Tuesday 14 July might have been Bastille Day, but it also played host to our 2nd DC Networking Dinner with self-publishing dietitian Amanda Clark at Urbane restaurant in Brisbane City. It was a fantastic evening filled with 5 scrumptious courses and a wonderful opportunity for all in attendance to learn about the world of writing books and self-publishing (including getting started); costs and profits in book writing; liaising with graphic designers, PR gurus, publishers, editors and much, much, more. It was truly insightful and everybody walked away with some newfound learnings from Amanda.

For those of you that couldn’t make it, some of her key messages throughout the evening included “there is always a risk, don’t underestimate it,” “know your forte” and with your message be sure to “find your angle, even if you’ve never written anything before.” Of greatest wisdom was one of her final comments even though it may have sounded simple enough. “Respect your mentors” and this was something she expressed with passion noting that regardless of age or success, respect those that have helped you get where you are…

On leaving attendees were a buzz with ideas and inspiration, but they took some time to share some of their thoughts:

“When you want to start something new, know you’re not alone … learn from others, hear what they have to say and realize you can do things differently in a new way. Sitting with others with a shared interest over a relaxed meal I think can be really good.” Joan Breakey

“I think one of the gems was you’ve just got to start with something and in this case, start with a contents page if you’re thinking about writing a book… But come along to these meetings, I think they are fun and fantastic!” Trudy Williams

Thanks to Cobram Estate for providing an olive oil sample gift for our dinner attendees.

Written by Anita Edney