Writers Bloc

What Writers Bloc does

Writers Bloc is an online community platform for emerging writers, primarily serving an Australian audience. Founded in 2013 as a bar meetup near Sydney's Central Station and now headquartered in Melbourne, the company operates a membership community where writers discover opportunities, attend structured writing sessions, and connect with peers across 14 geography- and interest-based groups. The platform is purpose-built for writers at every career stage but is explicitly oriented toward emerging writers seeking accountability, networking, and curated access to competitions, residencies, grants, and writing jobs.

The platform runs on a WordPress + BuddyBoss community stack with Zoom powering virtual events. Core products include a free Bloc Member tier and a $50/year Friend of the Bloc paid tier, a curated Writing Opportunities & Job Board updated every Monday, weekly Write Here Digital online writing sessions, monthly in-person Write Here meetups in Melbourne and other Australian cities, Bloc Club for book recommendations, and a blog with over 400 articles. Sub-brands include Write Here and Bloc Club. The platform exposes bookmarks, alerts, direct messaging, and forums, with calendar integrations for Google, Outlook, and iCalendar.

Writers Bloc operates a freemium community-led revenue model across three streams: annual subscriptions ($50/year Friend of the Bloc, after a 10-day free trial), event ticketing ($5 per Write Here Digital session, AUD $7.50 for in-person events), and planned courses/workshops with a 10% paid-member discount. The business is privately held by Writers Bloc Pty Ltd (ABN 78 608 263 136), appears bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding, and is run by a small community-led team of fewer than 10 people organized around Geoff Orton as the primary administrator. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, relying on word-of-mouth, content marketing through the blog, and earned media partnerships with organizations such as the National Young Writers Festival and Melbourne Writers Festival.

Name

Writers Bloc

Legal name

Writers Bloc Pty Ltd

Website

https://thewritersbloc.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Online community platform for emerging Australian writers offering curated writing opportunities, structured Write Here sessions, regional groups, and a $50/year paid membership. Founded as a 2013 Sydney bar meetup, it now serves roughly 320 members across multiple Australian cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Writing Community

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Online & Hybrid Creative Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Writing Retreats & Intensive Bootcamps (EDAMAMAK), Publishing & Submission Prep Workshops (Query Letters, Agents, Journals) (EDAMAMAI), Writing Critique Groups & Peer Workshops (EDAMAMAJ), Literary Arts & Writing Organizations (BPAGAHAK)

Keywords

• Writing community platform
• Freelance writer resources
• Creative writing groups
• Writing opportunities board
• Membership community

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Friend of the Bloc Membership: Annual subscription at $50/year (after 10-day free trial). Provides unlimited Write Here event RSVPs, bookmarks and alerts, Zoom setup in groups, exclusive member content and events, and 10% discount on courses.
2. Event Ticketing: Pay-per-event model for Write Here Digital online sessions at $5/ticket. Free for Friend of the Bloc members. In-person Write Here events charged at AUD $7.50.
3. Courses and Future Revenue: 10% discount on courses for Friend of the Bloc members. Course offerings mentioned as part of the platform's supporting emerging writers mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Writers Bloc operates a tiered online membership community for writers, offering a free Bloc Member tier and a $50/year Friend of the Bloc paid membership. Core features include a curated weekly writing opportunities and job board, structured Write Here writing sessions (weekly online via Zoom and monthly in-person in Melbourne), 14 city and interest-based community groups with forums, a blog with over 400 articles, direct messaging, and workshops/courses.

Product overview

Writers Bloc is a community platform for writers that operates on a tiered membership model: a free Bloc Member tier providing core community access (opportunities board, groups, forums, blog, direct messaging) and a paid Friend of the Bloc tier ($50/year) adding unlimited event RSVPs, exclusive content, and course discounts. The platform's core products center on Write Here sessions—both digital (weekly online Zoom sessions) and in-person (monthly meetups in Australian cities)—alongside a writing opportunities and job board updated weekly. The community is organized through 14 topic-based and city-based groups with associated forums, supported by a blog with over 400 articles. Secondary offerings include the Bloc Club for book discussions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Write Here: A monthly in-person writing session and weekly online digital sessions for writers to write without distraction in the company of other writers.
• Bloc Club

Products and services

• Bloc Member (Free Membership)
• Friend of the Bloc (Paid Membership)
• Write Here Digital
• Write Here (In-Person)
• Writing Opportunities & Job Board
• Community Groups & Forums
• Bloc Club
• Workshops & Courses

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• National Young Writers FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2025Writers Bloc promotes the National Young Writers Festival to its community and shares artist callouts. The festival runs October 3-6, 2025, and is a key event for emerging writers.
• Melbourne Writers FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWriters Bloc provides festival coverage and guides to the Melbourne Writers Festival, promoting the event to its community of Australian writers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Tapas: Tapas is a mobile-first platform for serialized web novels and comics with a community-driven discovery model. It parallels Writers Bloc as a community-based platform helping emerging serial and short-form writers reach readers and find monetization.
• The Write Practice: The Write Practice is a writing community and blog offering prompts, peer feedback, courses, and publishing resources. It is a more direct niche peer to Writers Bloc in providing structured writing practice, community feedback, and curated opportunity listings for emerging writers.
• Commaful: Commaful is a creative writing community focused on short-form poetry and prose with social engagement features. It is comparable to Writers Bloc as a niche community platform providing emerging writers a place to publish, get feedback, and build audience.

Broad incumbents

• Substack: Substack is a subscription newsletter platform that lets writers build paid audiences and communities. It is comparable to Writers Bloc in providing emerging writers with direct monetization tools and a community around published work.
• Patreon: Patreon is a creator membership platform that many writers use to monetize ongoing serial content and build community via paid tiers. It overlaps with Writers Bloc's paid annual membership model for offering exclusive content and recurring revenue to writers.
• Medium: Medium is a broad online publishing platform with a large built-in reader/writer community and membership monetization. It overlaps with Writers Bloc on enabling writers to publish, build an audience, and access subscription-based community features.

Direct peers

• Wattpad: Wattpad is a large-scale social reading and writing platform with serialized stories, community engagement, and a free-to-use model. It is comparable as a community platform for aspiring writers seeking audience, feedback, and pathways to publication.
• Reedsy: Reedsy is a marketplace and tools platform for writers and authors, offering a community, resources, and a curated directory of publishing services. It overlaps directly with Writers Bloc on serving emerging and established authors with curated opportunities, writing tools, and editorial resources.
• Vocal: Vocal is a community-driven storytelling platform where writers publish, earn tips, and build an audience through membership tiers. It mirrors Writers Bloc's blend of community, monetization, and curated editorial opportunities for emerging writers.

Regional players

• NYC Midnight: NYC Midnight runs writing competitions, festivals, and community events for emerging writers globally, with a paid-entry contest model and creative community. It is comparable to Writers Bloc in monetizing around curated writing opportunities, contests, and structured community events for emerging writers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/writers_bloc
• Facebookfacebook.com/thewritersbloc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/writers-bloc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Writers Bloc