvette Poshoglian, James Foley, Julianne Negri, Gavin Aung Than and Isadora Moon creator Harriet Muncaster, plus publishers, librarians and booksellers. The podcast team was interviewed in industry publications including Books + Publishing and the Writing NSW magazine, Newswrite.
Presentations
Liz has presented at a range of kids’ book industry events, including panel talks with the One More Page podcast team at SCBWI and CBCA events. She was on the 2020 CYA Conference Success Panel, speaking about her path to publication and her pitching and competition success via CYA.
Liz ran a workshop for kids’ book creators at the 2021 SCBWI ACT Conference about tapping into your talents to enhance your kids’ book career. She also presented about her picture book Walking Your Human at a CBCA Eastern Suburbs event and via StoryScoop, a video series for schools run by CBCA and SCBWI. Another highlight was appearing at the CBCA Northern Sydney Lunch with the Stars in 2022, an event bringing together primary school students with twenty authors and illustrators. Liz has enjoyed sharing her books in primary school classrooms. For school bookings in NSW, please contact CKT Speakers’ Agency.
Travel Writing
Before delving into the world of kids’ books, Liz held a range of corporate and writing roles, from Deputy Editor and writer for AsiaLIFE Cambodia magazine (based in Phnom Penh), to researcher for LUXE City Guides and travel columnist for Tiger Airways’ in-flight magazine. She’s written freelance articles for a range of print and online publications including Travel Wire Asia, AsiaLIFE Vietnam and Child magazine, and her travel tips were featured in MamaMia and Cleo magazine.
Liz has written and edited marketing copy for companies including Insider Journeys, Raffles Hotels & Resorts and content agency Web Salad. She often dreams of technicolour Asian markets and is always plotting future trips.
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