The Book Deal

By Tina Strachan, Madeleine Cleary & Natasha Rai

Motivation and inspiration for emerging writers, helping them pave their own pathway to publishing success.

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FAQs about The Book Deal:

How many episodes does The Book Deal have?

The podcast currently has 100 episodes available.

The Book Deal episodes:

August 19, 2026 How to create best selling survival thrillers and writing for all ages with Sarah Armstrong
Tina Strachan interviews award-winning children’s author Sarah Armstrong about the wide recognition of her middle-grade survival thriller Run (including CBCA, Davitt, REAL, ABIA listings and Amazon bestseller status) and why pacey, “Trojan horse” thrillers can engage both reluctant and enthusiastic readers while carrying deeper themes. They discuss boys and literacy, emphasising socioeconomic factors, reading role models (especially dads), and how gatekeepers and book covers can influence perceptions. Armstrong introduces her new novel The Wave, about 13-year-old Max facing an unexpected tsunami while searching for his dog, and weaving in local housing and tourism pressures. She shares advice on creating vivid settings, transitioning from adult fiction and journalism to kidlit, finding supportive critique groups, her upcoming online writing courses and Substack, and her key tip: embrace major rewrites and use structure tools like Save the Cat.

00:00 Podcast Intro
00:56 Meet Sarah Armstrong
01:40 Run Awards Buzz
02:29 Why Run Works
04:57 Boys and Reading
10:28 Dads Reading Idea
11:09 New Book The Wave
12:07 Themes and Trojan Horse
13:45 Writing Vivid Settings
18:27 From Adult to Kid Lit
20:37 Why Write for Kids
22:07 Publishing the Switch
22:40 Sticking With Kid Lit
23:01 Agents And Publishing Path
23:44 Switching Genres Confidence
24:08 Online Writing Courses
26:21 Self Paced Learning Benefits
27:01 Inside The Critique Group
30:21 Finding Your Own Group
32:55 Giving And Taking Feedback
36:23 What Sarah Writes Next
37:41 Rewriting Makes The Story
39:41 Structure Tools Save The Cat
41:22 Thanks And Wrap Up
Join our Patreon community for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love.
Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos

You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:
Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author
Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos
Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor
If you want to stay in the know, sign up to Madeleine, Tina and Natasha's newsletters for the latest news first.
Madeleine: Subscribe here...
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43min
August 12, 2026 The Writing Deal: Tina checks in on Madeleine and Natasha in the editing trenches
Tina Strachan interviews Madeleine Cleary and Natasha Rai about being deep in the editing trenches for their second books while juggling demanding jobs and family commitments, including tight three-week deadlines for structural and copy edits. Madeleine describes balancing edits with commuting and recharging through social outings, while Natasha focuses on long, immersed editing days. They reflect on guilt, asking for extensions, self-doubt, and how editing teaches them to improve the book, emphasising that multiple rounds mean the team cares. Tina shares children’s Book Week event prep and they announce a live podcast at the Emerging Writers’ Festival on 12 September at the Wheeler Centre with Toni Jordan as “agony aunt,” including anonymous question submissions. The episode includes a plug for Lisa Nan Joo’s debut novel Mother Waters.
Link to Emerging Writers Festival event: The Book Deal Podcast EWF Edition
00:00 Podcast Intro
00:56 Editing Trenches Catchup
02:14 Mads Deadline Juggle
04:09 Footy Break Productivity
06:23 Tash Copy Edit Marathon
09:33 Asking For Extensions
10:33 Editing Teaches The Book
12:56 Process Doubts And Reassurance
15:24 Outside View Of The Dip
16:18 Editing Process Reality Check
16:51 Debut Novel Spotlight
19:39 Live Podcast Announcement
20:58 Submitting Questions and Tickets
23:04 Editing Tips and Mindset
25:22 Birthing a Book Metaphor
26:48 Magnetic Island Episode revisit
27:52 Wrap Up and Farewell

Join our Patreon community for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love.
Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos

You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:
Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author
Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos
Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor
If you want to stay in the know, sign up to Madeleine, Tina and Natasha's newsletters for the latest news first.
Madeleine: Subscribe here...
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29min
August 05, 2026 Representation and writing magical stories with Jasmin McGaughey
Natasha Rai interview's Jasmine McGaughey, a Torres Strait Islander and African American writer and editor, about her debut YA speculative novel Moonlight and Dust (shortlisted for the 2025 VPLAs). She pitches the story of 16-year-old Zillah returning from Brisbane to Cairns after her sister is hospitalised, discovering “moon dust” that gives kids weekend-long magical powers, and investigating its link to her sister’s fate. McGaughey discusses developing the book from a short story into a novella during a creative writing master’s, challenges writing Torres Strait Islander representation in speculative fiction, fears of tokenism, and the value of editorial collaboration. She explains getting agent Alex Adsett through children’s book work, submitting to publishers, and working with Allen & Unwin, including cover design. She also reflects on the exhaustion of launch publicity, balancing freelance work, craft confidence after debut, tax issues like income averaging, trends in YA, and her advice to write what you love.

00:00 Podcast Introduction
00:56 Meet Jasmine McGaughey
01:39 Moonlight and Dust Pitch
03:36 From Short Story to Novel
04:50 Writing in Academia
07:12 Representation and Tokenism
09:33 Finding Zillah’s Voice
13:09 Magic With Meaning
16:44 Revising After the Master’s
19:11 Getting an Agent
20:34 Submitting to Publishers
24:43 Allen and Unwin Feedback
29:07 Long Road to Publication
29:37 Editing Collaboration
30:36 Editor Turned Author
31:33 Cover Design Magic
32:47 Cover Reactions
36:23 Launch Overwhelm
40:23 Freelance Versus Craft
44:01 Money Tax Survival
46:18 Publishing Trends Talk
52:17 Writing Routine Reset
55:26 Reading Romantasy
56:32 Advice And Farewell
Join our Patreon community for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love.
Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos

You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:
Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author
Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos
Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor
If you want to stay in the know, sign up to Madeleine, Tina and Natasha's newsletters for the latest news first.
Madeleine: Subscribe here...
...more
59min
July 29, 2026 SPECIAL EP: School Author Talks - Everything You Need to Know (Part 2)
This Book Deal podcast mega Author Talk special (part two) focuses on how to deliver successful school author visits ahead of Book Week. Children’s author Adrian Beck shares how he structures presentations and workshops to hook attention early, use visuals and participation, aim for realistic activities, and leave time for Q&A; he also recounts early failures and a moment where a shoe was thrown at him, and offers practical prep tips like bringing adapters, backups, arriving early, and keeping a visible clock. Teacher librarian technician Helen Farch explains how schools book author talks versus workshops, what engages students (authentic interaction and visuals), how librarians assess authors (events, word of mouth, websites and social media), and key logistics such as curriculum links, printing, arrival, and public liability insurance. Children’s author Kristin Darell discusses building confidence in kids’ stories, tailoring sessions by age and cohort interests, managing unpredictability and tech failures, using movement breaks, handling difficult questions, networking to secure visits, and self-care during busy schedules.

00:00 Podcast Intro
00:56 School Visits Special Setup
03:11 Adrian Beck Overview
04:12 Talks and Workshops Format
07:35 Hooking Kids Fast
10:15 Participation and Flexibility
12:29 When It Goes Wrong
14:12 Shoe Story Disaster
16:36 Money Questions and Booking
19:54 Tech Prep and Timing
26:37 Helen Farch Introduction
27:22 What Makes Visits Work
32:17 How Librarians Choose Authors
35:25 Websites Curriculum and Fit
38:39 Logistics Insurance Paperwork
41:59 Authenticity Wins Visits
42:59 Memoir Author Captivates Teens
45:38 Every Kid Has A Story
48:37 Interactive Talks For Any Age
52:32 Microphone And Room Control
55:40 Workshops With Simple Structure
59:22 Slides Tech And Backup Plans
01:04:21 Keep Kids Engaged
01:09:11 Handling Questions Honestly
01:13:10 Booking More School Visits
01:18:52 Self Care And Wrap Up
Join our Patreon community for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love.
Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos

You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:
Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author
Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos
Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor
If you want to stay in the know, sign up to Madeleine, Tina and Natasha's newsletters for the latest news first.
Madeleine: Subscribe here...
...more
1h 21min
July 22, 2026 SPECIAL EP: School Author Talks - Everything You Need to Know (Part 1)
This special “mega ep” of The Book Deal Podcast, hosted by Tina Strachan, focuses on how to deliver successful school author visits ahead of August Book Week, featuring advice from Sarah Armstrong, Zanni Louise, Peter Carnavas, and Carla Salmon (with a second episode to follow). The guests describe the talks and workshops they offer, how they structure sessions to hold students’ attention, and what to avoid, emphasising interaction, storytelling, visuals, chunking content, and being authentic rather than “talking at” kids. They share practical strategies such as microphones, props, harmonicas, icebreakers, and provocative questions, plus contingency planning for tech failures, organisation and communication with schools, and building bookings through relationships, agencies, mailouts, bookshops, festivals, and school-linked associations. They also recount challenges, disasters, and memorable student questions, and stress gratitude to teachers and librarians and the impact of meeting young readers.

00:00 Podcast intro
00:56 School visits special
03:09 Sarah Armstrong begins
04:18 Workshops and talks
06:11 Hooking the audience
07:40 Props and pacing
09:19 Tech fails and recovery
10:48 Booking school visits
13:06 Smooth visit logistics
15:35 Zanni Louise begins
16:58 Tailoring by age
20:07 Teen icebreakers
21:10 Games and engagement
22:56 Errol performance bit
24:05 Advice for beginners
26:29 Present Your True Style
27:09 New Books and Community Theme
28:14 Resilience on the Road
30:28 Peter on Reader Connection
32:23 Talks Workshops and Demos
34:51 Structure Hooks and Signals
37:20 What to Avoid and Adapt
40:15 Booking Visits and Logistics
43:34 Carla Overprepares for Tech
49:58 Provocations Branding and Behavior
53:29 Finding Schools and Closing Advice
56:08 Podcast Wrap and Support
Join our Patreon community for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love.
Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos

You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:
Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author
Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos
Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor
If you want to stay in the know, sign up to Madeleine, Tina and Natasha's newsletters for the latest news first.
Madeleine: Subscribe here...
...more
57min
July 15, 2026 The Writing Deal: Are too many books being published and is community the key to increased readers? Plus the joy of book boxes! Catch up with Tina and Natasha.
Hosts Tina Strachan and Natasha Rai catch up. Natasha shares being highly commended for a Varuna fellowship (amid 812 entries), explains Varuna as the National Writers’ House in Katoomba, and discusses upcoming copy edits for The Bride Price, preparation for Melbourne’s QLit Festival, and a four-hour “complicated characters” workshop at Hunter Writers Centre on 25 July. Tina describes a quieter month with school-holiday outings, catching up on admin, and reflecting on daily writing habits via Stephen King’s 2,000-words-a-day routine. They discuss promotional book boxes, including a Penguin Random House box for Shara Curlett’s middle-grade fantasy Protector of Beyond (out in September), and what authors might include in their own. They also unpack a Guardian article arguing Australia is publishing too quickly, talk shelf-life realities, the role of community and independent booksellers, and offer practical promotion ideas. They highlight NSW “Stories Matter” fellowships ($50,000; closes 27 July) and The Wheeler Centre’s The Next Chapter (stipend and mentorship; closes 31 July), and end by encouraging writers to keep writing for joy.

00:00 Podcast intro and hosts
00:56 Catch-up and Varuna news
02:07 What is Varuna
04:42 Edits festivals and workshop prep
06:25 Tina holiday reset
08:08 Stephen King writing habit
12:18 Back to routine and topics
12:40 Promotional book boxes
16:34 DIY book box ideas
18:10 Guardian debate too many books
19:13 Too Many Books Debate
20:39 Readers Bookstores Squeeze
21:07 Rose Red Bookshop Hope
22:12 Community Over Commodity
26:24 Shelf Life Three Months
28:35 Bookseller Reality Check
29:24 Tips Readers And Writers
31:38 Keep Books Selling Longer
36:07 Remember Why You Write
37:47 Fellowships And Grants
39:51 Final Writing Pep Talk
41:11 Podcast Farewell Outro
Join our Patreon community for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love.
Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos

You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:
Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author
Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos
Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor
If you want to stay in the know, sign up to Madeleine, Tina and Natasha's newsletters for the latest news first.
Madeleine: Subscribe here...
...more
42min
July 08, 2026 Jessie Tu on writing real characters, obsession with older women and being seen as an author
Join our Patreon community for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love.
Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos

You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:
Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author
Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos
Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor
If you want to stay in the know, sign up to Madeleine, Tina and Natasha's newsletters for the latest news first.
Madeleine: Subscribe here...
...more
48min
July 01, 2026 Kayte Nunn on writing bestselling fiction across genres and publishers
Kayte Nunn is the bestselling author of nine novels, including The Botanist’s Daughter, The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant, The Silk House and The Last Reunion. Kayte grew up in England and the US, before moving to Australia. She has had a diverse career working in publishing, editing, and magazines, including as the former editor of Gourmet Traveller WINE magazine.
Madeleine chats with Kayte about writing the book that calls to you, how to be disciplined and resilient, switching lanes and genres (even when you are a bestseller and have a 'brand', and lots of tips for good routines and writing. And of course we discuss Kayte's latest twisty new novel, The Yacht, a page-turning crime thriller set on a superyacht in Mallorca.
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THE YACHT
A man on the edge.
A woman hell-bent on revenge.
A cheating husband.
A desperate wife.
A property empire on the brink of collapse.
A family at loggerheads.
A predator hiding in plain sight.
Who will sink and who will swim?
Three generations of a billionaire family are taking their new superyacht on its maiden voyage. But when the yacht sinks, each of them has a different part to play, in this addictive, twist-filled thriller.
Check out The Yacht here.
*
Kayte recommends reading The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface by Donald Maass.
Our Debut in the Spotlight this week is The Picasso Ransom by A.T Prewett.
Thank you to HarperCollins Australia for sponsoring this episode.
Join our Patreon community for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love.
Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos

You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:
Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author
Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos
Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor
If you want to stay in the know, sign up to Madeleine, Tina and Natasha's newsletters for the latest news first.
Madeleine: Subscribe here...
...more
37min
June 24, 2026 Sarah Clutton shares how travelling the world and 'trusting the process' helped her create The Bookshop of Buried Pasts
Tina Strachan interviews author Sarah Clutton about her new novel ‘The Bookshop of Buried Pasts’. Clutton outlines the story of antiquarian book dealer Phyllida Banks, who disappears and leaves her granddaughter Lottie to run their Southern Highlands bookshop and find a man named Francis, leading to a Cambridgeshire mystery tied to an unsolved 50-year-old crime, family secrets, spirituality, and threads of witches and Celtic mythology across 1960s–70s timelines. She discusses the setting’s inspiration from Berrima and Australia’s first “book town” region, the showstopping cover design, and the title’s evolution. Clutton shares research experiences, including a death doula course and travel to English manor houses, Devon’s Clovelly, Scotland, and Shetland, and offers advice to aspiring authors: take craft courses and become open to critique.

00:00 Podcast Intro
00:56 Meet Sarah Clutton
01:39 New Book Overview
03:38 Southern Highlands Setting
06:10 Book Town Inspiration
06:49 Cover Art Breakdown
10:47 Title Origins
14:10 Death Doula Research
21:06 Phyllida Character Themes
22:54 Stalking Idea Process
24:33 Trusting the Draft
26:05 Travel As Research
27:03 Themes Of Agency
28:41 Hunting Manor Houses
29:44 Clovelly Village Magic
33:33 Scotland Estate Access
35:08 Mythology DNA Witchcraft
38:32 Daily Writing Reality
39:43 Drafting Through Discomfort
44:30 Tips For Aspiring Authors
46:27 Late Start Publishing Journey
51:17 Wrap Up And Farewell
Join our Patreon community for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love.
Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos

You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:
Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author
Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos
Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor
If you want to stay in the know, sign up to Madeleine, Tina and Natasha's newsletters for the latest news first.
Madeleine: Subscribe here...
...more
54min
June 17, 2026The Writing Deal: It's EOFY! Natasha, Tina & Madeleine discuss the business of being an author
Tina, Madeleine and Natasha catch up and discuss:
Natasha's successful workshop on creativity and the nervous system, and how to get the most from creative flow.
Natasha's title of her second book (!)
All things small business: accounting, expenses, BAS, GST, mileage, super, income averaging, receipts. We go into the nitty gritty of running your own author business.
Please do your research and always seek professional financial advice. Our listeners recommended the below specialist accountants for writers:
Real Thiel
Kylie Thompson at Sorrento Strategic
Matthew Tucker from Creative Crunchers
This week's Debut in the Spotlight is Disgraceful (Simon & Schuster, 2026) by Rachel Fox McLeod.
00:56 We catch up
01:39 Natasha's workshop chat
11:08 Tina is tinkering
18:19 Natasha reveals her second book title!
27:17 Debut in the Spotlight
28:24 The business behind the books
31:26 Accounting
35:26 Recording travel
42:48 GST, BAS And invoicing
46:27 Income Averaging and ABNs
Join our Patreon community for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love.
Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos

You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:
Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author
Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos
Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor
If you want to stay in the know, sign up to Madeleine, Tina and Natasha's newsletters for the latest news first.
Madeleine: Subscribe here...
...more
54min

FAQs about The Book Deal:

How many episodes does The Book Deal have?

The podcast currently has 100 episodes available.