John Jarrold is a literary agent and editor who has worked with the likes of Michael Moorcock, Guy Gavriel Kay and John Courtney Grimwood. He answers our Patreon and Academates’ questions on pitching to agents, common mistakes, how self-published authors can approach agents, genres, self-representation and editorial tips on point-of-view, dialogue, words to avoid and more.
Bestselling indie author Caimh McDonnell makes a triumphant return to the podcast as Transworld author CK McDonnell with his new novel Stranger Times. Caimh tells us how he took everything he learned as an indie author to pitch this book to traditional publishers. We discuss launching a book during lockdown, inventive book marketing ideas, why selling humour is tricky, and being a squeaky wheel...
Rich Leder is a screenwriter and novelist who tells us why our brains are always lying to us, why he writes with the door open (even with young kids running around), why finishing is so important, and why — despite all that’s going on in our lives — we should write anyway. And he reassures us that his latest book — Cooking for Cannibals — is a work of fiction. We think.
Welcome to the first of our occasional Academy All-Stars mini episodes, where we talk to writers who have joined our academy and have done something extraordinary. JW Atkinson is a writer and teacher who in 2020 wrote 52 stories — one a week! — for his Patreon followers. JW tells us how he has been using writing as part of his healing process after an accident and how the academy is helping him achieve his writing dreams.
Discover more about the academy here: https://academy.bestsellerexperiment.com
And you will find JW Atkinson's writing here: https://jwatkinsonauthor.com
International bestselling author Michele Campbell’s new novel The Wife Who Knew Too Much combines thrills and glamour. Michele talks to us about the balance between plot and character, the importance of editors, breaks in writing, and making writing one of your top priorities in life.
Kate Harrison is a rare breed. A fiction and non-fiction award-winning author who used her insight experience with the BBC to produce a huge bestselling series of non-fiction diet and lifestyle books. We discuss with Kate about her phenomenally successful 5:2 Diet series, how she straddles the life as both a fiction and non-fiction author, and how her experience on shows like Panorama have shaped her storytelling.