The Book Deal

Tina Strachan, Madeleine Cleary & Natasha Rai
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Motivation and inspiration for emerging writers, helping them pave their own pathway to publishing success.

  1. 3d ago

    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...

  2. Aug 5

    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...

  3. Jul 29

    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...

  4. Jul 22

    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...

  5. Jul 15

    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...

  6. Jul 8

    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...

  7. Jul 1

    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. * 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...

  8. Jun 24

    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...

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About

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

Information

  • Creator
    Tina Strachan, Madeleine Cleary & Natasha Rai
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    99
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Book Deal
  • Show Website
    The Book Deal

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