Developed in consultation with Australian publishing professionals, Picture Book Matchmaker is part of the ASA’s Virtual Literary Speed Dating event series. Picture Book Matchmaker events take place online once annually and are typically held over two days. This event is exclusive to ASA members, and is open to authors, author-illustrators, and illustrators of children’s picture books.

Picture books are a unique format within the book industry, often requiring more intensive collaboration between the publisher, author, and illustrator over a longer period of time. Due to the type and cost of production required to make picture books in Australia, publishers are often limited in the total number they can publish each year. This is why our Picture Book Matchmaker event has an application process — to ensure that you are paired with the right publisher or agent. This is the ‘matchmaking’ part of the process. 

Booking applications are assessed by a panel of external assessors with extensive experience in Australian picture book publishing. Pitch appointments are limited at Picture Book Matchmaker, so bookings will be offered only to those creators whose application best fits the assessment criteria. 

This event offers picture book creators the opportunity to be matched with an attending children’s publisher or agent and meet with them for a six-minute pitch appointment. This format accommodates screen-sharing, ensuring you can showcase your work clearly and effectively. Think of this as more of a first date than speed dating — this is an opportunity to forge connections for potential ongoing collaboration.

For more detailed information on Picture Book Matchmaker, please read our event FAQs.