In a special series direct from the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival Nam Le chats with Irma about why his first unpublished novel was a spectacular failure but still worthwhile, why for a long time he was a secret writer and the renowned Iowa Writers Workshop was him ‘coming out’ to the world, how he naively thought the crazy success of The Boat was what all writers experienced, why Nam made a pact with himself that he would find the good in every publicity question, how his publisher felt abou...
Oct 28, 2024•46 min•Ep. 52
Irma and Karen chat about writers festivals they’ve recently attended, as well as the joys and challenges of being a panel moderator and interviewing other authors. Then Karen talks to JP Pomare about how he didn’t know he was writing crime until it was marketed that way, why his goal is to transcend the genre, how he’s managed to publish seven books in six years, why we’re so fascinated with crime fiction, how writing an Audible original taught him valuable lessons about writing, why research c...
Oct 06, 2024•50 min•Season 5Ep. 51
Irma and Karen chat about the upcoming Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. Then Karen talks to Kylie Needham about how a short story turned into her debut novel, the joys and challenges of writing for television and the screen, the collaboration of the writers’ room and the vulnerabilities of the process, what writing scripts taught her about moving the narrative forward, whether authors should get involved with screen adaptions of their work, the inequality and sexism of television in the 2000s,...
Sep 16, 2024•49 min•Season 5Ep. 50
Irma and Karen chat about audio books. Then Karen speaks with Finegan Kruckemeyer about how he got his first break as a playwright, the difference between writing for young people and adult audiences, how much freedom there is in the parameters of commissioned works, why he acts out his scripts, why a school production of one of his plays blew him away far more than the professional production, how he goes about writing both comedy and big issues, why he doesn’t enter the rehearsal space, advice...
Aug 26, 2024•50 min•Season 5Ep. 49
Irma chats to agent Jacinta di Mase about what agents do to earn their 15%, the intricacies of contracts – including rights reversion, world rights, backlists and rising royalties, how an agent can fight for an author over cover design and choosing a title, the dos and don’ts of submitting to agents, the extent of editorial feedback to expect from agents, how the submission process to publishers works, the ins and outs of foreign rights, what a co-agent is and why they’re important, how film/TV ...
Aug 05, 2024•57 min•Season 5Ep. 48
Karen and Irma chat about the ins and outs of contracts. Then Irma talks to Hilde Hinton about the way her work polarises people, how an argument with her brother (actor Samuel Johnson) led to her first novel, why Lego is an important part of her writing process, how novels can make space for important conversations about big topics like mental illness and suicide through joy rather than the sadness, how AI has revolutionised the way she researches, the ways in which writing her debut changed he...
Jul 16, 2024•47 min•Season 5Ep. 47
Irma and Karen reveal exciting new partnerships with Ubud Writers and Readers Festival and Writers Victoria. Then Karen chats with Beejay Silcox about literary criticism in Australia – what good critics endeavour to do, the blowback from a tough review, what is lacking in Australian criticism, the impact of shrinking page space, the inability to make a sustainable career out of criticism, and her deep regret over one particular review. And then on judging the Stella Prize – how the process works...
Jun 26, 2024•52 min•Season 5Ep. 46
Irma tries to convert Karen to writing program Scrivener. Then Irma chats to children’s creators Anna Walker and Andrea Rowe about how authors and illustrators work together (or don’t!), why illustrator notes are a no-no, the profound impact of picture books on both adults and children, the biggest mistakes that new writers and illustrators make, what to expect from the editing and publishing process, how to network and build connections in the industry, the effects of crippling self-doubt, why ...
May 15, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 45
Irma and Karen discuss author websites. Then Karen chats with Kris Kneen about writing into deeply uncomfortable spaces and confronting issues like fatness and identity, how to write sex well, why they’re always switching up genres, how to deal with disappointment over missing out on awards, why they almost gave up writing entirely, and the moment that changed their life. About Kris Kris Kneen has written erotica, fiction, short-stories, poetry, memoir, non-fiction and scripts for film and docum...
Apr 23, 2024•53 min•Season 4Ep. 44
Irma and Karen talk about prepping for radio interviews. Then Karen chats to Diana Reid about how writing scripts has informed the way she works as a novelist and her approach to being edited, what it was like to be thrown into the spotlight with her bestselling debut novel, how its extraordinary success affected her, advice on how to handle publicity interviews, why writing her second novel was so much harder, how she feels about being called Australia’s Sally Rooney, why COVID was such a posit...
Apr 02, 2024•46 min•Season 4Ep. 43
Karen and Irma chat about point of view and writing from multiple perspectives. Then Irma talks to Peter Papathanasiou about his very long and convoluted journey to publication, how his debut was rejected by 100 agents and took 10 years to get published, why his goal was to get published in the UK first and advice for other writers about how to do the same, how he successfully pitched his own book for screen, the challenges of the book-to-screen process, the devastating impact of being dropped b...
Mar 12, 2024•53 min•Season 4Ep. 42
'Irma and Karen talk about the ins and out of book marketing. Then Karen chats with Melinda Smith about winning the Prime Ministers Literary Award for poetry, the potential of TikTok for poets, how arts grants have sustained her writing and how to write a good application (all the details), how form (or lack thereof) influences the writing of a poem, why poets are not featured much in festival line-ups, sources of inspiration, the important art of poetry editing, and advice for how to get publis...
Feb 21, 2024•52 min•Season 4Ep. 41
Irma and Karen chat about the highs and lows of podcasting. Then Irma talks to Niq Mhlongo about what it was like growing up in Soweto, South Africa, how sleeping in a tiny room with seven brothers got him hooked on reading, why he ditched law to become a writer, how Dan Brown made him think he’d become a millionaire from writing, how his debut novel went from being deemed ‘unpublishable’ to being accepted by the same publisher, why he is sceptical about literary prizes, why living from Berlin g...
Jan 30, 2024•47 min•Season 4Ep. 40
Karen and Irma talk about ten awful publishing truths. Then Karen chats to Daniel O’Malley about writing humour in books and how to develop this skill, how he lost the first 150 pages of his bestseller The Rook , the potential pitfalls of finding an agent, the process of his novel being made into a mini-series, how he used to tweet as one of his characters, and what it’s like to go to a fantasy book conference. About Daniel Daniel O’Malley is an internationally bestselling fantasy/sci fi author....
Jan 09, 2024•47 min•Season 4Ep. 39
Karen and Irma chat about what makes a good book title. Then Irma talks to Kate Mildenhall about how she organised (and survived!) a massive book tour, the brutal experience of her second book being rejected, why writing retreats are invaluable for her creative practice, the challenges of not sticking to one genre, how she approached the writing of her structurally complex third novel, how she sees Australia’s reviewing culture and her new theory about the impact of reviewing momentum, the highs...
Nov 28, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 4Ep. 38
Karen and Irma discuss the challenges of author photo shoots. Then Irma chats with Christos Tsiolkas about how reading Monkey Grip cross-legged in a bookstore was a seminal moment, and how his father – who couldn’t read – made him the patient reader he is today, how the poor reception to his second novel The Jesus Man deeply bruised him and the overwhelming success of The Slap was the reverse experience, how acting techniques have influenced the way he writes characters, how he approached writin...
Nov 08, 2023•50 min•Season 4Ep. 37
Karen and Irma chat about one star reviews and Goodreads. Then Karen talks to Anita Heiss about why she writes across so many genres and which is her favourite, what she learned from writing the script for the 'Tiddas' live-show and how it feels to have your work performed on stage, how she creates sexy, sassy First Nations female characters, how she still feels self-doubt even after writing so many books, how she survived a personal attack from a certain right-wing shock jock, and how a life co...
Oct 18, 2023•37 min•Season 4Ep. 36
Karen and Irma chat about the impact of AI technologies on authors. Then Irma chats with Chris Flynn about exactly how Bookscan works and how he uses the data to monitor his own sales and make decisions about where to invest time with publicity, why publishing is operating on an outdated business model and how it should change, how to organise a book tour yourself, the ways in which both Ireland and Australia have impacted him as a writer, the challenges of writing humorous literary fiction, an ...
Aug 24, 2023•50 min•Season 3Ep. 35
Karen and Irma discuss how to craft a good sentence. Then Irma talks to Eliza Henry-Jones about why ‘paddock beanbagging’ is her preferred way to write, how writing a novel every year since she was 14 helped her understand her world, how difficult it was to first be published at the age of 25, why as a writer she is a ‘chaos demon’, how having a child changed her as a writer, why she wrote Salt and Skin from a place of rage, the challenges of writing ‘unlikeable’ female characters, why she resis...
Aug 01, 2023•56 min•Season 3Ep. 34
Karen and Irma discuss book tours. Then Irma chats with Aaron Fa’Aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker about the process of ghostwriting (or co-writing) Aaron’s memoir, how they tackled sensitive subjects like suicide, racism and Aaron’s domestic violence history, the decision-making process on what to include and what to not, why Aaron almost pulled the project many times but ultimately never did, how Michelle captured Aaron’s voice, and why recording the audiobook sent Aaron into a dark place. About ...
Jul 12, 2023•59 min•Season 3Ep. 33
Karen and Irma talk about presenting at sales conferences. Then Irma chats with Robbie Arnott about his ‘chaotic’ writing process, how landscapes inspire him and how he approaches writing about climate change to avoid being preachy, why his first book rejection really knocked his confidence, the way he fictionalised family history to avoid friction with family members, how a background in advertising helps him with the editing process, the pressure he puts on himself to get the writing perfect, ...
Jun 20, 2023•48 min•Season 3Ep. 32
Irma and Karen chat about festivals and events they’ve been attending. Then Karen talks to former Canberra Writers Festival Artistic Director Jeanne Ryckmans about how a literary festival is programmed, the role of publicists and why sometimes they don’t work in the author’s best interests, how a writer should pitch themselves to an artistic director, the positive developments as a result of COVID, the writer Jeanne would have donated a kidney to get on her program (and did!), and crazy festival...
May 30, 2023•34 min•Season 3Ep. 31
Irma and Karen chat about attending festivals as an interlocutor or as a panellist. Then Karen talks to Jock Serong about making the move from lawyer to novelist, why he dives into dark places, the fraught territory of navigating writing First Nations characters and history as a descendant of settler Australians, why he goes on writing excursions with his characters, a surreal green room experience with Ian Rankin, and an utterly disastrous panel event.
May 02, 2023•44 min•Season 3Ep. 30
Karen and Irma chat about the pros and cons of online writing courses. Then they chat to Marion Halligan about how Sylvia Plath inspired her to get started, what she bought with her first earnings, how writing is a kind of madness, the challenge of writing a memoir about her late daughter, good and bad editing experiences and what it was like being edited by her sister, why essays are her favourite form, the controversies while serving as Chair of the Australia Council Literature Board, why the ...
Apr 11, 2023•48 min•Season 3Ep. 29
Karen and Irma chat about writing residencies. Then they talk to bookseller and sales rep Deb Stevens about what goes on behind the scenes in the book trade, how books are sold into bookshops, if and when and how authors should contact their sales reps, preparing for your book’s release, how authors can work maximise promo of their books, the most wonderful authors Deb has worked with and the divas, and how a puppy rescued Jodi Picoult on tour.
Mar 21, 2023•44 min•Season 3Ep. 28
Irma and Karen chat about a new writing book, The Writer Laid Bare by Lee Kofman. Then Karen speaks with Inga Simpson about why choosing a character’s name to boost a word count ended up in a prize and her debut novel, how a childhood spent in nature influenced her writing, her determination not to let the second-book pressure derail her, the risks and challenges around telling stories involving Australia’s first peoples, how she measures success and the value of prizes, the politics of green ro...
Feb 28, 2023•52 min•Season 3Ep. 27
Irma and Karen chat about how organised (or disorganised!) they are with their writing. Then Irma chats to booksellers Katarina Pearson (Harry Hartog), Alison Page (Dymocks) and Peter Arnaudo (The Book Cow) about how to get friendly with booksellers – what to do (when and how) and what not to do, how long you can expect your book to stay on the shelves, how sales and returns work, the important role of sales reps and how they impact book selection, why relationships with local authors are key, w...
Feb 07, 2023•58 min•Season 3Ep. 26
In a special series direct from the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival, Irma chats with Natasha Lester about how utter despair before an award ceremony preceded the best moment of her life, the lightbulb moment that changed the course of her career, the rewards of constructive sulking after rejection, how a fraught editing process almost destroyed her current book, how she manages three books at a time in different stages of writing, editing and promoting, the high of hitting the New Yo...
Aug 10, 2022•41 min•Season 2Ep. 14
In a special series direct from the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival, Irma chats with Craig Silvey about the author school visit as a child that changed his life, the careful considerations around writing characters from marginalised communities, why he thinks writing to word counts is unhelpful, how writing is like an illness, the hardest manuscript he had to abandon, and the most frightening library display of his book. About Craig Craig Silvey is an author and screenwriter from Fre...
Jul 27, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 13
In a special series direct from the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival, Irma chats with siblings Rhett and Brooke Davis about what it’s like sharing the world of publishing with a sibling, their very different paths to becoming published authors, the downsides of a worldwide tour when your book is a smash hit, the childhood books that shaped them and are now echoed in their writing, how grief led to them both publishing novels, the pressure of writing a second novel when your debut has ...
Jul 13, 2022•46 min•Season 2Ep. 2
