London Writers' Salon

By Parul Bavishi, Matthew Trinetti

A deep dive into the habits, mindsets, tools, craft secrets and creative practices bestselling writers use to write novels, plays, poetry, and articles. Hosted by the co-founders of the London Writers... more

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FAQs about London Writers' Salon:

How many episodes does London Writers' Salon have?

The podcast currently has 168 episodes available.

London Writers' Salon episodes:

May 13, 2023#058: Steven Pressfield — The War of Art, Battling Resistance, Having A Creative Calling, Writing Memoir
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.
*
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 Sh*t
"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
*
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!
...more
1h 1min
May 06, 2023#057: Abigail Bergstrom — On Becoming A Literary Agent, Tips For Building An Author Brand, Inside the Publishing Industry, Recovering From Burnout
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
*
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!
...more
1h
April 29, 2023#056: Jonathan Escoffery — Writing Award-Winning Short Stories, World Building, Managing Reader Anticipation, Dynamic Storytelling
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:
Twitter
Instagram
Website
Other links mentioned:
Goblins in the Castle by 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
*
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!
...more
1h 2min
April 16, 2023#055: Dr Gloria Mark — Finding Focus For Creativity, 4 Different Attention States, Practicing Forethought, “Flow" vs “Focused Attention”
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
*
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!
...more
1h 2min
April 08, 2023#054: Anna Jordan — Developing as a Playwright, TV Writing (Killing Eve/ Succession), Shitty First Drafts, Overcoming Self Doubt.
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.
*
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.
*
RESOURCES:
Follow Anna:
Twitter
Website:
Instagram
Other links mentioned:
Anna's article on Writing and Plays
John Yorke's book Into the Woods
reMarkable digital notebook
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!
...more
1h
April 01, 2023#053: Stephen Markley — Writing Epic Novels, Creating Sprawling Narratives, Inside TV Writers Rooms, Persisting as a Writer, Having Stephen King As A Fan, Making Money As A Writer, Staying Away from Feedback
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..."
*
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
*
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!
...more
57min
March 25, 2023#052: Orna Ross — How to Succeed as Indie Author, Marketing Essentials, Paying Yourself First
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.
*
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
*
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!
...more
1h 8min
March 18, 2023#051: Cecile Pin — Writing Literary Fiction, Telling Your Family’s Story, Starting Your Career as an Author, Reality of Working In Publishing, Advice For First-Time Authors
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.
*
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 Condition by Cathy Park Hong
*
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

*
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!
...more
54min
March 11, 2023#050: Jasmine Richards — Creating Bestselling Children’s Book Series, Ideating, Secrets Of A Great Pitch & The Business Of Children’s Publishing
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.
*
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
*
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!
...more
1h 3min
March 04, 2023#049: Huma Qureshi — Writing the Memoir You're Not Sure You Can Write, Writing About Grief, Importance Of Role Models
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
Instagram
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
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!
...more
52min

FAQs about London Writers' Salon:

How many episodes does London Writers' Salon have?

The podcast currently has 168 episodes available.

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