Page One - The Writer's Podcast

STET Podcasts

New episodes every Friday! On Page One - The Writer's Podcast, we talk to writers of all descriptions (authors, screenwriters, comic writers and more) about their writing process and how they craft their next great works. We also explore their career, including how their first big break happened, and discuss the ups and downs along the way. We learn something new every episode, and we hope you do as well. Page One is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/shop. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 1d ago

    Ep. 284 - Chloe Benjamin on Genre-Bending Fiction & Her Epic New Novel

    Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Chloe Benjamin is the author of The Immortalists, a New York Times bestseller, and The Anatomy of Dreams. Her third novel, Under Story, will be published in September 2026. A Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, LibraryReads favorite, and #1 Indie Next pick, The Immortalists was named a best book of 2018 by NPR, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, and others. The Anatomy of Dreams received the Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award and was long listed for the 2014 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Originally from San Francisco, CA, Benjamin is a graduate of Vassar College and the M.F.A. in fiction at the University of Wisconsin. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages. She lives with her husband and two Maine Coon cats in the San Francisco Bay Area. We had a great time chatting with Chloe, hearing about her early days of writing overly long fourth-grade stories, navigating the traditional workshop model, and the challenging reality of today's publishing industry. We also talk about why she does a lot of research for her novels, how it took her 5 year to write her latest, and we get some interesting anecdotes about the creation of her expansive new genre-bending novel, Under Story! Links: Buy Under Story now Follow Chloe on Instagram Visit Chloe's website Support us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone Listen to authors telling stories together on our sister show, Narrative Damage Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Bluesky Follow us on Threads Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. Sep 4

    Ep. 283 - Doug Johnstone on surviving 20 years in publishing

    Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Doug Johnstone is the author of twenty novels in twenty years, many of which have been bestsellers. The Space Between Us was chosen for BBC Two’s Between the Covers, while six of his books have been shortlisted or longlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year or the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. Doug has taught creative writing or been writer in residence at universities, schools, writing retreats, festivals, prisons and a funeral directors. He’s also been an arts journalist for twenty-five years. He is a songwriter and musician with ten albums released, and drummer for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers. We had a great time chatting with Doug, hearing about his transition from a physics-studying engineer to a freelance music journalist, the chaotic early days of submitting his first manuscripts directly to publishers, and his strategy for writing a book a year to maintain a successful career. We also talk about his reflections on the 20th-anniversary re-publication of his debut novel Tombstone, and we hear how he has forged his own path... which isn't always a great idea! Links: Buy Ghost Notes now Follow Doug on Instagram Visit Doug's website Support us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone Listen to authors telling stories together on our sister show, Narrative Damage Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Bluesky Follow us on Threads Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. Aug 28

    Ep. 282 - Literary agent Oli Munson on why the small details matter in query letters

    Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Oli Munson is a leading literary agent with AM Heath in London. He has a list of bestselling authors including Mari Hannah and Nadine Matheson, and is always on the look out for new and exciting commercial fiction. We had a great time chatting with Oli about how he became an agent, hearing about how it has changed since he first joined, and why it's so important to make a good first impression with your query letter. We also chat about the state of the market, and why he thinks data-led decisions have made publishers very risk-averse. Links: Query Oli now Our Drafting Notes episodes on querying: Writing Your Query Letter How to Write a Great Synopsis The Agent Call - What do you ask? Support us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone Listen to authors telling stories together on our sister show, Narrative Damage Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Bluesky Follow us on Threads Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. Aug 21

    Ep. 281 - Literary Agent Ludo Cinelli on why authors shouldn't get stuck on their first book when querying

    Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Ludo Cinelli is an Agent and the Managing Director at Eve White Literary Agency. He joined the company in 2017 and has an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, University of London. He represents fiction, non-fiction and children’s authors across genres and was shortlisted as British Book Awards Literary Agent of the Year in 2022 and 2026. We had an interesting chat with Ludo about how he got into agenting (and chat about the variety of paths people can take to become an agent), and what catches his attention in queries. We also chat about some bad habits in queries, and discuss why the market is difficult at the moment. Plus, Ludo offers his advice to writers out there who are looking to query soon. Links: Submit to Eve White now Follow Ludo on Instagram Support us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone Listen to authors telling stories together on our sister show, Narrative Damage Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Bluesky Follow us on Threads Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. Aug 17

    Adventures in Publishing-land: Publishing's AI Panic: Cancelled Deals, AI Detectors (Plus a $44k Marketing Mistake)

    Watch as a full video episode on YouTube We're back after a short break, but it appears nothing has changed in publishing as we are still talking about our (least) favourite subject: AI! We go through some listener mail and comments on the subject before diving into Jerry Falade's collapsed $2.4m book deal, wonder if AI detectors are reliable, and have a talk about different methods of book marketing, wondering what works and what doesn't. 00:00 Intro 02:11 From the Slush Pile - Listener Comments 17:25 AI Hid the Body - $2.4m Book Deal Collapses 24:07 Claude & Pangram - Watermark My Words 39:54 Marketing Your Book - Book Tok or Book Flop? 51:12 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory 55:57 The Final Chapter - Entertainment Catch-up Links: $2m crime novel deal collapses amid questions over AI use Agents react to major book deal that collapsed over suspected AI use Claude's new scarlet letter watermark is invisible—for now I tested a popular AI slop detector. It felt empowering. I spent $44,000 launching my book. Three of those dollars worked. Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more! Find all our shows here! Follow us on Bluesky Follow us on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Adventures in Publishing-land: Publishing's AI Panic: Cancelled Deals, AI Detectors (Plus a $44k Marketing Mistake)
  6. Aug 14

    Ep. 280 - Olivie Blake on the importance of resilience and adaptability as an author

    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: Buy Dreamland now Follow Olivie on Instagram Visit Olivie's website Support us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Bluesky Follow us on Threads Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. Aug 12

    Page One Extra - Ian Green on his fantasy influences

    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 Follow Ian on Instagram Visit Ian's website 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 Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Bluesky Follow us on Threads 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.

5
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About

New episodes every Friday! On Page One - The Writer's Podcast, we talk to writers of all descriptions (authors, screenwriters, comic writers and more) about their writing process and how they craft their next great works. We also explore their career, including how their first big break happened, and discuss the ups and downs along the way. We learn something new every episode, and we hope you do as well. Page One is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/shop. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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