Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Page One - The Writer's Podcast
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ep. 290 - Jordan Acosta on turning a short story into audio drama | 06 Nov 2026 | 01:09:02 | |
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Jordan Acosta is a British-Filipino speculative fiction writer. He was born in Hong Kong in the 1980s and moved to the UK in his teens, before graduating with two degrees in architecture from the University of Sheffield. He now works as a visual historian and creative director based near London. His audio drama, The Pallid Mask, is available now from all podcast outlets. We had a great time chatting with Jordan and hearing about his work as a visual historian (and what that means) - and how that informed his writing. We talk about the long road to completing his first novel, Dark Century, and how he originally conceived of The Coronet (the first part of The Pallid Mask audio drama) as a short story. We discuss how it ties in with The King in Yellow stories, and what made him decide to turn it all into an audio drama. Link: 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 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. | |||
| Adventures in Publishing-land: AI Literary Awards?! Plus, Author-led AI movies and Patterson's Romantasy Debut | 02 Nov 2026 | 01:01:20 | |
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube After a slightly longer than expected break between episodes, we are back to discuss - you guessed it - AI! First up, we are looking to France, where a prize for AI-written novels has been announced (), then we talk about bestselling authors teaming up with AI to make films and TV series…! Not great. Finally, we chat about Romantasy’s new entrant - a small writer named James Patterson… 00:00 Intro 01:21 From the Slush Pile - Listener Comments 08:56 Oh là là - French Fiction AI Prize 21:38 Production Prompts - Big Authors, Bad Tech 35:01 Chasing the Maas Market - Patterson’s Romantasy Debut 45:51 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory 49:58 The Final Chapter - RIP Patrick Stewart & Entertainment Catch-up Links: New prize launches for books co-written by AI Authors First - the new AI book-to-film studio James Patterson is writing a romantasy with this Scottish author Australian woman charged with lacing colleague's curry with snail poison 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Narrative Damage - From the Dust - Part 2: The Mansion | Delta Green Actual Play | 30 Oct 2026 | 01:10:58 | |
As we continue our short break, we bring you the second part of our Delta Green adventure from our sister channel, Narrative Damage. Watch as a full video episode on our YouTube channel New York, 1993. Our four mismatched agents begin to investigate the mansion that Delta Green believes is linked to the disappearances of three young children. What they start to uncover is both troubling and unsettling. Can they find out the truth before it begins to eat away at their own lives? Narrative Damage is a TTRPG podcast that asks authors to put down their pens, pick up the dice and tell stories together. Cast: Benedict Anning, author of Atomic Coffin - Agent Meridian Tariq Ashkanani, author of The Hollow Boys - Agent Midnight Nicholas Binge, author of Abyss - Agent Mercator David Goodman, Author of Solitary Agents - Agent Myriad With Marco Rinaldi as The Handler Published by arrangement with the Delta Green Partnership. The intellectual property known as Delta Green is a trademark and copyright owned by the Delta Green Partnership, who has licensed its use here. The contents of this document are © Narrative Damage excepting those elements that are components of the Delta Green intellectual property. "From The Dust" written by Dennis Detwiller and published by Arc Dream Publishing. Opening Credits music - The Legacy of Hades by Jok'a'Face (Code: VRTXXQOXR8HQPELK) Background music - Monument Studios Chapters 00:00 Start 00:35 Previously on From The Dust 02:40 Opening credits 04:30 Player introductions and chat 06:40 The investigation continues... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Narrative Damage: From The Dust - Part 1: Green Box | Delta Green Actual Play | 23 Oct 2026 | 01:17:00 | |
We're on a short break from Page One, but enjoy this episode from our sister show, Narrative Damage. Watch as a full video episode on YouTube New York, 1993. In the sweltering heat of late summer, four mismatched operatives are activated by Delta Green to take part in Operation Blister II. Three young children have gone missing and Delta Green believe it is linked to an old mansion in the Red Hook area of the city. Will our agents find out what happened before the Unnatural threat strikes again? Narrative Damage is a TTRPG podcast that asks authors to put down their pens, pick up the dice and tell stories together. Cast: Benedict Anning, author of Atomic Coffin - Agent Meridian Tariq Ashkanani, author of The Hollow Boys - Agent Midnight Nicholas Binge, author of Abyss - Agent Mercator David Goodman, Author of Solitary Agents - Agent Myriad With Marco Rinaldi as The Handler Published by arrangement with the Delta Green Partnership. The intellectual property known as Delta Green is a trademark and copyright owned by the Delta Green Partnership, who has licensed its use here. The contents of this document are © Narrative Damage excepting those elements that are components of the Delta Green intellectual property. "From The Dust" written by Dennis Detwiller and published by Arc Dream Publishing. Opening Credits music - The Legacy of Hades by Jok'a'Face (Code: VRTXXQOXR8HQPELK) Background music - Monument Studios Chapters 00:00 Start 00:35 Intro 02:30 Opening credits 04:16 Player introductions and chat 06:57 The investigation begins... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Ep. 289 - Wes Browne on Writing Appalachian Crime | 16 Oct 2026 | 00:58:26 | |
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Wes Browne lives within the Kentucky River Basin in Madison County, Kentucky. He has practiced law as a criminal defense attorney, prosecutor, and public defender in Appalachia for over 25 years. He's also a coach, a poker player, and helps run his family's pizza shops. His book They All Fall the Same won the 2025 Weatherford Award for Fiction, becoming the first crime novel to earn the distinction. It was also named one of The Best Books of 2025 at mid-year by Book Riot, one of 2025's Biggest Mysteries and Thrillers by Goodreads, one of 2025's Best Books by Read or Dead, and is a Libro.fm Bookseller Pick. His 2020 debut Hillbilly Hustle was named one of Merriam-Webster's Best Lockdown Reads. We had a great time chatting with Wes and hearing how he always harboured ambitions of being a writer despite his diverse career choices. We hear about how his work as a criminal lawyer helps inform his stories, and why he wants to write stories set in Appalachia. Links: 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 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. | |||
| Ep. 288 - Literary agent Diana Beaumont on how to catch an agent's attention | 09 Oct 2026 | 01:22:32 | |
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Diana Beaumont is a literary agent with DHH Literary Agency. She started agenting with Rupert Heath Literary Agency in 2011 before moving to TAG and Marjacq Scripts. Before that she was senior commissioning editor at Transworld. Diana was chosen as one of The Bookseller’s Rising Stars of 2012, was a nominee for RNA Agent of the Year 2019, and was shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year 2022 at the British Book Awards. Her list comprises 'smart commercial' fiction and non-fiction and includes a wide range of bestselling and prize-winning authors in the UK and internationally. We loved having the chance to chat with Diana, learning about how she moved from editing to becoming a literary agent, hearing about what her day-to-day as an agent is like, and talking about what catches her attention in queries. In particular, we have an in-depth discussion about what to include (and not include) in the query letter, and also talk about whether social media is important for querying authors, and why the publishing market seems so difficult right now. Links: Diana's page at DHH Literary Agency 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 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. | |||
| Adventures in Publishing-land: Memoir Myths, Broken Publisher PR Promises and Ethics in Agency | 05 Oct 2026 | 00:57:45 | |
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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Ep. 287 - CL Hellisen on Navigating the Publishing Grind | 02 Oct 2026 | 00:59:28 | |
Watch this as a full video interview on YouTube 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: 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 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. | |||
| Ep. 286 - Jon Gracey on the storytelling power of games | 25 Sep 2026 | 01:17:59 | |
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: 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 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. | |||
| Ep. 285 - Arvind Ethan David on writing across mediums from stage to screen to novels | 18 Sep 2026 | 01:12:56 | |
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: 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 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. | |||
| Ep. 284 - Chloe Benjamin on Genre-Bending Fiction & Her Epic New Novel | 11 Sep 2026 | 00:55:38 | |
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: 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 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. | |||
| Adventures in Publishing-land: MrBeast’s Book Flop, Indie Publishing’s Latest Crisis, & How NOT to Hustle as an Author | 07 Sep 2026 | 00:55:25 | |
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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Ep. 283 - Doug Johnstone on surviving 20 years in publishing | 04 Sep 2026 | 01:14:02 | |
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: 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 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. | |||
| Ep. 282 - Literary agent Oli Munson on why the small details matter in query letters | 28 Aug 2026 | 00:44:35 | |
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: Our Drafting Notes episodes on querying: 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 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. | |||
| Ep. 281 - Literary Agent Ludo Cinelli on why authors shouldn't get stuck on their first book when querying | 21 Aug 2026 | 01:01:32 | |
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: 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 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. | |||
| Adventures in Publishing-land: Publishing's AI Panic: Cancelled Deals, AI Detectors (Plus a $44k Marketing Mistake) | 17 Aug 2026 | 01:04:11 | |
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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Ep. 280 - Olivie Blake on the importance of resilience and adaptability as an author | 14 Aug 2026 | 01:19:31 | |
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Olivie Blake is the New York Times bestselling author of speculative fiction for adults, including The Atlas Six trilogy, Alone with You in the Ether, Masters of Death, the short story collection Januaries, Girl Dinner, and her most recent novel, Dreamland. With Little Chmura, she is the co-creator of the graphic series Clara and the Devil. As Alexene Farol Follmuth, she is also the author of the young adult novels My Mechanical Romance and Twelfth Knight. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son. We loved speaking with Olivie about her writing career, hearing how she started with fan fiction and self-publishing, what really happened when The Atlas Six took off, and why trad publishing was always her ultimate goal. We talk about how writers need to be both resilient and adaptable, talk about books as art vs books as products (and when you should think about them as each), and chat about her new book, DREAMLAND. Links: 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 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 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. | |||
| Page One Extra - Ian Green on his fantasy influences | 12 Aug 2026 | 00:46:18 | |
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Ian Green is a writer from Northern Scotland with a PhD in epigenetics. His biopunk eco-terrorism thriller EXTREMOPHILE was one of Financial Times’ Best Science Fiction Books of 2024 and was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award and Dragon Awards. His debut fantasy trilogy THE ROTSTORM began with the Sunday Times bestseller THE GAUNTLET AND THE FIST BENEATH. His short fiction has been widely published and he won the BBC Radio 4 Opening Lines competition, the Futurebook Future Fiction Prize, and was shortlisted for Best Newcomer at the British Fantasy Awards. It was great to get Ian back on the podcast and hear about what he has been up to since he was last on back in January 2023. We talk about whether he wishes he had followed Extremophile up with another cyberpunk novel given its success, why he likes trilogies, and what influenced his new fantasy book, THE DEEP AND THE DROWNED. Links: Buy The Deep and The Drowned now Watch Ian play Call of Cthulhu with us on Narrative Damage Support us on Patreon and get great benefits!: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone Page One Extra and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are 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 Page One Extra 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. | |||
| Ep. 279 - Literary Agent Corissa Hollenbeck on whether AI is affecting queries | 07 Aug 2026 | 00:50:13 | |
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Corissa Hollenbeck is an associate agent with Janklow & Nesbit. She grew up in Massachusetts and attended Phillips Academy Andover, King’s College London, the University of Freiburg, and the Columbia Publishing Course. She has worked at VICE, Marie Claire, and The Guardian. Corissa has worked with a broad range of prize-winning and bestselling authors whilst assisting literary agent and Managing Director Will Francis, and is now building her own list of authors. We had a really interesting chat with Corissa, hearing about how she first got into agenting, and how every part of the query package is important when submitting to agents. She also tells us about how she sometimes works with authors BEFORE she signs them, and talks about the impact of AI on the amount of queries and what that means for the future. Links: 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 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 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. | |||
| Ep. 278 - Literary Agent Camilla Bolton on Why Authors Should Write What They Want To Read | 31 Jul 2026 | 01:04:58 | |
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Camilla Bolton is a literary agent at Darley Anderson, having joined the Agency in 2007 and was named as a publishing Rising Star by The Bookseller in 2013 and shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year in 2022. She has built the fastest growing new commercial brands in the thriller market with five of her authors having sold over a million copies in the UK alone. Her list includes many Sunday Times, New York Times and No.1 ebook global bestsellers. Her authors have been picked for Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Book Club, BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club and she’s had five Richard & Judy Book Club Picks. Multiple of her books have been adapted for the screen and shown on BBC 1, Channel 5 and Netflix. We loved having the chance to speak with Camilla about her career as an agent, hearing about how she deals with so many queries (over 200 a week), what matters and doesn't matter to her in a query package, and whether authors should write to market when trying to find an agent. Links: 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 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 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. | |||
| Ep. 277 - Rhiannon Grist on the Catharsis of Horror | 24 Jul 2026 | 01:08:27 | |
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube Rhiannon Grist is an award-winning Welsh author of Weird, Speculative and Dark fiction, living and writing in beautiful Scotland. Her novella, The Queen of the High Fields (Luna Press), won the British Fantasy Award for Best Novella 2023. Her debut novel, Home Sick, is out now. We had great fun chatting with Rhiannon about her writing journey, starting with handwritten stories in A4 ring binders, all the way through short stories, prize-winning novellas and now her debut novel, Home Sick. We also talk about how prizes can (and can't) help grow your reputation as a writer, and talk about why marginal gains are important on the long writer's journey. Plus, we chat about horror's recent resurgence and the possible reasons behind that. (There is also a very, very minor spoiler about the movie Obsession near the end, but we give full spoiler warnings before discussing it!) Links: 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 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 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. | |||
| Ep. 276 - Aki Schilz of The Literary Consultancy on Editing with Empathy | 17 Jul 2026 | 00:57:05 | |
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Aki Schilz is the Director at The Literary Consultancy (TLC), where she co-ordinates partnerships and programmes. She launched the Editing Skills Training Scheme in partnership with the Publishing Training Centre, which trained over 100 aspiring editors from under-represented communities. She has been named as one of the FutureBook 40, a list of people innovating the publishing industry, and was also nominated for an h100 Award for her #BookJobTransparency campaign, as well as being shortlisted for the Kim Scott Walwyn Prize for women in publishing, and has featured in the Bookseller 150 list of the most influential figures in publishing twice. In 2020, Aki launched the Being A Writer programme at TLC, a membership platform she co-devised with novelist and coach Julia Forster, which focuses on providing a space for writers to cultivate their creativity, and build emotional resilience. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. We had a great time chatting with Aki and hearing about her work with TLC, discussing what they can offer, as well as talking about whether such consultancies are right for everyone. We also talk about her support of writers away from the page, and chat about how to take the pressure off querying. Links: Visit The Literacy Consultancy Our Drafting Notes episode discussing editoral consultancies 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 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 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. | |||
| Adventures in Publishing-land: Why Spotify's ElevenLabs Deal is Bad For Authors. Plus, Book Piracy, and Publishers Playing Fair? | 13 Jul 2026 | 00:46:37 | |
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube Marco is in a bad mood this week, and doesn’t hold back when discussing the march of AI into audiobooks…! Plus, we chat about the depressing reaction to a book piracy site being taken down, and wonder if Canongate’s new approach to paying authors more regularly will catch on (we aren’t optimistic…) 00:00 Intro 00:54 Here Come The Robots - AI voices taking over? 20:21 A Pirate’s Life For You? How Piracy Hurts Authors 29:38 Opening the (Canon)Gates - Will The Big 5 Follow? 35:50 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory Links: Bolinda creates AI cloned voice of Barbara Cartland [Not linking to the Piracy story as it names the site] Canongate moves to quarterly royalty payments 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Ep. 275 - Chiara Bullen on writing cosy fantasy | 10 Jul 2026 | 00:51:26 | |
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Chiara Bullen is a Scottish writer and academic living in Glasgow. She spends most of her days researching literature and her evenings writing novels. When she isn’t exploring hills across Scotland, she can be found wandering the fictional mountains of D&D with her party. The Inn At The Foot Of Mount Vengeance is her debut novel. We had a great time chatting with Chiara, hearing about how she started out writing more grimdark fantasy, before switching to literary fiction while on the Faber Academy course - and how the idea for the cosy fantasy of The Inn At The Foot of Mount Vengeance grabbed her and wouldn't let go until she had finished it. We also talk about what the term 'cosy' means in terms of fiction, and chat about what other types of stories she would like to write. Links: Buy The Inn At The Foot Of Mount Vengeance now 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 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 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. | |||
| Page One Extra - Inside Hollywood with Bob Bookman | 08 Jul 2026 | 00:39:47 | |
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Bob Bookman is a Hollywood manager and producer who has worked with some of the biggest authors in the world and helped turn their novels into award-winning movies. He has represented Michael Crichton, Tom Stoppard, Bill Broyles, John Irving, Jojo Moyes, David Nicholls and Peter Moffat along with many others and has been responsible for bringing movies such as Jurassic Park, Hannibal and A Complete Unknown to the big screen. We loved having Bob back on the podcast (check out his first episode chatting about his career here or listen here) and getting an update on what he has been doing, and how the Hollywood landscape has changed since we last spoke. We hear about changing trends, talk about the success of movies like Obsession, and much more! Links: Support us on Patreon and get great benefits!: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone Page One Extra and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are 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 Page One Extra 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. | |||
| Ep. 274 - Matthew Capodicasa on seeing your words brought to life by actors | 03 Jul 2026 | 01:11:31 | |
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Matthew Capodicasa is an award-winning playwright whose work has been developed and presented at the Kennedy Center, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and the National New Play Network, among many others. A recipient of the Woodward/Newman Drama Award and the Judith Champion Launch Commission, his plays are published by Samuel French. In addition to his extensive theatre work, he has Film/TV projects in development with Annapurna Pictures, Anonymous Content, and XYZ Films, most recently being a writer on the Netflix show, Vladimir. He is also one of the founding members of the Glass Cannon Network, one of the leading TTRPG actual play podcasts. We loved chatting with Matthew about how he realised he wanted to be a writer while on stage, how he finds the story he wants to tell through multiple drafts, and how it feels to see your words brought to life by actors on stage and screen. We also get into the realities of working in a TV writers' room, and hear how that process differs from nearly any other form of writing. We also spoke with Matthew about his love of TTRPGs and his work on the Glass Cannon Network on our Narrative Damage podcast - listen to that episode here or watch it now on Youtube here. Links: 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 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 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. | |||
| Adventures in Publishing-land: Are Authors Losing? AI Audiobooks, Closed Movie Deals & Mass Licensing | 29 Jun 2026 | 00:46:27 | |
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube On this week's episode, we ask if the publishing industry is "blowing the bloody doors off" author rights. From Michael Caine's voice getting cloned for an epic audiobook to Hachette and Studiocanal's book to film deal, plus 250 UK publishers signing a massive AI licensing deal, we ask if any of this is good for authors. 00:00 Intro 01:04 Hachette/Studiocanal Deal - Good or Bad for Authors? 10:40 Blow Your Bloody Ears Off - Caine's Digital Odyssey 27:49 Collective AI Licenses - Selling Out Authors? 34:16 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory 39.40 The Final Chapter - Level Up Writing Links: Hachette Livre and Studiocanal strike book to screen deal Michael Caine licenses voice to narrate AI adaptation of The Odyssey audiobook Over 250 UK publishers opt-in to collective AI-licensing scheme Bungling career burglar caught after leaving passport photo at crime scene 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Ep. 273 - Benedict Anning on The Art of Twisty Horror and Crafting Atomic Coffin | 26 Jun 2026 | 01:09:12 | |
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube Benedict Anning is a Surrey-born author and short fiction writer living just outside of Edinburgh with his wonderful cat, Penny. An artist at heart and fan of all things eerie, Ben has a special love for twisty horror fiction where the setting is a principal character and things just aren't quite right. Atomic Coffin is his first published novel. We had a great time chatting with Ben, hearing about his early passion for drawing and concept art, his love for customising video games like Skyrim, and his reintroduction to reading through Game of Thrones. We also talk about how he found success with Atomic Coffin after he deliberately chose to change his approach to writing. Links: 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 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 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. | |||
| Page One Extra - Capital Crime 2026 Special | 24 Jun 2026 | 00:51:17 | |
Watch as full video interviews on YouTube This past weekend, we travelled to London for Capital Crime, London's premier crime and thriller festival and while we were there, we took the opportunity to record some bite-sized interviews with a few authors! We started off speaking with previous guest T.M. Logan, then chatted with Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb, before catching up with Adam Simcox to hear about his new novel, Time Jump, before finishing with the chaotic double act of Vaseem Khan and Imran Mahmood. 00:00 - Intro 00:49 - T.M. Logan 09:17 - Lucy Rose 19:52 - Adam Simcox 28:18 - Vaseem Khan and Imran Mahmood Support us on Patreon and get great benefits!: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone Page One Extra and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are 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 Page One Extra 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. | |||
| Ep. 272 - The Queen of Grimdark Anna Smith Spark on Autism, Writing, & Epic Fantasy | 19 Jun 2026 | 01:08:36 | |
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube Anna Smith Spark loves grimdark and epic fantasy and historical military fiction. She has a BA in Classics, an MA in history and a PhD in English Literature. She has previously been published in the Fortean Times and the poetry website www.greatworks.org.uk. Anna's favourite authors and key influences are R. Scott Bakker, Steve Erikson, M. John Harrison, Ursula Le Guin, Mary Stewart and Mary Renault. She spent several years as an obsessive D&D player. She can often be spotted at SFF conventions wearing very unusual shoes. Her latest books, A Sword of Gold & Ruin and Anderson versus Death, are out now. We had a great time chatting with Anna live at Cymera Festival in Edinburgh, hearing about how neurodivergence shapes her unique writing style, her lightning-fast journey to landing an agent, and writing epic trilogies without a plan. We also talk about tackling 2000 AD IP with Judge Anderson, and we get into an interesting chat about theoverlap between ancient mythology and comic book continuity! Links: 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 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 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. | |||
| Page One Extra - Craig Robertson & Alexandra Sokoloff on writing together as a married couple | 17 Jun 2026 | 00:43:14 | |
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Craig Robertson had a twenty-year career as a journalist with a Scottish Sunday newspaper before becoming a full-time author. His books such as Murderabilia, The Photographer and Watch Him Die have been nominated for numerous awards. Alexandra Sokoloff is the bestselling, Thriller Award-winning and Bram Stoker and Anthony Award-nominated author of thirteen supernatural, paranormal and crime thrillers, including the Huntress Moon Series. The Grapevine, the first in The Lost Highway series, and is their first co-written novel. We loved having Craig and Alex in the studio and catching up with them since their last (individual) visits to the podcast. We chat about what it was like to write together as a married couple (not always a great idea!) and why they felt this was a book they had to write together. Plus, we hear about their work with literary festivals such as Bute Noir and Bloody Scotland, and talk about whether writing together is something they would do again... Links: Support us on Patreon and get great benefits!: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone Page One Extra and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are 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 Page One Extra 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. | |||
| Adventures in Publishing-land: Are Libraries Killing Incomes? (Plus: AI Hits a Wall & The Guardian’s Readers’ Top 100) | 15 Jun 2026 | 00:47:46 | |
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube This week, we discuss why the publishing industry is pointing fingers at libraries for declining author incomes, but we wonder about the reasons they aren't talking about. Plus, have you heard of Elias Thorne? We talk about AI's repetition problem and why that may be good news for authors. And we revisit the thorny issue of book lists - after we criticised the Guardian's first 'Best 100 books', is their Readers' list any better? 00:00 Intro 01:14 Declining Author Income - Libraries to Blame? 14:13 Thorne in the Machine - AI Running Out of Ideas? 23:38 Guardian Top 100 - Readers vs Critics 30:40 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory 38.23 The Final Chapter - Horrifyingly Good Links: Authors Guild Looks at Why Author Incomes are in Decline Chatbots Keep Telling Stories about Lighthouse Keeper 'Elias Thorne'. We Might Know Why Wikipedia may have built the best AI writing detection guide The Guardian Readers top 100 novels of all time Pokémon Go data trained AI that could assist military drones in war zones 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Ep. 271 - J.D. Pennington on moving from copywriting to novel writing | 12 Jun 2026 | 01:15:45 | |
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube J.D. Pennington is an award-winning creative director and copywriter with over 20 years of experience in film and television advertising, creating campaigns for major studios and leading independents. The Othello Club is his first novel. It has been developed for television by Paramount+ as The Revenge Club. We had a great time chatting with J.D., hearing about his transition from a graphic design and copywriting background into the world of storytelling. We also talk about enduring 10 to 15 years of screenwriting rejection before deciding to write a novel, and we get some interesting anecdotes about the profound impact of reading Bram Stoker's Dracula at age 11, as well as his dedicated process of writing his debut book during the early mornings and weekends over two years! Link: 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 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 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. | |||
| Drafting Notes - Should you always use "Show, Don't Tell"? | 10 Jun 2026 | 00:19:19 | |
On this week's Drafting Notes, we tackle one of the great writing mantras: "Show, Don't Tell." What does it actually mean? And should you always follow the rule? We discuss where the mantra came from, and what we think it is trying to emphasise, while also discussing why it isn't always a rule that needs to (or should) be followed! Drafting Notes is a series in which one award-winning writer (Tariq) and one hopefully soon-to-be-published writer (Marco) discuss various writing issues as they occur to them! Drafting Notes and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are 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 Drafting Notes 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. | |||
| Ep. 270 - Kieron Gillen on moving from Games Journalist to Comic Book Writer | 05 Jun 2026 | 01:13:07 | |
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Kieron Gillen is a British comic book writer and former video game journalist. He is best known for his work on high-profile titles such as Star Wars, X-Men, and The Eternals, as well as his acclaimed creator-owned series The Wicked + The Divine and Die. He is currently working on new projects like Power Fantasy. We had a great time chatting with Kieron, hearing about his transition from video game journalism to comics, the emergent mechanics of video game narratives, and his DIY roots creating cut-and-paste fanzines. We also talk about his early doubts about writing as a viable career path, and we get some interesting anecdotes about what it's like to work on big IP projects like X-Men and Star Wars. (Note: Kieron has also appeared on our sister podcast, Narrative Damage, talking about his love of TTRPGs. You can listen to that interview here or watch it on YouTube.) Links: Come see us at Cymera: Podcast recording 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 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 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. | |||
| Page One Extra - David Goodman on Why Book Release Day is Just the Starting Gun | 03 Jun 2026 | 00:51:46 | |
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube David Goodman is an award-winning, multi-genre author. His debut novel A RELUCTANT SPY won the McDermid Debut Award and Bloody Scotland Debut Prize in 2025 and was optioned for television by Carnival Films. The sequel SOLITARY AGENTS is out this month, June 2026. His SF debut, SHARDS OF STARLIGHT, written as David W. Goodman, is coming from Solaris Books in 2027. He also has several published short SF stories and novelettes. We had a great time chatting with Dave again, hearing about the emotional rollercoaster of being a debut author, winning two massive debut prizes, and the plot of his highly anticipated sequel, Solitary Agents. We also talk about why release day is actually a starting gun rather than a finish line, and of course he tells us about 5 books that influenced him as an author. Links: Support us on Patreon and get great benefits!: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone Page One Extra and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are 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 Page One Extra 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. | |||
| Ep. 269 - Callum McSorley on Mixing Noir and Humour | 29 May 2026 | 00:55:52 | |
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube Callum McSorley is a writer based in Glasgow.His debut novel, Squeaky Clean, was published by Pushkin Vertigo in 2023 and won the prestigious McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year.Its sequel, Paperboy, was released in 2025 and was a finalist for the same award.His short fiction has been featured in Gutter Magazine, New Writing Scotland, and broadcast on BBC Radio 4.His latest book, Rat Race, is out now. We had a great time chatting with Callum, hearing about his early days of mapping out fantasy epics and why he pivoted to writing crime. We also talk about the brutal realities of working grueling night shifts on the railways, and we get some interesting anecdotes about how writing a non-historically accurate Victorian serial killer book actually landed him his literary agent! Link Come see us at Cymera: Podcast recording Vote for Tariq's book The Midnight King for the Old Peculier Harrogate Crime Novel of the Year Award Vote for Tariq's book The Midnight King for the Capital Crime Overall Crime Book of the Year Award 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 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 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. | |||
| Drafting Notes - Stop writing boring dialogue | 27 May 2026 | 00:20:06 | |
On this week's Drafting Notes, we are talking about... talking! Writing dialogue convincingly is something a lot of writers find tricky, and we discuss things to watch out for, what makes dialogue sound convincing (not necessarily realistic), and talk about some examples of what to do and what not to do. Drafting Notes is a series in which one award-winning writer (Tariq) and one hopefully soon-to-be-published writer (Marco) discuss various writing issues as they occur to them! Drafting Notes and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are 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 Drafting Notes 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. | |||
| Adventures in Publishing-land: Nobel AI Scandal, Silicon Serpents & The Children's Literacy Crisis | 25 May 2026 | 01:01:54 | |
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube This week, we're expanding on our discussion from the last episode about the depressing HarperCollins report on children's reading habits. Author and teacher Cailean Steed joins us to break down the underlying data and explain exactly how hyper-fixating on rigid literacy metrics is actively destroying the sheer joy of reading for kids. Plus, we talk about - of course - AI, as we talk about the Commonwealth Short Story Prize winner scandal, and discuss Nobel Laureate Olga Tokarczuk response to the talk of AI involvement in her work. And we find time to talk about the Guardian's "Best books of all time" list - and make Tariq talk about football again. 00:00 Intro 01:08 Literacy vs Joy: Let Kids Enjoy Reading: Cailean Steed Interview 22:15 Snake Oil Award - Prize-winning Pile On 37:50 Tokarczuk Prize - An Ignoble Use of AI? 44:02 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory 52.26 The Final Chapter - Who are books lists for? Links: Literacy focus ‘actively undermining’ reading for pleasure, HarperCollins finds ‘Obvious markers of AI’: doubts raised over winner of short story prize Read The Serpent in the Grove and decide for yourself Olga Tokarczuk has responded to the controversy over her reputed use of AI The Guardian 100 Best Books of All Time 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Ep. 268 - Andrea Mara on The "What If" Method: Building Domestic Noir | 22 May 2026 | 00:59:08 | |
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Andrea Mara is a Number One Sunday Times, Irish Times, and Kindle bestselling author whose books have sold over one million copies across all formats. She has been shortlisted for six An Post Book Awards and won Irish Crime Novel of the Year for It Should Have Been You in 2025. Her 2021 novel, All Her Fault, was adapted into a critically acclaimed TV series starring Sarah Snook, which premiered on Peacock and Sky in late 2025. Andrea’s work—including hits like No One Saw A Thing and Someone In The Attic—has consistently topped bestseller lists across the UK and Ireland. Her latest gripping thriller, Such a Nice Girl, is out now. We had a great time chatting with Andrea, hearing about her transition from a 17-year career in financial services to becoming a domestic noir sensation. We also talk about her unique "plot-first" writing process and the importance of detailed outlines, and we get some interesting anecdotes about what it was like to eat cake on a Melbourne film set with Michael Peña! Links: Vote for Tariq's book The Midnight King for the Old Peculier Harrogate Crime Novel of the Year Award Vote for Tariq's book The Midnight King for the Capital Crime Overall Crime Book of the Year Award 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 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 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. | |||
| Page One Extra - RJ Barker On Subverting Epic Fantasy Tropes | 20 May 2026 | 00:53:08 | |
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube RJ Barker is an award-winning fantasy author from Leeds, West Yorkshire. He is best known for his critically acclaimed trilogies, The Wounded Kingdom and The Tide Child, the latter of which won the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel. His work often subverts traditional fantasy tropes by blending elements of epic world-building, ecological science fiction, and gritty noir elements. His latest release, Mortedant's Peril, is out now. We had a great time chatting with RJ, hearing about the massive twist wrapping up his Wounded Kingdom (Major spoilers discussed!) and his subversion of the conventional lone-hero trope. We also talk about writing his brand-new novel, Mortedant's Peril, in just seven weeks while battling chronic illness, and we get some interesting anecdotes about the socio-economics of a tiered fantasy city and a very peculiar magical power involving corpse memories! Plus, as with all returning guests, RJ tells us about 5 books that influenced him as an author! Links: Come see us at Cymera Festival! Support us on Patreon and get great benefits!: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone Page One Extra and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are 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 Page One Extra 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. | |||
| Ep. 267 - Leigh Radford on How Personal Grief Transformed into a Debut Horror Novel | 15 May 2026 | 01:05:26 | |
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube Leigh Radford trained as a broadcast journalist. She produced and presented arts and entertainment content for commercial radio, Time Out, The Times and The Sun, along with documentaries for the BBC, including Rilke’s Women for Radio 4. A former book publicist, she is a 2023 graduate of Faber Academy. She is currently developing content for film and television through her production company Kenosha Kickers. Her debut novel, One Yellow Eye, is out now. We had a great time chatting with Leigh, hearing about how a personal tragedy gave her the ultimate "kick up the arse "to finally write her first novel and how her background in journalism helped her survive brutal feedback. We also talk about the specific challenges of writing a "zombie love story," the invaluable structure provided by the Faber Academy, and she gives us some familiar anecdotes about the "sensible plan A" her parents encouraged before she embraced the creative world! Links: Vote for Tariq's book The Midnight King for the Old Peculier Harrogate Crime Novel of the Year Award Vote for Tariq's book The Midnight King for the Capital Crime Overall Crime Book of the Year Award 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 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 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. | |||
| Ep. 266 - Stephen Fishbach on moving from Survivor to Pushcart Prize Winner | 08 May 2026 | 00:54:58 | |
Watch this episode as a full video interview on YouTube Stephen Fishbach is a Pushcart Prize-winning writer and former television executive who served as a Vice President at MTV. A graduate of Yale with an MFA from NYU, he is widely recognised as a two-time contestant and runner-up on the reality show Survivor. His diverse writing background includes serving as a speechwriter for Stevie Wonder and hosting the literary podcast Paraphrase. Stephen lives in Washington, DC, with his wife and two daughters, and his debut novel, Escape!, was inspired by his unique insider perspective on reality television. We had a fantastic time chatting with Stephen about how a harrowing monsoon in the Cambodian jungle finally gave him the focus to pursue serious fiction. We delve into his transition from the "clown music" of reality TV to winning the Pushcart Prize, and how he used his writing to reclaim narrative control in his debut novel. We also talk about his love for the social deduction game Blood on the Clocktower and the meticulous research required to capture the "texture" of life of a professional Marilyn Monroe impersonator. Links: 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 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 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. | |||
| Adventures in Publishing-land: Literacy Lows, TikTok Highs, & the £100 Canceled Book | 04 May 2026 | 00:52:00 | |
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube On today's episode of Adventures in Publishing-land, we congratulate Tariq on not one but two new Longlistings, and struggle to understand a story about new research that suggests a heavy focus on literacy skills in schools is actively undermining the motivation to read for fun. Plus, the TikTok books charts have launched! What effect will they have on the industry? And as copies of Shy Girl sell for more than £100 on ebay, Tariq wonders if he should buy up as many copies as he can to fund his retirement (spoiler: he shouldn't!) 00:00 Intro 05:00 The Reading Paradox - Literacy Skills v Joy 16:52 Top of the Toks - TikTok Book Charts Launch 31:31 From Shy Girl to Prom Queen? Cancelled Book Sales Soar 41:49 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory Links: Literacy focus 'actively undermining' reading for pleasure, HarperCollins finds TikTok releases first monthly BookTok Bestseller List Copies of Mia Ballard's Shy Girl listed online for over £100 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Ep. 265 - Alessandra Ranelli on the real-life inspiration behind her debut | 01 May 2026 | 01:08:55 | |
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Alessandra Ranelli is an American writer living in Vienna, Austria. Murder at the Hotel Orient is her first crime novel. She has the full support of the real Hotel Orient, and has been allowed access to all its rooms, even the secret ones. As part of her extensive book research, she left her career as a pastry chef and became a hotel receptionist. She is currently writing her second novel. We had great fun chatting with Alessandra about how a visit to the Hotel Orient sparked the idea for the novel, and how she moved from idea to fully finished novel (with multiple agent offers along the way). We talk about her having different UK and US agents and how that works, and the nerves as she waited for Murder at the Hotel Orient to come out. Links: Buy Murder at the Hotel Orient now Follow Alessandra 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 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 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. | |||
| Ep. 264 - Charlotte Robinson: From Script Producing to Writing Mars One | 24 Apr 2026 | 01:10:09 | |
Watch as a full video episode on our YouTube channel Charlotte Robinson is a writer and television producer. After graduating from Exeter University with a degree in English, Charlotte started working as a runner in the television industry, where she perfected the art of making teas and coffees on a wide variety of programmes before moving into drama production and becoming a script editor and story producer on shows such as FORTITUDE (Sky), THE TUNNEL (Sky), and Amazon Prime’s adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s best-selling novel THE POWER. Recently, Charlotte story produced both series of Steven Knight’s upcoming A THOUSAND BLOWS for Disney+ and produced the final three episodes of series two. Her debut novel, MARS ONE, is out now. We had a great time chatting with Charlotte, hearing about how she got started in TV, what the jobs of script editor and story producer entail, and where she first got the idea for MARS ONE. We also talk about getting notes in both TV and fiction writing, and we get some interesting anecdotes about her work in TV! Links: Subscribe to Narrative Damage on your podcast app and on YouTube 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 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 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. | |||
| Drafting Notes: You Finally Got The Call With An Agent... Now What? | 22 Apr 2026 | 00:22:09 | |
Watch as a video episode on YouTube You've been querying for months, or even years, and then it happens - you get that email from an agent asking for a call! It's exciting, but also nerve-wracking. What should you ask, what green flags - or red flags - should you be looking out for? We break down the dos and don'ts of 'The Call' so that you can go into it well-prepared and hopefully land the best agent for you. Drafting Notes is a series in which one award-winning writer (Tariq) and one hopefully soon-to-be-published writer (Marco) discuss various writing issues as they occur to them! Drafting Notes and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are 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 Drafting Notes 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. | |||
| Ep. 263 - Gareth Hanrahan on the difference between writing novels and RPGs | 17 Apr 2026 | 01:00:04 | |
Watch as a full video episode here Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan is a writer and game designer. Originally qualified as a computer programmer, he took a three month break to see how “this writing thing” would go. More than fifteen years later, he’s still on that break. The writing thing seems to be going. Gareth has published more role-playing games and supplements than he can even recall, including the award-winning The Laundry RPG, The One Ring and The Dracula Dossier. His debut novel, The Gutter Prayer was published by Orbit Books in 2019. His next book, The Dungeon Book, comes out later this year. We had great fun chatting to Gar about his writing career, hearing how Nanowrimo is what got him started with novel writing and talking about how he juggles writing novels with writing for tabletop roleplaying games (which you can hear him talk about in more detail on an upcoming episode of our sister podcast, Narrative Damage!) Links: Subscribe to Narrative Damage on your podcast app and on YouTube 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 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 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. | |||
| Adventures in Publishing-land: McFadden Unmasked, Fake Editor Scams & Are Editors "Reading" with AI? | 13 Apr 2026 | 00:57:30 | |
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube This week, we’re diving into the unmasking of one of the world’s most successful authors. Freida McFadden, the bestselling author behind The Housemaid, has officially revealed her true identity as Dr. Sara Cohen. We wonder 'why now', talk about imposter syndrome, and discuss why authors use pseudonyms. Plus, we of course chat about some AI-related stories: we go over some of your comments about our last episode on the Shy Girl scandal, talk about the allegation that editors are using LLMs to help them decide which books to pick up, and talk about scam emails again - this people pretending to be editors. 00:00 Intro 00:46 Shy Girl Fallout - Audience Comments 14:17 Chat G-P-Cheat? - Are Editors Using LLMs? 25:05 Something Phishy - Fake Editor Emails Spike 33:58 Not Just The Housemaid - McFadden's Secret Revealed 45:10 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory 50:57 Final Chapter - Stellar Adaptations Links: Some editors 'uploading confidential manuscripts to Chat GPT' Scam emails impersonating editors on the rise The Housemaid author Freida McFadden reveals real identity 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
| Ep. 262 - Izzy Broom on changing from a pantser to a plotter | 10 Apr 2026 | 01:08:20 | |
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube Izzy (Isabelle) Broom is the author of 12 escapist books and has been published in 14 overseas territories. In 2015, she won The Great British Write Off with her short story, The Wedding Speech, which was later adapted into a prize-winning short film. Her fifth novel, One Thousand Stars and You, was awarded Contemporary Romance Novel of the Year at the 2019 RNAs. Formerly a Book Reviews Editor at heat magazine and Woman & Home, Izzy still works for magazines on a freelance basis and is an editor and mentor at Curtis Brown Creative. We loved chatting with Izzy about her journey from journalism to fiction and how she transitioned from being a "pantser" to a dedicated plotter. She shares how her background at heat magazine made her a more resilient writer , the serendipitous way she landed her first agent , and her photographic memory for locations that helps her bring her European settings to life. Plus, we discuss her new series, starting with The House of Hidden Letters, and the discipline required to maintain a prolific writing schedule. Links: Buy The House of Hidden Letters now 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 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 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. | |||