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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 Follow Diana 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.

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! Follow us on Bluesky Follow us on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Watch as a full video interview on our YouTube channel In this special crossover episode with our sister podcast, Narrative Damage, we chat with the brilliant Jon Gracey! Jon is a writer, actor, producer, games designer and much more! Host of the hugely popular Blood on the Clocktower live, Jon also designs board games and appears regularly on No Rolls Barred as well as other gaming channels playing both board games and roleplaying games. His debut novel will be set in the world of Blood on the Clocktower. We loved chatting to Jon in the studio, hearing how he first got into sketch comedy before moving into the world of games. We talk about how to craft a good sketch show, hear why Blood on the Clocktower live has been such a huge success, and chat about why he wanted to write a novel set in that world. We also discuss the narrative power of both video games and TTRPGs, and how that storytelling differs from other mediums. Links: Follow Jon on Instagram Visit Jon's website Watch the Jon Parkin video that Jon talks about in the episode Support us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone Listen to authors telling stories together on our sister show, Narrative Damage Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Bluesky Follow us on Threads Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video interview on YouTube Arvind Ethan David is a writer and producer whose work spans Broadway, television, and film. He was a lead producer of the Tony and Grammy-winning musical, Jagged Little Pill, and has written and produced extensively in television, including Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Anansi Boys, and the Asian Academy Award winner, The Garden of Evening Mists. He was recently nominated for an Olivier Award for his adaptation of The Boy with Wings (Best Family Show category). His graphic novels include the Stoker-nominated Darkness Visible, and his stage work includes the adaptation of his late mentor Douglas Adams' legendary The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The Great Game, his first novel, is out now. We had a great time chatting with Arvind, hearing about his unexpected detour into corporate law to secure a visa, using comics as a gateway to television and film, and his transition to writing his debut historical thriller novel, The Great Game. We also talk about the highly collaborative and ever-changing nature of writing for theatre and the screen, and we get some interesting anecdotes about learning the craft by observing legendary mentors like Douglas Adams. Links: Buy The Great Game now Follow Arvind on Instagram Visit Arvind's website Support us on Patreon and get the podcast early and ad-free, along with other great benefits, including a bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone Listen to authors telling stories together on our sister show, Narrative Damage Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Bluesky Follow us on Threads Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Watch as a full video episode on YouTube On this week’s episode, we are talking about MrBeast & James Patterson’s apparent book flop, and wondering if publishers will learn that social media following doesn’t translate into book sales. Plus, we talk about the Self-Publishing Partnership’s collapse, and discuss how NOT to behave at conventions after stories of a very pushy author came out of WorldCon. 00:00 Intro 01:02 From the Slush Pile - Listener Comments 17:43 Self-Publishing Panic - Another Unbound? 26:09 WorldCon Drama - When the Hustle Goes Wrong 34:02 MrBeast Book Bomb - Is Publishing The Most Dangerous Game? 42:45 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory 45:19 The Final Chapter - Entertainment Catch-up Links: Almost 100 authors affected by Self-Publishing Partnership collapse Is There a Wrong Way to Chase Your Dreams? Is MrBeast and James Patterson’s Novel Collaboration Headed for a Disastrous Debut? South Korean police officer admits to closing missing person cases to avoid work Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more! Find all our shows here! Follow us on Bluesky Follow us on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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: Query Corissa 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 Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Bluesky Follow us on Threads Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video interview on YouTube 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: Query Camilla now Follow Camilla 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 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.