London Writers' Salon: Recent Episodes
London Writers' Salon
How does an adventurer get paid to write about his travels? What does an award-winning author do to make their characters stand out? How does a blogger make money and use podcasts and books to share their knowledge with millions of readers? What is the reality of building a creative life today, with so many tools at our disposal (and so many opportunities for distraction)? We are Matt & Parul, two friends and the founders of the London Writers Salon. Our Salon interviews are a chance for us to go behind the scenes of a writer’s journey and dig into the story behind the stories. Each week we invite a writer we admire to join us at the Salon to explore the craft of writing, the art of building a writing career, and the reality of navigating the creative world. We try to understand the mindset, the practical tools and the creative practices that world-class writers (novelists, playwrights, poets, non-fiction writers) use to focus and fulfil their creative dreams.
Poet Maya C. Popa on writing with wonder, the ruthless craft of revision, and building a sustainable life in poetry.
You’ll learn
- Why wonder has more in common with the sublime — the beautiful and the terrible — than with simple delight.
- How a poem loses its charge the moment its ending is visible from the opening line.
- What “negative capability” asks of a writer stuck in the dark middle of a draft.
- The question worth asking when the work feels uncomfortable and you’re certain something has gone wrong.
- A ruthless method for finding a poem’s true entry point — often buried three-quarters of the way down.
- When to cut the images you love most, even the ones that took hours to invent.
- How to write about longing and love without collapsing into confession.
- Why asking your writing to carry your finances can quietly poison your relationship with it.
- What to guard at all costs while holding space for other writers.
- The freedom that arrives once rejection stops meaning anything at all.
Resources & Links
- 📄 Interview Transcript
- If You Love That Lady by Maya C. Popa
- Gerard Manley Hopkins - Poetry Foundation
- Wound is the Origin of Wonder by Maya C. Popa
- Paradise Lost by John Milton
- Maya’s Substack
- Conscious Writers Collective
- Poetry Society of America Awards
- Maya’s ‘Five Things I Have Learned’ class
About Maya C. Popa
Maya C. Popa is a Romanian American poet. She holds a PhD on the role of wonder in poetry from Goldsmiths, University of London, where she was a recipient of a department bursary for exceptional merit, and previous degrees from Oxford University, New York University, and Barnard College.
Popa is the author of If You Love That Lady (W. W. Norton, 2026); Wound Is the Origin of Wonder (W. W. Norton, 2022), named one of the Guardian’s Best Books of Poetry; and American Faith (Sarabande, 2019), a runner-up for the Kathryn A. Morton Prize, judged by Ocean Vuong, and winner of the North American Book Prize in 2020. She has also received awards from the Poetry Foundation and the Oxford Poetry Society.
Popa is the poetry reviews editor at Publishers Weekly and is the founder of Conscious Writers Collective, where she teaches and oversees all literary programming for poets and prose writers. She lives in New York City.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Author Casper ter Kuile on transforming everyday writing into a sacred ritual, drawing on rest and reflection to fuel creativity, and moving past self-doubt to write as a gift for others.
You'll learn
- Why the point of the work week might be the rest, not the other way around.
- How to turn an ordinary daily habit into a ritual using three simple ingredients.
- What a weekly tech sabbath can unlock in your most creative thinking.
- The reframe that turns a dreadful first draft into something you can build on.
- A piece of advice from a mentor that dissolves the pressure to say something new.
- How reading writers you love can quietly refill the tank when you're stuck.
- Why treating your writing as a gift changes the way you handle criticism.
- The practice for staying humble and kind toward yourself in equal measure.
- What sacred reading traditions can teach you about going deeper into any text.
- Why the smallest groups, not the biggest audiences, are where meaning actually forms.
Resources & Links
- Casper ter Kuile's website
- The Power of Ritual by Casper ter Kuile
- The Nearness
- Harry Potter and the Sacred Text (podcast)
- Sacred Design Lab
- "How We Gather" report
- The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel
- Seth Godin
About Casper ter Kuile
Casper ter Kuile is the author of The Power of Ritual and the co-founder of The Nearness: a space to explore life's big questions with like-hearted others. Casper holds Masters in Public Policy and Divinity from Harvard University, is the former cohost of popular podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, and loves harmony singing, the London Review of Books, and arriving at the pub after a long country walk. He lives with his husband in Brooklyn, NY.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Bestselling and award-winning writers Seth Godin (The Practice), Amie McNee (We Need Your Art) and Mason Currey (Daily Rituals) on choosing yourself before anyone else does, protecting the hour you actually have, and why the practice that works is the one that fits your life rather than someone else’s.
You’ll learn
- Why "grow a thicker skin" is the wrong advice for a writer facing rejection.
- What shifts when you notice the harshest rejection you face each day is your own.
- The case for lowering your standards if your ambitions are big.
- How an hour that doesn’t look like writing can still be an hour of writing.
- What the word discipline shares with the word disciple, and why it changes how a project turns out.
- A quiet argument for half an hour a day over the perfect routine you can’t sustain.
- Why chasing the writer you think you should be pulls you away from the work.
- When a good outcome hides a bad decision, and what that means for your practice.
- The difference between talent and skill, and why only one of them applies to writing.
Episode Links
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158: Amie McNee — Creating Without Permission, Overcoming Self-Doubt, Facing Rejection, Building a Life on Your Own Terms, Embracing Social Media as an Artform
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177: Mason Currey — Daily Routines and How Artists Work, Focus Time and Protecting Your Best Hours
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150: Seth Godin — Obscurity Is the Enemy, Here’s How to Stop Seeking Validation, Find Your Audience and Build a Creative Practice
About the Guests
Amie McNee is a trained historian turned creativity coach, writer, and speaker best known for her popular Instagram account, @InspiredtoWrite, and The Unpublished Podcast. She’s self-published two historical fiction novels: The Rules Upheld by No One and Regrettably, I Am About to Cause Trouble. Her book We Need Your Art: Stop F*cking Around and Make Something is a manifesto on the vital, human importance of creating. Her most recent novel, To Kill a Queen, a queer historical mystery set in Elizabethan London, was published in 2025.
Mason Currey is a writer and editor living in Los Angeles and the author of the Daily Rituals books. In addition to compiling the Daily Rituals books, Currey was a design-magazine editor for ten years, working as the managing editor of Metropolis, the executive editor of Print, a senior editor at Core77, and the programming chair for the 2015 Core77 Conference. His freelance writing has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, and Slate, and he has delivered talks on the creative process to high school and college students, writers’ groups, and the partners of the design consultancy IDEO. He sends out a fortnightly newsletter on routines, rituals, and wriggling through a creative life. His latest book, Making Art and Making a Living: Adventures in Funding a Creative Life, was published by Celadon Books in 2026.
Seth Godin is the author of twenty-plus international bestsellers that have changed the way people think about work and have been translated into 39 languages – among them Unleashing the Ideavirus, Permission Marketing, Purple Cow, Tribes, The Dip, Linchpin, Poke the Box, and All Marketers Are Liars. He writes the most popular marketing blog in the world and speaks to audiences worldwide. He is the founder of the altMBA, the founder and former CEO of Squidoo.com, the former VP of Direct Marketing at Yahoo!, and the founder of the pioneering online startup Yoyodyne.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Irish writer Doireann Ní Ghríofa on turning archival fragments into living narrative, writing across the borders of genre, and giving voice to the forgotten lives of women committed to a Victorian asylum.
You’ll learn
- Why the greatest gatekeeper between a writer and the page is often the writer themselves.
- How a single word buried in clinical notes can become a bridge to a silenced voice.
- What poetry can teach prose writers about immediacy and the shock of a strong opening.
- The case for pointing at the gaps in the record rather than papering over them.
- When a fleeting curiosity is worth following, and what happens once you treat it as real.
- How third person can give a writer just enough distance to keep going.
- A sense of fidelity to the reader you imagine standing at your shoulder.
- How the drowsy space between sleep and waking can become an engine for ideas.
- The ethics of using real names, and the difference between the dead and the long dead.
- How the act of leaving things out turns even “fact” into a story.
Resources & Links
- Said the Dead by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
- A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
About Doireann Ní Ghríofa
Doireann Ní Ghríofa is an Irish writer devoted to exploring how the past makes itself felt within the present. 'A Ghost in the Throat' finds an 18th century poet haunting a young mother, leading her through visions of blood, milk, lust, and murder. Written on the roof of a multi-storey car park in Ireland, it went on to be described as "powerful" (New York Times), "captivatingly original" (The Observer), and a "masterpiece" (Sunday Business Post). 'A Ghost in the Throat' won the James Tait Black Prize and was voted overall Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards, while the US edition was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. It was translated into 20 further languages worldwide.
Doireann is also the author of seven critically-acclaimed books of poetry, each a deepening exploration of birth, death, desire, and domesticity. Awards for her writing include a Lannan Literary Fellowship (USA), the Ostana Prize (Italy), a Seamus Heaney Fellowship, and the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, among others.
Her new book, Said the Dead, distils hundreds of hours of archival research into a polyphonic portrayal of a single institution — a derelict Victorian asylum in Cork, and the women once committed within its walls.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Debut novelist Tara Menon on writing friendship as a life-shaping bond, the emotional architecture of grief, and researching the natural world for her novel Under Water.
You’ll learn
- Why a platonic friendship can shape a life as profoundly as any romance
- How to build tension in a story when the reader already knows what’s coming.
- What an unexpected sea creature reveals about writing the bonds between women.
- The difference between endless research and knowing just enough to write the scene.
- Why fiction demands a kind of surrender that criticism never asks for.
- How grief for a lost friend and grief for a vanishing natural world can become one story.
- When self-doubt is evidence you’re taking the work seriously.
- Why cutting a novel down to its essentials can matter more than what you leave in.
- A writing rhythm that looks nothing like “500 words every morning” (and works anyway).
- What finally makes the writing worth it, long before publication does.
Resources & Links
- 📄 Interview Transcript
- Under Water
- Jane Austen collection
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Middlemarch by George Eliot
- In Memoriam by Lord Tennyson
- I Can’t Let Kobe Go by Tara Menon
- The Fall (2013)
- Tara’s Website
About Tara Menon
Tara Menon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Harvard University. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Nation, Paris Review and Public Books, where she co-edits the Literary Fiction section. Tara was born in India, grew up in Singapore, spent a decade in New York, and currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her debut, Under Water, is out now.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Bestselling fantasy authors Holly Black and Samantha Shannon on building believable magic systems, researching and constructing immersive worlds, and why the right book often only emerges once you’ve written the wrong one.
You’ll learn
- Why the most convincing magic on the page often starts with something you once half-believed was real.
- How writing the wrong version of a book can be the only route to the right one.
- What the texture of a world quietly promises a reader before the plot even begins.
- Why putting a character through the worst is often the best thing you can do for a story.
- When the certainty that your draft is a disaster is just a normal part of the process.
- What early hype can do to a writer, and why other writers are the antidote.
- Where to draw the line between research that serves the book and a rabbit hole that doesn’t.
- A method for plotting a long series when you know the destination but not the route.
- What happens when a character starts refusing what you try to make it do.
Episode Links
Holly Black — original LWS episode: https://londonwriterssalon.simplecast.com/episodes/127-holly-black-crafting-bestselling-fantasy-world-building-character-development-and-the-prisoners-throne
Samantha Shannon — original LWS episode: https://londonwriterssalon.simplecast.com/episodes/068-samantha-shannon-the-art-of-writing-fantasy-fiction-plotting-mental-health
About the Guests
Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy books, including the Novels of Elfhame, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the Spiderwick Chronicles, her adult debut, Book of Night, as well as an Arthurian picture book called Sir Morien. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library. She invites you to visit her online at blackholly.com or follow her @Hollyblack @blackholly.
Samantha Shannon is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Bone Season and The Priory of the Orange Tree. Born in West London, she studied English Language and Literature at St Anne’s College, Oxford, from 2010 to 2013, specialising in the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Principles of Film Criticism.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Award-winning novelist and founder of The Novelry Louise Dean on what separates storytelling from beautiful prose, planning a novel without killing the joy, and how to edit your own first draft.
You'll learn
- Why learning to craft perfect sentences can quietly delay your path to publication.
- How a single shift from style to storytelling turns a promising writer into a published one.
- What treating each chapter like a short story does to the terror of a blank novel.
- The reason every novel is a moral journey (and why you have to throw rocks at your hero).
- A one-page planning method that steers a draft without smothering the joy of writing it.
- The one question every writer should be able to answer about their reader.
- Why your main character should never be a thinly veiled version of yourself.
- When you can’t afford an editor, how to run a developmental edit on your own work.
- What to do in the month after finishing a first draft
- A five-part structure built for the long moral journey of a novel, and why three acts fall short.
Resources & Links
- 📄 Interview Transcript
- The Great Gatsby
- The Novelry
- The Novelry Blog
- Louise’s books
- The Novelry Contact — hello@thenovelry.com
About Louise Dean
Louise Dean is a British author, born in Hastings, who read History at Cambridge University. An award-winning novelist, she is the winner of the Betty Trask Prize and Le Prince Maurice Prize, and was longlisted for the Booker Prize. Her novels have been published internationally. The Wall Street Journal described Louise Dean as one of the world’s top five most under-rated authors. Louise is the founder of the creative writing school The Novelry.
About The Novelry
Founded by award-winning author Louise Dean, The Novelry is the only writing school where bestselling authors and Big Five editors guide you every step of the way.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
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If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Writer Katie da Cunha Lewin on how physical spaces shape creative work, why the perfect writing room is a myth, and the rituals and routines that sustain a writing life.
You'll learn
- Why the perfect writing space is largely a myth (and why that can set you free).
- How physical environments quietly shape creative practice and identity.
- What our fascination with visiting writers' houses reveals.
- The cultural baggage around “the writer's room,” and who it quietly excludes.
- The way motherhood compresses time and forces a new kind of creative discipline.
- A concept of psychological distance between domestic life and creative work.
- When creative rituals help (and when writers thrive without them).
- How to begin designing a writing space that actually works for you.
- What it takes to find the story inside a work of nonfiction.
- Why putting yourself on the page makes nonfiction stronger.
Resources & Links
- 📄Interview Transcript
- Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
- Murder She Wrote (1984-1996)
- Underworld by Don DeLillo
- White Noise by Don DeLillo
- The Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize
- A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
- Lives of Houses Edited by Kate Kennedy and Hermione Lee
- Downhill All The Way, An Autobiography of the Years 1919 To 1939 By Leonard Woolf
- The British Library
- My Work by Olga Ravn
- The Accidentals by Guadalupe Nettel, Translated by Rosalind Harvey
- Amber Medland
- The Years by Annie Ernaux
- The Society of Authors
About Katie da Cunha Lewin
Katie da Cunha Lewin’s writing has appeared in leading publications such as The Times Literary Supplement, The White Review, Financial Times, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Prospect. She is the editor (with Kiron Ward) of Don DeLillo: Contemporary Critical Perspectives. Her book, The Writer’s Room: The Hidden Worlds That Shape the Books We Love, is out now.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
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If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
YA masters Krystal Sutherland (The Invocations), Joanna Nadin (author of 90+ books for children and adults) and Moira Buffini (Songlight) on hooking teen readers from the very first page, plotting methods that tame a whole novel, and why stories matter so much to young people.
You'll learn
- What sparks the magic system of a supernatural thriller.
- What it means to find your writing home, and how to know when you've arrived.
- Why readers decide within the first ten pages, and how visceral detail keeps them hooked.
- A pantser's case for careful plotting when you're juggling multiple points of view.
- The most common mistake adults make when writing for young readers.
- What screenwriters know about tight writing, and what teen TV can teach you about voice.
- Why treating writing as a job, not a calling, makes rejection survivable.
- Whether writers should think about their audience.
- How writing toward a feeling, not a plan, creates cliffhangers you don't see coming.
Episode Links
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105: Krystal Sutherland
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61: Joanna Nadin
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179: Moira Buffini
About the Guests
Krystal Sutherland is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of House of Hollow, A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares and Our Chemical Hearts, which was adapted into a film by Amazon Studios. Her books have been published in more than twenty countries and nominated for the Carnegie Medal and YA Book Prize, among others. Her latest YA novel, The Invocations — the centerpiece of this conversation — won the 2025 Prime Minister's Literary Award for young adult literature. Originally from Australia, she has lived on four continents and currently calls London home.
Joanna Nadin has written more than 90 books for children and adults, including the Rachel Riley series, the Penny Dreadful series, and the Sunday Times bestselling Worst Class in the World series. She holds a doctorate in adolescent identity and YA literature and is an Associate Professor in Creative Writing at the University of Bristol. Her books have garnered a number of prizes including the Fantastic Book Award and the Surrey Book Award, and she has been shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, the Booktrust Best Book Award, the Telegraph Sports Book of the Year, the Hearst Big Book Awards, and Queen of Teen. She has been nominated six times for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, including for Everybody Hurts and for Joe All Alone, which was made into a BAFTA-winning and Emmy-nominated BBC drama series.
Moira Buffini is an Olivier Award–winning UK playwright and BAFTA-nominated screenwriter, writing many plays for the National Theatre and the West End. Films include Tamara Drewe, Jane Eyre, Byzantium, and The Dig. She cocreated and was showrunner of Hulu's Harlots. Her YA debut Songlight — the first in The Torch Trilogy — won the 2025 YA Book Prize, and its sequel Torchfire is out now. She lives in London.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Edgar Award–winning novelist Chris Pavone on creating tension that never lets up, editing a book to make it bigger rather than just better, and turning a single apartment building into a portrait of a whole city.
You'll learn
- Why every book has to be one clear thing before it can be anything else.
- How two decades of editing other people’s books prepares you to write your own.
- The offhand note from a legendary editor that quietly transformed a debut, and why the vaguest feedback can be the most useful.
- What it means to edit a book to make it bigger, not just to make it less bad.
- Why tension, not speed, is what truly keeps a reader turning pages.
- A counterintuitive case for telling readers what’s coming on page one, then making them wait for it.
- How to keep generating questions and withholding answers without ever feeling coy.
- The one-page document worth months of tinkering before a single chapter gets written.
- What turns a story set in a city into a genuine portrait of that city.
- When to separate your hopes from your expectations, and what success can actually look like for a working novelist.
Resources & Links
- Chris Pavone’s Website
- Chris’ Newsletter
- The Doorman
- Ernest Hemingway
- Doubleday Publishing
- John Grisham
- The Expats
- Pat Conroy
- Jamaica Kincaid
- Knopf Publishing
- Adele Parks
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- James Bond Films
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
- The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
- Jack Reacher by Lee Child
About Chris Pavone
Chris Pavone is the New York Times bestselling author of The Doorman, Two Nights in Lisbon, The Paris Diversion, The Travelers, The Accident, and The Expats, winner of the Edgar and Anthony Awards for best first novel. He was a book editor for nearly two decades and lives in New York City with his family.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Award-winning novelist Missouri Williams on writing strange and ambitious fiction, treating doubt as a generative force, and why idleness is essential to creative work.
You'll learn
- How a destabilising illness and a new language can reshape a writer’s whole relationship to words.
- Why style isn’t something you construct so much as a way of seeing you’re partly stuck with.
- The case for drafting without thinking about the end result and keeping the stakes low.
- What an image you can’t stop returning to can reveal about the book you need to write.
- When idleness and empty, unproductive time become the most essential part of the work.
- How doubt can function as a generative engine rather than a block.
- A method for layering instability into a narrator who sounds completely in control.
- What a chorus can do on the page that a single narrator can’t.
- Why being placed outside your depth, where everything has to be relearned, can sharpen a writer.
- The difference between doubting your work and doubting your right to do it at all.
Resources & Links
- 📑 Interview Transcript
- Missouri’s Instagram
- Sisters of Mercy’s song, “Flood II”
- The Vivisectors
- King Lear with Sheep
- The Doloriad
- Missouri’s Agent John Ash
- Samuel Beckett
- Ágota Kristóf
- 2023 Winner of Republic of Consciousness Foundation
- “Form Is Back”
- Meditations by René Descartes
- Dead Ink publisher
- The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser
- The Republic by Plato
About Missouri Williams
Missouri Williams is the author of The Doloriad, which won the 2023 Republic of Consciousness Prize, was shortlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, and named a best book of 2022 by Vulture. Her work has also appeared in The Nation, The Baffler, The Believer, Granta, and The Drift. Her newest book is The Vivisectors.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Bestselling novelist Holly Ringland on writing from joy instead of fear, the toolkit she built to meet the inner critic with self-compassion, and finding the first true sentence of her debut after decades of silence.
You'll learn
- Why the pain of not writing eventually outweighs the pain of writing.
- What grief and loss can crack open in a writer that nothing else can.
- How the first true line of a novel can arrive once you stop listening to the reasons you can't write it.
- A bullet-point approach to plotting that protects the nervous system from the blank page.
- What to ask for from early readers, and what to refuse.
- The distinction between self-doubt and the inner critic, and why it matters.
- Meeting the inner critic with an equal and opposite internalised force.
- Breaking procrastination by making the next step impossibly small.
- Fiction as the lie that tells the truth truest.
Resources & Links
- 📄Interview Transcript
- The House That Joy Built
- The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
- Zeitgeist Agency
- Dangerous Writing
- Holly’s Substack
About Holly Ringland
Holly Ringland is a writer, storyteller and TV presenter. She is the author of the international bestseller The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, which has been translated into thirty languages and adapted into a seven-part TV series starring Sigourney Weaver, produced by Amazon Prime and Made Up Stories. In 2019, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart won the Australian Book Industry Award General Fiction Book of the Year. In 2021, Holly co-hosted an eight-episode ABC TV series, Back to Nature, with Aaron Pedersen. After living between Australia and the UK for ten years, Holly has been based in the Yugambeh region of southeast Queensland since 2020, where she wrote her second novel, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding, in her 'office', a vintage caravan named Frenchie. Upon publication, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding became an instant national bestseller, and it was named Booktopia's 2022 Book of the Year. Holly writes a bestselling Substack on the intersection of creativity and connection, The Joy Rise. Her latest book is The House That Joy Built.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
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Attention researcher Dr Gloria Mark (Attention Span), bestselling author Oliver Burkeman (Meditations for Mortals) and book strategist Charlie Hoehn (Play It Away) on designing your day around peak focus, embracing imperfection in creative work and bringing play back to the page.
You'll learn
- The four states of attention every writer should know.
- Two daily peak focus windows, and a simple method to find your own.
- The reframe that gives writers permission — most writing isn't flow.
- How the success of one bestselling book can paralyse the next.
- A quantity-over-quality method that satisfies the inner perfectionist.
- Why free writing isn't a warm-up but the engine of the next draft.
- A counterintuitive trick for handling interruptions when you're trying to write.
- What play deprivation quietly does to creative output.
- A small experiment with play that resets your relationship to work.
- Why fighting your own nature as a writer is a losing game.
Resources & Links
Dr Gloria Mark
- Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity by Dr Gloria Mark
- Chronotype (Sleep Foundation)
- Morningness Eveningness Questionnaire
- Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
- Yohaku no bi: The Beauty of Empty Space
- Gloria's website
- Gloria's newsletter
Oliver Burkeman
- Meditations for Mortals
- Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
- The Imperfectionist (newsletter)
- Deep Freewriting by Stephen Lloyd Webber
- ILYS software
Charlie Hoehn
- Play It Away
- The Power of Play | Charlie Hoehn | TEDxSantoDomingo
- Charlie's website
- Author Alliance
Original Episode Links
- Dr Gloria Mark's original episode
- Oliver Burkeman's original episode
- Charlie Hoehn's original episode
About the Guests
Gloria Mark is Chancellor's Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. She received her PhD from Columbia University in psychology and studies the impact of digital media on people's lives. She has published over 200 articles, and in 2017 was inducted into the ACM SIGCHI Academy, which recognises leaders in the field of human-computer interaction. She has presented her work at SXSW and the Aspen Ideas Festival, and her research has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, CNN, The Guardian, the Dax Shepard show, the Dave Asprey show and many others. She is the author of Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity.
Oliver Burkeman worked for many years at The Guardian, where he wrote a popular weekly column on psychology, 'This Column Will Change Your Life.' His books include the New York Times bestseller Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals and The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking. His latest book is Meditations for Mortals.
Charlie Hoehn is a three-time New York Times bestselling editor, five-time author, and the founder of Author Alliance. For three years, Charlie was Tim Ferriss' Director of Special Projects and first full-time hire. Together, they launched The 4-Hour Body to #1 New York Times, #1 Barnes & Noble, and #1 Amazon overall. Previously, he was Head of Multimedia for Scribe Media, where he produced over 500 videos and 300 podcast episodes. He is a keynote speaker who has presented to groups at Microsoft, PepsiCo, the Pentagon, U.S. Military, Stanford, TEDx and HEC Paris. His ideas on work-play integration have been featured on NPR's TED Radio Hour, Fast Company, Forbes, Financial Times, Huberman Lab, Chase Jarvis Live, TEDx, and many others.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Debut novelist Rebecca Fallon on ambition, motherhood, crafting dual timelines, and writing a novel built around the person who isn't there.
We discuss
- Why quitting a stable job to write a novel can be framed as a calculated bet rather than a leap of faith.
- How to prototype the writer's life before fully committing to it.
- What genre fiction can teach a literary novelist about plotting and structure.
- How a single late-stage scene revealed who the actual protagonist of the book had been all along.
- The unsexy spreadsheet work behind a novel that moves between timelines.
- A method for getting inside a child's consciousness on the page.
- Why each character has to serve a distinct function—and what happens to the ones that don't.
- How music, photographs, and even PowerPoint can become tools for holding a character's voice.
- The difference between flow-state writing and the surgical work that comes after.
- What changes when you stop drafting airy scenes and start asking what each scene needs to earn its place.
About Rebecca Fallon
Rebecca Fallon is a New England-born Londoner and a graduate of Williams College and the University of Oxford. Family Drama is her debut novel.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Bestselling author Steven Pressfield on what it means to have a creative calling, battling resistance, the role of faith in writing, and his memoir Govt Cheese. A remastered version of episode #058.
You'll learn:
- Why a typewriter sat untouched in the back of a van for seven years before becoming a career.
- How self-sabotage shows up at the finish line, not just at the start.
- A rule of thumb for telling resistance apart from legitimate doubt.
- Why the more important a project is, the more terrifying it should feel.
- When you can finally write about pain, and why distance matters more than rawness.
- How an idea for a book might arrive as a single sentence and refuse to leave.
- A one-page method for outlining a novel, and why one page is enough.
- What John Keats's concept of negative capability can teach a writer in the dark middle of a draft.
- The metaphor that reframes writers as delivery drivers rather than creators.
- Why faith in the muse matters most when the writing feels too good to be your own.
Resources & Links
- 📄 Transcript (unedited)
- Govt Cheese
- The War of Art
- Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be
- Nobody Wants to Read Your Sht*
- "This Might Not Work" – Seth Godin
- The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler
- Steve's 'passage through the wilderness' series on Instagram
- The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
- The Foolscap Method Instagram videos
- John Keats's concept of 'Negative Capability'
- Joanna Penn
About Steven Pressfield
Steven Pressfield (@SPressfield) is the author of The War of Art, which has sold over a million copies globally and been translated into multiple languages. He is a master of historical fiction, with Gates of Fire being on the required reading list at West Point and the recommended reading list of the Joint Chiefs. His other books include A Man at Arms, Turning Pro, Do the Work, The Artist's Journey, Tides of War, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Last of the Amazons, Virtues of War, The Afghan Campaign, Killing Rommel, The Profession, The Lion's Gate, The Warrior Ethos, The Authentic Swing, An American Jew, Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t, The Knowledge, and his memoir Govt Cheese.
Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has the technology you need to turn your idea into a professionally published book. Our community anthologies are published using Lulu and we’ve used their direct ecommerce integration and on demand publishing to send the anthology all over the world. The editorial team has found it really intuitive to use. For more information head to lulu.com.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Debut novelist Debra Curtis on teaching herself to write by copying poems by hand as a dyslexic child, using contemporary novels as craft manuals to learn structure, meeting the Dalai Lama, the importance of radical forgiveness & publishing her first novel in her sixties after years of rejection.
You'll learn:
- Why copying poems by hand into a composition notebook secretly teaches a dyslexic child to write.
- The hospital-bed moment with her dying father that became a three-decade family motto.
- A vision at a marina, a prescription bottle, and the woman who became her protagonist.
- What hundreds of rejections actually teach you about persistence.
- Using contemporary novels as instructional guides while drafting your own.
- How a psychic’s prophecy and a chance encounter in Paris both pointed toward the same agent.
- Finding your future agent’s name in the acknowledgments of a book you’ve never read.
- The big editorial note that hurts to hear, and why listening anyway is still the right call.
- Radical forgiveness as the emotional heart of a novel.
- The writing ritual built around a sleep mask, noise-cancelling headphones, and a sound machine.
Resources & Links:
- 📄 Interview Transcript
- The Freeing of The Dust by Denise Levertov
- Laws of Love and Logic by Debra Curtis
- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
- Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- Publisher’s Marketplace
- Debra’s Instagram
- Debra’s TikTok
About Debra Curtis:
Debra Curtis is a retired professor of cultural anthropology at Salve Regina University, where she specialised in gender and sexuality. This is her first novel. She is the mother of grown-up twin girls and lives in Rhode Island with her husband and her English bulldog, Harry, who is the star of much of her TikTok content. TikTok: @EnglishHarry; FB: @DebCurtis; Instagram: @Deb.curtis.906.
Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has the technology you need to turn your idea into a professionally published book. Our community anthologies are published using Lulu and we’ve used their direct ecommerce integration and on demand publishing to send the anthology all over the world. The editorial team has found it really intuitive to use. For more information head to lulu.com.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Screenwriters Hannah Bos (HBO’s Somebody Somewhere), Kim Krizan (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset) and Selina Lim (Sex Education, Hanna) on building writing partnerships, developing characters from the inside out, and finding your way into a writers’ room.
You'll learn
- Why a writing partnership only works when you can separate your ego from your ideas.
- How seven years of making weird theatre in Brooklyn quietly set the stage for an HBO show.
- What it takes to write a quiet, character-driven show in a TV landscape built for plot.
- How a master’s thesis on a diarist turned into one of the most beloved screenplays of the nineties.
- How Before Sunrise was built from index cards on a living room floor.
- Why thinking about the product kills the work, and what to focus on instead.
- The case for starting with character before plot, and letting the story follow.
- What breaking into TV actually looks like.
- How to set the tone in a writers’ room so the ridiculous ideas can surface.
- A practical approach to dialogue.
Episode Links
-
070: Hannah Bos — Writing TV From The Heart, HBO’s Somebody Somewhere, Artistic Partnerships, Writing Friendships For The Screen
-
99: Kim Krizan — Writing 'Before Sunrise' series, Crafting Memorable Characters For Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy & Other Screenwriting Tips
-
013: Selina Lim — Writing Authentic Dialogue for TV, Writing about Sex, Love & Drama, and A Peek Into a Writers’ Room
About the Guests
Hannah Bos is a Brooklyn based writer who, along with her writing partner Paul Thureen, is the creator and showrunner of HBO’s Somebody Somewhere. The first season received an AFI Award and Peabody nomination, and Hannah and Paul were nominated for a 2022 Humanitas Prize for Comedy Teleplay for the pilot episode. Together they have also written for HBO’s High Maintenance and Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle, and received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Screenplay for their feature Driveways (dir. Andrew Ahn), which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. Along with Oliver Butler, Hannah and Paul were founders and co-Artistic Directors of The Debate Society, a multiple-Obie award-winning, Brooklyn-based theatre company. As an actor, Hannah has received a Drama Desk Award and Lortel Nomination. Contact: www.hannahbos.com
Kim Krizan is the Academy Award-nominated writer of the films Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. Her book Original Sins: Trade Secrets of the Femme Fatale is a tongue-in-cheek examination of history’s dangerous women. She is also the author of Spy in the House of Anaïs Nin, an analysis of the life of the 20th-century rule-bending diarist. Krizan’s work has been hailed as insightful, penetrating, and profound. She lives and writes in Los Angeles, California. You can find her on Instagram and Patreon. Contact: www.instagram.com/kimkrizan
Selina Lim is a BAFTA and BIFA-nominated screenwriter, with credits on Sex Education (Eleven/Netflix) and Hanna (Amazon/NBC). Her short films include Painkiller (BBC/B3 Media) starring Benedict Wong, Keeping Up with the Joneses (BFI/Lighthouse) with Maxine Peake and Adeel Akhtar, and BBC Studios/Green Door’s Five By Five starring Ruth Madeley. Selina has also written for Hollyoaks (Lime Pictures/Channel 4) and was in the writers’ room for The Night Manager Series 2 (The Ink Factory/AMC). Contact: www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/selina-lim
Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has the technology you need to turn your idea into a professionally published book. Our community anthologies are published using Lulu and we’ve used their direct ecommerce integration and on demand publishing to send the anthology all over the world. The editorial team has found it really intuitive to use. For more information head to lulu.com.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Literary agent Juliet Mushens on what makes her offer representation, how she builds bestselling careers from debut to long-term success, and why writers need a life outside of publishing.
We discuss
- Why tension is the single most important quality an agent looks for in any genre of fiction.
- How personalized feedback from an agent signals you’re closer than you think.
- The editorial conversation that happens when an agent offers representation.
- What to consider when choosing between multiple agent offers, and why gut matters more than questionnaires.
- How some of today’s biggest bestsellers had their first and second books rejected — and what changed.
- Why writing for the market rarely produces the best books, and how to hold the tension between passion and positioning.
- The publishing myths that refuse to die, from social media requirements to green book covers.
- How agents negotiate contracts and why an escape clause matters.
- The concept of inconvenience over convenience and what it means for writers in the age of AI.
- Why building a sense of esteem outside writing is essential to surviving the highs and lows of publishing.
Resources & Links
- Mushens Entertainment Submissions
- Mushens Entertainment Blog
- Get Started in Writing Young Adult Fiction by Juliet Mushens
- Juliet Instagram
- Mushens Entertainment Instagram
About Juliet Mushens
Juliet Mushens has been an agent for over a decade. More than a dozen of her clients are Sunday Times bestsellers, with half a dozen claiming the number one slot in the last two years alone. Her clients include million-copy no. 1 bestseller Jessie Burton, multi-million copy NY Times bestseller Taran Matharu, and record-breaking multi-million copy no. 1 bestseller Richard Osman. The Times ran a piece recognising her as the first agent to represent the number 1, 2, and 3 UK bestsellers in the same week: ‘Star literary agent first to top the charts three times’, a feat she repeated in 2022. Juliet sits on the advisory board of Book Brunch, is currently President of the British Fantasy Society, and sits on the board of the Women’s Prize Trust. You can find her on Twitter as @mushenska.
Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has the technology you need to turn your idea into a professionally published book. Our community anthologies are published using Lulu and we’ve used their direct ecommerce integration and on demand publishing to send the anthology all over the world. The editorial team has found it really intuitive to use. For more information head to lulu.com.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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Singer-songwriter and author Josh Ritter on writing songs for the muse instead of waiting for it, letting creative ideas find their shape across songwriting, painting, and fiction, and building a sustainable creative life over more than two decades.
We discuss:
- Writing for the muse instead of waiting for it.
- Why working across multiple art forms keeps each one alive.
- The craft behind a single narrative song, from first image to finished track.
- Balancing creative compulsion with everyday life.
- What sharing work publicly teaches you about your own work.
- How the relationship between an artist and their audience evolves over decades.
- Mental health and the myth of the tortured creative.
- Getting through the dead stretch when nothing seems to come.
- The campfire model of building a creative career.
Resources & Links:
- 📄Interview Transcript
- Josh’s Substack
- Hello Starling
- I Believe in You, My Honeydew
- Truth is a Dimension (Both Invisible and Blinding)
About:
Josh Ritter is an American singer-songwriter, musician, artist, and author. He performs and records with The Royal City Band. He writes on Substack at Josh Ritter’s Book of Jubilations. His latest album, I Believe In You, My Honeydew, is out now.
Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has the technology you need to turn your idea into a professionally published book. Our community anthologies are published using Lulu and we’ve used their direct ecommerce integration and on demand publishing to send the anthology all over the world. The editorial team has found it really intuitive to use. For more information head to lulu.com.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Novelist, memoirist, and Corporeal Writing founder Lidia Yuknavitch on writing from the body, finding form in the natural world, and why the stories we need most come from the places we’ve been afraid to go.
We discuss:
- Why the element that makes you vibrate — water, forest, rock, wind — might be the key to unlocking your creative access path.
- How to find your core metaphors through a body-based meditation practice.
- A practical portal for memoir writers.
- Why abandoning linear plot doesn’t mean abandoning form.
- The difference between prompts and portals.
- Why writers who’ve survived the hardest things carry a skillset the rest of the world urgently needs right now.
- A reframe for anyone afraid of writing badly.
Resources & Links
- 📄Interview Transcript
- Corporeal Writing
- The Chronology of Water
- Thrust
- Meander, Spiral, Explode by Jane Alison
- She Had Some Horses by Jo Harjo
- Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich
- Writers’ Hour
About
Lidia Yuknavitch is the National Bestselling author of four novels: Thrust, The Book of Joan, Dora: A Headcase, and The Small Backs of Children, winner of the 2016 Oregon Book Awards Ken Kesey Award for Fiction as well as the OBA Reader’s Choice Award. She has also published a critical book on war and narrative, Allegories Of Violence (Routledge). The Misfit’s Manifesto, a book based on her recent TED Talk, was published by TED Books in 2017. Verge, a collection of short fiction, was released in 2020. Her widely acclaimed memoir The Chronology of Water was adapted for film directed by Kristen Stewart. Her newest memoir, Reading the Waves, was published by Riverhead books in 2025. She founded the workshop series Corporeal Writing in Portland Oregon, where she teaches both in person and online. She received her doctorate in Literature from the University of Oregon. She is a very good swimmer.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Jennifer Breheny Wallace on mattering, resilience through relationships, and the writing practices behind two New York Times bestselling nonfiction books.
You’ll learn
- Why resilience as a writer has far less to do with self-care routines and far more to do with the people you surround yourself with.
- How to tell whether your idea is a series of articles or a book, and what structural test separates one from the other.
- A practical way to ask for feedback on your writing that actually leads to useful criticism instead of vague encouragement.
- Why putting yourself in a nonfiction book can transform it, even if every journalistic instinct tells you not to.
- The writing schedule that let a journalist with three kids produce two bestselling books, and why it starts at 4AM.
- Why your inner critic tends to sleep in, and how to take advantage of the hours before it wakes up.
- A visual trick involving artist sketches that can help you push through the frustration of early drafts.
- What a lesson from Morley Safer at 60 Minutes reveals about the tension between accuracy and storytelling in nonfiction.
- The surprising research behind mattering and why it goes deeper than self-esteem, belonging, or purpose on their own.
- A 30-second daily practice that can help you reconnect to your sense of purpose when long-term projects leave you feeling stuck.
Resources & Links
- 📄Interview Transcript
- The Mattering Movement
- Mattering by Jennifer Breheny Wallace
- Never Enough by Jennifer Breheny Wallace
- Lives Well Lived Podcast Episode w/ Jennifer Breheny Wallace
- Julia Cameron on LWS Podcast
- The Oprah Podcast w/Jennifer Breheny Wallace
- Subscribe to Jennifer’s Newsletter
- Jennifer’s IG
About Jennifer Breheny Wallace
Jennifer Wallace is an award-winning journalist and author of the New York Times bestselling book Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic — And What We Can Do About It, which was named an Amazon Best Book of the Year. Wallace has contributed to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. Jennifer began her journalism career in television at “60 Minutes”. She lives in New York City.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Description:
Neuroscientist and bestselling author David Eagleman on the brain science behind creativity, what actually causes writer's block, and how pre-commitment strategies like the Ulysses contract can help writers finish what they start.
You'll learn:
- Why creativity isn't a rare gift, and what's actually happening in every brain when it absorbs and remixes the world around it.
- The three core algorithms behind creative thinking, and how to use them deliberately when you're stuck on a project.
- What's really going on in the brain when a writer feels blocked, and why the fix might be simpler than you think.
- A compelling case against the "shower idea" myth, and why sitting down to work may be where your best thinking actually happens.
- How a concept from ancient Greek literature can help you set up contracts with your future self to finish what you start.
- A surprising writing routine behind roughly a million published words, and why it happens at the same chain restaurant every time.
- A method for juggling multiple creative projects without losing momentum on any of them.
- Why switching genres and feeling like a beginner is one of the best things you can do for your brain as a writer.
- How to think about the difference between fiction and nonfiction when it comes to what AI can and can't replace.
- The moment at age 13 that shaped an entire career in science communication, and what it reveals about writing for an audience.
Resources & Links:
- 📄 Interview Transcript
- David’s Website
- Inner Cosmos
- The Creative Brain
- Cosmos by Carl Sagan
- The Runaway Species
- Ulysses contract
- Sum
- David’s Substack
About David Eagleman:
David Eagleman is a neuroscientist at Stanford University and an internationally bestselling author. He is co-founder of two venture-backed companies, Neosensory and BrainCheck, and he also directs the Center for Science and Law, a national non-profit institute. He is best known for his work on sensory substitution, time perception, brain plasticity, synesthesia, and neurolaw. His books include Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives, The Runaway Species, and Livewired. He is the writer and presenter of the Emmy-nominated PBS series The Brain with David Eagleman and hosts the podcast Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Acclaimed short fiction writers Sarah Hall, Jonathan Escoffery, and Niamh Mulvey on building immersive worlds in compressed spaces, grounding stories in real human stakes, and writing openings and endings that transform both character and reader.
Timestamps:
(00:01:06) Sarah Hall, from Episode 161
(00:14:43) Jonathan Escoffery, from Episode 56
(00:26:40) Niamh Mulvey, previously unreleased conversation
You'll learn:
- Sarah Hall's "keyhole" approach to short stories — and how the unseen world beyond the scene gives a story its depth.
- Why trusting your preoccupations beats forcing a theme, and how over-awareness of your own subject can kill the fiction.
- A technique for thickening a thin first draft: telescope into your character's childhood, then out to their future.
- Why Jonathan Escoffery believes stories without real-world stakes will lose to equally crafted stories that engage with the world, every time.
- How Escoffery pairs imagination with lived emotional experience to make unfamiliar settings resonate — and why personal growth feeds artistic growth.
- What choosing a linked story collection over a novel taught Escoffery about pacing, pause, and propulsive energy.
- Why Niamh Mulvey thinks showing off your best writing in an opening is a mistake — and what to do instead (start specific, name a character, put two people in relation).
- A prompt for finding your story's urgency: ask "why this moment?" and aim for the energy of really good gossip.
- How character desire shapes place and plot at the same time, so setting becomes what your character wants rather than backdrop.
- Mulvey's "third element" — a character, object, or event seeded early that can emerge later to unlock your ending.
Resources & Links:
- Join our LWS community!
- Sarah's full episode and notes
- Jonathan's full episode and notes
- If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery
- Hearts and Bones: Love Songs for Late Youth by Niamh Mulvey
- The Amendments by Niamh Mulvey
- Sombrero Fallout by Richard Brautigan
About Sarah Hall:
Sarah Hall is one of the UK's most talented authors. Twice nominated for the Man Booker Prize, the first and only writer to win the BBC National Short Story Award twice, she has written ten highly acclaimed novels and short story collections.
About Jonathan Escoffery:
Jonathan Escoffery is the author of the linked story collection If I Survive You, a New York Times and Booklist Editor's Choice, an IndieNext Pick, and a National Bestseller. His stories have appeared in The Paris Review, Oprah Daily, Electric Literature, Zyzzyva, AGNI, Pleiades, American Short Fiction, Prairie Schooner, Passages North, and elsewhere.
About Niamh Mulvey:
Niamh Mulvey is from Kilkenny, Ireland. Her short fiction has been published in The Stinging Fly, Banshee and Southword and was shortlisted for the Seán O'Faoláin Prize for Short Fiction 2020. Her short story collection Hearts and Bones: Love Songs for Late Youth was published by Picador. The Amendments is her first novel.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Memoirist and filmmaker Curtis Chin on pitching for national press, booking venues through cold emails, and making a high-volume book events strategy financially sustainable.
You’ll learn:
- Why Curtis booked readings before his memoir released to drive pre-orders, and what that early push unlocked.
- How he found venues by researching programs and series online, then sending cold outreach without overcomplicating it.
- A practical way to define your “audience” so your outreach targets the right communities and institutions.
- How to write a venue email that creates urgency (a “hook” and a reason to say yes now), without sounding gimmicky.
- A press pitching approach that starts local, builds credibility, and then moves toward national outlets.
- What his spreadsheets are (and aren’t) for, and a lightweight way to track outreach and payments without building a complicated system.
- How he initially used a publisher budget, then supplemented it with community funding when the budget wasn’t enough.
- Why momentum compounds (your growing “resume” of events and media makes the next invitations easier), and how to lean into that effect.
- How he structures his day to keep writing, business logistics, and book marketing moving at the same time.
- How getting paid for talks changed the economics of touring, and why nonfiction subject expertise can create more paid speaking opportunities.
Resources & Links:
- 📑 Interview Transcript
- Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant by Curtis Chin
- Asian American Writers’ Workshop
- Curtis’ NYT article
- Curtis’ Website
About Curtis Chin:
Curtis Chin is the author of the award-winning memoir, Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant. A co-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, Curtis Chin served as the non-profit’s first Executive Director. He went on to write comedy for network and cable television before transitioning to social justice documentaries. Chin has screened his films at over 600 venues in twenty countries. He has written for CNN, Bon Appétit, The Detroit Free Press and The Emancipator. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Chin has received awards from ABC/Disney Television, New York Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and more. His essay in Bon Appétit was selected for Best Food Writing in America 2023 and his short doc, Dear Corky premiered on American Masters. He is currently working on a new docuseries on the history of Chinese restaurants in America.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Writer and director Morgan Cooper on turning a self-funded Bel-Air short into a series, building creative audacity before opportunity arrives, and staying resourceful across drafts, collaboration, and a children’s picture book.
You'll learn:
- Why “imperfect action” can be a practical antidote to creative paralysis, especially early in your craft.
- How he found a compelling dramatic lens by stripping away sitcom expectations and focusing on character archetypes and real-world stakes.
- What it can look like to invest commercial income back into self-initiated work to build a body of proof.
- Why “waiting for permission” often hides fear, and how starting anyway can change what’s possible.
- Why the “angle” of your idea matters, and how recalibrating it can be the difference between a draft that stalls and a draft that lands.
- How identifying the “big question” of a story can give your scenes direction and your revisions momentum.
- Simple ways to keep the creative channel open using a notes app, project scrap bins, and a journaling method that functions like index cards.
- How collaboration becomes part of the craft when you treat writing as iterative perspective-building, not a solitary performance.
- What writing a picture book can teach about economy, structure, and building an arc inside tight page limits.
- How designing a kid-led mission around resourcefulness can create momentum and emotional payoff in short form.
Resources & Links:
- 📄Interview Transcript
- Cooper’s original Bel-Air concept trailer
- Bel-Air on Peacock
- The College Dropout - Kanye West
- Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
- I Can Make A Movie!
- Geneva Bowers - Illustrator and Artist
- Hair love - Matthew A. Cherry
- Film London
- Mediatrust.org - Mentoring Opportunities
- Dancing Ledge Productions - Mentoring Opportunities
About Morgan Cooper:
Morgan Stevenson Cooper is a Los Angeles-based writer and director and the creative force behind Bel-Air, the dramatic reimagining of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that grew out of his self-released short film in March 2019. After the film drew widespread attention, Will Smith and Westbrook Studios came on board as collaborators, and the series premiered in February 2022, with Cooper serving as creator, director, co-writer, and executive producer. He is a two-time Tribeca X winner for U Shoot Videos? and Pay Day, and is developing BLKCOFFEE as writer, director, and executive producer.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Essayist and fiction writer Erica Stern on writing hybrid nonfiction, weaving memoir with research and a ghost-story thread, and finding a publishing home for genre-defying work.
You'll learn:
- What “hybrid nonfiction” can look like when memoir, research, and a fictional thread are all working toward one emotional truth.
- Ways to make a genre-bending draft feel cohesive, even when it’s built from multiple modes and timelines.
- How reverse outlining can help you figure out what each section is really doing, and tighten the book’s throughline in revision.
- Why “moving the pieces around” for a long time can be part of the process when the structure has to be discovered, not imposed.
- A mindset shift for writers making unconventional work: follow what the project needs first, before you worry about outcome or category.
- How to treat “weirdness” as an asset (not a liability) when the form is doing meaning, not just style.
- Practical publishing encouragement for genre-defying books: small presses can be a strong fit, and there’s a growing audience for hybrid forms.
- What it can look like to publish without chasing “bestseller” logic, and instead focus on reaching the right readers with the best version of the book.
- Why writing “for the market” isn’t the only path to publication—and how commitment to the story can be what ultimately helps it find a home.
Resources & Links:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Frontier: A Memoir and A Ghost Story by Erica Stern
- LWS Substack
- Bitter Water Opera by Nicolette Polek
About Erica Stern:
Erica Stern is an essayist and fiction writer whose debut memoir, Frontier, was published by Barrelhouse Books in 2025. Her work has appeared in the Mississippi Review, The Iowa Review, and Denver Quarterly, and she has been a finalist for the Noemi Press Book Awards and the Mississippi Review Prize. She has received fellowships and residencies from the Vermont Studio Center, Martha’s Vineyard Institute for Creative Writing, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and holds a BA in English from Yale University and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is from New Orleans and lives with her family in Evanston, Illinois.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Novelists Maggie O’Farrell, Stacey Halls, and Ruta Sepetys on turning research into living scenes, building non-linear structure that still feels clear, and writing voice and dialogue that make the past feel immediate.
Timestamps:
00:01:30 Maggie O’Farrell
00:26:14 Stacey Halls
00:49:33 Ruta Sepetys
You’ll learn:
- The importance of "reading like a writer" to reverse-engineer time, tense, and technique from books you love.
- How to structure a non-chronological narrative using flowcharts and “breadcrumb trails” so readers never feel lost.
- Where to look for small, specific historical details that unlock character, scene, and momentum.
- A practical way to treat research as idea-generation, not “homework you must finish” before you start drafting.
- A simple plotting method (index cards + one-sentence scenes) that helps you see the whole book at a glance.
- Why a first draft is allowed to be rough, and how that mindset can help you write faster and finish.
- How “writing toward a feeling” can guide structure when you can’t see the whole plot in advance.
- Ways to keep going through the long middle by focusing on the work itself, not external noise.
- How to use collaboration and expert readers to pressure-test cultural and historical authenticity.
Resources & Links:
- Join our LWS community!
- Maggie's full episode and notes
- Stacey's full episode and notes
- Ruta's full episode and notes
About the authors:
Maggie O’Farrell is the bestselling author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait, noted for lyrical prose and inventive structure; her craft insights span sentence-level cadence, non-linear timelines, and historically grounded voice.
Note: Our episode with Maggie was done in collaboration with Arvon, the UK’s leading creative writing charity. Arvon believes everyone can benefit from the transformative power of creative writing. It hosts residential, online and community-based writing courses and events, embracing over 6,000 people each year, tutored by some of the most respected writers in the UK today. Find out more at arvon.org
Stacey Halls is the UK author of The Familiars, The Foundling, and Mrs England, known for vivid period settings, propulsive plotting, and character-driven suspense; she outlines with index cards and drafts quickly before deep revision.
Ruta Sepetys is a Lithuanian-American novelist (Between Shades of Gray, Salt to the Sea) whose work uncovers suppressed histories with YA-accessible clarity; she emphasizes collaboration, ethical research, and a clear “why” for every project.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Playwright and BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Moira Buffini on moving between theatre, film, and fiction, writing for yourself instead of the market, and shaping structure by rewriting toward the ending you want readers to feel.
You’ll learn:
- Why “you are the audience” can be a practical rule for cutting through market noise and writing with conviction.
- A useful way to handle reviews and outside opinions without letting them steer the work.
- How to build story momentum when you can’t fully plot ahead, and why not knowing the next move can be a strength.
- A structure approach based on “writing toward a feeling” at the end, then layering drafts until the story clicks.
- What discipline looks like when you’re writing big worlds in prose, and how constraints can keep you from getting lost.
- How a dramatist’s instincts (plot, structure, obstacles) can transfer into long-form fiction and help sustain narrative drive.
- A grounded reminder about the “mundane” day-to-day of being a professional writer, and why that doesn’t cancel the magic.
- The practical foundations she names for keeping your mind working (sleep, movement, and treating the body as part of the instrument).
- What it can take to keep writing alongside caring responsibilities, and why persistence is often the hardest part.
- The simplest career advice she returns to: don’t accept the story that you “can’t,” and keep putting in the hours.
Resources & Links:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Moira’s Agent Website
- Moira’s screenwriting credits
- National Youth Theatre in London
- Caryl Churchill
- The National Theatre London
- Dinner(play)
- Byzantium(film)
- Jane Eyreby Charlotte Brontë
- Harlots (tv series)
- The Torch Trilogy: Songlight, Torchfire
- The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
- deus ex machina definition
- raconteur definition
- Robert Prosky
- The Dig (film)
About Moira Buffini:
Moira Buffini is an Olivier Award–winning UK playwright and BAFTA-nominated screenwriter, writing many plays for the National Theatre and the West End. Films include Tamara Drewe, Jane Eyre, Byzantium, and The Dig. She cocreated and was showrunner of Harlots. Songlight is her debut novel. She lives in London.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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London Writers’ Salon co-founder Matt Trinetti and Head of Writer Experience Lindsey Trout Hughes share prompts from our Dreaming Big in 2026: Creative Goal Setting for Writers workshop – designed to help writers get clear on what they actually want from their writing life in 2026, and translate that desire into a plan that can survive reality in the first 1-3 months of the year.
Through 8 steps – from identifying desire to committing to a 48-hour move – Matt and Lindsey step through over a dozen prompts, discuss why each is important for writers to think about, and share what’s coming up for them personally for the year ahead.
Download the free workbook: community.londonwriterssalon.com/dreamingbig
Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction
(02:07) Step 0: Two Words (bringing in & leaving behind)
(08:05) Step 1: Identifying what we truly desire
(17:42) Step 2: Vision (translating desire into clear vision)
(25:18) Step 3: Moving from wanting to deciding
(34:35) Step 4: Building a project bank
(42:02) Step 5: Finding a first season focus
(47:32) Step 6: Designing your creative practice
(59:00) Step 7: Your 30-day plan & 48-hour move
(01:04:50) Step 8: Opening up to support
(01:09:40) Conclusions and next steps
You’ll learn:
- A simple “two words” ritual to decide what you’re bringing into 2026 (and what you’re leaving behind).
- Prompts to identify what you truly desire, including what you might feel embarrassed to say out loud.
- How to reframe desire as a helpful signal instead of something “selfish” you should downplay.
- How to build a project bank so you can choose one focus without feeling like you’re abandoning your other ideas.
- Ways to use simple lists to spark clearer project options.
- How to choose a first-season focus (a three-month container) so you’re not trying to hold the entire year at once.
- The importance of defining what “done” looks like for the season and setting milestones that make progress visible.
- How to design a writing practice while planning for obstacles before they derail you.
- How to set a measurable 30-day goal, choose your first moves, and turn intention into proof.
About London Writers’ Salon:
London Writers’ Salon is a community and membership that helps writers make meaningful progress on their work, stay committed to a writing practice, and find creative friends around the world. Members can build consistency through Writers’ Hour, develop craft through interviews and workshops, and connect with a global community of writers.
Resources & Links:
- Download the free workbook at: community.londonwriterssalon.com/dreamingbig
- Join Writers’ Hour - daily silent writing sessions: writershour.com
- Attend live events and workshops – Become a Member: community.londonwriterssalon.com/membership
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
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Translator, performance artist, writer, and educator Haleh Liza Gafori on translating Rumi with fidelity and music, and what his poetry can teach us about liberation, attention, and love.
You’ll learn:
- Habits Haleh uses to re-centre and get quiet enough to work.
- How she learned to trust sound and rhythm first, and let meaning arrive through the ear.
- The moment she realised she needed to make her own translations, and what triggered that decision.
- A simple test for “is this translation working?”, including why one wrong image can flip the whole poem.
- Principles Haleh uses to keep translations clear, musical, and emotionally true in English.
- What an editor can mean by “find your voice,” and how to develop a consistent voice as a translator.
- How to work with old texts honestly, including naming what doesn’t align with your ethics today.
- What Rumi can teach modern readers about attention, ego, and compassion in daily life.
- How love shows up in Rumi as a discipline, not a vibe, and why that matters in hard times.
- What Haleh is building next, and how teaching can deepen (not dilute) your creative practice.
Resources & Links
- 📄Interview Transcript
- Gold: Poems by Rumi
- Water: Poems by Rumi
- Rumi’s Secret by Brad Gooch
- Haleh’s Website
- Haleh’s Instagram
About Haleh Liza Gafori:
Haleh Liza Gafori is a New York City-born translator, performance artist, writer, and educator of Persian descent. A 2024 MacDowell fellow, she has translated the poetry of the Persian mystic and sage Rumi. Her book of translations, Gold: Poems by Rumi, was published by New York Review Books in 2022. Her second volume of translations, Water: Poems by Rumi, was released in 2025, also by NYRB Classics. Supported by an NYSCA grant, Gafori has created a musical and cross-media performance based on the book, and has presented her work through performances, lectures, and workshops at institutions such as Lincoln Center, Stanford University, the Academy of American Poets, and Sarah Lawrence College. Her book of translations Gold has been incorporated into curricula at universities across the country.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Writer and editor Mason Currey on what artists’ routines can teach us about focus, discipline, procrastination, and building a sustainable creative life.
You'll learn:
- What led Mason to writing, and the early pressures that shaped his relationship with the work.
- Why he started Daily Routines as a side project, and what he was trying to solve with it.
- The moment the blog went viral, and what changed when an audience arrived.
- What it took to turn a quote-collecting blog into a book, including the research and structure behind it.
- Why routines work best when they’re personal and flexible rather than prescriptive.
- Ideas for protecting your best hours, including Nicholson Baker’s “double morning.”
- The difference between physical routine and creative routine, and why both matter.
- A realistic way to design an hour of writing, including what to do when “nothing happens.”
- What Worm Zooms are, and why “small progress” can be a powerful creative philosophy.
- The question underneath every routine: how artists make time for the work while paying the bills.
Resources and Links:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Nicholson Baker Books
- Making Art and Making a Living by Mason Currey
- Daily Rituals by Mason Currey
- Daily Rituals: Women at Work by Mason Currey
- Worm Zooms
- Death in Venice by Thomas Mann
- Mason’s Substack
About Mason Currey
Mason Currey is a writer and editor living in Los Angeles and the author of the Daily Rituals books. In addition to compiling the Daily Rituals books, Currey was a design-magazine editor for ten years, working as the managing editor of Metropolis, the executive editor of Print, a senior editor at Core77, and the programming chair for the 2015 Core77 Conference. His freelance writing has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, and Slate, and he has delivered talks on the creative process to high school and college students, writers’ groups, and the partners of the design consultancy IDEO. Currey is currently writing a new nonfiction book and sending out a fortnightly newsletter on routines, rituals, and wriggling through a creative life.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Debut novelist and 2023 Reese’s Book Club LitUp fellow Allison King on blending history with magical realism, and what it takes to build a writing life while navigating the modern publishing landscape.
We discuss:
- Allison’s early relationship with stories and the role her grandmother played in shaping it.
- The path from fan fiction and short stories to publishing a debut novel.
- The dual timeline and braided structure of The Phoenix Pencil Company, moving between WWII-era Shanghai and contemporary Cambridge.
- Building a magic system at the heart of the novel, and why its consequences matter more than its mechanics.
- Pragmatic outlining and structural tools (including reverse outlining) for managing timeline-heavy drafts.
- Researching family history without turning the book into an autobiography.
- Writing about Alzheimer’s with care, and what Allison learned in revision about emotional precision.
Resources and Links:
- Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
- Redwall by Brian Jacques
- The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King
- Last Boat Out of Shanghai by Helen Zia
- LitUp Fellowship
- Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan
- My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
- A Tale For the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
About Allison King
Allison King is an Asian American writer and software engineer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In technology, her work has ranged from semiconductors to platforms for community conversations to data privacy. Her short stories have appeared in Fantasy Magazine, Diabolical Plots, and LeVar Burton Reads, among others. She is also a 2023 Reese's Book Club LitUp fellow. The Phoenix Pencil Company is her first novel.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Neuroaesthetics researcher Susan Magsamen and Google design leader Ivy Ross on creativity as a biological necessity, intuition, and the aesthetic mindset for a good life.
You'll learn:
- Habits that Susan and Ivy turn to when they need to re-centre.
- What Susan and Ivy are trying to change in the world with their day jobs.
- The beginning of Susan and Ivy working together.
- Clear evidence that proved to Susan and Ivy that their work was needed.
- Advice for using your intuition to be more creative.
- How a writer might find their voice.
- Questions to ask yourself if you’re writing a similar book to Your Brain on Art.
- Principles that Susan and Ivy use to help them live a good life.
- The link between nature and neuroaesthetics.
- The transforming power of journaling.
Resources and Links:
- 📄Interview Transcript
- Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us
- Website
- Neuroarts Resource Center
About Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
Susan Magsamen is the founder and director of the International Arts + Mind Lab, Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she is a faculty member, and she co-directs the NeuroArts Blueprint. Ivy Ross is Vice President of Design for hardware product area at Google, leading an award-winning team, and is also an arts grant recipient and recognised creative leader.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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Poets Mary Jean Chan, David Whyte, and Anthony Anaxagorou read their work and unpack emotional truth, craft choices, and poems built from lived detail.
You'll learn:
- How early “bad” poems can still be soothing and give you a way through angst.
- Why simplicity of voice can beat complexity when a poem needs clarity.
- How form and layout can carry a poem’s physicality, including a modern sonnet’s constraints.
- How to face writer’s block by writing directly about the ways you can’t write.
- Why repetition works in live readings, helping the audience “hear” what just landed.
- How to mine notebooks for strong lines, then iterate through multiple drafts and edits.
- A simple morning practice for capturing overheard language until you find where the poem starts.
Resources and Links:
- Mary Jean Chan: maryjeanchan.com
- David Whyte: davidwhyte.com
- Anthony Anaxagorou: anthonyanaxagorou.com
- Our full episode with Mary Jean Chan, #170: https://podcast.londonwriterssalon.com/episodes/170-mary-jean-chan-emotional-truth-in-contemporary-poetry-imagery-juxtaposition-and-finding-the-right-form
- Our full episode with David Whyte, #32: https://londonwriterssalon.simplecast.com/episodes/032-david-whyte-poetic-imagination-the-way-of-the-poet-PdTckwKE
- Our full episode with Anthony Anaxagorou, #12: https://podcast.londonwriterssalon.com/episodes/012-anthony-anaxagorou-push-past-self-doubt-and-think-like-a-poet-fHa8ehM1
About the poets:
Mary Jean Chan is the author of Flèche and Bright Fear (Faber), and their work has won and been shortlisted for major prizes.
David Whyte is a poet and writer whose books include Consolations and The Bell and the Blackbird, alongside ongoing poetry and speaking work.
Anthony Anaxagorou is a poet and publisher, founder of Out-Spoken, and author of After the Formalities and Heritage Aesthetics.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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What does it mean to turn a life of art, love, and loss into story? How do we write honestly about the people who shaped us? And what can theater teach us about the art of memoir?
In her debut memoir No Stars in Jefferson Park (Northwestern University Press), writer and professor Maggie Andersen tells a Chicago coming-of-age story that alternates between the exhilaration of founding a theater company and the devastating realities of loss, resilience, and rebuilding.
In this conversation with Maggie Andersen, we discuss the craft of storytelling at the intersection of theater and memoir, what it means to write through loss, and the risks and revelations of choosing your own story.
Resources and Links:
- No Stars in Jefferson Park
About Maggie Andersen
Maggie Andersen has published fiction and nonfiction in magazines such as Salt Hill, Blood Orange, the Los Angeles Review, Creative Nonfiction, Grain, Cutbank, and DIAGRAM. She has been a finalist for the Montana Prize for Nonfiction and has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize. She is an Associate Professor of English at Dominican University and an ensemble member at the Gift Theatre. Her debut memoir, No Stars in Jefferson Park, was published by Northwestern University Press in October 2025.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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The Diary of a CEO’s Director of Trailers, Anthony Smith, on capturing attention in the first few seconds, building cliffhangers and emotional momentum that keep audiences watching (or reading), and testing hooks and packaging without losing trust or story.
You'll learn:
- Why you only have 3–5 seconds to earn attention, and what that changes about your opening lines and first scenes.
- How to take the guesswork out of hooks by testing titles and thumbnails to see what audiences actually care about.
- Ways to pull a more compelling later moment forward and work in reverse when the early material is setup.
- What makes a cliffhanger work across books and videos, and how to raise the stakes so people feel “gutted” not knowing the answer.
- How to build an “emotional rollercoaster” so the narrative never flatlines.
- Why sound and silence can help storytelling work, creating intensity and then giving the audience space to breathe.
- How to balance intrigue with respect for your audience by offering a “moment of value” instead of holding everything back.
- Why giving away too much can kill curiosity, and how to protect the reason someone keeps reading or watching.
Resources and Links:
- 📄 Interview transcript
- Michael Bublé on The Diary of a CEO
- The Diary of a CEO YouTube Channel
- Jürgen Klopp on The Diary of a CEO
- Simon Kernick books
- Peter James Books
- Annie Jacobsen on The Diary of a CEO
- Creativity, Inc by Ed Catmull
- The Chimp Paradox by Steve Peters
- Increase Your Productivity! Playlist - The Diary of a CEO
- CapCut for Desktop
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Anthony’s LinkedIn
About Anthony Smith
Anthony Smith is Director of Trailers at The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett, where he leads storytelling through video for one of the world’s most-watched podcasts, and his work spans Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Sky, and Netflix. Through talks and consulting, he helps creators and brands combine narrative craft with human psychology to make emotionally engaging, purposeful content.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
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Poet, novelist, and broadcaster Salena Godden on turning love, grief, and fury into books and poems, surviving years in the wilderness before publication, and sustaining a boundaryless creative life through performance, early-morning writing, and community.
You'll learn:
- Why you don’t have to be a “starving artist” and how to make powerful work while loving yourself and looking after your health.
- How to treat your story as uniquely yours, with material that no one else can reproduce.
- How Salena’s “rule of three” can help you balance meaning, generosity, and income in a creative career.
- Ways to draft poems and prose from an image or phrase and reshape darker early drafts into a final piece.
- How to write for “tomorrow you” first, using self-doubt and a critical future self as fuel for deeper revision.
- What it looks like to carry a memoir from years of rejection to publication without letting the work disappear.
- How to “compose on the lips” by walking, speaking drafts into your phone, and writing in the space between sleep and waking.
- Ways to ground yourself after writing emotionally charged work, including nature, slow rituals, and leaning on trusted loved ones.
Resources and Links:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Salena’s Books:
- Mrs Death Misses Death
- Pessimism is for Lightweights
- With Love, Grief and Fury
- Springfield Road - A Poet's Childhood Revisited
- Fishing in the Aftermath
- Salena's Instagram
- Poets, Musicians, and Authors mentioned:
- Jock Scott
- Shane MacGowan
- John Cooper Clarke
- Neneh Cherry
- Joelle Taylor
- Jenni Fagan
- Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee
- Burning Eye Books
- National Theatre At Home -
- Medea (Greek Tragedy)
- Salena’s Roaring 20s Radio Show (Soho Radio)
About Salena Godden:
Salena Godden FRSL is an award-winning novelist, poet, and broadcaster of mixed Jamaican–Irish heritage, and the author of the acclaimed debut novel Mrs Death Misses Death, which won the Indie Book Awards for Fiction and the People’s Book Prize and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards and the Gordon Burn Prize. Her books include the poetry collections Pessimism is for Lightweights – 30 Pieces of Courage and Resistance and With Love, Grief and Fury, and the literary childhood memoir Springfield Road: A Poet’s Childhood Revisited, and she is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Patron of Hastings Book Festival, and an Honorary Fellow of West Dean, Sussex.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Award-winning poet Mary Jean Chan on emotional truth in contemporary poetry, the imagery and juxtaposition that hold big feelings on the page, writing queerness, family and grief with care, and what submissions and prize judging reveal about poems that endure.
You'll learn:
- Why emotional truth sits at the centre of Mary Jean’s work and how you can use it as a compass in your own poems.
- How to move from a single striking line into a finished poem by working on rhythm, line breaks, and imagery.
- What juxtaposition and understatement can do for poems about grief and other intense subjects (and how to avoid tipping into melodrama).
- How to decide whether a memory or idea belongs in a poem, a short story, or another form.
- Ways to write about queerness, family, and other vulnerable themes while setting boundaries that protect your relationships and your wellbeing.
- How to approach submissions, rejections, and prize lists so they support a long-term poetry practice rather than define your worth.
- What reading and judging for major prizes can teach you about sentences, images, and books that stand out in a crowded field.
- How to sustain a poetry life alongside teaching, study, and care by staying attentive to everyday moments and small pockets of time.
Resources and Links:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Adrienne Rich
- Poetry School
- Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
- Submit your work to Faber
- Pity by Andrew McMillan
- Billy-Ray Belcourt
- National Poetry Competition
- The Window by Mary Jean Chan
- Seamus Heaney
- Mary Oliver
- Western Lane by Chetna Maroo
- Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
- Whereas by Layli Long Soldier
- Contact page
About Mary Jean Chan
Mary Jean Chan is the author of the poetry collections Flèche and Bright Fear; Flèche won the Costa Book Award for Poetry and was shortlisted for multiple international prizes, while Bright Fear was a Guardian Best Poetry Book of 2023 and shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Writers’ Prize, and the Dylan Thomas Prize. They co-edited 100 Queer Poems, co-wrote Siblings, teach poetry on the MSt in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford, and have judged major awards including the Booker Prize and the Dylan Thomas Prize.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Bestselling novelist Adele Parks on her writing life, routines and techniques, character work, and creative strategies that have kept her stories fresh and her readership devoted for over two decades.
You'll learn:
- How Adele moved from imitating other writers to trusting her own voice and background.
- How loss and adversity can shape resilience and urgency in writing.
- Why Adele treats discipline as a secret weapon and uses daily word targets to deliver a book a year.
- How to test ideas and use character interviews to build stories.
- How Adele outlines chapters, tracks point of view balance, and keeps multiple narrators emotionally coherent.
- The truth about plot in commercial fiction and what to do if you feel like “nothing happens” in your writing.
- How to handle criticism and reviews while still writing primarily to fulfil yourself.
- Why Adele writes to connect with readers, what “adding to the sum of happiness” means to her, and how she stays grounded around money and success.
Resources and Links:
- 📑 Interview Transcript
- Adele in Platinum Magazine
- Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes
- Our Beautiful Mess by Adele Parks
- Playing Away by Adele Parks
- Lies Lies Lies by Adele Parks
- Adele’s Instagram
About Adele Parks
Adele Parks is the author of 25 bestselling novels, including the Sunday Times number one hits Lies Lies Lies and Just My Luck; over six million English editions of her books have been sold, and her work has been translated into 31 languages. She is an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust and the Reading Agency in the UK, and in 2022 she was awarded an MBE for services to literature.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
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Self-published authors Anne Ditmeyer and Martin Lake share what it really takes to go indie, from choosing platforms and budgeting for editing, design, and ISBNs to redefining success, avoiding scams, and playing the long game of finding readers and building a sustainable writing life.
You'll learn:
- Why Anne and Martin chose self-publishing over traditional routes and how they framed readers as their gatekeepers.
- How both authors define success beyond bestseller lists, from “book as business card” to improving the craft across 25 books.
- The real timelines of an indie career, including slow early sales, backlist effects, and why self-publishing is a marathon, not a sprint.
- What a realistic budget looks like for editing, design, typesetting, audiobooks, and print on demand, plus where they chose to DIY or outsource.
- How they use platforms such as Kindle Direct Publishing, Lulu, IngramSpark, Draft2Digital, and Shopify, and why most sales still come through Amazon.
- Practical approaches to marketing that do not require a huge following, including series, mailing lists, events, workshops, and using your existing communities.
- The role of ISBNs, imprints, metadata, and print on demand for getting into libraries and bookstores, and why in-store placement is harder than it looks.
- Red flags to watch for with third-party “publishing services” and why due diligence can save you thousands in fees and frustration.
Resources and Links:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Martin Lake’s Author Page
- Override by Anne Ditmeyer
- Reedsy
- Lulu
- Fiverr
- Blurb
- Bookshop.org
- Ingram Spark
- Anne Ditmeyer Resources
About the panelists:
Martin Lake is a historical novelist who discovered his love of history and writing early in life and later combined those interests after careers as a teacher, college lecturer, conference planner, and business owner. He has written 25 novels and several short story collections set from ancient Minoan times to the present day, earning around $275,000 in royalties, most of it from self-published ebooks, and now focuses on writing series fiction, running writing groups, and sharing what he has learned about the indie long game.
Anne Ditmeyer is a Paris-based designer turned writer, creative coach, and workshop facilitator who is American by birth and French by “hard work.” She runs global creative workshops such as Write Your Own Rules and Mapping Your Path, is known for her playful “banana mapping” exercises, and in 2024 self-published her first book, Override: What if there was another way? A pocket playbook for possibility, using platforms like Lulu, IngramSpark, and Amazon to distribute a small-format book that doubles as a business card for her workshops and speaking.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Anna Davis, novelist, agent, and founder of Curtis Brown Creative, shares how to turn a messy first draft into a strong, market-ready novel through diagnostic editing, practical rewriting tools, and a clear understanding of what agents actually look for.
You'll learn:
- Why every writer’s process is different (and why messy drafts are fine).
- How to diagnose problems mid-novel and bring a manuscript back to life.
- The Rewrite Doctor method: creating distance, interrogating your story, and planning the edit.
- How to stress-test structure, plot, and pacing without relying on rigid templates.
- Using prompts and “play” to loosen up when you’re stuck.
- How to choose between competing novel ideas and know which has real legs.
- What agents are truly looking for and how to make your submission stand out.
- Common myths about publishing (and what actually happens behind the scenes).
Resources and Links:
- Curtis Brown Creative Courses
- CBC Editorial Services
- Friend Request by Laura Marshall
- The Rewrite Doctor Course
- Edit and Pitch Your Novel
- Book a consultation with Curtis Brown Creative
- Writers’ Hour
About Anna Davis
Anna Davis is the founder and Director of Curtis Brown Creative, a leading UK writing school she launched in 2011. She’s the author of five novels published in twenty languages, a former journalist and Guardian columnist, and previously worked as a literary agent at Curtis Brown and a creative-writing lecturer at the University of Manchester.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Literary agent and author Kate McKean shares how to pitch like a human, read rejection letters usefully, and protect your joy so you can build a durable writing life.
You'll learn:
- How to build a clear 1–2 line pitch others can repeat and sell.
- How to read rejection letters, spot strong notes, and decide when to revise.
- Query etiquette and timelines: when to follow up and how resubmissions work.
- Fixing weak nonfiction proposals with clearer scope, audience, and takeaway.
- Write for the reader: comp titles, positioning, and a useful synopsis.
- US vs UK agenting models and what that means for money and process.
- Why agents don’t steal ideas and why execution is what matters.
- Self-publishing realities: expectations, track records, and when it helps the book.
Resources and Links:
- 📑 Interview Transcript
- Agents & Books Substack
- Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
- Write Through It
- Howard Morhaim Literary Agency
About Kate McKean
Kate McKean is a literary agent at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency, author of Write Through It, and the writer of the Agents & Books newsletter; she represents a wide range of fiction and nonfiction and fields hundreds of queries each month.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Debut novelist Carys Shannon on how to stay true to your voice through submissions and agent feedback, why an editorially led indie press was the right home for her book, and the craft that brought it to life.
We discuss:
- How to decide what your book wants to be and center its emotional life.
- Submission strategy after competitions: reading agent feedback without losing your vision.
- Indie presses 101: editorially led models, scale, and alignment.
- Contracts with a small press: advances, rights splits, and what to expect.
- Publicity with an indie: bespoke support and realistic reach.
- Craft choices that unlocked the book: first-person present vs close third, “killing your darlings.”
- Landscape as character.
- Redefining success through integrity of voice.
Resources and Links:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Truth Like Water
- Cree
- Hummingbird by Tristan Hughes
- Mslexia Indie Press Guide
- Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
About Carys Shannon
Carys Shannon is a Welsh writer whose debut novel Truth Like Water (Parthian Books) was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award and the Mslexia Novel Award, shortlisted for the Caledonia Novel Award, and winner of the Jericho Writers Festival of Writing Prize. Her short fiction has appeared with Honno Press, Parthian Books, and Mslexia Magazine, with work broadcast on BBC Radio 4. She’s originally from North Gower, Swansea, and divides her time between Wales and the Spanish Pyrenees.
About Parthian Books
Parthian is an independent, editorially led publisher based in Cardigan, Wales. Founded in 1993, it champions debut and regional voices across contemporary fiction, poetry, drama, non-fiction, and literature in translation.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Head of Books at the Madeleine Milburn Agency, Liv Maidment, shares how literary agents read, evaluate, and champion submissions (from pitches and comps to strategy, timelines, and today’s AI-driven market), helping writers pitch their work clearly and confidently.
You'll learn:
- How to build a snappy 1–2 line elevator pitch that helps everyone down the chain sell your book (“the art of summing something up in one or two sentences”).
- Tips for writing comp titles and using them smartly.
- Blurbs vs synopses: how the pitch sells your book while the synopsis tells your book.
- What strong synopses and author bios must include: how much to reveal, and why they matter.
- Why agent editorial and development with an agent still matter.
- Today’s submission etiquette: realistic timelines, when to chase, and how resubmissions work.
- Market and positioning: genres currently on the rise, platform and geography demystified (do you need social media, does location matter).
- Implications of AI in today's publishing landscape: contracts, transparency, and more.
- More exclusive insight and advice for writers from an expert on the other side of the publishing industry.
Resources and Links:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Madeleine Milburn Website
- Submission FAQs
About Liv Maidment
Liv Maidment is Head of Books at the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency, representing a prizewinning list of literary, upmarket, and book club fiction. She previously worked at The Blair Partnership and United Agents and has brokered major UK and North American deals, guiding debut and established authors throughout their careers.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Indyana Schneider—international opera singer and novelist—shares practical ways to write rhythm and desire on the page, craft scene-level tension, and shape compressed-time narratives; plus lessons from drafting her debut on the Tube.
You'll learn:
- How to build sentence-level cadence: vary lengths and read aloud to tune flow.
- A simple spine for short-timeframe novels: day-by-day beats, rising stakes, a final choice.
- Where to start and stop scenes so pages move (start late, leave early).
- Writing desire without cliché: stay in character voice; revise for rhythm and clarity.
- Turning musical training into prose: sensory sequencing that guides attention.
- When to query (and what “ready” looked like) plus handling editorial feedback.
- Smart ways to measure success beyond sales and keep momentum across careers.
Resources and Links:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Since the World is Ending by Indyana Schneider
- 28 Questions by Indyana Schneider
- If the World Was Ending by JP Saxe ft Julia Michaels
- What Makes a Bestseller? | Jonny Geller | TEDxOxford
- ReaderBank
- One Day by David Nicholls
- Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis
- So Thrilled for You by Holly Bourne
- The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye
- Love in Exile by Shon Faye
- I Love You, I Love You, I Love You by Laura Dockrill
- Indy’s Instagram
About Indyana Schneider
Indyana Schneider is an international opera singer and novelist from Sydney. She studied Music at Oxford and Opera in Hanover, completed training at the Zurich Opera studio, and now performs across the UK, Europe, and Australia. She is the author of 28 Questions and Since the World Is Ending, a novel set over a sweltering weekend in Vienna, steeped in music, desire, and consequence.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Natalie Lue, bestselling author and writer (Baggage Reclaim) shares how she shaped her mini-memoirs Let Go (Family & Friction) with The Pound Project, why intention is your best editor, and the inner tools that helped her write through grief, illness, and complicated family ties — without turning her life into content.
You’ll learn
- How to decide if you’re writing from the scar or the wound.
- Practical ways to protect yourself on the page: boundaries, pauses, and purpose.
- A simple test for what stays in your memoir and what gets cut.
- Why journaling and “scrap-paper noodling” reveal patterns you can’t see in real time.
- How a small, focused publisher like The Pound Project co-builds a project — and what they look for in pitches.
- The mindset shift of “hold it lightly” when outcomes are uncertain.
- Gratitude for your past self as a creative survival skill.
Natalie’s reflection prompts:
- What am I pretending not to already know?
- What am I clinging to — and what would it mean to let it go?
- Who will I become if I let go? Who will I keep being if I don’t?
- What pattern keeps replaying in my journals — and what’s it trying to teach me?
- What do I need to feel safe enough to tell the truth?
Resources and Links:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- The Baggage Reclaim Sessions
- The Pound Project
- Email for The Pound Project - editor@poundproject.co.uk
- Let Go by Natalie Lue
About Natalie Lue:
Natalie is a writer, speaker, and host of The Baggage Reclaim Sessions, a podcast with 3M+ downloads across 140+ countries. Her books include The Joy of Saying No (Harper Horizon) and self-published titles such as Mr Unavailable and the Fallback Girl. In Let Go (The Pound Project), she explores a decade marked by estrangement, loss, illness, and publishing, showing how releasing what no longer serves can restore creative power and clarity.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Sarah Hall—twice Booker Prize–nominated author and the only writer to win the BBC National Short Story Award twice—on crafting fiction that is both lush and uncompromising, and how to captivate readers on the sentence level while staying true to creative freedom.
We discuss:
- Her early reading life in the countryside and the characters who first sparked her imagination
- Lessons learned from an “unpublishable” first novel and how Haweswater found its true form
- The discipline and intuition behind her writing process and when to share drafts
- Why handwriting first drafts rekindled a sense of play and sharpened her editing
- How to build short stories that hold “the world on a pin” and reverberate beyond the page
- Giving voice to Britain’s only named wind in Helm and weaving folklore, climate themes, and playfulness
- Discerning a story’s ending and sustaining joy in the writing process
About Sarah Hall
Sarah Hall is one of Britain’s most acclaimed contemporary authors. Twice nominated for the Booker Prize and the first and only writer to win the BBC National Short Story Award twice, she is the author of ten acclaimed novels and short story collections, including Haweswater, The Electric Michelangelo, The Carhullan Army, and Burntcoat. Her latest novel, Helm, blends myth, climate anxiety, and playful storytelling to bring Britain’s only named wind to life.
Resources and Links:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Helm
- The Helm Wind, the only named wind in Britain - the Met Office
- Sarah’s Website
- Sarah’s books
- Haweswater
- The Electric Michelangelo
- How to Paint a Dead Man
- The Carhullan Army
- Burntcoat
- “The Grotesques” - BBC National Short Story Award Winner
- Interview with Sarah Hall in The Guardian
- Faber & Faber - Sarah’s publisher
- Lee Brackstone - Sarah’s editor
- Z for Zachariahby Robert C. O’Brien
- Sombrero Falloutby Richard Brautigan
- Is A River Alive?by Robert Macfarlane
- Light Years by James Salter
- Hilary Mantel’s Website
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Nicolas Cole—digital writer, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Ship 30 for 30, Premium Ghostwriting Academy, Typeshare, and Write With AI—on building a portfolio of writing businesses, ghostwriting as a path for writers, and how to balance art and commerce.
We discuss:
- How poetry kept him creatively grounded while building businesses
- Why every piece of writing answers a question
- Career paths to making money as a writer today
- The power of ghostwriting for skill and income
- How AI changes (and doesn’t change) the job of a writer
- Building consistent writing systems and habits
- How to focus when you have too many ideas + other mindset shifts to scale businesses and find creative clarity
About Nicolas Cole
Nicolas Cole is a digital writer, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Ship 30 for 30, Premium Ghostwriting Academy, Typeshare, and Write With AI. He first rose to prominence as the #1 most-read writer on Quora, later writing a popular column for Inc Magazine. He has ghostwritten for hundreds of entrepreneurs, artists, and authors, and is the author of The Art & Business of Online Writing and The Art & Business of Ghostwriting. Today, he helps writers build sustainable careers by mastering both the art and the business of writing.
Resources and Links:
- 📑 Interview Transcript
- nicolascole.com
- Premium Ghostwriting Academy
- Ship30for30
- Commercial Fiction Club
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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Chris Banks—writer, entrepreneur, and founder of ProWritingAid—on how to embrace what makes you unique, use AI as a tool for inspiration, and build resilience and joy into the writing process, from creating faster feedback loops to reframing the creative pit of despair.
We discuss:
- Why “leaning into your weird” can unlock originality and stronger ideas
- Where you might use AI for inspiration.
- How to overcome the ‘creative pit of despair’
- Why faster feedback loops can be helpful for your craft
- How gratitude fuels creativity and flow
- What both entrepreneurs and writers need to know about resilience and joy
About Chris Banks
Chris Banks is a writer, entrepreneur, and the CEO and founder of ProWritingAid, the editing tool trusted by millions of authors worldwide. With a background in software development and a lifelong passion for writing, he built ProWritingAid to make the editing process more empowering for writers of all levels. His forthcoming book, The Writer’s Mind, explores how resilience, joy, and creative practice can help writers overcome obstacles and sustain their craft.
Resources and Links:
- ProWritingAid
- Chris Banks
Episode Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by Scrivener. It’s a tool many of us use at the Salon. It’s a great system to accompany you through the whole writing process from research, editing, organization, formatting, and exporting. To find out more about Scrivener, head to Scrivener.app. To get 20% off, use code WRITERSSALON.
For show notes, transcripts, and to attend our live podcasts, visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours:
writershour.com
.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Amie McNee—creativity coach and writer behind the popular account @InspiredToWrite—on how to stay grounded through success and setbacks, forge a creative life on your own terms, and why art is both essential and revolutionary.
We discuss:
- How to deal with rejection
- Advice for artists starting out on social media
- Tips and reflections on self-publishing and book deals
- Why the world needs your art
- How to start trusting yourself as an artist (and deal with jealousy)
- Having big dreams and low standards
- And more exclusive insights for writers and creatives
About Amie McNee:
Amie is a trained historian turned creativity coach, writer, and speaker best known for her popular Instagram account, @InspiredtoWrite and The Unpublished Podcast. She’s self-published two historical fiction novels: The Rules Upheld by No One, Regrettably, I Am About to Cause Trouble. Her latest book is We Need Your Art: Stop Fcking Around and Make Something,* a manifesto on the vital, human importance of creating.
Resources and Links:
- Amie’s Ted Talk (The case for making art when the world is on fire)
- The Rules Upheld by No One by Amie McNee
- Amie’s Instagram
- Amie’s Substack
- We Need Your Art by Amie McNee
- The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin
Episode Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by Scrivener. It’s a tool many of us use at the Salon. It’s a great system to accompany you through the whole writing process from research, editing, organization, formatting, and exporting. To find out more about Scrivener, head to Scrivener.app. To get 20% off, use code WRITERSSALON.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Poet, novelist, and teacher Joseph Fasano on how to find the unique language and rhythm in our work, building a meaningful online presence, and why he believes that embracing limits in life (and writing) is key to creative freedom.
We discuss:
- Joseph’s creative evolution, from astrophysics to poetry
- Why studying craft is essential
- The value of constraint and rhythm in unlocking creativity
- How he found his voice, and why he writes persona poems
- Building a meaningful career outside of traditional publishing
- Advice for poets starting out (with or without an MFA)
- The story behind The Magic Words and teaching poetic thinking
- How faith and service shape his creative practice
About Joseph Fasano
Joseph Fasano is an award-winning poet, novelist, and teacher whose lyrical storytelling has captivated readers on the page and across social media, where he’s built a following of over 100,000. His work—translated into more than a dozen languages—includes poetry collections (The Magic Words, Inheritance, The Last Song of the World), novels (The Swallows of Lunetto, The Dark Heart of Every Wild Thing), and lyrical prose. He’s received the Rattle Poetry Prize, the Cider Press Review Book Award, and a Poets’ Prize nomination. A passionate educator, Joseph teaches poetry workshops through the Fasano Academy and fosters creative community online.
Resources and Links:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Fasano Academy
- Boa Editions
- New Pages
- The Magic Words
- Joseph’s Instagram
- Caedmon by Denise Levertov
Episode Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by Scrivener. It’s a tool many of us use at the Salon. It’s a great system to accompany you through the whole writing process from research, editing, organization, formatting, and exporting. To find out more about Scrivener, head to Scrivener.app. To get 20% off, use code WRITERSSALON.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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George Walkley, AI strategist and former publishing executive at Hachette, on what writers need to know about artificial intelligence, how it’s reshaping the creative and publishing industries, and how to use it responsibly in your writing life.
We discuss:
- How George transitioned from traditional publishing to AI consulting
- The difference between AI probability and human creativity
- Why everyone should develop “prompt literacy”
- How publishing houses and bookselling platforms are already using AI
- The challenges of AI detection, authorship disclosure & ethical sourcing
- The environmental cost of AI — and how it compares to other tools
- Why AI is already embedded in tools we use every day
- How writers can make informed, personal choices around AI use
- And more exclusive tips for writers and creatives
About George Walkley
George Walkley is an independent consultant specialising in AI and the publishing industry. He has developed and delivers the world’s first independent, CPD-accredited AI course aimed specifically at the publishing industry and has trained people from over 200 publishing organisations. Prior to this, he held senior roles at Hachette.
Resources and Links:
- 📑 Interview Transcript
- Open letter to publishers
- Mistral AI
- Society of Authors
- Jane Friedman
- George’s newsletter
Episode Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by Scrivener. It’s a tool many of us use at the Salon. It’s a great system to accompany you through the whole writing process from research, editing, organization, formatting, and exporting. To find out more about Scrivener, head to Scrivener.app. To get 20% off, use code WRITERSSALON.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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Gretchen Rubin—bestselling author of The Happiness Project and The Four Tendencies on how self-awareness shapes her creative process, the habits that sustain her writing life, and how she wrote her latest nonfiction book Secrets of Adulthood.
We discuss:
- How Gretchen found her voice and path as a writer
- Dealing with naysayers & rejection
- Building confidence and redefining “success” in the early stages
- How to structure and sustain a long-term writing practice
- Her favorite aphorisms—and how she uses them as creative tools
- Why time management is personal
- How to simplify big ideas into meaningful insights
- And more exclusive tips for writers and creatives
Resources and Links:
Books She's Reading:
- The English Understand Wool
- Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
- Upcountry by Nelson DeMille
Gretchen's Website & Books mentioned
- Gretchen’s Website: https://gretchenrubin.com/
- Secrets of Adulthood
- The Four Tendences
- Forty Ways to Look at JFK
About Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most influential and thought-provoking observers of happiness and human nature. She’s known for her ability to convey complex ideas—from science to literature to stories from her own life—with levity and clarity.
She’s the author of many bestselling books, such as The Happiness Project, Better Than Before, Life in Five Senses and The Four Tendencies, which have sold millions of copies in more than thirty languages. Her most recent book is Secrets of Adulthood.
She’s also host of the popular podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin and founder of award-winning Happier app which helps people track their happiness-boosting habits.
Our Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by Scrivener. It’s a tool many of us use at the Salon. It’s a great system to accompany you through the whole writing process from research, editing, organization, formatting, and exporting. To find out more about Scrivener, head to Scrivener.app. To get 20% off, use code WRITERSSALON.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
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Francesca Simon is the legendary author of over 60 books for children, including the global bestselling Horrid Henry series, which has been translated into 27 languages. Her books have sold over 25 million copies. She talks to us about early rejection, finding fame, reinventing her voice to write librettos, and her first foray into adult fiction with Salka: The exquisite retelling of the tragic myth of the Lady of the Lake.
Francesca was appointed MBE in 2023 and continues to advocate for literacy and storytelling across generations.
RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Salka by Francesca Simon
- Goodreads
- Francesca’s Website
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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How do you write a great query letter, find the right agent, and stand out in today’s crowded submissions inbox? In this special compilation episode, four top literary agents: Ed Wilson, Lucinda Halpern, Madeleine Milburn & Sam Copeland, share their honest advice on getting signed, writing marketable books, and navigating today's publishing industry.
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Timestamps:
Ed Wilson - 1:01
Lucinda Literary - 19:11
Madeleine Milburn - 37:20
Sam Copeland - 48:47
ABOUT THE LITERARY AGENTS
Ed Wilson is a literary agent and director at Johnson & Alcock, a London-based literary agency with a diverse and developing list of authors of fiction and nonfiction. He represents everything from award-winning literary fiction to bestselling crime, science-fiction, and fantasy.
- Ed's profile at Johnson & Alcock
- Ed's Twitter account
- Johnson & Alcock's submission guidelines
- Full LWS episode: #071: Ed Wilson — Submitting to Agents & Navigating Publishing, Junior vs Experienced Agents, How to Follow up with Agents, Smaller vs Larger Literary Agencies
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Lucinda Literary is a New York literary agent and the author of Get Signed: Find an Agent, Land a Book Deal, and Become a Published Author. She represents a range of New York Times and internationally bestselling authors in the categories of business, health, lifestyle, popular science, narrative nonfiction, memoir, and upmarket fiction.
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- Get Signed: Find an Agent, Land a Book Deal, and Become a Published Author
- Lucinda Literary
- Follow up question? Get in touch with Lucinda here.
- Full LWS episode: #96: Lucinda Halpern — How to Get Signed With a Literary Agent, Unlock Your Book’s Big Idea, Query Letter Essentials, Unconventional Ways to Engage With Beta-Readers
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Madeleine Milburn has been responsible for discovering some of the highest-selling and award-winning contemporary authors who consistently hit the bestseller lists in the New York Times, including Nita Prose (The Maid), Costa Book Award winner and bestseller Gail Honeyman (Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine). She represents bestselling crime and thriller brands including C.L. Taylor, C.J Tudor, Mark Edwards and Teresa Driscoll.
- Website
- Submitting your work to the Madeleine Milburn Agency
- Full LWS episode: #064: Madeleine Milburn — Catching an Agent's Eye & Building an Author-First Agency
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Sam Copeland was shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year at the 2020 and 2021 British Book Awards and selected for the Bookseller's Most Influential People in Publishing in 2020. He welcomes e-mail submissions and can be contacted on sam@rcwlitagency.com. He is also a children’s author. His Charlie Changes series was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book of the Year shortlisted
- Sam Copeland
- RCW Literary Agency
- Full LWS episode: #118: Sam Copeland — How to Catch The Eye Of A Literary Agent, Compelling Pitch Letters & Writing Funny Children’s Fiction
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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What if uncertainty wasn’t something to fear, but your greatest creative ally?
Dr. Margaret Heffernan—author, entrepreneur, and TED speaker—on how artists and writers thrive in chaotic times. We also talk about embracing the unknown, navigating AI-driven anxiety, and staying creatively resilient in a world that rewards certainty.
We discuss:
- Margaret’s early creative life and career across TV, tech & writing
- What artists can teach us about navigating uncertainty
- Why AI can’t replicate the human imagination
- How writers manage doubt, income & purpose
- The danger of over-planning and the value of wandering
- Lessons from writing Embracing Uncertainty under deadline
- Making peace with the chapter that always fights back
- The creative power of soft focus & soaking up the world
About Margaret Heffernan
Margaret Heffernan is an award-winning author, entrepreneur, and former BBC producer. She has written seven books, including Willful Blindness—named one of the most important business books of the decade by the Financial Times—and her latest, Embracing Uncertainty. Her TED Talks have over 15 million views, and she writes regularly for the Financial Times and BBC Radio 4. She is Professor of Practice at the University of Bath and mentors leaders around the world.
Resources and Links:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- The Human Skills We Need in an Unpredictable World - TED Talk
- Embracing Uncertainty
- Unchartred
- Margaret’s Substack
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Celebrated writer and memoirist Melissa Febos on the art of the memoir, the alchemy of personal experience and literary craft, and how to turn the raw material of life into art. We also her latest book, The Dry Season, where she examines the solitude, freedoms, and feminist heroes Febos found during a year of celibacy.
We also talk about:
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Writing the unspeakable and undoing shame.
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The role of research and personal obsession in memoir.
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Finding structure through inventory, list-making & reflection.
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Balancing vulnerability with privacy on the page.
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How Melissa decides what’s hers to tell—and when.
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Her advice on discouragement, creative play & sustaining the practice.
ABOUT MELISSA FEBOS
Melissa Febos is the nationally bestselling author of four books, including Girlhood, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism, and Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative. She has received fellowships and awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, NEA, LAMBDA Literary, the British Library, and more. Her essays appear in The Paris Review, The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, and Best American Essays. She is a full professor at the University of Iowa and lives in Iowa City with her wife, poet Donika Kelly.
RESOURCES & LINKS:
📑 Interview Transcript (forthcoming)
- Order a Signed Copy of The Dry Season
- Pre Order The Dry Season
- The Dry Season
- Melisa’s Website
- Whip Smart
- Abandon Me
- Body Work
- “Living Like Weasels” by Annie Dillard
- Belgian Beguines
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Legendary Seth Godin, bestselling author of Linchpin, Purple Cow, The Dip, Tribes, and The Practice on wrestling with creative resistance, getting past self-doubt, and how to build a resilient creative practice that thrives—even in an age of AI
We talk about:
- Why writing isn’t about talent—but about creating the conditions for skill
- Why “Do you like it?” is the wrong question to ask
- And how to build a resilient creative practice that thrives—even in an age of AI
- How to keep going when there’s no map and no promise of success
About Seth Godin
Seth Godin is the author of 21 bestselling books that have reshaped the way people think about marketing, leadership, and creative work. His books have been translated into 39 languages and include Linchpin, Purple Cow, The Dip, Tribes, and The Practice. He’s also the founder of altMBA, the Carbon Almanac, and multiple pioneering ventures in the online business world. Seth writes one of the most popular blogs in the world and continues to inspire millions of creators to make and ship work that matters.
Resources and Links:
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- The Song of Significance by Seth Godin
- The Practice by Seth Godin
- altMBA
- How to Decide by Annie Duke
- The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
- The Carbon Almanac
- Elizabeth Gilbert on Hobby, Job, Career & Vocation
- A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
- purple.space
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
How can you make your life and work more meaningful?
Bestselling author Tim Duggan on ideating and writing bestselling non fiction books, creating killer opening lines and plotting. We also talk about how to unclog our creativity, find meaning in our work and life through a simple hack.
We discuss:
- Tim’s outlining and editing process for non-fiction
- Finding the “anchor points” that define your personal values
- How to identify and shape a powerful book question
- The case for working less, but more meaningfully
- Building your Substack and ecosystem of trust with readers
- Lessons from the happiest country on Earth
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About Tim Duggan
Tim Duggan is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and former media executive with a passion for meaningful work and big ideas. He co-founded Junkee Media, one of Australia’s leading independent publishers, and served as Chair of the Digital Publishers Alliance. His books Cult Status and Killer Thinking became celebrated guides for purpose-driven businesses and creatives, and his latest, Work Backwards, explores how we can redesign work and life around what truly matters. Tim also writes on his Substack OUTLET, lives in Mallorca with his husband, and speaks globally about creativity, optimism, and the future of work.
Resources and Links:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Cult Status by Tim Duggan
- Doppleganger by Naomi Klein
- Scrivener
- The Work Backwards Soundtrack
- OUTLET - Tim’s Substack
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- The Book Publicist
- Perplexity AI
- Getting Things Done by David Allen
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Mark Haddon, bestselling author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, A Spot of Bother, and The Red House on his process writing 18 books, including his latest book Dogs & Monsters, plus how he approaches success and failure.
We discuss:
- Why writing begins before you start writing
- Creating strong beginnings
- How poetry can expand your creative range
- Writing without a map
- On self-doubt, impostor syndrome & trusting your instincts
- The value of conflict, myth, and compression in storytelling
- Publishing realities, artistic risk, and protecting your creative spark
About Mark Haddon
Mark Haddon is the author of the internationally bestselling novels The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, A Spot of Bother, and The Red House. His debut novel won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and inspired a Tony Award–winning play. A multidisciplinary artist, Mark has also written award-winning poetry, radio dramas, children’s books, and TV screenplays. He teaches creative writing for the Arvon Foundation and lives in Oxford, England.
Resources and Links:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Mark’s Instagram
- Mark’s books
- Dogs and Monsters by Mark Haddon
- Origins of the Universe by Albert Hinkelbein
- The Evolution of Man - Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Evolution of Man by J. Jelinek
- Conflict and Compassion Poems About War
- The Horses by Edwin Muir
- Poems by RS Thomas
- Jackanory
- Helm by Sarah Hall
- Tithonus| Greek Mythology
- Sappho Fragments
- Paul Farley Poet
- Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower
- Garnons-Williams & James Spackman
- Arvon’s courses
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About Arvon:
Arvon is the UK’s leading creative writing charity. For over 55 years, Arvon’s creative writing courses have been linking aspiring writers with successful authors, and they are a significant and celebrated part of the British literary landscape. Arvon passionately believes that everyone can benefit from the transformative power of creative writing. It hosts residential, online and community-based writing courses and events, embracing over 6,000 people each year, tutored by some of the most respected writers in the UK today.
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
What does it take to craft a pitch that truly grabs attention in today’s publishing world? In this conversation, Jane Friedman—publishing industry expert and author of The Business of Being a Writer shares her journey into the publishing world and she shares her advice for writers looking to perfect their submission materials and navigate the ever-changing publishing landscape.
We discuss:
- How to craft a compelling pitch that stands out
- The balance between art and business for writers
- Common myths about pitching and the publishing industry
- Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing: What to know
- Protecting your writing in the age of AI
- How to adapt to the evolving publishing landscape and stay realistic about success
- Understanding the real costs and considerations of hybrid publishing
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Resources and Links:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Roxane Gay - World of Wakanda
- Monica Byrne
- Kate McKean Substack
- Jane’s Website
- Submissions materials
- Jane’s Website - publishing paths - traditional vs alt publishing
- Created By Humans
- Jane’s books
JANE FRIEDMAN
Jane Friedman has over 25 years of experience in publishing and is a trusted voice in the industry. She is the author of The Business of Being a Writer and publishes The Hot Sheet and The Bottom Line newsletters, which are read by over 40,000 writers and publishing professionals. Jane’s expertise has been featured in major outlets like The New York Times, NPR, and BBC. She’s an educator, speaker, and a leading authority on the business of writing.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Alda Sigmundsdóttir is a journalist, author, and independent publisher who has built a thriving literary life outside the traditional system. From blogging about Iceland to launching her own press, Alda has published over 11 books and grown a loyal global readership—while staying in full control of her creative work.
We discuss:
- Alda’s early writing career and transition to self-publishing
- What she learned from being traditionally published
- The freedom and responsibility of going indie
- How she built and nurtured a global readership
- Her approach to writing about people, culture, and the past
- Lessons from promoting across genres and writing memoir
- Mindset shifts and skills that supported her success
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ABOUT ALDA SIGMUNDSDÓTTIR
Alda Sigmundsdóttir is a writer, speaker, and independent publisher based in Reykjavík, Iceland. She’s the author of over 10 books exploring Icelandic culture and society, and the memoir Daughter. She writes two popular Substack newsletters (Letter from Iceland and The Recovery Salon), runs her own publishing house (Little Books Publishing), and teaches a course on going indie.
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RESOURCES & LINKS:
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Alda's 'Going Indie' course - LWSAUTHOR for $100 off (Valid until the end of June)
- Free webinar - Building an Audience for your Books
- Alda’s Substack Post - Women on Top
- Living Inside the Meltdown
- The Little Book of the Icelanders in the Old Days
- Daughter - Alda’s Memoir
- The Recovery Salon - Alda’s Second Substack
- Alda’s Website
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Award-winning and bestselling author Maggie O’Farrell Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait author takes us behind the scenes of her creative process—from the early struggles of starting out to the discipline and instinct that shape her acclaimed novels.
We explore the irresistible drive to write, the role of characters in steering a story, and how she blends history with imagination. Maggie also shares her thoughts on revision, redrafting without ego, and what it really takes to endure in the writing life.
We discuss:
- The insatiable urge to write and the challenges of beginning a novel
- Letting characters lead and reshaping a story mid-draft
- Weaving fact and fiction in historical narratives
- Why revision is where the real writing happens
- Honest feedback, creative resilience, and writing for the long haul
ABOUT MAGGIE O'FARRELL
Maggie O’Farrell is the author of Hamnet (winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award) and I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death, both Sunday Times number 1 bestsellers. Her other works include The Marriage Portrait, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, After You’d Gone, The Hand That First Held Mine (winner of the Costa Novel Award), and Instructions for a Heatwave. Maggie’s work is praised for its lyrical prose, emotional depth, and its ability to bring overlooked historical figures to life.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Transcript (unedited)
- Arvon
- Upcoming Arvon Courses
- The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
- Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
- I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell
- “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning
- Alessandro Allori's portrait of Lucrezia D’ Medici
- Read Zoe's notes from the interview
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This podcast was done in collaboration with Arvon, the UK’s leading creative writing charity. Arvon passionately believes that everyone can benefit from the transformative power of creative writing. It hosts residential, online and community-based writing courses and events, embracing over 6,000 people each year, tutored by some of the most respected writers in the UK today. Find out more at arvon.org.
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This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has free resources such as helpful tutorials, templates to help you layout a book, design for print, and they have a very watchable YouTube University channel. Our community anthology is in fact published using Lulu. Check them out at lulu.com.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
What if the traditional publishing world says “no”? Eleanor Anstruther—acclaimed novelist and creator of The Literary Obsessive—shares her bold leap into indie publishing, serialising fiction and memoir on Substack, and why you need an Artist DNA to draw an audience.
We discuss:
- Her aristocratic background and experience living in a commune
- Navigating rejection and the pivot to serialising work online
- The realities (and surprises) of building a paid readership on Substack
- Advice for writers considering serialisation and indie publishing
- How to build a creative community
- Practical tips: drafting, book sales, pricing subscriptions, and more
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ABOUT ELEANOR ANSTRUTHER
Eleanor Anstruther grew up in London, studied History of Art at Manchester, and spent twelve years travelling the world and starting a commune before turning to writing. Her debut novel, A Perfect Explanation, was longlisted for major prizes. Today, she serialises her fiction and memoir on Substack, where she’s built a passionate readership and runs the celebrated interview series 8 Questions. Connect with her via The Literary Obsessive on Substack.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📑Interview Transcript
- The Literary Obsessive on Substack
- A Perfect Explanation by Eleanor Anstruther
- In Judgement of Others by Eleanor Anstruther
- Contact form
- Glitter Balls by Michelle Howarth
- A Memoir in 65 Postcards & The Recovery Diaries by Eleanor Anstruther
- Sarah Fay Substack
- Ben Wakeman's Substack
- Simon K Jones
- Troubador Publishing
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This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has free resources such as helpful tutorials, templates to help you layout a book, design for print, and they have a very watchable YouTube University channel. Our community anthology is in fact published using Lulu. Check them out at lulu.com.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way and one of the most influential voices on creativity of the last three decades, shares timeless wisdom on nurturing the artist within.
We discuss:
- Morning Pages and Artist Dates as tools for creative recovery.
- Why being of service is at the heart of writing.
- Writing in dialogue with intuition (and the divine).
- How to handle criticism, praise, and creative resistance.
- Stories from a life in service of art, including poetry, musicals, and spiritual practice.
ABOUT JULIA CAMERON
Julia Cameron is the author of forty books, including her bestselling works on the creative process: The Artist’s Way, Seeking Wisdom, The Listening Path, Walking In This World and Finding Water. Her work has been translated into more than forty languages. Also a novelist, playwright, songwriter, and poet, she has multiple credits in theatre, film, and television. Her memoir Floor Sample takes behind the scenes of her extraordinary life and career as a writer and teacher.
Connect with Julia:
Twitter:@j_cameronlive
Website: juliacameronlive.com
RESOURCES & LINKS
- Morning Pages
- Artist's Date
- Julia's musical: Avalon
- Julia's poems
- Julia's memoir, published in the UK: Floor Sample
- All of Julia's books
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has free resources such as helpful tutorials, templates to help you layout a book, design for print, and they have a very watchable YouTube University channel. Our community anthology is in fact published using Lulu. Check them out at lulu.com.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
(Interview from 2024) The founder of ProWritingAid, Chris Banks, shares his thoughts on how AI is reshaping writing, editing, and the creative process. Recorded in front of a live audience after Writers' Hour.
We discuss:
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AI as a creative partner: Can it replace writers?
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Using AI responsibly to save time, enhance editing, and elevate your craft.
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How to adapt AI tools to fit unique writing style and needs.
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Privacy & data concerns for writers and creatives.
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The importance of weirdness and the human touch in the AI era.
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LINKS & RESOURCES
ProWritingAid
Chris Banks
OFFER:
Since our interview, ProWritingAid have released their Manuscript Analysis tool. Get feedback on your whole manuscript, discover what’s working well and where you can improve your plot, characters, settings and more. Sign up (+1 free credit). Use code London20 for a discount on your subscription.
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has free resources such as helpful tutorials, templates to help you layout a book, design for print, and they have a very watchable YouTube University channel. Our community anthology is in fact published using Lulu. Check them out at lulu.com.
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ABOUT CHRIS BANKS
Chris Banks is the founder and CEO of ProWritingAid, a comprehensive writing and editing toolkit that uses artificial intelligence to helps authors, editors, and professionals improve their work. Chris built ProWritingAid to bridge the gap between technology and creativity. Chris is deeply involved in discussions about AI’s impact on the writing world and how authors can harness it to enhance—not replace—their unique voice.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Jono Hey, author of Big Ideas Little Pictures and creator of Sketchplanations, shares insights from over a decade of explaining the world through sketches.
We discuss:
- The power of visual thinking
- Building a new identity when changing careers
- Knowing when a piece is done and ready for publishing
- Tips to get started with sketching
- & lessons from long-term creative projects, including illustrating for Bill Gates.
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ABOUT JONO HEY
Jono Hey is the author and illustrator of Big Ideas Little Pictures, a collection of the best of Sketchplanations—his decade-long project dedicated to explaining complex ideas through simple sketches. With a background spanning academia, business, design, product development, and engineering, Jono has helped build two successful companies and holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. His work has been featured in Bill Gates’s book How to Prevent the Next Pandemic, and he co-hosts Sketchplanations – the Podcast, where he and two friends dive deeper into the ideas behind his sketches. Find his latest work at sketchplanations.com.
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RESOURCES
- 📑Interview Transcript
- Sketchplanations.com
- A Sketch a Day journal
- Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule by Paul Graham
- Back of the Napkin by Dan Roam
- Big Ideas Little Pictures by Jono Hey
- Blurb (Book Printing)
- Jono’s Patreon
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This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has free resources such as helpful tutorials, templates to help you layout a book, design for print, and they have a very watchable YouTube University channel. Our community anthology is in fact published using Lulu. Check them out at lulu.com.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
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Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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Matt Trinetti, co-founder of the London Writers' Salon, on building the world’s most engaged writing community, the role of creativity in the face of AI and the transformative power of writing for creative and mental health.
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ABOUT MATT TRINETTI
Matt Trinetti is the co-founder of London Writers' Salon, our community, dedicated to helping writers connect, make progress, and launch successful careers. With a background in career coaching and leadership development, Matt has worked with top organizations like Google and Unilever. His writing has been featured in Quartz, Huffington Post, and Business Insider, and shared by influential figures such as Tim Ferriss and Arianna Huffington.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Join the London Writers' Salon Community
- Writers’ Hour
- Matt's Linked-In
- Matt's Substack: Seeking With Matt
- Book: The Thank You Economy, by Gary V.
- Book: The Art of Community by Charles Vogl
- Book: The Art of Gathering, by Priya Parker
- Escape the City
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This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has free resources such as helpful tutorials, templates to help you layout a book, design for print, and they have a very watchable YouTube University channel. Our community anthology is in fact published using Lulu. Check them out at lulu.com.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
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Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Steve Almond, bestselling author on ‘failing’ for decades, finding flow, finding success in Hollywood, overcoming writer’s block and telling the stories only you can tell with truth and mercy.
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ABOUT STEVE ALMOND
Steve Almond is the award-winning author of twelve books of fiction and nonfiction, including the New York Times bestsellers Candyfreak and Against Football and Which Brings Me To You (turned into a Netflix show).
For four years, Steve hosted the New York Times Dear Sugars podcast with his pal Cheryl Strayed. He also publishes crazy, DIY books. His latest book is Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📑Interview Transcript (Unedited)
- My Life in Heavy Metal by Steve Almond
- Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow by Steve Almond
- Writing Classes by Steve
- Story of a Poem by Matthew Zapruder
- Steve’s Website
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This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has free resources such as helpful tutorials, templates to help you layout a book, design for print, and they have a very watchable YouTube University channel. Our community anthology is in fact published using Lulu. Check them out at lulu.com.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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Nicola Slawson, creator of the award-winning newsletter The Single Supplement, shares her journey of building a creative career on her own terms. From launching her newsletter with zero subscribers to securing a book deal, Nicola offers insights into embracing your unique story, building an authentic community, and navigating the realities of freelance journalism and book writing.
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ABOUT NICOLA SLAWSON
Nicola Slawson is a freelance journalist, writer, and public speaker. She is the creator of The Single Supplement newsletter and author of Single: Living a Complete Life on Your Own Terms. Nicola is passionate about telling human stories and empowering others to embrace their own.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📑Interview Transcript (Unedited)
- Scott Trust Bursary
- The Single Supplement - Nicola’s Substack
- A Single Serving Podcast
- Lightbulb Facebook Group - For Writers
- Single: Living a Complete Life on Your Own Terms
- Vagina: A Re-Education by Lynn Enright
- How To Fail by Elizabeth Day
- Scrivener Writing Software
- Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher
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This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has free resources such as helpful tutorials, templates to help you layout a book, design for print, and they have a very watchable YouTube University channel. Our community anthology is in fact published using Lulu. Check them out at lulu.com.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
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Author and Editorial Director Sareeta Domingo on writing love stories that feel real, breaking into publishing, and crafting authentic intimacy in fiction. She shares insights on balancing her dual careers in writing and editing, the biggest mistakes authors make when submitting, and how the romance industry is evolving.
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ABOUT SAREETA DOMINGO
Sareeta Domingo is the Editorial Director at Trapeze Books (Hachette) and the author of The Three of Us and If I Don’t Have You, shortlisted for the Diverse Book Awards 2021. She edited the romance anthology Who’s Loving You and writes YA fiction under S.A. Domingo.
RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📑Interview Transcript (Unedited)
- Fattily Ever After by Stephanie Yeboah
- Agent Provocateur
- Mills & Boon
- Before Trilogy (films)
- Tia Williams (Author)
- The Roommate by Rosie Dinan
- Emily Henry (Author)
- Dan Harmon’s 8 steps for Screenwriting
- Scrivener
- Jacaranda Books
- Sareeta’s Instagram
- Sareeta’s Website
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This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has free resources such as helpful tutorials, templates to help you layout a book, design for print, and they have a very watchable YouTube University channel. Our community anthology is in fact published using Lulu. Check them out at lulu.com.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
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Best-selling Author Tessa Hadley on getting published in her 40s and beyond, the craft of literary fiction, developing character and conflict, and the importance of conflict.
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ABOUT TESSA HADLEY:
Tessa Hadley is the author of eight highly acclaimed novels, including Clever Girl and Free Love, as well as four short story collections, most recently Bad Dreams and Other Stories, which won the Edge Hill Short Story Prize. Her latest book is the novella The Party. Her work regularly appears in The New Yorker and Granta, and she has won the Windham Campbell Prize and the Hawthornden Prize. After two decades of struggling to publish, she landed her first book deal at 46 and has since become one of the most respected literary fiction writers of our time.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📑 Interview Transcript (Unedited)
- The Party by Tessa Hadley
- Free Love by Tessa Hadley
- Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
- Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook 2025
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This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has free resources such as helpful tutorials, templates to help you layout a book, design for print, and they have a very watchable YouTube University channel. Our community anthology is in fact published using Lulu. Check them out at lulu.com.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
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Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Writer, neuroscientist, and Ness Labs founder Anne-Laure Le Cunff shares insights on redefining success, writing in public, and using tiny experiments to fuel creativity. She talks about growing her newsletter from 0 to 100K+, transitioning from writing articles to a book, and the neuroscience behind sustainable ambition.
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ABOUT ANNE-LAURE LE CUNFF:
Anne-Laure Le Cunff is the founder of Ness Labs and author of Tiny Experiments. A former Google digital health lead turned award-winning neuroscientist, her research explores curiosity, lifelong learning, and mental adaptability. Her work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Forbes, and WIRED.
RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📑Interview Transcript (Unedited)
- Ness Labs Newsletter
- Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff
- NaNoWriMo
- Sara Grace Developmental Editor
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Foodwriter and Chef Jody Eddy on what goes on in Michelin-star kitchens, monastic culinary traditions, and the rigorous world of food writing. From working 17-hour shifts in elite restaurants to uncovering the rituals of monks and chefs alike, she reveals the hidden ingredients of storytelling, discipline, and turning culinary ideas into bestselling books.
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ABOUT JODY EDDY
Jody Eddy is a writer, editor, and cookbook author whose work explores the intersection of food, culture, and storytelling. She has written for Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, and The Wall Street Journal and has authored several acclaimed cookbooks, including Come In, We’re Closed, North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland, and Chaat. Jody Eddy is a writer, editor, and cookbook author whose work explores the intersection of food, culture, and storytelling. Her latest book is Elysian Kitchens: Recipes Inspired by the Traditions and Tastes of the World's Sacred Spaces.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📑 Interview Transcript (Unedited)
- Come In, We’re Closed by Jody Eddy & Chirstine Carroll
- North:The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland by Gunnar Karl Gíslason and Jody Eddy
- Chaat: Recipes from the Kitchens, Markets, and Railways of India
- IACP - International Association of Culinary Professionals
- Elysian Kitchens by Jody Eddy
- Oxford Food Symposium
- What’s Good Here - Jody’s Substack
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This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has free resources such as helpful tutorials, templates to help you layout a book, design for print, and they have a very watchable YouTube University channel. Our community anthology is in fact published using Lulu. Check them out at lulu.com.
*
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
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Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Essayist, editor and creator of Essay Architecture, Michael Dean on the hidden structures and key patterns within great essays.
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ABOUT MICHAEL DEAN
Michael Dean is a writer, editor, and creator of Essay Architecture. A former architect and virtual reality specialist, he now studies the hidden frameworks that make essays work.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Michael Dean
- Essay Architecture
- O’Shaughnessy Fellowship
- Essayists on the Essay
- A Pattern Language
- Essay Writing as Personal Sovereignty: Shaping AI to preserve the slow craft of critical thought
- Best American Essays
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This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has free resources such as helpful tutorials, templates to help you layout a book, design for print, and they have a very watchable YouTube University channel. Our community anthology is in fact published using Lulu. Check them out at lulu.com.
*
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Best-selling Science Writer Dava Sobel on blending science with storytelling—how to craft compelling narratives, navigate deep research, and bring historical figures to life. Plus insights on nonfiction publishing, overcoming creative roadblocks, and making complex ideas accessible to readers.
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ABOUT DAVA SOBEL
Dava Sobel is the bestselling author of The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science, Longitude, Galileo’s Daughter, and The Glass Universe. A former New York Times science reporter, she has received numerous awards for her contributions to science writing and currently edits the “Meter” poetry column in Scientific American.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Marie Curie’s Notebooks
- The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science
*
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has free resources such as helpful tutorials, templates to help you layout a book, design for print, and they have a very watchable YouTube University channel. Our community anthology is in fact published using Lulu. Check them out at lulu.com.
*
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
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If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Bestselling thriller author Sophie Flynn reveals the raw truth about publishing—traditional vs. indie, rejection, and what it really takes to succeed. As Managing Director of Jericho Writers, she’s seen what separates thriving authors from those who quit. We dive into storytelling psychology, career-defining decisions, and the mindset shifts every writer needs.
ABOUT SOPHIE FLYNN
Sophie Flynn is a psychological thriller author and the Managing Director of Jericho Writers.
RESOURCES & LINKS
- Boldwood Books
- Bookouture
- What Stays Unsaid by Sophie Flynn
- Scrivener
- Sophie Hannah’s Dream Author Coaching
- Jericho Writers
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Oliver Burkeman, bestselling author of Four Thousand Weeks and Meditations for Mortals, on the power of embracing imperfection in both life and creativity, how to overcome distractions that hinder our creative flow, and the tools that can help us thrive in an imperfect world.
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ABOUT OLIVER BURKEMAN
Oliver Burkeman worked for many years at The Guardian, where he wrote a popular weekly column on psychology, “This Column Will Change Your Life.” His books include the New York Times bestseller Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortalsand The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking. His latest book is Meditations for Mortals.
RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Meditation for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
- Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
- The Imperfectionist
- ILYS software
- Deep Freewriting by Stephen Lloyd Webber
- Scrivener Software
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Award-winning journalist Anita Bhagwandas on her journey from ambitious intern to a celebrated writer with bylines in The Guardian, Vogue, and Condé Nast Traveler. Anita shares practical advice on pitching as a freelance journalist, crafting impactful articles, and how she finds the hidden angle for a topic. She opens up about her experiences as a neurodivergent writer, offering insights into managing ADHD, navigating rejection, and staying creative. We delve into the research behind her groundbreaking book, Ugly: Why the World Became Beauty Obsessed and How to Break Free, revealing the hidden histories of beauty standards.
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ABOUT ANITA BHAGWANDAS
Anita is a renowned journalist and a leading voice in beauty culture. As a former Beauty Director at top publications like Stylist and Marie Claire, she has built a distinguished career spanning print, digital, and broadcast media. Her critically acclaimed book, Ugly explores the origins and impact of unrealistic beauty standards, blending personal narrative with insightful cultural analysis.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Ugly by Anita Bhagwandas
- The Powder Room - Anita’s Substack
- The Shift - Sam Baker’s Substack
- Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Sanjoy K. Roy, the visionary behind the Jaipur Literature Festival in India, on growing the largest literary festival in the world (half a million visitors) expanding it to the US, UK and beyond and how storytelling and creativity can shape culture and change cities.
LINKS AND RESOURCES
- Jaipur Literature Festival
- Sanjoy: Instagram
- Teamwork Arts
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ABOUT SANJOY ROY
Sanjoy is the Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, the company behind the Jaipur Literature Festival, which has grown from a single room with 230 attendees to a global event attracting over 400,000 visitors. His work focuses on using arts, culture, and storytelling as platforms to drive social change and inspire dialogue, and he has curated over 33 festivals in over 42 cities worldwide.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
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Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Holly Black, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy novels, on her process for writing bestselling fiction, on getting vital feedback on drafts, how she overcomes rejection and what success in publishing actually is.
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ABOUT HOLLY BLACK
Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy books, including the novels of Elfhame, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the Spiderwick Chronicles, her adult debut, Book of Night, as well as an Arthurian picture book called Sir Morien. The Prisoner’s Throne is Holly's latest novel, the conclusion to the no.1 bestseller The Stolen Heir.
RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Fairies by Brian Froud
- Holly Black - Website
- Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
- The Folk of the Air series
- Scrivener
- Never Say You Can’t Survive by Charlie Jane Anders
- On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
- Pacemaker
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Naturalist, artist, and educator John Muir Laws on how writers can awaken curiosity, deepen their connection to nature, and unlock boundless creativity through the transformative practice of nature journaling.
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ABOUT JOHN MUIRS LAWS
John (Jack) Muir Laws is a principal leader and innovator of the worldwide nature journaling movement. He is the author and illustrator of several books including The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling (also available in Spanish), The Laws Sketchbook, The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds, Sierra Birds: A Hiker’s Guide, Sierra Wildflowers: A Hiker’s Guide, and The Laws Guide to the Sierra Nevada.
RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling
- Intro to Nature Journaling
- Wild Wonder Foundation
- Free video tutorials on drawing and nature
- The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling
- How To Teach Nature Journaling
- Wonderland
- The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada
- Wild Wonder Foundation
- John Muir Laws - Website
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Financial therapist and writer Vicky Reynal on how creatives can better understand our belief systems around money and what tools we can turn to when making hard decisions around money.
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ABOUT VICKY REYNAL
Vicky Reynal is a psychotherapist, and runs her own clinic in London specialising in financial therapy. She has a weekly column in the Daily Mail answering reader’s money dilemmas. Her book "Money on Your Mind: the Psychology behind your Financial Habits" won the MAIA Best Book Award in 2024.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Money on Your Mind by Vicky Reynal
- Staring at the Sun by Irvin D. Yalom
- The Art of Travel by Alain Du Botton
- On Writing Well by William Zinsser
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Bestselling nonfiction author Beth Kempton shares how writers can navigate life’s transition,s embrace impermanence, and unlock fearless creativity by drawing on Japanese philosophy and the profound power of writing.
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ABOUT BETH KEMPTON
Beth Kempton’s bestselling titles include Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life and Kokoro: Wisdom for a Life Well Lived, https://bethkempton.com/calmchristmas, We Are in This Together and Freedom Seeker. Beth’s books have been translated into 24 languages.Follow Beth on instagram.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life
- Kokoro: Wisdom for a Life Well Lived
- Beth’s Website
- Dewa Sanzan Mountains
- Departures Movie
- Beth’s deep journaling prompts
- Allyson Kent Substack
- The 100 Year Life by Lynda Gratton and Andew Scott
Reality Is Not What It Seems
by Carlo Rovelli
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
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Anna Bogutskaya has studied thousands of horror films and books. In this interview we talk to Anna about the role of the monster and how writers can harness primal emotions to tell captivating stories. We also dive into her process for pitching and writing nonfiction books.
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ABOUT ANNA BOGUTSKAYA
Anna Bogutskaya is a freelance critic, author, film programmer and creative producer. She writes for BBC Culture, Guardian, MUBI, the Face and TimeOut, amongst others, and programmes films for BFI, Edinburgh Film Festival and Fantastic Fest. She produces and hosts The Final Girls podcast. She’s the author of Unlikeable Female Characters: The Women Pop Culture Wants You to Hate and Feeding the Monster: Why Horror Has a Hold On Us.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Unlikeable Female Characters
- Feeding the Monster
- The Final Girls: A Horror Film Podcast
- The Babadook
- In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
- Admit One
- Danse Macabre by Stephen King
- House of Psychotic Women by Kier-La Janisse
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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Writer, Entrepreneur & Podcaster David Perell on simple frameworks you can use to bring your voice to life and write in a way that makes your writing memorable and has your readers calling you “one-of-a-kind."
Links & Resources
- Write of Passage
- David Perell
- How I Write Podcast
ABOUT DAVID PERELL
David Perell has taught 2,000 people to write in his Write of Passage program. After being the King of Typos and boring sentences in his 5th grade English class, he became freakishly obsessed with the craft of writing, and today, he has 435,000 Twitter followers and a group of people who… gasp, adore his writing. More recently, he started a podcast called How I Write where he’s interviewed people like Tim Ferriss, Morgan Housel, and Amor Towles.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Literary Legend Kate Mosse on writing 11 + novels, finding her voice with her fifth novel, researching historical fiction, pushing past doubt, dealing with rejection and how she launched the Women's Prize For Fiction.
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ABOUT KATE MOSSE
Kate Mosse is the author of eleven novels & short story collections, including the No 1 bestselling The Joubert Family Chronicles. Her books have been translated into 38 languages and published in more than 40 countries. Kate is the Founder Director of the Women's Prize for Fiction & the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction - the largest annual celebration of women's writing in the world - and is the Founder of the global campaign #WomanInHistory launched in January 2021 to honour, celebrate and promote women’s achievements throughout history. She was awarded a CBE in the King’s New Year’s Honours List 2024 for services to literature, women and charity.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄Interview Transcript (unedited)
- https://www.katemosse.co.uk/
- Map of Bones
- The Ghost Ship
- Women's Prize for Fiction
- The Discoveries Program
- Weekly Writers’ Hour Contest
- Trailer for Kate’s upcoming one-woman show!
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Dr. Isaac Prilleltensky has dedicated his life to studying happiness. In this episide we talk to him about ‘mattering’ and how we can use his research findings to write more, worry less about our status and embrace a lightness in our creative work.
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ABOUT DR. ISAAC
Dr. Isaac Prilleltensky holds the inaugural Erwin and Barbara Mautner Chair in Community Well-Being at the University of Miami. He has published 12 books and over 140 articles and chapters on wellness and creativity. His most recent book is How People Matter: Why it Affects Health, Happiness, Love, Work, and Society, co-authored with his wife, Dr. Ora Prilleltensky.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄Interview Transcript (unedited)
- https://www.professorisaac.com/
- How People Matter: Why it Affects Health, Happiness, Love, Work, and Society
- Psychology and the status quo.
- How People Thrive
- The Routledge International Handbook of Human Significance and Mattering
- Arie W. Kruglanski
- How to Know a Person by David Brooks
- Matt’s thoughts on Creative Health
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Penny Wincer, an author, writer and non-fiction book coach on how writers can think deeply about their living spaces, what makes a house a home and we dive into her expertise around creating engaging non-fiction and creating a non-fiction book proposal to send to agents.
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ABOUT PENNY WINCER
Penny Wincer is an author, freelance writer and non-fiction book coach based in London. She is the author of Home Matters: How our homes shape us, and we shape them and Tender:The imperfect Art of Caring. Penny hosts the podcast Not Too Busy To Write.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Penny’s website
- Home Matters: How our homes shape us, and we shape them
- Tender:The imperfect Art of Caring
- Penny’s Substack Not Too Busy to Write
- Penny’s podcast Not Too Busy To Write
- The Little Book of Colour by Karen Haller
- Book Proposal Group
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Literary Agent (RCW Agency) and children’s author Sam Copeland on what he’s looking for in his submissions pile, how to write a compelling pitch letter, what he thinks about submitting to agents internationally and how he constructs funny middle-grade fiction.
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ABOUT SAM COPELAND
Sam Copeland was shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year at the 2020 and 2021 British Book Awards and selected for the Bookseller's Most Influential People in Publishing in 2020. He welcomes e-mail submissions and can be contacted on sam@rcwlitagency.com. His associate is honor@rcwlitagency.com. He is also a children’s author. The Waterstones Children's Book of the Year shortlisted his Charlie Changes series.
RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Sam Copeland
- RCW Literary Agency
- Piranesi by Sussana Clarke
- The Overstory by Richard Powers
- Jenny Pearson
- Submit your ms to Sam: sam@rcwlitagency.com.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Award-winning cookbook writer, blogger and novelist Kate Young on creating a viral cooking blog, how she turned her blog into a series of cookbooks, and what goes into a pitch for a cookbook.
Plus her approach to plotting rom com, adding depth to rom-com characters, her approach to writing sex scenes and what she thinks every rom com should have.
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ABOUT KATE YOUNG
Kate Young is a writer and cook, whose award-winning Little Library Cookbooks feature food inspired by beloved works of literature. After a sunny Australian childhood (spent indoors reading books) she moved to London, which suited her much better. She now lives in a converted mill in a Gloucestershire town. Experienced is her first novel.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Experienced
- The Little Library Cookbook
- Kate’s Food Books
- Kate’s Substack: The Organised Lesbian
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Practical advice from Irish poet Pádraig Ó Tuama on writing and editing poetry and expanding your world with poetry. Highlights from a previous episode. For the full episode, listen to interview episode #103
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ABOUT PÁDRAIG Ó TUAMA
Pádraig Ó Tuama is a theologian, writer, and conflict transformation practitioner. His books include In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World; Daily Prayer with the Corrymeela Community; Sorry For Your Troubles; Borders & Belonging and Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World. He hosts the On Being Studios podcast Poetry Unbound with Krista Tippett’s studio.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- The Butcher Of Eden - Feed The Beast
- Poet Victoria Redel
- Toni Morrison - Paradise
Follow Pádraig
- Pádraig’s Substack, Poetry Unbound
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
For decades, Rachel Blackmore dreamed of becoming an author. In 2020, she joined Writers’ Hour and began her first novel. Now, her debut, COSTANZA, is being published by Dialogue Books (Hachette) and is hailed as an addictive tale of desire and betrayal.
In this special interview, we're joined by Rachel and her literary agent, Juliet Pickering. We discuss Costanza's path to publication, what makes manuscripts stand out to agents, and techniques for crafting 'outrageously evocative' fiction.
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ABOUT RACHEL & JULIET
Rachel Blackmore spent more than a decade working and raising a family, before taking a career break to write historical fiction about marginalised women, as a way of looking at contemporary issues.
In 2021 she was a runner-up in Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Competition and won the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair in 2022. Her debut novel, COSTANZA, a historical novel set in Renaissance Rome telling the story of Costanza Piccolomini, the muse of Bernini, was published by Dialogue Books (part of Hachette).
Juliet Pickering joined Blake Friedmann in 2013, becoming Vice Head of the Book Department in 2017. Alongside literary, book club and commercial fiction, Juliet represents non-fiction writers including narrative writing on relationships, pop culture, social history and food, and a small number of cookery and other illustrated books.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Costanza by Rachel Blackmore
- Signed Copies of Costanza
- Writers’ Hour
- Harper's Bazaar Short Story Competition
- Juliet’s Q&A with LWS
- Irish Writers Centre Novel FairThe Wayward Sisters by Kate Hodges
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
A curation of our favourite questions and poems from our interview with poet David Whyte. We ask him: What we can do when we can’t access our writing? How do we live through fallow periods of writing and what rituals he uses for writing. He shares the poems: A Seeming Stillness, A Song for the Salmon and Start Close In.
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ABOUT DAVID WHYTE
David Whyte is an internationally renowned poet, author, and speaker. His books include The Heart Aroused: Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America, Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words, and The Bell and the Blackbird. His latest collections are David Whyte: Essentials and Still Possible.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Lyn Slater on going viral with her blog, Accidental Icon in her 60s, writing memoir How to Be Old and starting a Substack in her 70s and why getting older can be the most invigorating phase of life—full of rebellion, reinvention, connection, and creativity.
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ABOUT LYN SLATER
Lyn Slater is a cultural influencer, model, writer, content creator and former professor. She started Accidental Icon in September of 2014 and has since garnered a loyal fan base of almost a million followers across platforms. Her memoir is How to Be Old: Lessons in Living Boldly from the Accidental Icon
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Accidental Icon
- How To Be Old
- Lyn’s Substack
- Lyn’s Instagram
- “Three Iconic Girls”
- Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino
- How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell
- “How Millenials Became the Burnout Generation” by Anne Helen Peterson
- Cassidy Sachs, Lyn’s editor
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Olivia Petter, award-winning journalist & author on breaking into journalism, vulnerability, writing about consent and celebrity (Gold Rush), finding her niche in journalism and landing a book deal.
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ABOUT OLIVIA PETTER
Olivia Petter is an award-winning journalist, author, and broadcaster based in London. As a journalist, she specialises in violence against women, pop culture, relationships, mental health, sexual health, travel, fashion, and beauty. (The Sunday Times, British Vogue, British GQ, Grazia). She is the author of Millennial Love and Gold Rush.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Gold Rush
- Millennial Love
- Olivia’s Love Lives Podcast
- Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You
- Looking for a Man in Finance
- The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Follow Olivia:
- Olivia’s Substack
- Olivia on Instagram
- Olivia’s website
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Marketing strategist, editor and author Charlie Hoehn on the key things bestselling authors do to create a successful and shareable books.
We talk about:
- Helping Ramit Sethi and Tim Ferriss launch their books
- How to test and launch a nonfiction idea
- Creating a brand around your book,
- Effective marketing strategies
- The merits of self-publishing and the minimum he would accept for a traditional publishing deal
- Overcoming burnout and the importance of play.
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ABOUT CHARLIE HOEHN
Charlie Hoehn is a 3-time New York Times bestselling editor, 5-time author, and the founder of Author Alliance. For three years, Charlie was Tim Ferriss’ Director of Special Projects and first full-time hire. Together, they launched The 4-Hour Body to #1 New York Times, #1 Barnes & Noble, and #1 Amazon overall.
Charlie is also a creative director and video editor. Previously, he was Head of Multimedia for Scribe Media, where he produced over 500 videos and 300 podcast episodes — including two viral sizzle reels for David Goggins, and courses enrolled in by more than 20,000 students. To date, he's created six viral videos, with more than a million views each.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Charlie’s website
- Charlie on Instagram
- Author Alliance
- Play It Away
- Recession Proof Graduate
- Play for a Living
- The Power of Play | Charlie Hoehn | TEDxSantoDomingo
- Chimay: The Rainbow Cheetah by Emilia Hoehn
- The Best Way to Get a Job: The TAG Method
- Help This Book
- Pikfu
- The #1 Mistake Authors Make That Kills Book Sales
- Charlie’s Cover Design tool
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Sunday Times Bestseller Beth Morrey (Saving Missey, Lucky Day) on her journey as a writer and TV producer and writing humorous upmarket books while exploring darker themes. We talk about her latest book Lucky Day and what it means to stop saying ‘yes’ and start living for yourself.
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ABOUT BETH MORREY
Previously Creative Director at RDF Television, Beth Morrey now writes full time. Her debut novel, Saving Missy, was a Sunday Times bestseller and longlisted for the Authors' Club First Novel Award. Beth lives in London with her husband, two sons and two poodles.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Saving Missy
- Beth’s Website
- Beth’s latest book, Lucky Day: US/ UK
- Follow Beth on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Nora Neus, Emmy-nominated producer, writer, and freelance journalist (CNN, Vice News, The Washington Post) and creator of the Long Form Lab on finding a story from the seed of an idea, how writers can discover and use their strengths and how to choose which media to use for a potential story.
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ABOUT NORA NEUS
Nora Neus is an Emmy-nominated journalist whose reporting has appeared in CNN, VICE News, the Washington Post, and more. Neus field-produced Anderson Cooper’s coverage of the 2017 white nationalist riot in Charlottesville, Virginia for CNN. She is the co-author of the YA graphic novel Muhammad Najem, War Reporter: How One Boy Put the Spotlight on Syria.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Muhammad Najem, War Reporter: How One Boy Put the Spotlight on Syria
- 24 Hours in Charlottesville
- Stunt Girl
- Notion
- The Open Notebook
- Query Shark
- Manuscript Wishlist
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
Follow Nora
- Nora’s website
- Nora on Instagram
- The Longform Lab
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
SHOW SUMMARY
Spoken word artist and writer Oisín McKenna on Oscar Wilde as inspiration, finding his footing in the spoken word world, turning his hand to writing a book, how he wrote his book in fragments and later added structure, and why you should be kind to yourself and how to trust that your writing will improve and get to where it needs to be.
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ABOUT OISÍN MCKENNA
Oisín McKenna was born in Dublin and lives in London. He was awarded the Next Generation Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland to write Evenings and Weekends and it was developed with further funding from Arts Council England. Evenings and Weekends has been awarded a 2022 London Writers Award and in 2017, Oisín was named in the Irish Times as one of the best-spoken word artists in the country. He has written and performed four theatre shows, including ADMIN, an award-winning production at Dublin Fringe 2019, and has written for outlets including the Irish Times on issues such as gentrification and the alienation of Dublin’s youth.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Oisín McKenna
- Oisín on Instagram
- Evenings and Weekends
- WRITER / PERFORMER / SALESMAN (2013)
- ADMIN (2019)
- PETTYCASH Spoken Word Collective
- Arts Council England
- Ursula K. Le Guin’s Conversations on Writing
- London Writers Awards
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Short story and literary novelist and former Hachette Editor, Niamh Mulvey on how to create memorable characters, finding her voice as a writer after years of failing, overcoming rejection and what she’s learned from her years in the publishing industry.
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ABOUT NIAMH MULVEY
Niamh Mulvey is from Kilkenny, Ireland. Her short fiction has been published in The Stinging Fly, Banshee and Southword and was shortlisted for the Seán O’Faoláin Prize for Short Fiction 2020. Her short story collection Hearts & Bones: Love Songs for Late Youth was published by Picador. The Amendments is her first novel.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Hearts and Bones
- The Amendments
- Into the Woods by John Yorke
- The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr
- A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders
Follow Niamh:
- Website
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
David Heinemeier Hansson, serial entrepreneur and bestselling author on his 14-year journey to selling millions of copies of his books, why you should view your books as valuable products, and how he has co-written and marketed his books—all while running multiple successful businesses, including Basecamp, Ruby on Rails, and Hey.com. Plus how he used his blog to create a viral book, why his editing process took years and why he’s certain that working more than 40 hours a week isn’t smart.
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ABOUT DAVID HEINEMEIER HANSSON
David Heinemeier Hansson is the creator of Ruby on Rails and co-owner of 37signals. He is also a Le Mans class-winning racing driver, antitrust advocate, investor in Danish startups, frequent podcast guest, and family man. His bestselling books include Rework and Remote: Office Not Required and Getting Real.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Ruby on Rails
- 37 Signals
- Hey.com
- Getting Real
- Rework
- Remote: Office Not Required
- Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber
- On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs: A Work Rant
- David on Tim Ferris’s podcast, episode #195: The Power of Being Outspoken
- Stoicism Resources from Tim Ferris
- DHH on the Daily Stoic
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Young Adult Bestselling author Krystal Sutherland on the reality of hitting the New York Times Bestseller list, how she constructs compelling hooks and endings for each chapter, moving across genres, and her advice for getting your book done and creating a page-turner.
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ABOUT KRYSTAL SUTHERLAND
Krystal Sutherland is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of House of Hollow, A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares and Our Chemical Hearts, which was adapted into a film by Amazon Studios. Her books have been published in more than twenty countries and nominated for the Carnegie Medal and YA Book Prize, among others. Originally from Australia, she has lived on four continents and currently calls London home.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- The Invocations
- The Bestseller Code
Follow Krystal:
- Website
- Instagram: @km_sutherland
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Rupal Patel, an ex-CIA agent and author of From CIA to CEO on applying CIA tools to your personal and creative life. Plus she gives us tips for how to create more time and how to pitch a non-fiction book.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- From CIA to CEO
- Rupal’s TED Talk, My Unexpected Discovery About Working at the CIA
- Rupal’s website
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ABOUT RUPAL PATEL
The daughter of Indian immigrants, Rupal Patel is a born-and-bred New Yorker now living near London. Her unconventional career as a CIA analyst and successful entrepreneur has taken her from dusty briefing rooms in jungles and war zones to the gilded halls of NATO and Capitol Hill. As a CEO, leadership consultant, and strategic advisor, she now helps founders, corporate leaders, and next-generation change-makers lead in powerful, meaningful ways while building mental toughness and unshakable resilience.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
The poet and theologian Pádraig Ó Tuama tells us about his journey into poetry, how he knows a poem is complete and how poets might practice noticing. He also reads from his collection and deconstructs his poetry. We also discuss what it means to make a living as a poet.
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ABOUT PÁDRAIG Ó TUAMA
Pádraig Ó Tuama is a theologian, writer, and conflict transformation practitioner. His books include In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World; Daily Prayer with the Corrymeela Community; Sorry For Your Troubles; Borders & Belonging and Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World. He hosts the On Being Studios podcast Poetry Unbound with Krista Tippett’s studio.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- On Being Studios podcast Poetry Unbound
- Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World
- In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World
- Daily Prayer with the Corrymeela Community
- Sorry For Your Troubles
- Borders & Belonging
- Readings from the Book of Exile
- Concerning the Prayer I Cannot Make by Jane Mead
- Having Confessed by Patrick Kavanagh
- Pádraig’s Substack, Poetry Unbound
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
TV writer Michael Jamin (‘Just Shoot Me!’ and ‘King of the Hill.’) on his experience as a writer and showrunner, growing his platform and how he created, promoted and self-published his book A Paper Orchestra,
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ABOUT MICHAEL JAMIN
Michael Jamin has been writing for television since 1996. His many credits include Just Shoot Me, King of the Hill, Beavis & Butthead, Wilfred, Out of Practice, Rules of Engagement, Lopez and Tacoma FD. He’s also served as Executive Producer/Showrunner on Glenn Martin DDS, Maron, and Rhett & Link’s Buddy System. Michael currently lives in Los Angeles, where he continues to work in TV and is the author of the essay collection A Paper Orchestra.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- A Paper Orchestra
- Shows: King of the Hill; Maron
- 10 Tips on Writing from Joyce Carol Oates
- Michael’s free weekly screenwriting webinar
- Michael on social media: TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook
- Michael’s podcast
- Hindenburg Narrator for Audiobooks
- Ryan Holiday’s Perennial Seller
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
The First Lady of Iceland Eliza Reid on her writing habits, her creative life and why the Iceland Writers’ Retreat is a perfect place for writers.
We also discuss her fiction and nonfiction, navigating self-doubt, being tenacious with time and how she balances her responsibilities as a writer with her role in public service.
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ABOUT ELIZA REID
Eliza Reid is a journalist, editor, and cofounder of the annual Iceland Writers Retreat. Eliza grew up in the countryside near Ottawa, Canada, and moved to Iceland in 2003, five years after winning a student raffle for a date with the man who became her husband, Gudni Jóhannesson. When he took office as president of Iceland on August 1, 2016, Eliza became the country’s First Lady. In that capacity, she has been active in promoting gender equality, entrepreneurship and innovation, tourism and sustainability, and the country’s writers and rich literary heritage. Being the spouse of the head of state is an immense privilege, full of surreal and wonderful experiences. Eliza has been candid about the role, which is an unofficial position with no job description, penning a lauded op-ed in the New York Times and delivering a TEDx Talk on the topic. Her first book, Secrets of the Sprakkar, was an instant bestseller in Iceland and Canada, a New York Times Book Review Editors' Pick, and was recommended by Hillary Rodham Clinton, Margaret Atwood and many others.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Iceland Writers Retreat
- Secrets of the Sprakkar
- LWS Members Discount Code for 10% off the Iceland Writers Retreat
- Icelandic Saga Database
- Eliza’s 2019 opinion piece in the New York Times, I’m a First Lady, and It’s An Incredibly Weird Job
- Eliza on Instagram
- Eliza’s forthcoming novel, Death of a Diplomat
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Join our 24-hour Writing Sprint!
Between April 12-13, we’re hosting our epic, annual, online, FREE 🌏24-hour Writing Sprint! Join us for 1,2 or 24 hours of writing, bring a friend or two, and make serious progress on a creative project.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Clara Vulliamy, a children’s author of over 30 books talks about how she approaches collaboration, and what she’s learned from decades in the world of children's publishing as an author and illustrator.
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ABOUT CLARA VULLIAMY
Clara Vulliamy is the daughter of author-illustrator Shirley Hughes and architect John Vulliamy. Her first experience of making pictures was being allowed to use up her Mum’s paints at the end of the day, which she says ‘was like scraping the icing out of the bowl after baking’. She studied Fine Art at Chelsea School of Art, The Ruskin and The Royal Academy. After graduating she began illustrating in newspapers and magazines, and doing a weekly cartoon in The Guardian. She started writing and illustrating children’s books when she had a family of her own, and she’s been hooked ever since. She’s made 30 + books, including the Dixie O Day series, Marshmallow Pie, Dotty Detective and many others. Her latest series The Dog Squad is out with HarperCollins.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Clara’s website
- Clara on Twitter and Instagram
- The Dotty Detective Series
- The Dog Squad Series
- The Marshmallow Pie Series
- Orange Beak Studio
- Clara’s mother Shirley Hughes
- London Writers’ Salon course, Write a Children’s Picture Book
Between April 12-13, we’re hosting our epic, annual 🌏 24-hour Writing Sprint! Join us for 1,2 or 24 hours of writing, bring a friend or two, and make serious progress on a creative project.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Before Sunrise co-writer, Kim Krizan on plotting for the screen, creating memorable characters for Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy and advice on how to start writing a screenplay.
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ABOUT KIM KRIZAN
Kim Krizan is the Academy Award-nominated writer of the films “Before Sunrise” and “Before Sunset.” Her book Original Sins: Trade Secrets of the Femme Fatale is a tongue-in-cheek examination of history’s dangerous women. She is also the author of Spy in the House of Anais Nin, an analysis of the life of the 20th-century rule-bending diarist. Krizan’s work has been hailed as insightful, penetrating, and profound. She lives and writes in Los Angeles, California. You can find her on Instagram. She hosts The Magic Hour on Patreon, offering affordable creative writing support.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- The ‘Before’ Trilogy
- Spy in the House of Anaïs Nin
- Original Sins: Trade Secrets of the Femme Fatal
- Kim’s Patreon: The Magic Hour - creative writing community
- Kim’s Instagram
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
New York Times bestselling author Learning to Love Midlife on why life gets better with age, midlife as a chrysalis & awakening and how we can create the ideal condition for a Creative Life.
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ABOUT CHIP CONLEY
Chip Conley is on a mission. After disrupting the hospitality industry twice, first as the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, the second-largest operator of boutique hotels in the world, and then as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, leading a worldwide revolution in travel, Conley co-founded Modern Elder Academy, the first-ever ‘midlife wisdom school,’ in January 2018.
Conley is also the award-winning author of New York Times bestseller Emotional Equations, alongside Peak: Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow, The Rebel Rules, Marketing That Matters: 10 Practices to Profit Your Business and Change the World, and Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, which forms the core of the Modern Elder Academy's curriculum. Conley's book A Year of Wisdom is based on daily inspiration and insight from his Wisdom Well blog. His latest book is Learning to Love Midlife, a book about rebranding midlife to help people understand a life stage that is misunderstood.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Learning to Love Midlife by Chip Conley
- Modern Elder Academy
- Joie de Vivre hospitality
- The Practice by Seth Godin
- Chip’s daily blog Wisdom Well
- Carol Dwecks’ Growth Mindset
- Peak by Chip Conley
- Collective Effervescence concept
- Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by Dacher Keltner
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Leo Vardiashvili on disciplined writing, completing his literary novel and writing about home.
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ABOUT LEO VARDIASHVILI
Leo Vardiashvili moved to London with his family as a refugee from Georgia when he was twelve years old. He studied English literature at Queen Mary University of London.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Hard by a Great Forestby Leo Vardiashvili
- One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
- Stephen King’s On Writing
- Leo’s Spotify playlist for Hard By a Great Forest
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
New York Literary Agent Lucinda Halpern on positioning your book, finding the big idea for your pitch and finding and getting signed with a literary agent. Also, query letter essentials and how to get feedback from beta readers.
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ABOUT LUCINDA HALPERN
Lucinda Halpern is a New York literary agent with over 15 years' experience securing book deals with Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette, Macmillan, and the author of Get Signed: Find an Agent, Land a Book Deal, and Become a Published Author. She represents a range of New York Times and internationally bestselling authors in the categories of business, health, lifestyle, popular science, narrative nonfiction, memoir, and upmarket fiction. Her classes and coaching programs have been taught to hundreds of writers worldwide. Learn more at lucindaliterary.com or download Lucinda’s free author training. Follow Lucinda Halpern on Instagram and Twitter.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Get Signed: Find an Agent, Land a Book Deal, and Become a Published Author by Lucinda Halpern
- Lucinda Literary
- Get Signed Bonuses
- Publishers Marketplace
- Follow up question? Get in touch with Lucinda here.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Hester Musson (The Beholders) on her writing and querying process for her gothic historical thriller. She also talks to us about how she overcame rejection and got published.
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ABOUT HESTER MUSSON
Hester Musson studied at Bristol University and the RCS in Glasgow. She worked as an actress and autocue operator in London before writing full time, and now lives in Scotland.The Beholders is her debut novel.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- The Beholdersby Hester Musson
- Working Days: The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
- National Trust Propoerties
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Farrah Storr, former Editor-In-Chief (ELLE/ Cosmopolitan) and Head of Writer Partnerships for Substack on what it takes to grab the attention of a reader, overcoming the fear of publishing work and leaning into discomfort. We also discuss how we might think like an editor with our own writing, and how we might use feedback constructively. We also chat about why it's important to experiment and talk to your readers.
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ABOUT FARRAH STORR
Farrah Storr was the Editor-in-Chief of ELLE and Cosmopolitan where she grew the brand to become the No.1 UK women’s glossy. She was also the launch Editor of Women’s Health magazine. Farrah was included in the GG2 Power List, profiling Britain’s 101 most influential Asians. Farrah was also awarded Editor of the Year at the PPA Awards, for the second year running and was included in the Evening Standard’s Progress 1000 list of London’s most influential people of 2019.
She is the author of The Discomfort Zone (Piatkus) and is the Head of Writer Partnerships for Substack.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- The Discomfort Zone
- Things Worth Knowing.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
The New York Times bestselling author Jami Attenberg talks about her latest non-fiction book 1000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round, her journey from being a broke writer to creating a successful creative career, creating the #1000wordsofsummer movement and how she fights for a life of writing. We also discuss the financial struggles and risks of a writing career, finding inspiration even when you’re feeling disconnected, how she stays focused, and how we can commit to creativity every day.
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ABOUT JAMI ATTENBERG
Jami Attenberg is a New York Times bestselling author of seven books of fiction, including The Middlesteins and All Grown Up, and, most recently, a memoir, I Came All This Way to Meet You: Writing Myself Home. Her work has been published in sixteen languages. She is also the creator of the annual online group writing accountability project #1000wordsofsummer. In 2024 she will publish a new novel, and also a creativity book, 1000 Words:A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 1000 Words:A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by Jami Attenberg
- Jami’s newsletters, Craft Talk and The 52 Project
- Jami’s interview on NPR’s 1A
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Filmmaker, author, presenter Alex Bescoby (The Last Overland) takes us behind the scenes of his Channel 4 documentary. We discuss brand partnerships, finding the right team, dealing with setbacks and the editorial process.
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ABOUT ALEX BESCOBY
Alex Bescoby is an award-winning filmmaker, best-selling author, and an experienced broadcaster. His films have been broadcast in more than 80 countries on Channel 4, History, BBC, Discovery and Canal+ International. His films include ‘The Last Overland’ (accompanied by his book), The Story of Burma’s Lost Royal Family and Searching for Burma’s Forgotten World War Two Heroes.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Gramma Productions
- The Whicker Awards
- The Whicker Awards Podcast Pitch
- We Were Kings: The Story of Burma’s Lost Royals
- The Last Overland (Series)
- The Last Overland (Book)
- Forgotten Allies
- The Idle Traveller: The Art of Slow Travel by Dan Kieran
- The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Accelerator Physicist and author Dr. Suzie Sheehy (The Matter OF Everything: Twelve Experiments That Changed Our World) on simple storytelling techniques to make science and other complex subjects engaging. Plus, Suzie's early impressions as a first-time author, her process for writing and researching The Matter of Everything, and overcoming her 'valley of death' moment with the book to complete it.
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ABOUT SUZIE SHEEHY
Suzie Sheehy is an accelerator physicist and academic who divides her time between her research groups at the University of Oxford and the University of Melbourne. She is currently focused on developing new particle accelerators for applications in medicine. An award-winning public speaker, presenter and science communicator, Suzie is dedicated to sharing science beyond the academic community. Her 2018 TED talk has been viewed over 1.8M times, and she has been an expert TV presenter for several Discovery Channel shows, including four seasons of Impossible Engineering. 'The Matter of Everything' is her first book.
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
New York Times bestselling author David Arnold on his journey from professional musician to writer, choosing POV, using vignettes and writing characters that YA readers can’t resist in his latest book, 'I Loved You In Another Life.'
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ABOUT DAVID ARNOLD
David Arnold is the New York Times bestselling author of Mosquitoland, I Loved You in Another Life, The Electric Kingdom, Kids of Appetite, and The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik. He has won the Southern Book Prize and the Great Lakes Book Award, and was named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start for his debut.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
Follow David
- Davidarnoldbooks.com
- @IAmDavidArnold
Other links mentionedL
- I Loved You In Another Life by David Arnold
- David’s album, I Loved You In Another Life, by neon imposter
- Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Emma Ganon on The Success Myth, our obsession with achievement and how to let go of the idea of having it all. We dive into her creative journey as an entrepreneur and writer of both nonfiction and fiction and the world of Substack. We also talk about Emma’s different income streams, reflections on her Self-Publishing Era, and we look at how she distributes her time and energy. This was a heartfelt discussion about the pressure of wanting success and wanting happiness, navigating those both and how we might ultimately craft a creative life on our own terms.
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ABOUT EMMA GANNON
Emma Gannon is a Sunday Times bestselling author, broadcaster, speaker, novelist and creator of the no.1 careers podcast in the UK, Ctrl Alt Delete. She has been a columnist for The Times, Telegraph and Courier magazine. Emma has published multiple bestselling books, including The Multi-Hyphen Method; Sabotage and Disconnected. She writes a popular weekly newsletter called The Hyphen that is an exploration of ideas that have got her thinking in new ways.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- The Success Myth by Emma Gannon
- Emma’s Substack, The Hyphen
- Emma's latest post, The Hyphen 2023 Round Up
- Writing a Novel: Bring Your Ideas to Life the Faber Academy Way by Richard Skinner
- It’ll Be Fun, They Said by Jess Pan on Substack
- The Pound Project
- Elizabeth Gilbert on Distinguishing Between Hobbies, Jobs, Careers, & Vocation
- Bill Plotkin on Mythopoetic Identity
- London Writers’ Salon Interview with Seth Godin
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Seth Godin is one of the most influential writers and thinkers of our time. He is the author of twenty-one international bestsellers, and his work has been translated into over thirty-nine languages. In this conversation with Seth, we discuss his latest books, The Song of Significance and The Practice, and how we might find the courage to make and share creative work. We also talk about the importance of prioritizing process over outcome, dealing with resistance, how creatives can measure success and why Seth believes that authenticity is a trap.
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ABOUT SETH GODIN
Seth Godin is the author of 19 international bestsellers that have changed the way people think about work and have been translated into 39 languages – among them Unleashing the Ideavirus, Permission Marketing, Purple Cow, Tribes, The Dip, Linchpin, Poke the Box, and All Marketers Are Liars. He writes the most popular marketing blog in the world and speaks to audiences worldwide. He is the founder of the altMBA, the founder and former CEO of Squidoo.com, the former VP of Direct Marketing at Yahoo!, and the founder of the pioneering online startup Yoyodyne.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- The Song of Significance by Seth Godin
- The Practice by Seth Godin
- altMBA
- How to Decide by Annie Duke
- The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
- The Carbon Almanac
- Elizabeth Gilbert on Hobby, Job, Career & Vocation
- A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
- purple.space
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Bestselling historical fiction novelist Victoria Hislop (The Island, The Figurines) on how she started writing, how she weaves her love of travel and history into her books, the realities of research, and her process for writing books that engineer conversation. We talk about how she evokes a sense of place, how she absorbs a new environment to write about and why she begins with a synopsis before writing a book.
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ABOUT VICTORIA HISLOP
Victoria Hislop is the international bestselling author of The Island and The Return. In the United Kingdom, she writes travel features for The Sunday Telegraph, The Mail on Sunday, House & Garden, and Woman & Home. The Island sold over a million copies in the UK and has been translated into 24 languages. Victoria’s second novel, The Return, has been published in more than a dozen languages.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- The Island by Victoria Hislop
- The Figurine by Victoria Hislop
- Website
- Twitter: @VicHislop
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Crime mystery author Gwyn Bennett about how she built a successful indie publishing business sold thousands of her own books, and why she accepted a publishing book deal with Indie Publisher Storm. We touch on why it's important to produce a professional indie published book, Gwyn's approach to writing sales copy for her books, hitting the Amazon bestselling list and how she’s approached building an audience for her books.
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ABOUT GWYN BENNETT
Gwyn Bennett is the best-selling author of the Dr Harrison Lane Mysteries. Her new series is out with Storm.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Gwyn's first self-published book Islands
- Mark Dawson's Self Publishing Formula course
- Alliance of Independent Authors
- Storm publishing
- Gwyn's Self-Publishing Resources
- Gwyn's Dr. Harrison Lane crime series (Amazon US, Amazon UK, Worldwide)
- Gwyn's newsletter and free novella: Sign up
- Gwyn on LinkedIn
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Award-winning poet and writer on her process of crafting a poem, how she brought lyric sensibility to her memoir, and how we can observe and distill our experience of the world. We also talk about how she constructed her memoir, chose what to include, and navigated the intensity of publication as a memoirist.
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ABOUT MAGGIE SMITH
Maggie Smith is an award-winning author and poet. her poem Good Bones was called the “Official Poem of 2016” by Public Radio International. Her latest book, a memoir, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, explores the disintegration of her marriage and her renewed commitment to herself.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith
- For Dear Life with Maggie Smith
- “Good Bones” by Maggie Smith
- “First Fall” by Maggie Smith
- Follow Maggie: @MaggieSmithPoet
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Jean Kwok (New York Times bestselling author) on the process of creating compelling characters and structuring a psychological family drama thriller. Plus we talk about narrative tension, handling criticism and dealing with pressure and failure as a writer.
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ABOUT JEAN KWOK
Jean Kwok is the award-winning, New York Times and international bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee, Girl in Translation and Mambo in Chinatown. Searching for Sylvie Lee was selected for the Today Show Book Club and featured in The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, CNN, The New York Post, The Washington Post, and more.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwock
- Searching for Sylvie Leeby Jean Kwock
- What Remains by Wendy Walker
- The Blind Assasinby Margaret Atwood
- Writers’ Hour
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours:
writershour.com
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Nonfiction writer and financial advisor Peter Komolafe, on pulling himself out of homelessness, struggles with debt through to becoming a financial expert. We explore how we might rewrite our relationship with money, his 5 "BASIC" principles of financial security, how visualisation helped him achieve his goals, and his experience writing The Money Basics.
Peter also shares his advice on how he utilized platforms like YouTube, and his podcast to build his brand.
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ABOUT PETER KOMOLAFE
Peter Komolafe founded Conversation of Money (a YouTube Channel and weekly Podcast) in 2020 to have conversations he wished someone had with him when he was in his twenties. Peter has been featured on Lorraine, Steph’s Packed Lunch, BBC World Service, The Times, The Express, ITV and has appeared as the Financial Expert on Secret Spenders: Beat the Price Rises on Channel 4. He's also the author of The Money Basics.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Peter's podcast The Conversation of Money
- Peter's new book The Money Basics
- Peter's YouTube channel
- The Richest Man in Babylon
- Compound Internet calculator
- Book a discovery call with Peter
- Connect with Peter on Instagram
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Natalie Doherty, Children’s Publishing Director at HarperCollins, on what she looks for when acquiring books, the case against writing toward market trends, different categories of children’s books, and what makes a magical children’s book.
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ABOUT NATALIE DOHERTY
Natalie Doherty is Fiction Publishing Director at HarperCollins Children’s Books, where she joined the team in May 2023 and is now working to build a brilliant new list of talent. She was previously an editor at Penguin Random House Children’s, working with a list of award-winning and bestselling authors including Tom Fletcher, Robin Stevens, R J Palacio, Tamzin Merchant and Nazneen Ahmed Pathak.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- HarperCollins Children’s Books
- Writers’ & Artist’s Yearbook
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio
- Murder Most Unladylike Series by Robin Stevens
- Dog Man by Dav Pilkey
- Bunny vs Monkey by Jamie Smart
- Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
- Compass and Blade by Rachel Greenlaw
- The Last Life of Lori Mills by Max Boucherat
- The Last Bear, The Lost Whale and Finding Bear by Hannah Gold
- Compass and Blade by Rachel Greenlaw
- The Suitcase Kid and The Illustrated Mum by Jacqueline Wilson
- The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
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If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
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Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Youtuber and author Ellie Middleton on how she started sharing her work publicly, her viral posts, how she’s built an audience of 300k and rules she follows for content creation. Plus her experience of writing and publishing her nonfiction book Unmasked: The Ultimate Guide to ADHD, Autism and Neurodivergence.
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ABOUT ELLIE MIDDLETON
Ellie Middleton is an autistic and ADHD creator, speaker, writer, consultant and founder of the (un)masked community for neurodivergents. After a lifetime of feeling misunderstood, she was diagnosed with both Autism Spectrum Condition and ADHD at the age of 24. Since then, Ellie has gone on to build an audience of over 300,000 people online, create the (un)masked community for neurodivergents, and work with global brands like The Independent, Google & LinkedIn to change the narrative on neurodiversity.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Unmasked: The Ultimate Guide to ADHD, Autism and Neurodivergenceby Ellie Middleton
- Ellie on LinkedIn
- Ellie on TikTok
- Ellie on Instagram
- Ellie’s community, Unmasked: The Community for Busy Brains
- Tiimo (daily planning app)
- Notion (productivity & note-taking app)
- Monday (project management software)
- Time Timer (award-winning visual timer)
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Prize-winning essayist, literary critic, and professor of European literature Ben Hutchinson, author of On Purpose: Ten Lessons on the Meaning of Life, on how reading and meaningfully engaging with literature can help us live more fully—and more purposefully. Plus, lessons on living well from the literary greats, tips for becoming better readers and ways for writers to know they’re on the right path. We also talk about the German poet Rilke.
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ABOUT BENJAMIN HUTCHINSON
Ben Hutchinson is an award-winning essayist, critic and professor of European literature. He is the author of seven books, including The Midlife Mind and Comparative Literature: A Very Short Introduction. His writing appears regularly in the national and international press.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- On Purpose: Ten Lessons on the Meaning of Life by Ben Hutchinson
- Comparative Literature: A Very Short Introduction by Ben Hutchinson
- The Midlife Mind: Literature and the Art of Ageing by Ben Hutchinson
- “Church Going” by Philip Larkin
- Ethan Hawke’s TEDTalk, Give yourself permission to be creative
- Keats and ‘negative capability
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Professor Herminia Ibarra on her hugely influential books Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader, and Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career.
In this conversation with Herminia, we discuss reinventing your career, how to gain confidence as a writer, why thinking first and then acting doesn’t always work, navigating periods of flux, advice for leaders and the art of writing big-idea nonfiction.
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ABOUT HERMINIA IBARRA
Herminia Ibarra is the Charles Handy Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School. She is also the author of two best-selling books, Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader and Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader by Herminia Ibarra
- Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career by Herminia Ibarra
- “The Authenticity Paradox” by Herminia Ibarra
- “What’s Your Story” by Herminia Ibarra
- Herminia’s TED Talk on authenticity
- How to Become a Recognized Expert with Dorie Clark
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
New York Times-bestselling author Chris Guillebeau (Side Hustle School podcast) onthe new rules of money, how people are making money in the new economy and his philosophy for how we as creators can experiment with new technology and platforms and turn creativity into income.
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ABOUT CHRIS GUILLEBEAU
Chris is an entrepreneur, explorer, and New York Times-bestselling author. He visited every country in the world (193 in total) before his 35th birthday. He’s the author of eight books: The Art of Non-Conformity, The $100 Startup, The Happiness of Pursuit, Born for This, and Side Hustle. Chris is also the founder and host of the podcast Side Hustle School, which is downloaded more than 2 million times per month. His latest book is Gonzo Capitalism: How to Make Money in an Economy That Hates You
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Chris’s last interview on the London Writers’ Salon Podcast: How to Spark a Movement and Build a Readership (and Make Money Doing It)
- Gonzo Capitalism by Chris Guillebeau
- Side Hustle by Chris Guillebeau
- The 100 Dollar StartUpby Chris Guillebeau
- Side Hustle School
- “ChatGPT for you” by Seth Godin
- “The Big Picture and the Small Details” by Chris Guillebeau
- https://maven.com/
- https://gumroad.com/
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Actress and writer Guinevere Turner on her unconventional journey from screenwriting to memoir. We explore her process of writing the cult queer film "Go Fish," produced on a modest $15,000 budget, co-writing the screenplay for Bret Ellis's book American Psycho. We also discuss her recently released memoir, When the World Didn’t End, about her childhood in the infamous Lyman Family cult, and how she approaches writing challenging material, how she decided to capture her childhood in the memoir and advice she’d give memoirists trying to find the arc in their memoir.
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ABOUT GUINEVERE TURNER
Guinevere Turner is a writer, director and actor who has worked in film and TV since her 1994 debut film Go Fish, which she wrote, produced and starred in. She teamed up with director Mary Harron to write the films American Psycho, The Notorious Bettie Page and the 2019 film Charlie Says. She was a writer and story editor on Showtime’s The L Word, and she played the recurring character Gabby Deveaux on that show. She has written and directed seven short films, two of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. She can be seen in film roles that include The Watermelon Woman, Chasing Amy, American Psycho and The L Word. Her latest screenplay, Charlie Says, was directed by Mary Harron and opened in theaters and on digital platforms in May of 2019. Guinevere has taught screenwriting at Sarah Lawrence College, Columbia University, University of Georgia, UCLA and NYU. Her memoir When the World Didn’t End charts her time in the Lyman Cult.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
- Go Fish
- American Psycho
- The L Word
- Guinevere’s memoir, When the World Didn’t End
- Guinevere’s New Yorker essay, My Childhood in a Cult, that led to her memoir
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Writer and barrister Harriet Johnson on her process for writing, researching, planning and pitching her nonfiction book: "Enough: The Violence Against Women and How to End It”. We talk about using storytelling to advocate for change, combining statistics with personal narratives to provide a holistic understanding of the issues and how she deals with online comments.
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ABOUT HARRIET JOHNSON
Harriet Johnson is a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers specializing in human rights and criminal law and a fierce advocate of women's rights. She is a founding member of Women in Criminal Law, and Joint Chair of Trustees of the charity Women in Prison. In 2016 she founded #DoughtyStWomen events, an annual series of conferences to consider what more the law can do for women. Harriet has given keynote legal addresses worldwide and spoken in the media about law and justice through the lens of gender. She is the author of Enough: The Violence Against Women and How to End it.
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Documentary filmmaking Natasha Lance Rogoff on bringing Sesame Street to Russia, the mechanics of a television global series, what makes Sesame Street so successful, the driving force behind creating art in dangerous circumstances and how she learned to write a memoir.
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ABOUT NATASHA LANCE ROGOFF
Natasha Lance Rogoff is an award-winning American television producer, filmmaker, and the author of the bestselling book, Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia. Lance Rogoff executive produced Ulitsa Sezam, the Russian adaptation of Sesame Street from 1993-1997.
RESOURCES & LINKS
- Muppets in Moscow by Natasha Lance Rogoff
- Russian Millenials Speak Openly About America
- The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr
- Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
- Save the Cat
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Poet and community builder Joy Sullivan @joysullivanpoet on the craft of poetry, tips for reading and writing poetry, how writers can avoid cliches and why she thinks writing from the heart is terrible advice. We talk about the business of writing, how she's grown an online following and how she balances her creative work with her business.
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ABOUT JOY SULLIVAN
Joy Sullivan is a poet, educator, and community leader. A former brand copywriter, Joy decided to leave her day job and devote herself to poetry. She is now the founder of Sustenance, a writing community that helps poets hone their craft. Her debut collection of poems, Instructions for Traveling West, will debut next year from Dial Press. You can find her on Instagram @joysullivanpoet.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Sustenance - Joy's online writing community
- Erica Miriam Fabri
- Ellen Bass
- Maggie Smith
- Feedback structure in the Sustenance community: Where is the power in this poem? What questions do I have about this poem?
- Joy's Instagram Account
- Joy's poem, "My mother says kissing a man without a mustache is like eating eggs without salt"
- Joy's poem, "Instructions for traveling west"
- Joy's Substack, Necessary Salt
- The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry
- In the Palm of Your Hand: A Poet's Portable Workshop
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts, visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Nicola May, a bestselling rom-com author, on publishing 16 books, making money through self-publishing what authors need to know about marketing, and how persistence has been a key part of her writing journey.
Note from Parul & Matt: We had some mic issues when recording this episode, and our sound is a little scratchy; thank you for bearing with us on this episode
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ABOUT NICOLA MAY
Nicola May is the author of sixteen romantic comedies, all of which have appeared in the Kindle bestseller charts. Two of them won awards at the Festival of Romance, and another was named ebook of the week in The Sun. The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay became the best-selling Kindle book in the UK, across all genres, in January 2019, and was Amazon’s third-bestselling novel in that year. Described by Winifred Robinson of BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours as ‘the invisible bestselling author’, Nicola campaigned successfully for the introduction of ebook charts in the publishing trade press. She lives near Ascot racecourse with her black-and-white rescue cat, Stan.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Nicola’s Books
- Nicola’s Twitter and Instagram
- The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay
- Blog Tours
- The Friendly Book Community
- Kindle Books for 99p (UK) on Facebook
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
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Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Author Cyndie Spiegel (Microjoys: Finding Hope) on how she approaches moments of major transition and building a habit of recognizing joy even in the darkest times. We also talk about the craft of writing nonfiction and how her concept of microjoys grew from an idea to a book.
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SHOW SUMMARY
Cyndie Spiegel, author of Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life Is Not Okay on how she approaches moments of major transition building a habit of recognizing joy even in the darkest times. We also talk about the craft of writing nonfiction, and how her concept of microjoys grew from an idea to a book.
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ABOUT CYNDIE SPIEGEL
Cyndie Spiegel is a born storyteller–turned–writer; she's an aspirational voice and an igniter of powerful conversation. She is a former adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design and Fashion Institute of Technology, and holds a masters of professional studies. Her books include Year of Positive Thinking: Daily Inspiration, Wisdom & Courage and Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life Is Not Okay
RESOURCES & LINKS
- A Year of Positive Thinking: Daily Inspiration, Wisdom and Courage
- Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life Is Not Okay
- Julia Cameron’s Artist Date
- Cyndie’s idea of Pitching the Dream
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
London-based Literary Agent Ed Wilson (Johnson & Alcock) @literarywhore on the relationship between agents and authors, finding the right agent for you, what agents are looking for and how long to wait before following up on a submission. Plus, an insight into Ed’s career, examples of submissions he’s taken on and shifts in the publishing industry.
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ABOUT ED WILSON
Ed Wilson is a literary agent and director at Johnson & Alcock, a London-based literary agency established in the 1950s. Ed has a diverse and developing list of authors of fiction and nonfiction. He represents everything from award-winning literary fiction to bestselling crime, science-fiction, and fantasy. Find Ed on Twitter here.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Ed's profile at Johnson & Alcock
- Ed's Twitter account
- Johnson & Alcock's submission guidelines
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON:
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Hannah Bos, co-creator and showrunner of HBO’s Somebody Somewhere on landing a series with HBO, her journey as a storyteller, how she navigates collaboration, and her approach to change and character development when writing for the stage and screen.
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ABOUT HANNAH BOS
Hannah Bos is a Brooklyn-based writer who, along with her writing partner Paul Thureen, is the creator/showrunner of HBO’s Somebody Somewhere. The first season of the show received an AFI Award and Peabody nomination and Hannah and Paul were nominated for a 2022 Humanitas Prize for Comedy Teleplay for the pilot episode. Season 2 is available now and the series was recently picked up for a third season. Together they have also written for HBO’s High Maintenance and Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle.
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RESOURCES
Follow Hannah Bos:
- Website
Other links:
- The Debate Society
- Somebody Somewhere
- Miro
- Fractured Atlas
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For show notes, and transcripts and to attend our live podcasts, visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
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Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Former Fortune writer Polina Marinova and founder of the popular newsletter 'The Profile' talks about growing her Substack to make a full-time income, landing a non-fiction book deal, writing non-fiction, making difficult decisions, taking risks, and how to study and learn from 'geniuses'.
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ABOUT POLINA MARINOVA
Polina Marinova Pompliano is the author of Hidden Genius: The Secret Ways of Thinking That Power the World's Most Successful People. She is behind The Profile, a Substack newsletter that studies successful people and companies.
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RESOURCES
- Polina's newsletter The Profile
- Hidden Genius: The Secret Ways of Thinking That Power the World's Most Successful People
- Author Danielle Steele
- Polina's profile on The Rock
- Author Morgan Housel
- Alinea chef Grant Achatz
- Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton
- Author Colleen Hoover
Follow Polina:
- The Profile
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Bestselling fantasy writer Samantha Shannon on dealing with early success, plotting a seven-book series and keeping anxiety at bay.
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ABOUT SAMANTHA SHANNON
Samantha Shannon is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Bone Season and The Priory of the Orange Tree.
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LINKS FROM THE SHOW
- Ask Shannon questions on her Tumblr
- Shannon on Instagram @say_shannon
- The Bone Season series
- The Priory of the Orange Tree
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Award-winning and debut thriller writer Megan Davis on her book The Messenger, which was influenced by her experience as a whistleblower. We explore her use of dual timelines, conflict and essential elements of a psychological thriller.
ABOUT MEGAN DAVIS
Megan Davis has worked in the film industry, and her credits include Atonement, In Bruges, Pride and Prejudice, and the Bourne films. Megan is also a lawyer at Spotlight on Corruption. Her debut, The Messenger, won the Bridport and Lucy Cavendish prizes.
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FOLLOW MEGAN DAVIS:
- Megan’s Twitter
- Megan’s Website
OTHER LINKS MENTIONED:
- The 90-Day Novel: Unlock the Story Within by Alan Watts
- Life & Work by Tim Parks
- Cormac McCarthy’s The Road
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Marketer and Reedsy Co-founder Ricardo Fayet on the essential elements of marketing your book, the importance of knowing your target audience and how to utilise different platforms to find your readers. This interview was recorded in 2021.
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ABOUT RICARDO FAYET
Ricardo Fayet is one of the co-founders of Reedsy, a marketplace connecting authors to the world's top publishing talent--from editors to cover designers, book marketers, or literary translators. He oversees the marketing for all Reedsy products--Marketplace, Book Editor, Learning, Discovery--and is a big SEO and Facebook advertising enthusiast. He is the author of How to Market Your Book where he has distilled lessons learned from helping thousands of writers
His weekly book marketing newsletter is read by over 150k writers.
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RESOURCES
Follow Ricardo Fayet:
- Twitter: @RicardoFayet
Other links mentioned:
- LJ Ross
- Joanna Penn
- Publisher Rocket
- Free Booksy
-
Bookbub
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Award-winning writer Maggie O’Farrell on the role that Arvon played in her early writing career how she crafts her novels today and the mindset that has led her to persist as a writer over the years and why she doesn’t worry about how she is perceived. She also reads from her latest book The Marriage Portrait.
This interview was hosted virtually at Arvon.
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ABOUT MAGGIE O’FARRELL
Maggie O'Farrell is the author of Hamnet (winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award) and the memoir I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death, both Sunday Times number 1 bestsellers. Her other books include The Marriage Portrait, After You'd Gone, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, The Hand That First Held Mine (winner of the Costa Novel Award), and Instructions for a Heatwave. An adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel will premiere at Swan theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in April and at the Garrick theatre in September.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Upcoming Arvon Courses
- The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
- Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
- I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell
- “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning
- Alessandro Allori's portrait of Lucrezia D’ Medici
- Read Zoe's notes from the interview
Follow Arvon:
- Website
- Upcoming Arvon Courses
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
In this episode, we speak to award-winning literary agent Madeleine Milburn (founder of the Madeleine Milburn Film, TV, & Literary Agency. In this conversation with Madeleine, we take a peek behind the scenes into the queries Madeline receives at the agency; she reveals the common mistakes she sees in submissions and what she think sets a writer apart in the query process.
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ABOUT MADELEINE MILBURN
Madeleine Milburn is on the committee of the Association of Authors' Agents (AAA). She has appeared on The Bookseller's list of the 150 most influential people in the book trade every year since 2017. Since founding the agency in 2012, Madeleine was awarded Literary Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2018 and was shortlisted again in 2020.
She has been responsible for discovering some of the highest-selling and award-winning contemporary authors who consistently hit the bestseller lists in the New York Times, including author Nita Prose (The Maid), Costa Book Award winner and multi-million copy bestseller Gail Honeyman (Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine), Ashley Audrain (The Push), Elizabeth Macneal (The Doll Factory), Fiona Barton (The Widow), Beth Morrey (Saving Missy) and Holly Bourne (Am I Normal Yet?) She represents multiple bestselling crime and thriller brands, too, including C.L. Taylor, C.J Tudor, Mark Edwards and Teresa Driscoll.
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RESOURCES:
Follow Madeleine Milburn:
Website
Agency Instagram
Other links mentioned:
- Submitting your work to the Madeleine Milburn Agency
- The Maid by Nita Prose (UK, US)
- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fineby Gail Honeyman (UK, US)
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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NYT bestselling author Krystal Sutherland on writing young adult novels and bringing characters to life. We also talk about her experience of having her debut novel Chemical Hearts adapted into a film by Amazon Studios. We also talk about she's honed her craft. how she’s learned to plot visualise her stories.
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ABOUT KRYSTAL SUTHERLAND
Krystal Sutherland’s debut novel, Chemical Hearts, was published in over 20 countries and was named by the American Booksellers Association as one of the best debuts of 2016. The film adaptation, produced by Amazon Studios, stars Lili Reinhart and Austin Abrams. Her other books include A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares and the New York Times bestseller House of Hollow.
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RESOURCES:
Follow Krystal:
- Instagram: @km_sutherland
- Twitter: @km_sutherland
- Website: krystalsutherland.com
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Emilie Marneur shares her experience of being at the forefront of innovations in the publishing industry. We talk to her about her early days as a Literary Scout to being one of the first two employees at Amazon Publishing’s UK arm, working at Audible in its startup days and her experience of launching Bonnier’s digital-first imprint, Embla Books. Plus, we talk about how Embla (digital-first publisher) approaches digital marketing and lessons learned from years of marketing books. This episode was recorded in 2021.
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ABOUT EMILIE MARNEUR
Emilie began her publishing career as a Literary Scout at Ann Louise Fisher Associates (now Eccles Fisher) where she helped publishers abroad navigate and acquire books in the UK market. In 2005 she left ALF to join Amazon where she spent 7 years at Audible and 7+ years at Amazon Publishing where she rose from Senior Editor to Editor-in Chief, and later Head of Film Acquisition at Prime. As the editor in chief, she oversaw Amazon Publishing’s fiction imprints and editorial strategy, managed the editorial team in the UK and worked closely with the editorial teams in the US, Germany, France, Italy and Spain and was responsible for publishing many of the company’s bestselling authors, including Mark Edwards, Nick Spalding, John Marrs, and Amanda Prowse.
A few years ago, she decided she wanted to build a digital-first imprint, and wrote the business plan at her dining table. This led to the launch of Bonnier’s Embla Books where Emilie works today.
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RESOURCES
Follow Emilie Marneur: LinkedIn
Emilie's digital-first imprint: Embla.
Other links mentioned:
Embla Books that we mentioned:
- One Small Mistake by Dandy Smith
- Rachel Ryan's Resolutionsby Laura Starkey
- The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell
Embla's Website
Some of the resources discussed:
- Writers' and Artists' Yearbook - book to find agents
- Query Tracker - online database to find agents
- Query Shark - a resource of 300+ query letters
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Award-winning author of 90 books, Joanna Nadin, talks about writing engaging stories for and about kids, and the writing practices and tools that have helped her write so many books and how she plots her stories.
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ABOUT JOANNA NADIN
Joanna has written more than 90 books for children and adults. She has a doctorate in adolescent identity and YA literature and is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Bristol. Her books have garnered a number of prizes including the Fantastic Book Award and the Surrey Book Award. She's also been shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, the Booktrust Best Book award, the Telegraph Sports Book of the Year, the Hearst Big Book Awards, and Queen of Teen. She was twice nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal: for Everybody Hurts, and forJoe All Alone, which was made into a BAFTA-winning and Emmy-nominated BBC drama series.
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RESOURCES
Follow Joanna
- Twitter @joannanadin
- Website: joannanadin.com
- Instagram: @jonadin
Joanna’s books
- Her latest book: The Talk of Pram Town.
- Books for adults:
- Books for children
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Natalie Lue (@natlue) and Hattie Crisell (@hattiehattie) are writers who have forged successful portfolio careers. We explore their adventures in journalism, blogging, podcasting and publishing, how they forged their career, and give us advice based on lessons learned over the years.
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ABOUT NATALIE LUE
Natalie Lue is behind the incredibly popular Baggage Reclaim Blog. Nat’s self-published books, including Mr Unavailable and the Fallback Girl, The No Contact Rule and Love, Care, Trust & Respect, have sold 150K+ copies, and her podcast, The Baggage Reclaim Sessions, has over 3 million downloads. Earlier in 2023, her book The Joy of Saying No was published by Harper Horizon.
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RESOURCES
Follow Natalie Lue:
- Instagram:@natlue
- Twitter: @Nataliemlue
- Substack: On Knowing Yourself
- Website: Natalielue.com
- Podcast: The Baggage Reclaim Sessions
- Latest Book: The Joy Of Saying No
- Natalie’s Book Store: here
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ABOUT HATTIE CRISELL
Hattie Crisell is a freelance writer and journalist. In her popular podcast In Writing with Hattie Crisell, Hattie interviews writers of all kinds in their studies, and she's a contributing editor of Grazia magazine. She has written for publications including The New York Times, Style Magazine, The Cut, The Telegraph and Vogue. In 2022 she launched her Substack newsletter, In Writing and in March 2023, she announced her book deal with Granta, to be based on her podcast.
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Follow Hattie Crisell:
- Instagram:@hattiecrisell
- Twitter: @hattiehattie
- Substack: In Writing
- Website: hattiecrisell.com
- Podcast: In Writing with Hattie Crisell
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Madeleine Dore, author of ‘I Didn’t Do The Thing Today’ on rethinking writing routines and ruts, how to rid ourselves of the pressure to do more, embracing imperfection in the creative process, and her unique approach to her Substack newsletter.
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ABOUT MADELEINE DORE
Madeleine Dore is a writer, interviewer and author of I Didn’t Do The Thing Today'. As a labour of love, Madeleine spent over five years exploring how we can broaden the definition of a day well spent in her popular blog Extraordinary Routines and podcast Routines & Ruts. She continues to write, speak and explore themes of creativity and connection—but mostly tries to hold things lightly.
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Follow Madeleine:
- Instagram: @madeleine__dore)
- Madeleine's Substack: On Things
- Madeleine’s blog Extraordinary Routines
Links & Resources Discussed:
- 📄 Transcript (unedited)
- Madeleine’s book I Didn’t Do The Thing Today
- Madeleine's quote shared at Writers' Hour
- Katherine May’s book Wintering
- Rilke quote on "Living The Questions"
- Walt Whitman quote: “Write in the gush"
- Milanote - a notes app for creative work
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Steven Pressfield on what it means to have a creative calling, overcoming rejection and resistance, how faith in something bigger than ourselves can play a role in our creative lives, his experience writing across multiple genres, and his latest memoir, Govt Cheese.
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ABOUT STEVEN PRESSFIELD
Steven Pressfield (@SPressfield) is the author of The War of Art which has sold over a millions copies globally and been translated into multiple languages. He is a master of historical fiction with Gates of Fire being on the required reading list at West Point and the the recommended reading list of the Joint Chiefs. His other books include A Man at Arms, Turning Pro, Do the Work, The Artist's Journey, Tides of War, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Last of the Amazons, Virtues of War, The Afghan Campaign, Killing Rommel, The Profession, The Lion's Gate, The Warrior Ethos, The Authentic Swing, An American Jew, Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t, and The Knowledge.
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RESOURCES
Follow Steven Pressfield:
- Website: https://stevenpressfield.com/
- Twitter: @SPressfield
- Instagram: @steven_pressfield
Other links mentioned:
- 📄 Transcript (unedited)
- Govt Cheese
- The Art of War
- Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be
- Nobody Wants to Read Your Sht*
- "This Might Not Work" – Seth Godin
- The Writers' Journey by Christopher Vogler
- Steve's 'passage through the wilderness' series on Instagram
- The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
- The Foolscap Method Instagram videos
- John Keats's concept of 'Negative Capability'
- Joanna Penn
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Literary Agent and writer Abigail Bergstrom on her publishing career (Simon & Schuster, Gleam Titles, Bergstrom Studios) choosing to leave editing for agenting, facing and recovering from burnout and her advice for authors developing their brand. Also, her advice for finding an agent, and tips for how to ask the right questions to your marketing and publicity team. We also dive into her journey of writing and pitching her debut novel: What a Shame.
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ABOUT ABIGAIL BERGSTROM
Abigail Bergstrom is a Welsh writer who has worked in publishing for over a decade. She's edited some of Britain's most prominent feminist voices, was nominated for Literary Agent of the Year 2020, and was listed in 'The Bookseller 150.’ She is the founder of Gleam Titles and Bergstrom Studio, a publishing consultancy. She is the author of What a Shame.
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QUOTES
[On Author Brand] “I don't think it needs to be gimmicky. I think it could be nuanced and complex. Consider what three things you’re interested in talking about - think of them as your core pillars.
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RESOURCES
Follow Abigail Bergstrom:
- Instagram: @abigailbergstrom
- Twitter: @AbigailBergstrm
- Website: Bergstrom Studio
Other links and authors mentioned:
- Article in The Times: ‘AT 32, MY BURNOUT HIT ME HARD’
- Abigail’s book: What a Shame
- Laura Bates
- Lotte Jeffs
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Short story writer Jonathan Escoffery on his process for writing his linked short story collection, If I Survive You, how he thinks about world building, managing reader anticipation, how questions of identity influence his work, and tips for writing dynamic, moving short stories.
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ABOUT JONATHAN ESCOFFERY
Jonathan Escoffery is the author of the linked story collection, If I Survive You, a New York Times and Booklist Editor's Choice, an IndieNext Pick, and a National Bestseller. His stories have appeared in The Paris Review, Oprah Daily, Electric Literature, Zyzzyva, AGNI, Pleiades, American Short Fiction, Prairie Schooner, Passages North, and elsewhere.
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RESOURCES
Follow Jonathan Escoffery:
- Website
Other links mentioned:
- Goblins in the Castleby Bruce Coville
- R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series
- The Hardy Boys
- Grub Street writing classes and community in Boston
- Boston Writers of Color Group
- If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Dr. Gloria Mark on her 30+ year writing and academic career, the different attention states, how we can get into an artistic flow and why empty space is our days is important. Plus, we dive into her process of writing Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity.
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QUOTE:
When you think about a Japanese garden you think of the beautiful rocks that are placed there. But it's the space around those rocks that are just as important and are as carefully considered as the rocks themselves. Consider empty space in your day to be as important as the work you're actually doing because it helps prepare you and enables you to really do this kind of deep work.
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ABOUT DR GLORIA MARK
Gloria Mark is Chancellor's Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. She received her PhD from Columbia University in psychology and studies the impact of digital media on people's lives. She takes a deep dive into examining multitasking, interruptions, and mood using digital devices. She has published over 200 articles and in 2017 was inducted into the ACM SIGCHI Academy, which recognizes leaders in the field of human-computer interaction. She has presented her work at SXSW and the Aspen Ideas Festival, and her research has appeared in the popular media, e.g. New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, CNN, The Guardian, the Dax Shepard show, the Dave Asprey show, and many others. She's the author of Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity.
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RESOURCES
Follow Dr Gloria:
- Gloria's website
- Gloria on Twitter @GloriaMark_PhD
- Gloria's newsletter
Other links mentioned:
- Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity
- Chronotype
- Morningness Eveningness Questionnaire
- Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
- Broaden-and-Build theory
- Yohaku no bi: The Beauty of Empty Space
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Anna Jordan, playwright (Yen/ Bruntwood Prize) and screenwriter (Killing Eve, Succession) on her early years of writing, how she got commissioned and developed as a playwright. Plus, a behind the scenes look at her writing process and how she deals with self-doubt and the reality of making money as a writer.
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ABOUT ANNA JORDAN
Anna is a playwright, theatre director, and writer for television. Anna is best known for her play Yen, which won the 2013 Bruntwood Prize, going from a successful run in the UK to be performed off-Broadway. Anna's TV credits include Succession (Season 1, HBO), Killing Eve (Season 3, Sid Gentle) and currently Becoming Elizabeth (The Forge / Starz). She originally trained as an actor at LAMDA and runs her own training company for actors and writers: Without a Paddle Theatre.
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RESOURCES:
Follow Anna:
- Website:
Other links mentioned:
- Anna's article on Writing and Plays
- John Yorke's book Into the Woods
- reMarkable digital notebook
Novelist and screenwriter Stephen Markley on writing his 900-page epic novel The Deluge, writing sprawling narratives and what it’s like to count Stephen King as a fan. We talk about writing for the TV show Only Murders in the Building, making money as a writer, and what it takes to succeed and persist.
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QUOTES
“You can't guarantee your book will be a success...it comes down to loving the work, loving what you're doing, loving the story you're telling, and being ready..."
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ABOUT STEPHEN MARKLEY
Stephen Markley is the author of The Deluge: A Novel. His previous books include the critically acclaimed bestseller Ohio: A Novel, Publish This Book, and Tales of Iceland. He has also written for the Hulu comedy Only Murderers in the Building. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop.
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RESOURCES
- The Deluge by Stephen Markley
- Iowa Writers Workshop
- Only Murders in the Building
- S1 Ep7: "The Boy from 6B"
- S2 Ep7: "Flipping the Pieces"
- Steve's appearance on Late Night with Seth Myers
- Steve's previous books: Publish This Book, Tales of Iceland, Ohio
- This is Us creator Dan Fogelman
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FOLLOW STEPHEN MARKLEY
- Website: stephenmarkley.com
- Instagram: @stephen.markley
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Poet, novelist and founder of the Alliance of Independent Authors, Orna Ross, on her career from traditional to indie publishing and what it takes to succeed as an indie author. We talk about the benefits of self-publishing, marketing tips, reaching income goals, the '20 Books to 50k' goal, and why pushing past the 1st book is critical. She also tells us why paying yourself first is so important, even in the early days.
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ABOUT ORNA ROSS
Orna Ross is a bestselling and award-winning author of historical fiction and inspirational poetry. She is also a creativity facilitator and the founder-director of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi). She has been named one of The Bookseller's Top 100 people in publishing and advocates for self-publishing as an artistic expression and viable business option for authors.
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RESOURCES
- ALLi: Alliance of Independent Authors
- Jane Friedman: How I Got My Rights Back
- A Creativist Compendium
- ACCESS Marketing: Attract, Captivate, Connect, Engage, Subscribe, Satisfy, Sell
- Self Publishing Advice from ALLI
- Author marketer David Gaughran
- Joanna Penn's The Creative Penn
- Victoria Strauss's Writer Beware
- Reedsy - for hiring people to help with your self-publishing work
- Community of romance writers who are self-publishing: https://www.independentromance.com
- 20 Books to 50k
- Mark Dawson's Self-Publishing Formula
- Bryan Cohen - courses on advertising
- Ingram Spark
- How indie publishers can get on Audible
- Orna's poetry on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ornaross.poetry/
- Orna's website: https://ornaross.com/
- Orna's patreon page: https://ornaross.com/become-a-patron/
FOLLOW ORNA ROSS
- Website
- Instagram - @ornaross.poetry
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Debut novelist Cecile Pin author of Wandering Souls(nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction, 2023), on her choice of using a fragmented structure, having multiple narrators and why she chose to fictionalise a story that was inspired by her mother’s past. Plus, lessons from working in publishing and what all first-time authors should know.
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ABOUT CECILE PIN:
Cecile Pin grew up in Paris and New York City. She moved to London at eighteen to study philosophy at University College London and received an MA at King's College London. She writes for Bad Form Review, was long-listed for their Young Writers' Prize, and is a 2021 London Writers Award winner. Wandering Souls is her first novel and was longlisted for the Women's Prize For Fiction, 2023. She previously worked as an Editorial Assistant at Jonathan Cape, PRH.
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RESOURCES:
- Wandering Souls
- Women's Prize for Fiction long-list 2023
- London Writers Award
- Stephen King's On Writing
- The Red Parts by Maggie Nelson
- Human Acts by Han Kang
- Atonement by Ian McEwan
- Minor Feelings: A Reckoning on Race and the Asian Conditionby Cathy Park Hong
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FOLLOW CECILE PINN
- Website
- Instagram: @CecilekvPin
- Twitter: @CecilekvPin
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Jasmine Richards, editor, writer, and award-winning founder of StoryMix Studio talks to us about the business of children’s publishing and how she generates and sells her ideas to publishers and works with writers to create commercial fiction for children.
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ABOUT JASMINE RICHARDS
Jasmine Richards is the author of over a dozen children's books ranging from picture books to teen fiction. Her most recent novel, Keeper of Myths, was published by Harper Collins. She has over 15 years of experience as an editor, including roles at Hamish Hamilton, Puffin, and Dutton Books in New York. Jasmine is the founder of Storymix, an award-winning children's fiction studio, where she uses her unique experiences to develop new voices and inclusive stories.
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RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED:
- StoryMix Studio
- Working Partners (now called Coolabi)
- Oxford University Press
- Book Series Jasmine worked on: Rainbow Magic, Beast Quest
- Aziza's Secret Fairy Door
- Notion (what Jasmine uses to organise her ideas)
- Apply to write for StoryMix
- StoryGrid methodology and Foolscap method
- The "Obligatory Scene" (look under 'End')
- The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries
- Jasmine's book The Unmorrow Curse
- 21% Monster by P.J. Canning
- Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tolá Okogwu
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Writer Huma Qureshi on how you know you’re ready to write a memoir. Plus, the importance of role models, writing about grief, loss and love and how she wrote and edited her memoir: How We Met: A Memoir of Love and Other Misadventures. This episode was recorded during the global lockdown in 2021.
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ABOUT HUMA QURESHI
Huma started her career at The Observer and The Guardian, working as a reporter and features writer before going freelance to write her first book, In Spite of Oceans, Migrant Voices, in 2015. Her short story The Jam Maker won Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Competition in 2020. Huma’s memoir, How We Met: A Memoir of Love and Other Misadventures, is about how she rebelled against tradition and fell in love on her own terms. She is also the author of a short story collection, Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love.
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RESOURCES
- Huma’s books:
- How We Met: A Memoir of Love and Other Misadventures
- Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love
- Follow Huma on Social Media
- Website
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Bestselling author Oliver Burkeman @oliverburkeman on his process for writing impactful articles plus how he wrote his popular book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. We chat about reevaluating our relationship with time, the truth about perfectionism, why it’s liberating to know that we are insignificant in the cosmos, and how we might use this reality to lead happier and more creative lives.
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ABOUT OLIVER BURKEMAN
Oliver Burkeman is a feature writer for The Guardian. He won the Foreign Press Association's Young Journalist of the Year Award and has been short-listed for the Orwell Prize. He wrote a popular weekly column on psychology, "This Column Will Change Your Life". His books include Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals and The Antidote: Happiness for People who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking.
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RESOURCES
- Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
- Article: Everyone is Totally Winging It, All of the Time
- All of Oliver's articles from his Guardian column: This Column Will Change Your Life
- Finding Meaning in an Imperfect World by Iddo Landou
- Oliver's next masterclass: Designing Your System for Creativity
- Oliver's newsletter: The Imperfectionist
- Connect with Oliver on Twitter @oliverburkeman
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Award-winning writer and historian Rebecca Stott @rebeccastott64 on how she immersed herself in 6th-century history for five years for her latest book Dark Earth, a historical story set in Londinium. We talk about how she balances researching and writing, accuracy in historical fiction and the importance of the 'history of emotions'.
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ABOUT REBECCA STOTT
Rebecca Stott is the author of fifteen books, including works of literary criticism, fiction, and nonfiction. Her nonfiction books include Darwin and the Barnacle (Faber, 2003), Darwin’s Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists (Bloomsbury, 2012), and Oyster in Reaktion’s Animal series (2003). Her first novel, the historical thriller Ghostwalk (2007), was a New York Times bestseller, translated into fourteen languages and shortlisted for several prizes, including the Society of Authors First Novel Award. Her second novel, the historical novel The Coral Thief (2012), was a BBC Book at Bedtime. Her memoir, In the Days of Rain (2017), won the Costa Biography Prize. Her third novel, Dark Earth, set in the sixth century, is published in the UK by Fourth Estate and in the US by Penguin Random House.
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QUOTES
“We can’t assume that people in the 17th Century grieved the same way that we grieve.”
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RESOURCES:
- Rebecca's newest book, Dark Earth
- Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy
- History of emotions
- Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower
- 'Leaving the Ivory Tower' radio segment on BBC4
- Rebecca's memoir In the Days of Rain
- Freedom app
- Articles on Rebecca's writing process of Dark Earth
- Rebecca on Twitter @rebeccastott64
- Poets: R.S. Thomas, T.S. Eliot, Don Paterson, Elizabeth Bishop
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Authors and writing coaches Bec Evans (@eva_bec) and Chris Smith (@beprolifiko) on techniques that have helped thousands of writers get unblocked and write. We talk about banishing procrastination, dealing with imperfect environments and why it’s so important to be present in your writing and not compare yourself to a past version of yourself. We also talk about their process of writing, editing and pitching their new book Written: How to Keep Writing and Build a Habit That Lasts.
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ABOUT BEC EVANS & CHRIS SMITH
Bec Evans and Chris Smith are writers and the co-founders of Prolifiko, a coaching business that helps people build productive writing habits. Their latest book is Written: How to Keep Writing and Build a Habit That Lasts.
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RESOURCES:
- Written: How to Keep Writing and Build a Habit That Lasts
- Arvon writing houses
- Mindfulness by Ellen J. Langer
- Story Grid
- Prolifiko Newsletter
- Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies
- Adrian Mole Diaries by Sue Townsend
- Victoria Wood
FOLLOW THE AUTHORS:
- Bec Evans Website
- Bec Instagram
- Bec Evans on Twitter
- Prolifiko on Twitter
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For show notes, and transcripts and to attend our live podcasts, visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Jay Clouse (@Jay Clouse), entrepreneur, writer and host of The Creative Elements Podcast, on how to find your niche, become a professional creator and build your creative platform. We discuss the role of a creative platform and how to charge for your services without guilt. Plus, the importance of experimentation, finding and succeeding in your creative niche and leveraging platforms like Linkedin, Twitter, and Newsletters platforms.
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ABOUT JAY CLOUSE
Jay Clouse hosts the Creative Elements podcast and the Creator Science newsletter. He is behind several courses including Podcast Like The Pros, Freelancing School, Marketing for Freelancers and Selling for Freelancers. His creative community, The Lab helps digital creators experiment and grow. He was the founder of the community Unreal Collective which was acquired by Pat Flynn and Smart Passive Income (SPI).
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RESOURCES & LINKS
- Jay's website
- Creative Elements podcast
- Creator Science newsletter
- The Lab creator community
- Jay on LinkedIn and Twitter
- Why being a creator is a science
- Espree Devora: Website
- Joy Sullivan poet: website, Instagram
- Article about Creator Science rebrand
- Wes Kao: Spiky point of view
- Justin Welsh & Jay Clouse: Building your business on LinkedIn and Twitter
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Author and co-founder of Banshee Press, Eimear Ryan (@eimear_ryan) on her 13-year journey to writing her award-nominated debut book, the importance of creative resilience and a behind-the-scenes look at Banshee Press & Banshee Literary Journal.
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ABOUT EIMEAR RYAN
Eimear Ryan is a co-founder of the literary journal Banshee and its publishing imprint, Banshee Press. She was shortlisted for the Newcomer of the Year Award at the Irish Book Awards for her first novel, Holding Her Breathand she was nominated for the Bookseller's Rising Star Award 2021 for her work with Banshee Press.
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RESOURCES:
- Banshee Press
- Eimear’s Website
- Socials
- Eimear’s Writing
- Journalism
- Short Stories & Essays
- Holding Her Breath
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QUOTES
“In terms of common mistakes, throat clearing is my number one thing — a sense that the story hasn’t been redrafted enough by the writer. It is talking themselves into a story…A lot of these stories are really well written. They just haven’t been honed. When you’re a writer, you don’t realize that an editor is reading dozens and dozens of stories, so something really has to grab you from the first page for them to remember it and to fight for it.”
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Award winning novelist and screenwriter Tom Rob Smith (Child 44 Trilogy & American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace) on his writing journey from Cambodian soap operas to screenplays and novels, why creating a treatment is integral to his planning process and how he thinks about writing quick-paced high-stakes stories,. We dive into his latest novel Cold People, a sci-fi thriller set in Antarctica and why he eagerly experiments with genres like sci-fi and romance.
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ABOUT TOM ROB SMITH
Tom Rob Smith is the author of the acclaimed Child 44 trilogy, a global publishing sensation, selling over two million copies. His most recent novel, The Farm, was a Number One international bestseller. Tom also writes for television and won a Writer's Guild Award for best adapted series and an Emmy and Golden Globe for best limited series with American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
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RESOURCES & LINKS
Tom’s Work:
- Child 44 trilogy
- The Farm
- Cold People
- American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace
- London Spy
Follow Tom:
- Tom's website
- Tom on Instagram @tomrobsmith
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QUOTES
“Be open, and be open to opportunities that might not be on your dream scenario. There is lots of stumbling but you know when you come across something that you have a strong reaction to and if you trust that, that is powerful”
“Passion and love for the material always shines through”
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Novelist Laura Kay (@lauraelizakay) on her writing journey from journalism to novels, how her writing career was launched from Penguin WriteNow programme, queer visibility in fiction, writing sex scenes and how Laura writes and edits her romantic comedies. Laura also talks about tackling writer’s block with an ‘ideas walk’, the reality of forging a career as a full-time writer and her approach to dealing with critics and feedback.
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ABOUT LAURA KAY
Laura Kay is an author and journalist whose work has appeared in Diva Magazine, The Guardian, Stylist, The Metro, and more. Laura was one of ten writers selected for Penguin’s 2018 WriteNow programme, during which she developed her debut novel, The Split, published by Quercus in 2021. Her second novel, Tell Me Everything is out in paperback now.
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RESOURCES:
Laura’s books:
The Split: Amazon UK/ Amazon USA
Tell Me Everything: Amazon UK/ Amazon USA
Wild Things (coming in May 2023)
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Follow Laura on socials:
Twitter: lauraelizakay
Instagram: lauraekay
Website: laurakayauthor.co.uk
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Books and links mentioned in the interview:
- Penguin's WriteNow programme
- The Splitby Laura Kay
- Infamous by Lex Croucher
- First Time for Everythingby Henry Fry
- Double Booked by Lily Lindon
- Author Matt Cain
- Author Justin Myers
- In at the Deep End by Kate Davies
- What Page Are You On? Podcast
- On Writing by Stephen King
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Christy Lefteri, the international-best selling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo and the Songbirds on finding inspiration from real life, how she brings her characters to life, and what it means to her to tell other people’s stories with compassion. We also chat about Christy’s writing, research, and plotting process.
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ABOUT CHRISTY LEFTERI
Brought up in London, Christy Lefteri is the child of Cypriot refugees. She is a lecturer in creative writing at Brunel University. Her debut novel A Watermelon, a Fish and a Bible is set during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and was which was longlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Her second novel The Beekeeper of Aleppo was born out of her time working as a volunteer at a Unicef supported refugee centre in Athens and deals with the flight of refugees from Aleppo in Syria to Europe during the Syrian Civil War. It was selected as a Richard and Judy Book Club Choice and has sold over 1 million copies. Her latest novel, Songbirds follows the disappearance of a Sri Lankan nanny from her new life in Nicosia.
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RESOURCES:
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
The award-winning novelist Jean Kwok talks about her writing journey from poverty to becoming a bestselling author, how she drafts and plans her novels, why she uses Writers’ Hour to write her novels, and the importance of conflict in her writing. Also how she has overcome continual rejection throughout her life.
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ABOUT JEAN KWOK
Jean Kwok is the award-winning, New York Times and international bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee, Girl in Translation and Mambo in Chinatown. An instant New York Times bestseller, Searching for Sylvie Lee was selected for the Today Show Book Club and featured in The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, CNN, The New York Post, The Washington Post and more. Jean has been chosen for numerous honors including the American Library Association Alex Award, and the Sunday Times Short Story Award shortlist.
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RESOURCES:
- Writers' Hour
- Jean’s website
- Jean’s books:
- Searching for Sylvie Lee
- Girl in Translation
- Mambo in Chinatown
- The Today Show
- Jenna Bush Hager’s Book Club
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Award-winning writer and the founder of The Good Agency, Nikesh Shukla (@nikeshshukla), on the journey to becoming a writer, running a Literary Agency, crowdfunding The Good Immigrant and the process for writing his memoir.
ABOUT NIKESH SHUKLA
Nikesh Shukla is a novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of Coconut Unlimited (shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award), Meatspace, and the critically acclaimed The One Who Wrote Destiny. Nikesh is the editor of the bestselling essay collection, The Good Immigrant, which won the reader's choice at the Books Are My Bag Awards. He co-edited The Good Immigrant USA with Chimene Suleyman.
He is also the author of two YA novels, Run, Riot (shortlisted for a National Book Award) and The Boxer (longlisted for the Carnegie Medal). Nikesh was one of Time Magazine’s cultural leaders, Foreign Policy magazine's 100 Global Thinkers and The Bookseller's 100 most influential people in publishing in 2016 and in 2017. He is the co-founder of the literary journal, The Good Journal and The Good Literary Agency. Nikesh is a fellow of the Royal Society Of Literature and a member of the Folio Academy. Nikesh’s new book, Brown Baby: A Memoir Of Race, Family And Home was released on Bluebird in February 2021. He is also the host of the Brown Baby Podcast.
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RESOURCES:
- Twitter: Nikesh Shukla
- Instagram: Nikesh Shukla Writer
- Website: Nikesh-Shukla.com
- Nikesh’s Books
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Entrepreneur, publisher and writer Derek Sivers (@sivers) on giving away $22 million, breaking rules, why “If it’s not a hell yeah, it’s a no.” Plus how to stay focused, why he sells directly to his readers and what it means to live a good life.
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ABOUT DEREK SIVERS
Originally a professional musician, Derek created CD Baby in 1998. It became the largest seller of independent music online with $100 million in sales for 150,000-plus musicians. Derek Sivers is the author of four non-fiction books, as well as a musician, entrepreneur, and publisher. His latest book is How to Live: 27 conflicting answers and one weird conclusion
RESOURCES:
- Derek's website
- Derek's books: Anything You Want, Your Music and People, Hell Yeah or No, How to Live
- Derek's TED talk: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy
- E-Myth Revisited by David Gerber
- Raising the Bar: Integrity and Passion in Life and Business: The Story of Clif Bar by Gary Erickson
- Growing a Business by Paul Hawken
- Joanna Penn interview with Derek
- Saeah Lee, Derek's book designer
- Considerate Book Pricing - how Derek chose his book pricing
- Write Useful Books: A modern approach to designing and refining recommendable nonfiction by Rob Fitzpatrick
- On Writing Well by William Zinsser
- On Writing by Stephen King
- Sum by David Eagleman
- Derek's music
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
New York Times Bestselling author and ghostwriter Daniel Paisner on how he landed his first ghostwriting job, how the ghostwriting process works, working with celebrities like Serena Williams and Whoopi Goldberg and what it takes to unearth the real story of a person’s life. Also, how his ghostwriting work helps him with his own creative work including his latest book Balloon Dog.
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ABOUT DANIEL PAISNER
Daniel Paisner is a journalist, author, and podcaster. He is the winner of two NAACP Image Awards for his work with Shark Tank panellist and serial entrepreneur Daymond John. His novel A Single Happened Thing was named an Indies Finalist for Best Book of the Year by the editors of Foreword Reviews. Paisner hosts As Told To, a podcast that features interviews with fellow authors about their ghostwriting experiences. His most recent novel is Balloon Dog, published by Koehler Books.
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LINKS:
Twitter: @DanielPasiner.
Website: danielpaisner.com
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free silent writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
In this episode we talk with Professor Prayga Agarwal about her writing journey from academia to commercial non-fiction, how to tackle difficult and complex subjects, and what it takes to research, write and publish 'big idea' non-fiction books. We also discuss overcoming procrastination, writing within small pockets of time, her writing and research process and how she brings together the hard research alongside the personal narrative.
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ABOUT PRAGYA AGARWAL
Pragya Agarwal is a behaviour and data scientist and Visiting Professor of Social Inequities and Injustice at Loughborough University in the UK. She is the founder of a research think-tank The 50 Percent Project investigating women’s status and rights around the world. Pragya is the award-winning author of (M)otherhood: On the choices of being a woman, SWAY: Unravelling Unconscious Bias and Wish we knew what to say: Talking with children about race, and a book for children Standing up to Racism.
RESOURCES:
- (M)otherhood: On the choices of being a woman
- Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias
- Wish we knew what to say: Talking with children about race
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
In this episode we speak to bestselling children’s author Soman Chainani about working in the film industry, overcoming failure and rejection, working as a tutor to make ends meet and how he wrote and pitched his first book series 'The School For Good And Evil' that sold 3 million copies and is now a Netflix film. Plus how he balances deep creative work with life and the power of myth and fairytale. Plus why you should never believe anything anyone tells you in Hollywood.
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ABOUT SOMAN CHAINANI
Soman Chainani’s debut series, The School for Good and Evil,has sold more than 3 million copies, been translated into 30 languages across 6 continents, and is a Netflix film starring Charlize Theron and Kerry Washington. He has made films that have played all over the world, and his writing awards include honors from Big Bear Lake, the CAPE Foundation, and the Sun Valley Writers’ Fellowship. His latest book, Beasts & Beauty: Dangerous Tales, Soman reimagines old stories into fresh fairy tales for a new era.
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RESOURCES:
- The School for Good and Evil
- Beasts & Beauty: Dangerous Tales
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
In this interview we speak with Bonnie MacBird, a screenwriter and author (@macbird), about writing Sherlock Holmes mystery novels, lessons from Hollywood and screenwriting, how Bonnie’s Sherlock Holmes novels came from a personal NaNoWriMo, and why Sherlock Holmes has stood test of time.
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ABOUT BONNIE MACBIRD
Bonnie MacBird is an American writer, actress, and producer. She is the writer of the original screenplay for the film Tron. Her Sherlock Holmes series (HarperCollins) written in the style of Arthur Conan Doyle and featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, has been released in 17 languages worldwide to critical acclaim. Her latest Holmes Adventure is a Christmas novella, What Child is This? with illustrations by Marvel Artist FRANK CHO.
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RESOURCES:
- NaNoWriMo
- Bonnie's blog post on NaNoWriMo
- LWS NaNoWriMo resources on genre
- No Plot, No Problemby Chris Baty
- Tron film
- Art In The Blood
- What Child is This?
- Marvel graphic artist Frank Cho
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
In this interview we speak with bestselling independent author Joanna Penn (@thecreativepenn) about what it means to be an indie writer today, the mindset needed to live a creative life, and what writers need to know about Web 3.0 and the bleeding edge of publishing. We discuss contracts and what all authors should look out for, and how we can utilise AI tools to help us with our creative projects.
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ABOUT JOANNA PENN
Joanna Penn is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F. Penn, as well as writing non-fiction for authors. She has sold nearly a million books across 169 countries and 5 languages. Her podcast, The Creative Penn, has been downloaded over 5.6 million times in 220 countries.
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RESOURCES:
Tools mentioned
- AI tools for Art: Dal-E, Midjourney
- AI for marketing - Jasper
- AI for writing - Sudowrite
Links to Joanna's work:
- The Creative Penn website
- Joanna’s Courses (affiliate link) - note we have a discount code for LWS members until Dec 2nd.
- Joanna on Social media: Twitter/ Facebook/ Youtube/ Instagram
- Creative Penn Books (Jo's new website combining all interests)
- Books mentioned: Successful Self-publishing (free ebook), How to Write a Novel, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and Virtual Worlds
- The Creative Penn Podcast
- Podcast : Interview with Derek Murphy on Using AI for Art
- Podcast: Interview with Ruth Ware on contracts in publishing
- Podcast: Copyright and AI with Joanna Penn
- Joanna’s collection of AI writing tools
- Joanna’s NFT Art
Other books mentioned
- The One Thing by Gary Keller
- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein
- Collen Hoover in the New York Times
- Rule of the Robot by Martin Ford
- The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly:
- Undisruptable: A Mindset of Permanent Reinvention for Individuals, Organisations and Life by Aidan McCullen
Communities Jo recommends:
- The Alliance of Independent Authors
- 20 to 50k Books
Other Links
- Clifton Strengths to assess where your strengths
- Meta and Microsoft’s Virtual Reality Headset Deal - news
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
Internationally renowned poet David Whyte (@whytedw) on his life and craft as a poet, writer, and speaker. We explore poetic imagination, how we might use poetry as a tool to engage more deeply with the world and balancing soul vs survival work. David reads his poems: Blessing of the Morning Light, Song for the Salmon, Your Prayer and Start Close in.
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ABOUT DAVID WHYTE
David Whyte is an internationally renowned poet, author, and speaker. His books include The Heart Aroused: Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America, Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words, and The Bell and the Blackbird. His latest collections areDavid Whyte: EssentialsandStill Possible.
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RESOURCES:
David on Instagram: @davidjwhyte
David on Twitter: @whytedw
All of David's books including Consolations, Three Marriages and Still Possible
David's Online Sunday Series
David's Walking Tours
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QUOTES:
“One of the reasons poetry is so difficult is because we’re under the delusion that we’re going to find the part of us that’s going to know what to say. But actually, you’re going to find the part of you that doesn’t know what to say. That’s the part of you that will write the poetry, because you’re paying attention in a deeper way through not speaking and not knowing.”
"We write because we want to be deeper friends with the world."
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
In this episode we speak to Bestselling author Beth Kempton (@bethkempton) about her journey into writing, from her first published book Freedom Seeker to her latest The Way of the Fearless Writer, her process for writing and pitching her bestselling non-fiction books, and her philosophy for leading a fearless and authentic writing life. Beth shares with us why we can't think our way into writing a good book, how she learned to let go and let her writing flow and why she balances her work seasonally.
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ABOUT BETH KEMPTON
Beth Kempton is a bestselling author whose books include The Way of the Fearless Writer The Way of the Fearless Writer, Wabi Sabi / Freedom Seeker. Her books have been translated into twenty-five languages. Beth has a Master’s degree in Japanese and teaches and writes about doing what you love and living well. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Devon, England.
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RESOURCES:
Beth on Instagram: @bethkempton
Beth's The Fearless Writer Podcast: bethkempton.com/podcast
Beth's Books: The Way of the Fearless Writer / We Are in This Together / Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year / Wabi Sabi / Freedom Seeker
The River sung by Danni Nicholls (co-written by Danni Nicholls and Beth Kempton) iTunes / Spotify / Youtube
Make Art That Sells: https://makeartthatsells.com/
Make It In Design: https://makeitindesign.com/
How to Land a Non-Fiction Book Deal w/ Beth Kempton
Beth's Courses: dowhatyouloveforlife.com
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
How can we escape the trap of overworking and spend more time on our creative work? In this interview with Harriet Minter – journalist, coach, and author of WFH (Working From Home): How to build a career you love when you’re not in the office – we chat about the practicalities of setting daily and monthly goals, structuring your day while working from home, navigating our writing careers and our creative ambitions, pricing our work and balancing soul work with survival work.
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ABOUT HARRIET MINTER
Harriet Minter is a journalist, author and flexible work specialist. She writes the only weekly newsletter guaranteed to get you promoted and is the author of WFH (Working From Home): How to build a career you love when you’re not in the office.
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RESOURCES:
- Twitter@HarrietMinter
- Harriet’s website: harrietminter.com
- WFH (Working From Home): WFH (Working From Home): How to build a career you love when you're not in the office
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
In this episode we talk with Sunday Time bestselling author Stacey Halls (@stacey_halls) - author of Mrs England, The Foundling and The Familiars on how she approaches her first draft, how she tricks herself to write 2000 words a day, her planning, plotting, and researching process, and what it takes to build a life around your writing.
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ABOUT STACEY HALLS
Stacey has worked as a journalist at The Bookseller and Fabulous magazine, and has written for publications including Stylist, Psychologies and The Independent. Her debut novel The Familiars, immediately charted on The Sunday Times bestseller list and remained there for eleven weeks. Her second novel, The Foundling, was also a Sunday Times Bestseller. Mrs England is her third book. She’s been called 'next Hilary Mantel'.
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QUOTES BY STACEY HALLS:
“Persistence and regrouping after a failure is just as necessary as it is after a success. If you want to be a writer, you have to continually pursue ideas and in most cases write whole manuscripts with no idea of how it's gonna be perceived. You still have to find a new idea and write a new book. So it's in your interest to, I think, move on from every book that you finish writing, whether that has been a failure or a success.”
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RESOURCES:
- Twitter@stacey_halls
- Stacey’s website: www.staceyhalls.com
- Stacey’s books:
- The Familiars (UK, US)
- The Foundling UK/The Lost Orphan US),
- Mrs England (UK, US)
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!
In this episode we talk with bestselling author and behavioral design expert, Nir Eyal @nirandfar on what it means to be ‘Indistractible’, and how we as writers can master our internal and external triggers, make time for our writing, and build more productive, successful, and creative writing lives. Nir also shares how he built his audience and his email list, why he crowd-edited his book with over 500 readers, and how he stays engaged with his readership.
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ABOUT NIR EYAL
Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. Nir previously taught as a Lecturer in Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. He is the author of two bestselling books, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life.
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QUOTES BY NIR EYAL:
“All human behaviors are prompted by a desire to escape discomfort, which means that time management is pain management…Money management is pain management. Weight management is pain management.
Fundamentally, if you don't figure out what are those internal triggers that spur you to escape? If you don't figure out what those are and learn to deal with it, if you don't master them, they will become your masters”
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RESOURCES:
- Twitter:@nireyal
- Nir's website and blog: https://www.nirandfar.com/
- Nir's books: Hooked (UK, US) and Indistractable (UK, US)
- Book 15-minute office hours with Nir
- Free 80-page supplemental Indistractable workbook
- Can Someone with ADHD be ‘Indistractable’?
- Nir’s Podcast: Nir And Far - Business, Behaviour and the Brain
- Nir's email: nir@nireyal.com
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
In this episode we go behind the scenes with writer and Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie (@hamishmckenzie) to explore his journey from journalism to working at Tesla, writing a book about Elon Musk, and his motivation for creating Substack, a newsletter platform that allows independent writers to publish directly to their audience and if they choose to, monetize their writing. We discuss what commonalities he sees with the more successful writers on the platform, why he's excited about new writers that will emerge in the coming years and his take on the future of publishing and newsletters.
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ABOUT HAMISH MCKENZIE
Hamish McKenzie is the co-founder of subscription publishing start-up Substack and author of Insane Mode: How Elon Musk’s Tesla Sparked an Electric Revolution to End the Age of Oil. In recent years, he has been the lead writer for Tesla, an advisor to Kik, a tech reporter, and a freelance journalist covering everything from the World Beard and Moustache Championships to the world’s most comprehensive face transplant. Hamish is a New Zealander who lives in San Francisco.
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RESOURCES:
Connect with Hamish:
Twitter:@hamishmckenzie
Website: Hamish's Substack
Other resources mentioned in the interview:
- Substack
- Podcasting with Substack
- Hamish’s Book: Insane Mode: How Elon Musk’s Tesla Sparked an Electric Revolution to End the Age of Oil
- Kurt Vonnegut quote: If this isn't nice I don't know what is
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
In this episode we talk with Julia Cameron (@j_cameronlive), creative teacher and the author of over forty books including The Artist’s Way and The Listening Path. We explore Julia’s early career as a journalist, her relationship with sobriety and spirituality, and how she still uses morning pages and artist dates each week to decide what to write next. She explains the importance of Believing Mirrors - people who mirror us back to ourselves as powerful, strong, and in our most positive light. We also talk about essential tools to help you listen to your intuition, learn how to play again and overcome perfectionism. Julia’s Memoir Floor Sample, has been released in the UK.
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ABOUT JULIA CAMERON
Julia Cameron is the author of forty books, including her bestselling works on the creative process: The Artist’s Way, Seeking Wisdom, The Listening Path, Walking In This World and Finding Water. Her work has been translated into more than forty languages. Also a novelist, playwright, songwriter, and poet, she has multiple credits in theatre, film, and television. Her memoir Floor Sample takes behind the scenes of her extraordinary life and career as a writer and teacher.
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QUOTES BY JULIA:
“I believe in something called Believing Mirrors. And Believing Mirrors are people who reflect back to us, our possibility, our probability, our strength, our recovery, and I have in my intimate circle, many people who are for me, Believing Mirrors. And so by committing to write a poem week with Nick, I keep my poet alive and I write music on a little teeny keyboard and play it for Emma and Emma writes harmony, and that keeps my musician alive.
And I think it's very important that you are committing to your own art and finding people who reinforce that. You're an artist and not just a teacher. And one of the things that I would I teach is that I sometimes sing or I'll read a poem and it's a chance to sort of duck out from behind the teacher and say, actually, I'm an artist.”
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RESOURCES:
Connect with Julia:
Twitter:@j_cameronlive
Website: juliacameronlive.com
Julia’s Books:
- Julia's memoir published in the UK, Floor Sample
- Morning Pages
- Artist's Date
- Julia's musical Avalon
- Julia's poems
- All of Julia's books
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
In this episode we speak to the award-winning author, Will Storr (@wstorr) about The Science of Storytelling, from his research process to planning and writing his first draft, why he thinks “writing is mostly about rejection” and why ultimately critics' feedback doesn’t matter to him. We also delve into his signature “Sacred Flaw” technique, which will help you truly understand your character (if fiction), or yourself if you’re writing a memoir.
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ABOUT WILL STORR
Will Storr is an award-winning writer. He’s the author of five critically acclaimed books: The Status Game (Sept 2021), The Science of Storytelling, The Selfie, The Heretics and The Hunger and The Howling of Killian Lone. His journalism has appeared in titles such as The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The New Yorker and The New York Times. His prizes include a National Press Club award for excellence and the AFM award for Best Investigative Journalism. He’s an in-demand ghostwriter whose books have spent months at the top of The Sunday Times bestseller chart.
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QUOTES BY WILL:
"There was a study in the 1950s of a small island in Micronesia which ran this status game of yams and whoever brought the biggest yam to the feast was declared number one. The yam growers would grow in secret plots on the island and cover them with overgrow. I always think about the yams because this book is it's a yam is what it is and all the things that we're trying to do, it's just a big, bloody yam. That's all it is. And it can feel really important. And if I get a shitty review this week from The Guardian, it's just somebody mocking a yam. It sounds contradictory because on the one hand saying status is really important and it is really important. We need it. But I do think it's really useful to remind ourselves that it's just symbols that we're chasing. And we are kind of drugged into thinking that it is of immense importance that this critic likes my book, but it isn't. No one else really cares. It's just a yam."
RESOURCES:
Connect with Will
Twitter:@wstorr
Website: willstorr.com
Will’s Books:
The Status Game
The Science of Storytelling
The Selfie
The Heretics
The Howling of Killian Lone
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
Steph has used her blog (stephsmith.io) to explore everything she's interested in – from learning to write with confidence to Antifragility at work to her favourite destinations as a digital nomad. She also publicly tracks the books she's reading, her personal goals and monthly income. It's also where she launches side projects like Make Yourself Great Again and Eunoia (words that don't translate). We talk to Steph about launching side projects quickly, how she evolved her blog (400k readers) into a book, self-publishing her book on Gumroad and making $40k in the first week and why she’s experimenting with pricing and how she sells with heart.
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ABOUT STEPH SMITH
Steph Smith is a growth marketer, writer, and indie maker. Steph left consulting and a 2+ hour commute to redesign her life. Since then she's set up a blog read by 400k+ readers, wrote a book, Doing Content Right, that sold $40k and over 1500 copies within a few weeks of launch. She learned to code with a $20 course, and created products like Make Yourself Great Again that hit #1 on Product Hunt, and led to a nomination for Maker of the Year. She also works for the Hustle (you may know them for running one of the largest newsletters in the world), leading Trends.
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RESOURCES AND LINKS:
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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Follow Steph online:
Twitter: @stephsmithio
Steph’s Book: Doing Content Right,
Steph’s Side Projects: Make Yourself Great Again , Eunoia, Make Yourself Great Again
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
In this episode we speak to journalist, author and writing coach Rebecca Schiller. In 2017, Rebecca moved her family to a countryside smallholding for a life of sowing and growing. But the reality of managing a smallholding led to a mental health crisis and it was her work on the land that helped to save her. She writes about this in her memoir, Earthed. We talk to Rebecca about the craft of writing, the art of writing a memoir, writing truthfully about family and mental health, her ADHD diagnosis and writing practices that have helped her deal with her neurodivergence.
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ABOUT REBECCA SCHILLER
Rebecca Schiller is the author of several books including Earthed, Your No-Guilt Pregnancy Plan and Why Human Rights in Childbirth Matter. Rebecca is also writing coach, and is the founder of the Mothers Who Write community and retreats: restorative, supportive and creative writing retreats for writers-who-happen-to-be-mothers.
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QUOTES BY REBECCA:
“There's a beauty in being vulnerable and not covering the things that we are taught to cover.”
RESOURCES:
Connect with Rebecca
Twitter: @schillerrrrr
Instagram: @rebecca.schiller
Website: rebeccaschiller.co.uk
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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CREDITS
MIxed by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
Award-winning Young Adult writer and screenwriting tutor Kat Falls on how to brainstorm your story using techniques from screenwriters, why it’s important to make your character feel uncomfortable, how to easily generate an outline for your story and what it takes to create complex complex fantasy and sci-fi worlds.
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ABOUT KAT FALLS
Award-winning novelist Kat Falls writes fast-paced science fiction for middle schoolers and young adults. Her Dark Life series has been translated into 18 languages and is in development for a film at Disney. In addition to her work as an author, Fall is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University in the Writing for the Screen and Stage MFA program.
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RESOURCES AND LINKS:
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW KAT ONLINE
Kat’s Website
Kat’s YA Books: Dark Life Series
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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CREDITS
Mixed by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
In this episode we speak with writer and co-founder of Kickstarter, Yancey Stricker, about his origins as a writer, tools he’s used to overcome creative anxiety, why it's important to share your ideas early and how he wrote his book: This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World. He explains why the Bento model - rethinking short-term interest - can create a better future for us all.
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SHOWNOTES
- [02:25] Yancey’s early writing career as a music journalist
- [05:29] Leaving his writing career and launching Kickstarter with friends
- [09:09] Writing at Kickstarter and the importance of writing when communicating your vision and communicating to employees and readers
- [12:45] Stepping back from Kickstarter, how he decided on his next project. Plus his ambitions for This Could Be Our Future.
- [17:07] How he overcame creative anxiety and wrote his book, using inspiration from the Beatles
- [22:12] An alternative to optimizing for financial values and how the idea bentoism can help
- [22:44] Apply bentoism to help you make better decisions
- [33:05] Using the Bento model to deconstructing how how Butch in Pulp Fiction makes decisions
- [37:00] How he sits with self-doubt and imposter syndrome while writing
- [41:18] Yancey’s self-talk when he’s feeling anxious, why he shares his ideas to help him and how and why he wants to write authentically.
- [46:41] Yancey’s philosophy and method for building and growing the Bento community around his book
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ABOUT YANCEY
Yancey Strickler is the founder of The Bento Society, the cofounder of Kickstarter, and the cofounder of the artist resource The Creative Independent. His book This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World, explores a vision for building a society that looks beyond money and toward maximizing the values that make life worth living.
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QUOTES FROM YANCEY:
“Holding ideas is bad. You have got to, you know, even if it's just a close friend, you gotta let ideas feel the oxygen. You have got to try to talk them through”
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RESOURCES
Connect with Yancey:
Twitter: @ystrickler
Instagram: @ystrickler
Other links:
- Kickstarter
- Bento Society
- This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World
- Not for Bread Alone: A Business Ethos, a Management Ethic by Kōnosuke Matsushita
- Small Is Beautiful by E. F. Schumacher
- Hara hachi bu
- Otter.ai app
- Yancey's interview with Hank Willis Thomas
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON:
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
Every journey in life, creative or other, has seasons of Winter – difficult periods where the world can seem overwhelming, when our next step is unclear, and where doors close before our eyes. How can we face such fallow periods, learn to rest, and be kinder to ourselves? In this episode, we chat with Katherine May, New York Times bestselling author of Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times’ about writing memoirs, writing through fallow periods, finding our natural rhythm, and how the key to happiness might be found in incremental progress over grand ambitions.
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ABOUT KATHERINE MAY
Katherine May is a New York Times bestselling author, whose titles include Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times and The Electricity of Every Living Thing, her memoir of being autistic. Her fiction includes The Whitstable High Tide Swimming Club. She is also the editor of The Best, Most Awful Job, an anthology of essays about motherhood.
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QUOTES FROM KATHERINE:
“Suffering is actually quite functional to us as human beings, I think. And in the fullness of time, we look back on the periods we've wintered and see them as sites of transformation. And often you hear people say it was a terrible time, but I wouldn't change it now. And so that's what winter is all about”
“I wasn't writing about what I thought I was going to write about. Actually... there was a different story that was trying to creep out from between the lines. And as writers, we have a choice with that kind of thing. Either we resist the story that's trying to come, or we surrender to it in a radical way and let that story out.”
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RESOURCES
Connect with Katherine:
Twitter: @_katherine_may_
Instagram: @katherinemay_
Katherine May’s books:
- Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times
- The Electricity of Every Living Thing
- The Whitstable High Tide Swimming Club and Burning Out
- The Best, Most Awful Job - Editor
Other links:
- On Being with Krista Tippet - Krista Tippett’s podcast
- Medway Mermaids Writing Group
- Wintering for Writers - Katherine’s writing course
- Ship of Theseus - mentioned in the show
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON:
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
In this episode we talk with Psychotherapist and podcaster Emma Reed Turrell on developing her writing practice alongside her day job, launching a book around her expertise, and how she wrote without expectation - in fact it was more important that she meant what she said than it was to get published. Emma also talks about how we can stop "people pleasing" in our writing.
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ABOUT EMMA REED TURRELL
Emma Reed Turrell is a Clinical Supervisor, therapist and podcaster (Best Friend Therapist which she hosts with Elizabeth Day). In her practice she works with people pleasers every day. Her book Please Yourself: How to Stop People-Pleasing and Transform the Way You Live, Emma offers insights and techniques that will help you understand yourself more fully and live more authentically.
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QUOTES FROM EMMA:
“If your reader was already on your side and already bought into everything you had to say, what would you say next?”
“People cannot respect your boundaries if you don't set any. And resentment is a fantastic symptom for you to spot because resentment is the felt symptom of unfelt anger. So if you start to notice that you're resenting people, you might want to reinstate a boundary with the person you resent. So the first thing to do is be really honest with yourself. Have you set any boundaries before you wonder whether anyone's crossed them?”
RESOURCES
Connect with Emma:
Twitter: @etcounselling
Instagram: @emmareedturrell
Emma's Website: emmareedturrell.com
Emma’s book: Please Yourself: How to Stop People-Pleasing and Transform the Way You Live.
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON:
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
In this episode we talk with the Carnegie winner and #1 New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction, Ruta Sepetys, about the joy of writing historical fiction, building believable characters, the research process, how she finds objects from history to have by her side as she’s writing and why she writes her first draft like the world’s on fire. Plus, the importance of melody and rhythm in writing, the power of collaboration and dealing with critics.
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ABOUT RUTA SEPETYS
Ruta Sepetys (Rūta Šepetys) is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Sepetys is considered a “crossover” novelist as her books are read by both students and adults worldwide. Winner of the Carnegie Medal, Ruta is renowned for giving voice to underrepresented history and those who experienced it. Her books have won or been shortlisted for over forty book prizes, are included on over thirty state reading lists, and are currently in development for film and television.
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QUOTES FROM RUTA:
“Tonight you might hear a song that you haven't heard in five years and you can sing every word to that song, every word. And that's because melody and rhythm make things memorable and powerful. Melody and rhythm are often overlooked and writers I want you to read your work aloud, listening for rhythm and flow”
RESOURCES
Connect with Ruta:
Twitter: @RutaSepetys
Instagram: @rutasepetysauthor
Ruta's Website - Ruta’s Website
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LINKS FROM THE SHOW
Books by Ruta Sepetys:
- I Must Betray You
- The Fountains of Silence
- Salt to the Sea
- Out of the Easy
- Between Shades of Gray
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON:
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
How can you reclaim your creative and emotional life? How can you create content that impacts your audience deeply? We talk to the influential blogger, Natalie Lue, about how she launched and grew her blog, Baggage Reclaim, and how she created a profitable business around her writing. We dive into her success in both self-publishing and traditional publishing, and what it feels like to be an outsider in the publishing industry. We also talk about how to deal with the inner critic, reclaim our emotional lives and learn to say ‘no’.
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ABOUT NATALIE LUE
Natalie is the author of the hugely popular relationship and self-esteem blog, Baggage Reclaim where for over a decade, she’s shared the journey of her transition from toxic relationships to love, care, trust and respect. Her podcast The Baggage Reclaim Sessions have been downloaded over 2 million times. Natalie has sold hundreds of thousands of copies of her books including including Mr Unavailable & The Fallback Girl, and How to Self-Sooth Quick Guide.
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SHOW NOTES:
[02:03] Finding inspiration and setting boundaries with social media.
[04:05] How her mother's advice that she should learn to love herself, led to the start of her blog.
[07:03] The story behind Baggage Reclaim and what her early posts looked like
[12:35] What's kept her writing consistently over the years
[17:42] How she approaches her blogging today versus 18 years ago
[19:10] Coming up with new ideas and topics for her blog
[20:20] Natalie explains what “future faking” is
[21:43] How she decides what to focus on and how Seth Godin’s advice: ‘what is the change you're seeking to make?” helped
[23:11] Dealing with imposter syndrome and self-doubt
[28:56] Trusting our intuition and how to be more intuitive with creative work
[35:04] Allocating time across different projects and mediums
[36:44] How her income is distributed
[38:17] Why she ventured into self-publishing
[41:18] Managing her publishing team, and why she recommends hiring help
[43:06] Tips on how to promote and market your own book
[46:06] Why Natalie’s upcoming book will be published traditionally
[51:04] A difficult experience with an agent and how she bounced back
[54:56] The importance of saying no
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QUOTES FROM NATALIE:
“If you can quiet the negative voices down, what do you hear? Because I think that your creativity will show itself. Your intuition, your ideas will show what's out there.”
“So I've realized that no, no is just the inverse of yes. So when you say no to certain things, then you're gonna be saying yes to something else. No can release you from stuff that you don't even know that you need to be released from. I've realized that no can actually be the, really the greatest gifts of your life, that those nos, that kind of wounded you in the past.”
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RESOURCES
Connect with Natalie Lue:
Twitter: @baggagereclaim
Instagram: @natlue
Baggage Reclaim - Natalie’s blog
Baggage Reclaim Sessions - Natalie’s podcast
Bambino Goodies
Books by Natalie Lue:
- Mr Unavailable and the Fallback Girl
- The No Contact Rule
- The Joy of Saying No
- The Dreamer and the Fantasy Relationship
- Love, Care, Trust & Respect
Other books mentioned:
- Disconnected by Emma Gannon
- Still Writing by Dani Shapiro
- The Practice: Shipping Creative Work by Seth Godin
- This is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn To See by Seth Godin
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON:
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
NY Times Bestselling Author and Oxford University Creative Writing Tutor, Marti Leimbach, on the art and craft of writing and plotting a novel. She shares her journey across two decades within publishing from being on a film set with Julia Roberts to dealing with family loss, and writing about difficult subjects. Also lessons learned including how writing a draft is like being in a ‘sandbox’, what it takes to finish and move beyond the first draft, and why some of the best works of art are great because of their imperfection.
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ABOUT MARTI LEIMBACH
Marti Leimbach is known for her bestsellers Dying Young which was made into a film starring Julia Roberts, and Daniel Isn’t Talking. Her interest in science influenced her eighth novel, a YA thriller, Dragonfly Girl. She teaches on the Masters Programme in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford.
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QUOTES FROM MARTI:
“Novels are never perfect. And some of the best work of art works of art, whether it's novels or screenplay or paintings or whatever else are very imperfect, actually, if you analyze them, that's what made them a great work of art. And Picasso has something to say about that. In fact, he said that the really original work, the important work never looks as good as its imitators. And the reason is that there's something in that first thrust of creativity that is ugly and raw, and the people who imitate you come after you.”
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RESOURCES
Connect with Marti:
Twitter: @MartiLeimbach
Instagram: @Marti Leimbach
Marti’s website
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Books mentioned in the show:
Daniel Isn’t Talking by Marti Leimbach
Dragonfly Girl by Marti Leimbach
Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne
Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott
People mentioned in the show:
Connor O’Brien - Comedian
Julia Roberts - Actress
Joel Schumacher - Director
Leonard Cohen - Songwriter
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON:
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
How can a writer start and grow their career in TV? What does it take to work your way into a Writer’s Room for a hit TV series? What happens behind the scenes of deals between producers and media giants like Netflix, BBC, and Amazon Prime? In this interview, held during lockdown, we talk with TV and film agent Nish Panchal (Curtis Brown) about his role as an agent, the main players in the TV industry and how budding writers can make connections and forge a career as a screenwriter.
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ABOUT NISH PANCHAL
Nish Panchal is an agent at Curtis Brown, working closely with Sam Greenwood. Their mission is to find unique filmmaking talent that they’re passionate about and enable them to build careers in the UK film and television industry, and beyond. They work with book agents from Conville & Walsh.
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SHOW NOTES:
[02:35] Desert Island Disks - the TV show Nish would take on a desert island
[5:29] The influences and people that led Nish to pursue a career in film and TV
[08:01] Nish’s journey to getting a job in Curtis Brown
[15:18] His role as an agent and how he helps writers
[19:06] Understanding the market and what production companies are looking for
[20:21] An overview of the main players in the TV industry
[24:10] How he helps a writer move from an idea to a commercial project
[27:27] How might writers get representation? What emails have caught his eye recently?
[31:10] The importance of a good spec script
[33:06] Recent trends in the industry
[36:47] How books get turned into TV deals
[38:36] How TV writers get paid from treatment to script fees
[42:32] The process of getting a deal with the BBC versus Netflix
[44:36] Can writers make a full-time living from writing for TV?
[47:04] What motivates Nish as an agent?
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QUOTES FROM NISH:
“People ask - what do I send through? I think just one good spec script is, is really what we need…If you're an aspiring television writer, um, you know, having a strong spec, pilot that can demonstrate that you can tell a story in 60 pages, set up a character and throw something interesting at them and set up a world. And then also at the end of it, ask enough questions for us to make us to make me think, oh, this is a great world. I'd love to know what happens next. Those things are quite really hard to do.”
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RESOURCES
Connect with Nish Panchal:
Twitter: @Nish_Panchal
Curtis Brown Website
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Links from the show:
TV shows:
- Mad Men
- The Crown
- Ozark
- Death in Paradise
- Midsomer Murders
- HANNA
- Friends
- Luther
- Line of Duty
- Grey’s Anatomy
- Sex Education
Books:
- This Is Going To Hurt by Adam K
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON:
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
Why are creative partnerships so powerful? How can we work on multiple creative projects at one time? In this interview, we talk to the award-winning investigative journalist and Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman, we discuss her non-fiction book It Takes Two: A History of the Couples Who Dared to Be Different which is all about the power of collaboration. We deconstruct how she writes news stories, books, and her research process. We also explore the idea of creative partnerships from Beyonce and JayZ to Clement Attlee and Winston Churchill, how these partnerships are like a ‘dance’ and how we might spot our own creative collaborator.
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ABOUT CATHY NEWMAN
Cathy Newman is an award-winning investigative journalist and Channel 4 News’ first female main presenter. Cathy is also the author of Bloody Brilliant Women: Pioneers, Revolutionaries & Geniuses Your History Teacher Forgot to Mention, and her latest book, It Takes Two: A History of the Couples Who Dared to Be Different.
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SHOW NOTES:
[03:41] Cathy’s love for music, and why she shifted from music to writing
[05:15] Playing in The Commons, and about her music group, The Statutory Instruments
[07:40] Transitioning from writing journalistic articles to writing for TV
[10:10] Some examples of what Cathy’s writing process for TV looks like
[14:19] How she stays on top of things, including the tools she uses
[16:18] The inspiration behind her book It Takes Two
[19:19] The themes that unify the power collaborators, including competitiveness, muses, and the idea of the power couple
[22:34] The pas de deux and the concept of balance in relationships
[26:20] The partnerships and collaborations that have helped Cathy with her career
[30:18] How to find and form creative partnerships
[33:39] The writing and research process for her book
[43:24] Self-doubt and responding to positive and negative reception
[45:40] The power of reading and how it’s helped Cathy in difficult times
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QUOTES FROM CATHY:
“I was fascinated by the idea that a coupledom is a dance and whether that's a work relationship, a romantic relationship, and as part of the research, I read, um, a German sociologist called Georg Simmel, who talked about this concept of dyads and why this relationship of two is so crucial. And here's what I felt was quite revolutionary, was that he was talking about the need for balance and a horizontal type approach to any relationship…you've got to be finely tuned and balanced for the dance to work.”
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RESOURCES
Connect with Cathy Newman:
Twitter: @cathynewman
Instagram: @cathynewmanc4
Links from the show:
A dilemma for Nick Clegg as Lord Rennard apologises
Manhunt: Closing in on a British Paedophile
Ukraine conflict: Military actions unfortunately connected to human loss, says Sergei Lavrov
‘You’re being emotional’: What happened when I asked Sergei Lavrov about the blood on his hands
Bloody Brilliant Women: The Pioneers, Revolutionaries and Geniuses Your History Teacher Forgot to Mention by Cathy Newman
It Takes Two: A History of the Couples Who Dared to Be Different by Cathy Newman
The Statutory Instruments - UK Parliamentary String Quartet
Georg Simmel - A German sociologist, philosopher, and critic.
Serial podcast
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON:
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
CREDITS:
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
In this episode, Selina Lim, BAFTA-nominated screenwriter (Sex Education, Hanna) shares her screenwriting journey from her first BBC script to earning a BAFTA nomination, and how she broke into the industry as an outsider. Selina also gives us a peek at the inner workings of a writers’ room on hit TV shows - including the roles, exercises they use, and how writers collaborate inside it. We deconstruct what it takes to write a great scene, including sex scenes, what it means to write authentic dialogue and the importance of knowing our characters.
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ABOUT SELINA LIM
Selina is a BAFTA and BIFA nominated screenwriter currently writing on series 3 of Sex Education (Eleven/Netflix) and season 3 of Hanna (Amazon/NBC) and has previously written for Hollyoaks (Lime Pictures/Channel 4) and was in the writers’ room for The Night Manager Series 2 (The Ink Factory/AMC).
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SHOW NOTES
[02:42] Selina talks about how she became one of the Sex Education writers and her experience of being in an online writers' room
[07:22] How she started as a screenwriter
[13:24] The dynamics in a writers' room
[17:01] How to understand a character's role in your story and why it’s important to know your characters really well
[19:45] How a writers’ room function, how writers ideate and collaborate
[22:14] Writing a scene and knowing the bigger picture
[27:08] Creating a scene's structure, why she believes you should "write drunk, edit sober", and showing instead of telling
[29:32] On writing sex scenes
[32:14] What makes good and authentic dialogue?
[33:34] Selina shares what helps her understand her character more
[36:04] Dealing with self-doubt
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QUOTES FROM SELINA LIM
“What is the work that the scene is doing? Why is it there? You have to ask so you know what emotional beat you are hitting.”
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RESOURCES:
Connect with Selina Lim:
Website: selinalim.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/muppet0013
Instagram: instagram.com/selinalim888
Links from the show:
Instagram picture we mention at the start of the show
TV Shows mentioned:
- HANNA
- Sex Education
- Succession
- The Night Manager
Others
- Playing Ball - a short written by Selina for BBC
- Painkiller - a 15-minute short film
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For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon*
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
We have published 10 episodes and we realised that we had never really introduced ourselves…
So, we’re going to talk a little about where we’ve come from and why the London Writers’ Salon exists and what this podcast means to us. We’re going to do this by interviewing each other!
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ABOUT MATT AND PARUL
Matt Trinetti and Parul Bavishi are the co-founders of the London Writers' Salon (@WritersSalon) and the creators of the Webby-nominated Writers' Hour where they write with hundreds of writers every week day. The Salon began as an in-person monthly interview series in central London and has since evolved to become a global community. In addition to the daily Writers' Hours, they host weekly interviews with writers and run workshops to help writers get published. They have partnered with organisations like Soho House, Allbright and Women's Prize for Fiction.
Matt Trinetti is a writer, publisher, TEDx speaker, and facilitator. In addition to running LWS, Matt designs programs to help unfulfilled professionals pursue creative work, start businesses, and reinvent their careers. Matt's work has appeared in Quartz, Observer, Creative Mornings, and on his blog GiveLiveExplore.
Parul Bavishi has been an editor for over a decade.In addition to running LWS she helps thriller, YA and non-fiction writers level up their craft and get published. She previously worked as an editor and literary scout at Quercus and Random House.
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RESOURCES AND LINKS:
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
Escape the City
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
*
CREDITS
Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
How does a poet see the world? How can we move past self doubt and keep writing after rejection? In this episode we talk to Anthony Anaxagorou about how his journaling practice helps him generate ideas for his work, what his editing process looks like, and why he might spend eight or nine hours working on a single poem. Anthony is candid about his experience of failure and rejection, shares why we should be wary of the temptations of ‘prize culture’ (always seeking validation through the next prize), and why it’s crucial to develop our own internal value system to sustain ourselves and our writing. He even reads us some of his poetry!
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ABOUT ANTHONY ANAXAGOROU
Anthony Anaxagorou is a British-born Cypriot poet, fiction writer, essayist, publisher and poetry educator. His second collection After the Formalities was shortlisted for the 2019 T.S Eliot Prize. He was awarded the 2019 H-100 Award for writing and publishing, and the 2015 Groucho Maverick Award for his poetry and fiction. He’s the founder of one of London's leading poetry nights, Out-Spoken, and the independent publisher Out-Spoken Press.
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SHOW NOTES
[03:22] The experience of writing a book during the pandemic
[04:41] Anthony talks about his uncle and how he influenced him as a writer
[08:07] On failures and why it's important to ask yourself searching questions and see rejection as part of your job
[11:48] What is prize culture and why does Anthony think it's dangerous?
[14:06] Measuring success and creating your own value system
[15:04] Anthony reads his poem, "Uber"
[18:31] On being dissatisfied with his own work
[21:53] On why he carrys a notebook with him all the time, and a writing habit he got from Lydia Davis
[22:34] Anthony’s morning writing exercise
[24:15] Anthony talks about his writing process, including 7-8 hours of focusing on one poem
[27:43] How do you stop feeling intimidated by the academic side of poetry?
[31:32] Anthony reflects on what "pushing your writing as far as it can go" means to him
[34:32] Anthony shares the exercises he gives to his students to help them in writing a poem
[36:38] What is the loaf of bread analogy, and why is playing with timelines when you write essential?
[37:40] Resolving the poem and the idea of leaving the reader with questions
[39:15] How do you know when a poem is done?
[43:33] On being in conversation with the reader and why the writer is only half the conversation
[46:13] Anthony shares how he started his London-based Out-Spoken open mic nights
[49:44] Anthony reads his poem, "After the Formalities"
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QUOTES BY ANTHONY:
“The more you read, the more you get a sense for how poems work. And it's literally just from reading and you get a sense of where things end and where is an interesting place to end. If you think along the lines of—if you think the word interesting as opposed to kind of definitive. Then it kind of—it swaps. I just want to be interesting on the page. I don't want to be correct. I don't want to be certain. I want to be interesting.”
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RESOURCES:
Connect with Anthony:
Twitter: @Anthony1983
Facebook: anthonyanax
Website: anthonyanaxagorou.com
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Links from the show:
After the Formalities by Anthony Anaxagorou
How To Write It by Anthony Anaxagorou
Suppose a Sentence by Brian Dillon
Uber by Anthony Anaxagorou
After the Formalities by Anthony Anaxagorou
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Authors/Poets mentioned:
- Don Paterson
- Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Emily Dickinson
- Ocean Vuong
- Matthew Sweeney
- Jericho Brown
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
*
CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
During times of enormous change, how can you harness the power of ritual to create stability and creativity? How can ordinary practices, such as writing, help us find meaning and cultivate deeper spiritual lives? We talk to author Casper Ter Kuile (The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities Into Soulful Practices) about the difference between habit and ritual and how to turn habits into meaningful rituals. We explore Casper’s journey in publishing, how he moved past the first draft and his practices for overcoming the pitfalls of comparison.
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Casper ter Kuile is the author of The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices, co-host of the award-winning podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, and co-founder of startup Sacred Design Lab - a research and design consultancy working to create a culture of belonging and becoming.
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SHOW NOTES
[03:18] Casper talks about his 24-hour tech sabbatical and why rest isn't just about preparing us for the workweek
[07:45] Why Casper, an atheist, was drawn to Harvard Divinity School to study and the surprising pull of community, ritual and tradition in the religious community
[11:18] How his observation of the growing disaffiliation from religion and the fraying of our connections with each other led him to explore the power of ritual
[13:11] The difference between habit and ritual and how to turn habits into meaningful rituals
[15:51] Why we should develop our ability to be choiceful
[17:23] An observation of connection practices during the pandemic, including the absence of ritual
[19:57] Applying the triptych: intention, attention, and repetition to his writing
[22:23] Casper talks about moving past a terrible first draft of his book, The Power of Ritual, and how he landed his book deal
[27:14] How Casper deals with self-doubt and imposter syndrome, including going on long walks
[29:25] Casper shares how he balanced researching and studying while he was writing his first book, also how he deals with the pitfalls of comparison
[31:13] Casper shares advice from Seth Godin for when you're having self-doubt
[32:43] On how to move away from introspection, and writing not just as something to make you great, but as a gift
[35:08] Casper shares how accountability is important in creating practices in new communities
[36:14] How to both hold on and let go of a growing community
[38:23] Casper shares the origin of his podcast with friends, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, and the community it built
[41:50] What are the things that started and changed as the podcast community grew, and how did it even bring the community closer?
[44:44] A parting note - understanding the sufficiency of the gift that you have to give
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QUOTES:
“Think of writing, not as something that is going to make you great, but as a gift to someone who might need it."
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RESOURCES
- The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities Into Soulful Practices by Casper Ter Kuile
- Harry Potter and the Sacred Text podcast
- Seth Godin
- The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel
- HarperOne
- How We Gather - Casper’s co-written paper
- David Sedaris
- Vanessa Zoltan
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
Follow London Writers’ Salon:
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
*
CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
How might we launch our newsletter and build a loyal following for our writing? How can we monetize our newsletter to six figures and beyond? In this episode, we interview Polina Marinova Pompliano who quit her job at Fortune in 2020 to focus on building her weekly Substack newsletter The Profile, where she profiles interesting figures like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Brandon Stanton, the creator of Humans of New York. We talk about tactics for growing a loyal and paying readership, how she develops ideas for her newsletter and the importance of feedback to improve our writing.
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Polina Marinova is a former Fortune Magazine editor and writer, and founder of newsletter The Profile where she studies the world's most successful people & companies. She’s written for CNN, CNN Travel, Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, Boston Herald, Food & Wine Magazine, Odyssey, The Hustle and more. Polina is part of an emerging trend of writers who are looking ahead to the future of media and content and considering what it might take to start a media company on their own terms.
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SHOW NOTES
[02:39] Polina shares what gave her the courage to quit her job at The Fortune and dedicate her time to The Profile despite the pandemic and why you only need 100 true fans
[06:42] Polina shares how she's become good at time management over the years, and how she stays productive
[09:06] The importance of sharing your work with the public and opening yourself up to criticism and feedback as a writer
[11:56] How Polina deals with feedback today versus how she dealt with it in the past
[13:00] What Polina learned from writing articles and getting feedback, and how she used them to get more readers
[15:33] Polina talks about her relationship dynamic with her husband who's also a writer, and how their differences help her get a business perspective for her newsletter
[21:07] Polina shares the tools and systems that have helped her to be better at writing
[27:42] The challenges Polina encounters in writing newsletters and what keeps her writing
[29:15] Polina shares some newsletters that inspired her, including James Clear's blog
[30:51] The business side of The Profile: how Polina grew her newsletter, and how she focused on quality content
[31:58] Monetizing The Profile, and what made Polina’s readers convert to a paid subscription
[34:09] Polina shares some of the ways she earns from The Profile
[37:07] Why you don't need a massive following to monetize your work
[37:33] Polina talks about her future goal of building a human interest company
[38:32] The future of newsletters and why it's the perfect time to be a writer right now
[41:30] On dealing with self-doubt and criticisms, and why patience and consistency is important if you want to start a newsletter
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QUOTES:
“So I think a lot of times people think they need this massive, massive following to monetize anything. It's not true. As long as you can prove that the audience is really high quality and really engaged and they actually click and they actually open, and they actually read it.”
“The best piece of advice I heard was from Kat Cole, who's the president of Focus Brands. She said that every time you get a piece of feedback, the first thing you should do before you reject it—before you think it’s stupid is accept it and try and be like, okay, if this is true, then what can I do about it?...Accept it as truth before you outright dismiss it. Because after a while, that was not the only email I got like that. I got a number of them that were very critical, but it made me have thicker skin. It made me evolve in my writing. And by the end of my time there, I'd like to think that my voice, my tone, how I wrote, [the] people really liked because it was me and I wasn't trying to be somebody else.”
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RESOURCES
The Profile
- Fortune Magazine - an American multinational business magazine
- The Messy Middle by Scott The Messy Middle by Scott Belsky
- Maria Popova - Bulgarian writer
- Chefs Table - Grant Achatz Episode
- Single Supplement newsletter - Nikola Slawson
- NFTs and a Thousand True Fans - Article from a16z.com (Andreessen Horowitz’s website)
- Sara Blakely - Founder of Spanx
- Shane Parrish - Author, founder of Farnam Street
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Josh Wolfe - Investor, founder of Lux Capital
- Business Insider - American news website
- The Hustle - Newsletter
- Bessemer Venture Partners - American venture capital firm
- The Washington Post - American daily newspaper
- The New York Times - American daily newspaper
- The Wall Street Journal - American business-focused, English-language international daily newspaper
- Brandon Stanton - Author of Humans of New York
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
Follow London Writers’ Salon:
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
How do we, as writers, turn raw emotions and observations into fiction? In this episode we interview Diana Evans (Ordinary People, 26a) about her creative process, how she discovered her true voice and how she creates characters. We also discuss practices that help Diana with writer's block, why she treats writing as a job and the importance of having other people read your work and being a part of a writing community.
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SHOW NOTES
[03:32] How music influences Diana's writing and how John Legend's soundtrack influenced her book Ordinary People
[07:22] The messy journey Diana went through to discover her voice and what she does and doesn't want to write about, which began in journaling
[10:43] Diana shares some of her practises to help her with writer's block, including reading poetry, leaving your work for a while, and forcing her way through writing
[12:38] On treating writing as a job, and some of Diana's writing rules and habits like having a schedule and not beating yourself up when you don't meet your target
[19:07] Diana shares why she distances herself from the characters and the world she's writing about
[20:41] How Diana's peers helped improve her writing and how sometimes, the simplest way to write and tell a story is actually the easiest way
[23:05] The importance of having other people read your work, and being a part of a writing community
[25:39] Diana’s writing philosophy, the importance of journaling and why it's our responsibility to write about our experiences
[28:00] Diana shares her creative process, and how white American authors writing about ordinary life inspired her to do the same for her book, Ordinary People
[31:12] How Diana come up with her book characters, including writing down lists and brainstorming
[34:40] Why planning everything is important for Diana, and why she prefers that her writing is led by a character and what the character is experiencing
[37:44] Our responsibility as readers and writers in documenting the world around us
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QUOTES:
“I think journalism, journaling rather, it's quite important for just recording things. I think it's, it's our responsibility as writers actually, to comment on the world and to reflect the world around us, whether that's historically or today because we are mouthpieces of society.”
“And I feel that there is so much in the world that is real and alive, and that is happening both in my life and around me, in the lives I see around me that is, you know, rich in story and in drama. I'm really not a world builder. I'm a world observer.
I investigate the world and try and analyze it, and encapsulate human life. So that's where the writing comes from, but in order to achieve a distance, I have to kind of place myself in a position that is somehow apart from the characters and the world that I'm writing about. So I have to find a way to do that in order to tell the story."
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RESOURCES
Diana's Books:
- Ordinary People
- The Wonder
- 26a
Book awards mentioned:
- The Guardian and Commonwealth Best First Book awards
- Women's Prize for Fiction - Orange Award
- Women's Prize for Fiction - Discoveries Award
Books mentioned:
- The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud
Authors mentioned:
- John Updike
- James Salter
- Richard Yates
Others:
- Song: Ordinary People by John Legend
- Singer: Michael Jackson
- 44th president of the United States: Barack Obama
- Diana Evans’ Harper's Bazaar article
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
Follow London Writers’ Salon:
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
*
CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
Can creativity and money go hand in hand? How can we guarantee that we pay ourselves a profit no matter how much we earn? In this episode we talk to Mike Michalowicz about his Profit First method that helps creatives manage their money better, pay themselves well, and make a profit. We also talk about guerilla marketing strategies, connecting with your readership and how to build your confidence.
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Mike is the author and creator of Profit First, a methodology used by hundreds of thousands of companies across the globe to drive profit. Profit First is a perennial global Top 20 Book, in the category of Personal & Business Finance (Publishers Weekly) and has transformed readers’ lives. Mike is the author of Fix This Next, Clockwork, Surge, The Pumpkin Plan and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur. Simon Sinek calls Mike Michalowicz “the patron saint of entrepreneurs.”
SHOW NOTES
[05:26] On being considered as the patron saint of entrepreneurs by ‘Start With Why’ author, Simon Sinek, and how Mike built a relationship with him
[08:31] Mike shares how he lost everything and how it became his purpose to eradicate entrepreneurial poverty and pursue his dream of becoming an author
[11:37] How journaling became an outlet for Mike to address his depression and a source for ideas for his book
[14:30] Mike's dream of being an author and how to qualify the naysayers
[16:40] Mike shares how he went from having 20,000 copies of his books and zero sales to selling a hundred thousand copies using guerrilla tactics
[18:46] Mike shares his ultimate hack for freelancers, writers, creatives to be permanently profitable
[24:43] On doing different and why we should overcome our fear of rejection and being an outsider
[25:56] What does it mean to pay yourself first? And why it became Mike's ethos for his book Profit First
[32:48] Other key tenants of the Profit First system, including what he calls the five foundational accounts
[37:52] On why it's our responsibility to share our work and ask people to consume what we have
[42:34] Life's mission as the ultimate motivator, and how we can use our pain to help you reach your goals
[47:01] Mike shares how he uses pain and pleasure to manage his finances, and the difference between denial and delay
[49:34] Mike's battle with self-doubt, why reaching out to your followers—no matter how small—is important, and the recipe for confidence
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QUOTES FROM MIKE
“So many authors, poets, writers are simply just trying to scratch by, to survive and therefore they can't give their best. There's this constant worry. They're going to sleep, not thinking about their next great creation. They're going to sleep saying, “Holy shit, how am I going to eat tomorrow?” To give our best, we must make sure that we're satisfied that we're served and protected. And that's what profitability does. It allows you to protect yourself. So our clients, our readers thirst for that. So you have to be profitable. The technique to do this is the pay yourself first principle. Apply it to your business. Every time you have income coming in from the work you sell, you subtract a predetermined percentage of that money as profit, hide it from yourself and then run your work off the remainder. And what this does is it starts accumulating profit...”
RESOURCES
Mentioned books of Mike Michalowicz
- Profit First
- The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur
- Fix This Next
- Clockwork
- Surge
- The Pumpkin Plan
Books mentioned:
- Start with Why by Simon Sinek
- Crushing It by Gary Vaynerchuk
- The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Others:
- Julia Cameron's Morning Pages
- Tim Ferris - Entrepreneur, investor, author, podcaster, and lifestyle guru
- Yanik Silver - Author, entrepreneur
- Pay Yourself First principle
- Parkinson's Law
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
What does it take to launch your book and build a fanbase? What do most writers misunderstand about the craft of writing and launching their book? Tim Grahl has dedicated the last 10 years of his life helping over 100 authors – from bestsellers to first time writers – get their books into the hands of more readers. In this episode we talk about smart and authentic marketing steps every writer can take to find their first 1000 readers and give their book a chance of reaching the bestselling lists. We also dive into Tim's memoir Running Down a Dream and talk about writing about devastation and grief.
Tim Grahl has worked with authors like Dan Pink, Ramit Sethi, Shawn Coyne, Pamela Slim, Dan and Chip Heath and has launched dozens of books to the top of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and other bestseller lists. He also runs The Story Grid podcast, where he had his own book edited live by editor Shawn Coyne. Tim has written books on building an audience: Your First 1000 Copies; on building a business: Running Down a Dream, He has also been the architect behind the hugely successful Story Grid writing community and works with Steven Pressfield and Shawn Coyne at Black Irish Publishing.
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SHOW NOTES
[03:46] Tim talks about the vulnerability of being critiqued live on The Story Grid podcast with Editor Shawn Coyne
[09:38] How to build the right audience, and the benefits of learning in public for accountability
[12:12] How a successful book launch always starts with a good plan
[12:23] What went wrong with The Threshing's launch, and the things Tim did right to market The Sand and Sea (280,000-word epic fantasy)
[15:38] Why it's harder to get people to read a book than buy one, and what Tim and his team did to sell The Sand and Sea
[19:38] Building an email list as the number one marketing tactic sell and promote your book
[23:51] The importance of building a habit and why being consistent is better than doing one big push on anything that you do
[26:22] Tim's advice for those who are trying to build their email list, and why you should treat the process as an adventure. Plus how to get your first 100 subscribers.
[30:56] The value of being consistent in whatever you do
[32:25] Tim's definition of marketing
[34:07] The story behind Tim's memoir, Running Down a Dream, the dream he was running down and how it's evolved over time
QUOTES FROM TIM GRAHL
“If you see any books that are still selling ten years after they came out, it's not because the publishing house did an amazing job marketing the book ten years ago. I think of it as a rocketship. If you turn off the engine when it's halfway out of that atmosphere, it's going to crash down to earth every single time. So if you can just get it out of the atmosphere, now we can see if it's going to live on its own. And that's how I think of marketing a book is the job of the publisher / author is to get that book out of the atmosphere. And the goal is to get 10,000 people to read the book. At that point, you find out if the book's going to fly on its own because, again, I can force 10,000. I can't force a million or five hundred thousand or a hundred thousand.”
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RESOURCES
- Story Grid Podcast by Shawn Coyne and Tim Grahl
- Running Down A Dream
- Book Launch
Mentioned authors:
- Dan Pink
- Ramit Sethi
- Pamela Slim
- Dan and Chip Heath
- Ryan Holiday
- James Clear
- Steven Pressfield
- Jeff Goins
Mentioned books of Tim Grahl:
- Your First 1000
- Running Down A Dream
- The Threshing
Other books mentioned:
- Tales of Iceland by Stephen Markely
- Save The Cat! By Robert Mckee
- Machine Man by Max Barry
- The Sand and Sea by Michael McClellan
- The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle by Steven Pressfield
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- The Amazing Scrolls of Wonder by M.J. Thomas
- The Dip by Seth Godin
- Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
Others:
- Hugh MacLeod - author and cartoonist
- ConvertKit - a marketing platform
- Matt's blog post where he mentioned Chris Guillebeau's books
- Song: Runnin’ Down a Dream by Tom Petty
- Derek Sivers’ CD Baby
- Joe Rogan's podcast
- Elizabeth Gilbert - journalist and author
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
Benjamin Hardy’s articles have been read by over 100 million readers. He has also been the #1 writer, in the world, on Medium.com. How does he do it? In this episode, he shares his writing process and how he plans, structures and ships his articles. We also talk about why it’s important to set the right goals to help us reach our most courageous dreams, how our goals shape our identity and personality, and the importance of the environment in achieving our goals.
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Dr Benjamin Hardy (@BenjaminPHardy) is an organizational psychologist, bestselling author and the world’s leading expert on the application of the Future Self science. His books include Be Your Future Self Now, The Gap and the Gain, Willpower Doesn’t Work and Personality Isn’t Permanent. His blogs have been read by over 100 million people and are featured on Forbes, Fortune, CNBC and many others. He is a regular contributor to Inc. and Psychology Today and from 2015-2018, he was the #1 writer, in the world, on Medium.com.
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SHOW NOTES
[02:47] How we underpredict our future selves
[04:15] How Ben clarified his goal to become a professional writer and land a six-figure book deal
[06:55] How Ben used Medium to grow his email list from 0 to 400k
[10:05] Ben’s systems and processes to create consistently popular articles
[14:47] Ben's writing process and how he plans, structures and ships his articles
[17:30] On using Medium vs LinkedIn.
[19:18] On repurposing an article for two different platforms
[27:50] What does it mean to orient our lives towards our goals? From LeBron to watching Youtube late at night
[31:26] How James Clear’s goal led him to sell 2 million copies of Atomic Habits
[33:40] The importance of environment in changing your life and achieving your goals
[39:35] Why being useful is important, and how you can get what you want by helping other people
[40:51] Resources for crafting good headlines
[44:29] Why ‘empathetic witnesses’ can encourage you to write, publish and more
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QUOTES FROM BEN HARDY
“...most people think that who they are today is who they're gonna be in the future. So their future self actually isn't imagined far different. They think that their future self is going to kind of pretty much be the same person that they are today, which is just not what the research shows. We massively under predict how much we're going to change in the future. And we spend so little time imagining our future and turning that into concrete plans and strategies for courageously becoming the person we wanted to be”
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“What is the actual objective of this article? What am I trying to accomplish? Or what am I trying to have the reader accomplish? What is the purpose of this article? Like just answering that question, like, what am I trying to accomplish? What am I trying to solve here?”
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RESOURCES:
Podcast Offer: To access the Genuis Blogging Course, email ben@benjaminhardy.com and mention the LWS interview offer along with proof of purchase of Ben’s book.
Follow Ben Hardy:
Website: benjaminhardy.com
Twitter @benjaminphardy
Instagram @benjamin_hardy_phd
Ben’s Books:
- Willpower Doesn't Work
- Personality Isn't Permanent
- Who Not How (co-authorship with Dan Sullivan.)
Authors mentioned:
- Ryan Holiday
- Tim Ferriss
- Mark Manson
- Jeff Goins
Other books mentioned:
- Disunited Nations by Peter Zeihan
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson
- Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday
Courses mentioned:
Guest Blogging by Jon Morrow - (summary here) & Genius Blogging
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS' SALON
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen.
As writers, there may be times when we must delve deep into the harder ‘themes’ of life - that of grief and loss. How might we start to write about loss and in what medium - a blog? Or a book? And where do we begin? How can we be vulnerable on the page? Join our conversation with Anna Wilson, as we talk about the craft of writing memoirs, having the confidence to tell the truth, and the mindset that has enabled her to write 50+ books.
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Anna Wilson is the author of over 50 books for children and young teens. In 2016 she started her blog Good Grief about mid-life, loss and new beginnings. This eventually led to her memoir A Place for Everything which tells the searing account of a mother’s late-diagnosis of autism – and what it means to care for our parents in their final years. Anna is also an editor and lecturer, a tutor for the London Lit Lab and the Writer's Block in Cornwall and for the Arvon Foundation.
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SHOW NOTES:
[03:53] Anna's love for swimming and how it helped her deal with grief
[06:23] Anna's struggle to write during lockdown
[08:16] How Anna chooses the themes for her books
[11:23] On pitching ideas
[14:42] Anna's blog and how it started
[19:42] How to move from draft to a polished piece + Anna's writing practices
[23:03] What to include and what not to when writing a memoir
[24:56] How Anna decided to write a book about her mom and dad
[27:09] Why Anna suggests reading other people's memoirs
[30:29] Anna shares what the book A Place for Everything is about
[33:39] On being vulnerable in your writing
[37:24] Anna's advice for someone who wants to tell the truth
[38:29] On how Anna came up with the title for the book
[41:21] Why having a good relationship with your editor is important
[44:39] Anna’s favourite writing exercises
[46:10] Pigheaded attitude and being disciplined as a writer
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QUOTES FROM ANNA:
“I think it's quite a pigheaded attitude. I think you have to be pretty disciplined. I love Margaret Atwood when she says, “Show up, show up, show up. And the muse will too.” In other words, don't talk to me about, oh, I'm just waiting for the muse to come. I'm just waiting for that moment when I'm going to feel writer-y, and then I'll write something. Now you've got to show up every single day.”
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SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Anna Wilson
Twitter: @acwilsonwriter
Instagram: @acwilsonwriter
Website: acwilsonwriter.wordpress.com
Vlad the World’s Worst Vampire
Steve Voake
Paddington2 - The Story of the Movie (Movie Tie-in)
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
Follow London Writers’ Salon:
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
So you've started a blog, written a book. What next? How can you find your first 100 readers and grow that to 10,000 and beyond? Chris Guillebeau talks about how he grew his audience, one by one, from zero readers to thousands hanging on his every step. He's authored multiple New York Times bestsellers. And today when he launches a new book product or even an event, it sells out instantly. Join us for our conversation with Chris Guillebeau about becoming a disciplined writer, building a global community around your work, and making it as a full-time writer.
ABOUT CHRIS
Chris Guillebeau is the author of seven books. His first book, The Art of Non-Conformity, was translated into more than thirty languages. His second book, The $100 Startup, was a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, selling more than 700,000 copies worldwide. His newest book, The Money Tree is all about finding fortune in your own backyard. He’s also built Side Hustle School, a wildly popular podcast with more than 2 million monthly downloads, to help people create a new source of income without quitting their job.
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SHOW NOTES
[03:04] Chris talks about his secret to getting an NYT review
[04:28] Chris talks about his relationship with role models and the people that inspire him
[07:39] The core components of being a writer, and the importance of serving others
[10:36] Discipline as part of being professional and how doing things every day is sometimes easier than doing them less frequently
[13:53] The abundance mindset and why this is important
[17:16] Chris talks about what it's like transitioning from doing book tours to doing everything online during the pandemic.
[20:28] How to allocate time to finish different projects without feeling overwhelmed
[22:25] Chris talks about where he generates more income
[27:02] Chris shares his thoughts on monetizing his works
[29:21] How to build and grow an audience
[32:47] Blogging before vs now
[34:26] Chris shares his approach when it comes to talking about a difficult subject
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QUOTES FROM CHRIS GUILLEABEAU
“A guiding value has always been — there's gotta be something I can do today to help somebody … it could be highlighting other people's projects. It could be like doing whatever you can to get someone else to have attention or whatever it is.”
“The other secret about the podcast is it would be easier for me, or it's easier for me to do it seven days a week than it would be to do it like three to five days a week. Like if it was like Monday, Wednesday, Friday, it would be harder than every day because every day it has to happen, right. Whereas if it's on like a staggered schedule, it's like, oh, you just kind of get off the rhythm.”
“And so the only thing you can do is take more hits or try, you know, like you take more chances. That quote about, like, to be luckier…I'd like to have more luck, take more chances”
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“Most of the time I'm not selling anything. Like most of the time, it's like for months or years go by without doing much. The podcast is free. The blog is free. Other stuff is free. I'm not really working on trying to build out that part of the online business. So I guess when the time comes to launch the book, I don't hesitate to push it a little bit because I mean like I said, I know that that's going to help people, and then I know it's going to help me as well.”
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“...[A]nybody who joins my email list, that person has chosen to give me like their most valuable asset, which is their time and their attention…As much as possible, I want to build individual relationships with those people… And so for the first 10,000 people that joined over the course of, I don't know, two years, I wrote to each one of those people. Not just like an autoresponder, but I wrote an actual email to those people, and said, “Hey Matt, thanks so much for joining”, you know, “Hope you like it. Let me know what you're up to.” … [I built it] one by one.”
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SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Chris Guillebeau
Website: https://chrisguillebeau.com
Twitter: twitter.com/chrisguillebeau
Instagram: instagram.com/193countries
Gretchen Rubin & The Happiness Project
Seth Godin
Tim Grahl
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
Follow London Writers’ Salon:
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook:
facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
There is something about Holly. If you look through the online reviews you’ll see comments like _‘there were times I felt Holly had climbed into my head’ and ‘I cried so much reading this_’. Her writing has the gift to connect to the reader – we explore this in the interview from her first book written on a 45 min commute, to overcoming imposter syndrome, why she thinks a writer should spend only 33% of their time writing and how writing fiction is the act of destroying the perfect idea you have in your head. Holly also talks us through her ideation process, how she uses psychology to get into her characters’ heads and her approach to marketing her work.
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Holly Bourne has written 12 books over 7 years. She started her writing career as a news journalist, but after working with young people, was inspired to write teen fiction and won awards for her best-selling, award-winning ‘Spinster Club’ series. When she turned thirty, Holly wrote her first adult novel, How Do You Like Me Now about the intensified pressures on women once they hit that landmark. Her latest book Pretending has garnered praise from book reviewers, bloggers and authors Marian Keyes, and Dolly Alderton. Four of her books have now been optioned for film and TV.
Alongside her writing, Holly has a keen interest in women’s rights and is an advocate for reducing the stigma of mental health problems. She is an ambassador for Women's Aid and their Love Respect campaign, educating young people about healthy relationships.
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SHOW NOTES
[02:18] Holly talks about her writing process and her coping mechanisms during lockdown
[04:23] How to be kind to yourself while writing in lockdown
[06:20] Having a hobby and doing other things apart from writing
[09:49] Holly’s journey from having a full-time job to becoming an author, and how she wrote her first book while commuting to work.
[13:18] How to overcome your imposter syndrome
[17:08] Why you should only spend 33% of your time writing
[18:37] Why the first draft is just like digging up a fossil
[20:02] How psychology helps in Holly’s writing
[22:36] How writing fiction is the act of destroying a perfect idea in your head
[24:43] Holly’s writing process, the need to have the first line, and doing extensive research before the actual writing
[29:56] On being authentic with yourself and asking the hard questions
[34:55] Holly talks about marketing her writing and doing promotions
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QUOTES BY HOLLY
“Writing fiction is the act of destroying a perfect idea in your head…lots of people in this room have had that moment where they have this idea for a story or a character or a poem, screenplay, and they're so excited, and the temptation is to just leave it at that as this perfect unformed... once you start writing, it will never live up to the hype in your head. And then you might get a different idea or you might get bored of it, or you start having plot problems or characters...So it’s accepting the fact that you're going to completely ruin the best idea you ever had. But if you were that excited to begin with—if you were just buzzing when that idea land is, you've got to know that in the translation from head to work, there'll be enough of that. There will. You won't ever be able to get a hundred per cent, there'll be enough, and you cannot mend the blank page.”
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SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Holly Bourne
Twitter: @holly_bourneYA
Instagram: @hollybourneya
Facebook: Holly.BourneYA
The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
Follow London Writers’ Salon:
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen
Alastair Humphreys has built an impressive career as a creator using a simple formula:
Step 1: Go on an adventure.
Step 2: Write a story about it.
Step 3: Earn money from it.
Step 4: Repeat.
Sounds Simple. But far from easy.
In this episode, we dive into Alastair’s creative process – from planning, adventuring, writing to publishing and eventually, getting paid. We’ll also discuss how Alastair has navigated hard times to persist as a creator for 15+ years, his journey from teaching to writing to filmmaking to children’s books to podcasting, balancing family life with adventuring and creating, and tips for writing stories about your personal experiences that readers will love and publishers will buy.
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Alastair Humphreys is a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, podcaster, filmmaker, and author of 13 books. He spent over 4 years cycling around the world, a journey of 46,000 miles through 60 countries and 5 continents. More recently Alastair has walked across southern India, rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, run six marathons through the Sahara desert, completed a crossing of Iceland, and participated in an expedition in the Arctic.
In 2018, Alastair trekked over 350 miles across Spain in the footsteps of his adventurer-author hero Laurie Lee, feeding himself only with money he earned busking. He turned that story into the enthralling, raw memoir, My Midsummer Morning: Rediscovering a Life of Adventure.
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SHOW NOTES
[05:07] Alastair's rowing experience across the Atlantic Ocean
[07:06] How to push yourself in your path of adventure by starting small
[09:48] Big adventures and how to turn them into micro-adventures when life gets in the way
[12:10] Alastair’s coping mechanisms during the pandemic including climbing a tree, plus the importance of passive income
[15:49] How to find an audience for your writings that's beyond friends and family
[18:24] Alastair’s love for travel books and what inspired him to write
[19:13] About Alastair’s busking adventure in Spain and how this led to this book, My Midsummer Morning, and balancing adventuring life and home life
[28:31] Alastair’s journey from having a publisher to self-publishing his own books
[33:22] On trying new things and becoming an expert in your own niche
[37:04] How to get paid gigs with brands & and how to approach brands
[40:11] On self-doubt and how to get past it
[42:53] What would your eighty-year-old self tell you to do today?
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QUOTES FROM ALASTAIR
“There's a blog post called, The Long Tail, which shows you graphically like, how many times you'll hug your parents again, how many times you'll swim in the ocean again, and if you see it graphically, there are so few. And if he'd been so inclined, he could probably have written on his little bar chart: here are the books you have time to write in your life. And I suspect once you see that, your eighty-year-old self would suggest that you begin.”
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“If you're a writer and you compare yourself to Shakespeare, it's pointless. If you're going to play football in the park and you compare yourself to Lionel Messi, it’s pointless. But we spend all our lives measuring ourselves against people like this. It’s ridiculous. So call yourself a working whatever, and then get to work and try and find a thousand people who read your books and then repeat the process and try and get 2000 for the next one. And you'll probably be alright.”
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SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Alastair Humphreys:
Twitter: @Al_Humphreys
Instagram: @al_humphreys
Facebook: Al Humphreys Facebook Page
Website: www.alastairhumphreys.com
Wait but Why Blog by Tim Urban - The Long Tail
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FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS' SALON
For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com
Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
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CREDITS
Production by Victoria Spooner. Artwork by Emma Winterschladen