Raidah Shah Idil’s middle grade fantasy novel, HOW TO FREE A JINN, was first published in Australia before being picked up by a U.S. Big 5 publisher. Raidah and I talk about writing and publishing, and bond over being writer-moms with Type A personalities. 

Australian author Raidah Shah Idil was born in Singapore, grew up in Sydney, worked in Jordan, and now lives in Malaysia with her husband, three children and mother-in-law. Raidah earned her BA in English and BS in Psychology from the University of New South Wales, and her Diploma of Counselling from the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors. Raidah's debut middle grade fantasy novel, How To Free A Jinn, was highly commended by the Victorian Literary Premier Awards and won the Readings Children's Prize in 2025. Salaam Reads (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) has published and distributed the book in the US, Canada & the UK. Raidah loves ginger tea and noodle soup, and dreams of uninterrupted sleep.

The Long Road to Publishing with Eva Langston:

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Raidah Shah Idil:

• Website: www.raidahshahidil.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/raidahwrites
• HOW TO FREE A JINN: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/How-to-Free-a-Jinn/Raidah-Shah-Idil/9781665982627

Credits:

The Long Road to Publishing is produced and edited by Eva Langston, and the intro/outro music comes from the artist Soundroll on #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/lost-in-love

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