Page One - The Writer's Podcast

On this episode of AIPL, there isn't even a mention of AI! Instead, we talk about how a recent change to Agent ethics guidelines in the US are questionable at best, discuss how publisher's PR promises are often empty (and whether anything could be done to stop that), and dive into a debate about whether memoirs should be fact-checked or should be left to be almost fictional in some cases...

00:00 Intro

01:06 From the Slush Pile - Listener Comments

11:03 Pay to Play? US Agents Ethics Row

18:35 Marketing Myths - Publishing's Empty Promises

27:33 Memoir or Myth - Does Truth Matter?

43:32 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory

50:20 The Final Chapter - Entertainment Catch-up

Links:

DGB resign from the Association of American Literary Agents

Who holds publishers to their promises?

Earl Spencer apologises to Piers Morgan for error in memoir

Fact checking doesn't apply to memoirs, says ex-Bloomsbury boss

What happened in the failed execution of Christa Pike?

Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more! Find all our shows here!

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CL Hellisen, formerly published as Cat Hellisen, is a South African author living in Scotland who writes speculative and fantasy fiction across adult, young adult, and middle-grade genres. Their published works include When the Sea is Rising Red, House of Sand and Secrets, and Beastkeeper, along with numerous award-winning short stories featured in publications such as Tor.com and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Their latest novel is The Shape of Monsters.

We had a great time chatting with Cat, hearing about world-building in secondary world fantasy and navigating the ups and downs of changing literary agents. We also talk about the reality of securing an audiobook-first deal before landing a print release, the craft differences between short fiction and novels, and we get some interesting anecdotes about writing routines, dealing with industry tropes, and keeping motivated through awards and release days!

Links:

Buy The Shape of Monsters now

Follow CL on Bluesky

Visit CL's website

Support us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone

Listen to authors telling stories together on our sister show, Narrative Damage

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one

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Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video interview on our YouTube channel

In this special crossover episode with our sister podcast, Narrative Damage, we chat with the brilliant Jon Gracey!

Jon is a writer, actor, producer, games designer and much more! Host of the hugely popular Blood on the Clocktower live, Jon also designs board games and appears regularly on No Rolls Barred as well as other gaming channels playing both board games and roleplaying games. His debut novel will be set in the world of Blood on the Clocktower.

We loved chatting to Jon in the studio, hearing how he first got into sketch comedy before moving into the world of games. We talk about how to craft a good sketch show, hear why Blood on the Clocktower live has been such a huge success, and chat about why he wanted to write a novel set in that world. We also discuss the narrative power of both video games and TTRPGs, and how that storytelling differs from other mediums.

Links:

Follow Jon on Instagram

Visit Jon's website

Watch the Jon Parkin video that Jon talks about in the episode

Support us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone

Listen to authors telling stories together on our sister show, Narrative Damage

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one

Follow us on Facebook

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Follow us on Bluesky

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Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video interview on YouTube

Arvind Ethan David is a writer and producer whose work spans Broadway, television, and film. He was a lead producer of the Tony and Grammy-winning musical, Jagged Little Pill, and has written and produced extensively in television, including Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Anansi Boys, and the Asian Academy Award winner, The Garden of Evening Mists. He was recently nominated for an Olivier Award for his adaptation of The Boy with Wings (Best Family Show category). His graphic novels include the Stoker-nominated Darkness Visible, and his stage work includes the adaptation of his late mentor Douglas Adams' legendary The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The Great Game, his first novel, is out now.

We had a great time chatting with Arvind, hearing about his unexpected detour into corporate law to secure a visa, using comics as a gateway to television and film, and his transition to writing his debut historical thriller novel, The Great Game. We also talk about the highly collaborative and ever-changing nature of writing for theatre and the screen, and we get some interesting anecdotes about learning the craft by observing legendary mentors like Douglas Adams.

Links:

Buy The Great Game now

Follow Arvind on Instagram

Visit Arvind's website

Support us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone

Listen to authors telling stories together on our sister show, Narrative Damage

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Instagram

Follow us on Bluesky

Follow us on Threads

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video interview on YouTube

Chloe Benjamin is the author of The Immortalists, a New York Times bestseller, and The Anatomy of Dreams. Her third novel, Under Story, will be published in September 2026. A Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, LibraryReads favorite, and #1 Indie Next pick, The Immortalists was named a best book of 2018 by NPR, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, and others. The Anatomy of Dreams received the Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award and was long listed for the 2014 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Originally from San Francisco, CA, Benjamin is a graduate of Vassar College and the M.F.A. in fiction at the University of Wisconsin. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages. She lives with her husband and two Maine Coon cats in the San Francisco Bay Area.

We had a great time chatting with Chloe, hearing about her early days of writing overly long fourth-grade stories, navigating the traditional workshop model, and the challenging reality of today's publishing industry. We also talk about why she does a lot of research for her novels, how it took her 5 year to write her latest, and we get some interesting anecdotes about the creation of her expansive new genre-bending novel, Under Story!

Links:

Buy Under Story now

Follow Chloe on Instagram

Visit Chloe's website

Support us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone

Listen to authors telling stories together on our sister show, Narrative Damage

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Instagram

Follow us on Bluesky

Follow us on Threads

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video episode on YouTube

On this week’s episode, we are talking about MrBeast & James Patterson’s apparent book flop, and wondering if publishers will learn that social media following doesn’t translate into book sales. Plus, we talk about the Self-Publishing Partnership’s collapse, and discuss how NOT to behave at conventions after stories of a very pushy author came out of WorldCon.

00:00 Intro

01:02 From the Slush Pile - Listener Comments

17:43 Self-Publishing Panic - Another Unbound?

26:09 WorldCon Drama - When the Hustle Goes Wrong

34:02 MrBeast Book Bomb - Is Publishing The Most Dangerous Game?

42:45 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory

45:19 The Final Chapter - Entertainment Catch-up

Links:

Almost 100 authors affected by Self-Publishing Partnership collapse

Is There a Wrong Way to Chase Your Dreams?

Is MrBeast and James Patterson’s Novel Collaboration Headed for a Disastrous Debut?

South Korean police officer admits to closing missing person cases to avoid work

Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more! Find all our shows here!

Follow us on Bluesky

Follow us on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video interview on YouTube

Doug Johnstone is the author of twenty novels in twenty years, many of which have been bestsellers. The Space Between Us was chosen for BBC Two’s Between the Covers, while six of his books have been shortlisted or longlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year or the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. Doug has taught creative writing or been writer in residence at universities, schools, writing retreats, festivals, prisons and a funeral directors. He’s also been an arts journalist for twenty-five years. He is a songwriter and musician with ten albums released, and drummer for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers.

We had a great time chatting with Doug, hearing about his transition from a physics-studying engineer to a freelance music journalist, the chaotic early days of submitting his first manuscripts directly to publishers, and his strategy for writing a book a year to maintain a successful career. We also talk about his reflections on the 20th-anniversary re-publication of his debut novel Tombstone, and we hear how he has forged his own path... which isn't always a great idea!

Links:

Buy Ghost Notes now

Follow Doug on Instagram

Visit Doug's website

Support us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone

Listen to authors telling stories together on our sister show, Narrative Damage

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Instagram

Follow us on Bluesky

Follow us on Threads

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video interview on YouTube

Oli Munson is a leading literary agent with AM Heath in London. He has a list of bestselling authors including Mari Hannah and Nadine Matheson, and is always on the look out for new and exciting commercial fiction.

We had a great time chatting with Oli about how he became an agent, hearing about how it has changed since he first joined, and why it's so important to make a good first impression with your query letter. We also chat about the state of the market, and why he thinks data-led decisions have made publishers very risk-averse.

Links:

Query Oli now

Our Drafting Notes episodes on querying:

Writing Your Query Letter

How to Write a Great Synopsis

The Agent Call - What do you ask?

Support us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone

Listen to authors telling stories together on our sister show, Narrative Damage

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Instagram

Follow us on Bluesky

Follow us on Threads

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video interview on YouTube

Ludo Cinelli is an Agent and the Managing Director at Eve White Literary Agency. He joined the company in 2017 and has an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, University of London. He represents fiction, non-fiction and children’s authors across genres and was shortlisted as British Book Awards Literary Agent of the Year in 2022 and 2026.

We had an interesting chat with Ludo about how he got into agenting (and chat about the variety of paths people can take to become an agent), and what catches his attention in queries. We also chat about some bad habits in queries, and discuss why the market is difficult at the moment. Plus, Ludo offers his advice to writers out there who are looking to query soon.

Links:

Submit to Eve White now

Follow Ludo on Instagram

Support us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone

Listen to authors telling stories together on our sister show, Narrative Damage

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Instagram

Follow us on Bluesky

Follow us on Threads

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video episode on YouTube

We're back after a short break, but it appears nothing has changed in publishing as we are still talking about our (least) favourite subject: AI! We go through some listener mail and comments on the subject before diving into Jerry Falade's collapsed $2.4m book deal, wonder if AI detectors are reliable, and have a talk about different methods of book marketing, wondering what works and what doesn't.

00:00 Intro

02:11 From the Slush Pile - Listener Comments

17:25 AI Hid the Body - $2.4m Book Deal Collapses

24:07 Claude & Pangram - Watermark My Words

39:54 Marketing Your Book - Book Tok or Book Flop?

51:12 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory

55:57 The Final Chapter - Entertainment Catch-up

Links:

$2m crime novel deal collapses amid questions over AI use

Agents react to major book deal that collapsed over suspected AI use

Claude's new scarlet letter watermark is invisible—for now

I tested a popular AI slop detector. It felt empowering.

I spent $44,000 launching my book. Three of those dollars worked.

Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more! Find all our shows here!

Follow us on Bluesky

Follow us on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.