In 2022, two authors debuted in the same genre, with the same publisher, in the same year. Yet each of their books, and subsequently each of their careers, went in very different directions. That pattern repeats itself throughout the industry, over and over. Why does this happen, and what does it mean? In this Hugo-nominated podcast, we aim to answer those questions and many more, using collated experiences from ourselves, friends, colleagues, and a slew of industry professionals in an attem ...
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Sunyi Dean Podcasts
Join Hugo and Nick each month to tackle a new book, discuss what makes it work, and write the best book ever written one sentence at a time. We might even have some fun along the way.
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What is Writeopolis? Writeopolis is a fortnightly (or, for US listeners, twice a month) conversation between writing professionals (and Kit Power). The conversation happens live every other Sunday evening via Discord, with live text chat accompanying the voice discussion (no video; RJ and Kit don't have that kind of time to sort their hair out every weekend). The resultant conversation is later released in podcast form via this feed. Who is Writeopolis? Writeopolis is BFS Award winner RJ Bar ...
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Blitz hosts a book club where all our resident book-nerds get together every once in a while and talk about the books they've been reading.
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We created OSD to indulge a love of facts, news, sport, history, weird and wonderful things and the occasional slightly drunk moment. If you've been looking for a podcast that will make you think, laugh and maybe sometimes even cry a little...check out Spotify, there's bloody LOADS on there. BUT - if you can't find what you want on there, come back and see us on here, because we're going to have chat, facts and special guests discussing all manner of interesting and intriguing subjects. Join ...
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Episode 8 - Leech by Hiron Ennes with guest Sunyi Dean
59:03
59:03
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59:03We are overjoyed to be joined by the marvelous Sunyi Dean, multiple award losing author of The Book Eaters (her words not ours). She chose the Novel Leech by Hiron Ennes for its excellent use of changing and dynamic perspective, as the titular leech slowly loses contact with its hive mind. The story is graphic, gory and gothing representation of a …
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Season 7's first guest episode kicks it off with Sunyi talking all things Star Trek, Farscape, Patrick Stewart’s biography and villains wearing BDSM clothes. RJ expresses his longing for ceremonial robes and his extremely controversial music opinions. There is some outstanding talk of Santa Jaws and The Velocipastor. Everyone is shocked by actual d…
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Writeopolis S7 E1 - The Boys Are Back
2:04:59
2:04:59
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2:04:59Writeopolis returns for season 7 with a glorious host only episode!By RJ Barker, Scott K Andrews, Kit Power
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Writeopolis S6 E6 - What The Hell Is Wrong WIth Us crossover
2:20:24
2:20:24
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2:20:24In the season 6 finale, our intrepid band is joined by George Daniel Lea for the long-threatened Watership Down discussion! In true crossover fashion, the What The Hell Is Wrong With Us? digression aesthetic infects the show, to the delight of all (including a late-joining Kit). Stay tuned to the end for a shockingly correct announcement from RJ :)…
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Episode 7 - Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel (or Epistoral Structure, the emphasis on the
56:37
56:37
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56:37Today we chat about Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel, a story told through very unconventional epistoral technique of the discovery of a giant alien robot on planet earth. A collection of interviews performed by a mysterious government spook, we discover the various pitfalls of keeping a giant robot as a pet and the geopolitical repercussions. Nic…
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Writeopolis S6 E5 - The Scott and Kit Show
1:44:52
1:44:52
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1:44:52No RJ! No guest! You know what that means... Scott and Kit bringing you all the Doctor Who talk you can possibly imagine you'd ever want, and then quite a bit more. And also other things, of course. But mainly... that. Enjoy!By Scott K Andrews, Kit Power
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Writeopolis S6 E4 - Justin Lee Anderson
2:16:43
2:16:43
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2:16:43This time out, accomplished, wise, and award winning fantasy author Justin Lee Anderson joins us in the Writeopolis bunker for a freewheeling chat that takes in Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes and his many, many incarnations, a legendary sandwich shop of dreams entry, and possibly the best Kaiju answer ever. Enjoy :)…
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RJ, Kit, and a newly hired Scott are joined by the brilliant and hilarious Dave Wragg for an in depth discussion of Sherlock Holmes and various adaptations, quite a bit of Doctor Who, the inevitable Bosch, and - surprisingly - some actual writing chat. Enjoy!By David Wragg, RJ Barker, Scott K Andrews, Kit Power
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Episode 6 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (or the Importance of Voice and Narrative Tone)
56:30
56:30
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56:30Today we chat about A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, a story of the Count Rostov and his various encounters while under house arrest the Metropol Hotel in Moscow. We talk voice, narrative tone, and why Hugo feels more compassion for The Bishop than he does for The Count himself. If you want to read what we have so far of our novel, follow the …
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Writeopolis S6 E2 - One Star Quiz Returns!
1:57:04
1:57:04
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1:57:04A star studied cast of former guests return for '2 Smally, 2 Handy: The One Star Quiz returns!' Expect laughter, betrayal, arbitrary rules changes, "bonus" rounds, betrayal, baffling reviews, laughter, more laughter, and yet more betrayal. In short, a fun time is had by all.By Laura Mauro, Stewart Hotston, AK Faulkner, RJ Barker, Scott K Andrews, Kit Power
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Writeopolis S6 E1 - The boys are back!
2:10:37
2:10:37
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2:10:37After an extended hiatus, the Writeopolis crew reassemble for what mainly ends up being a mammoth catch up over the films and TV we've been watching. We also chat about why we've been away for a while, and it all gets a bit heavy for a while, but there's also a lot of laughs, and not a little bit of hope and joy. So, enjoy. It's very, very good to …
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Episode 5 - Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin (or A Weekend in the Countryside by Samanta Schweblin)
1:03:28
1:03:28
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1:03:28Today we chat about Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin, a tense and heartbreaking horror that investigates the repercussions of 'Soul Splitting' in the wake of agricultural poisoning in the Argentinian countryside. We talk tension in writing and how to guide readers through a story without even needing chapters, how to navigate the world of social me…
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In what ends up being the season finale, we are joined by the brilliant award-winning fantasy author Stephen Aryan. Expect the usual discussion of media, sandwich shop controversy, and a rare moment of a guest actually getting to talk about their new book! In other words, another instant classic. Enjoy :)…
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In which legendary reviewer and blog site wrangler Jim Mcleod visits Writeopolis with his trademark blend of opinionated humility and glorious sense of humour. Featuring a legendary entry in the sandwich shop of dreams series, a dramatic split decision on the Big Questions, and, despite tech gremlins periodically swallowing Jim and RJ's audio (apol…
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This time out, the gang are joined by artist Jack Hurley, and the conversation is gloriously derailed before it even starts! Expect mayhem, an all time great sandwich shop of dreams entry, some tragic dinosaur related errors, and a surprising amount of Ringo hate. Enjoy! We did :)By Jack Hurley, RJ Barker, Scott K Andrews, Kit Power
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This time out, the boys are joined by fantasy author Richard Swan. Expect hilarity, much discussion of current media, and maybe the best Dinosaur/Kaiju answers EVER. :) Enjoy.By Richard Swan, RJ Barker, Scott K Andrews, Kit Power
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Episode 4 - Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (or Laini's Superpower is Writing Prose)
1:01:01
1:01:01
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1:01:01Today we chat about Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, a fantasy novel the follows the story of orphan Lazlo Strange and Godspawn Sarai. Nick breaks down how Laini writes vivid and imaginative prose that reflects the world in which the story is set. We also discuss the implications of if this novel was set in the same universe as Inception, the r…
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Writeopolis S5 E3 - Kayleigh Marie Edwards
1:50:46
1:50:46
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1:50:46This time out, we were delighted to be joined by author, playwright and blogger Kayleigh Marie Edwards. The discussion takes in mosh pits we have known, an epic Sandwich Shop of Dreams entry, and some epic answers to the important binary questions; in other words, an instant classic. Enjoy.By Kayleigh Marie Edwards, RJ Barker, Scott K Andrews, Kit Power
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Writeopolis S5 E2 - Joshua Phillip Johnson
1:45:11
1:45:11
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1:45:11Our first guest of the season was the brilliant Joshua Phillip Johnson, which, among many other things, give Kit an opportunity to ramble about The Crown, RJ to be unreasonably happy about dinosaurs and Kaiju, and a truly epic entry in The Sandwich Shop Of Dreams. In other words, it's an instant classic. Enjoy :)…
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Episode 3 - Planetfall by Emma Newman (or An Unreliable Narrator, or Were They?)
59:27
59:27
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59:27Today we chat about Planetfall by Emma Newman, Sci-fi set 20 years after humanity sets foot on a new planet in search of God's City. Nicholas helps us understand how Newman shifts the readers perspective to distrust the main character Renata Ghali's (not Renata Bliss) perspective on the story playing out. We also chat about our favourite cross-over…
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In this host-only first show of 2023, Scott, RJ and Kit attempt a 2022 wrap up, which goes about as well as you'd imagine, with Scott going month by month from the spreadsheet, RJ bouncing about all over the place, and Kit struggling to remember three TV shows he even watched this year. Last year. Yeah, they make that mistake so much they give up c…
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Writeopolis S4 E8 - One Star Quiz returns - 2 smally, 2 handsy!
1:55:29
1:55:29
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1:55:29The final episode of 2022 sees the return of the legendary, infamous One Star Quiz. Starring previous guests Laura Mauro, Tendai Huchu, Ed Wilson, and your regular hosts, this one is a riot of laughs, cheating, and some actual skullduggery.By Laura Mauro, Tendai Huchu, Ed Wilson, RJ Barker, Scott K Andrews, Kit Power
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This time out, we're joined by the mighty CC Adams, prolific horror author. Subjects covered include: Sandwich shop of dreams - further controversy Were 80’s horror movie franchises actually any good? Beta reading and unfortunate comparisons CC's amazing new collection, Misery and Other Lines Kit whinging about success CC talking process RJs dead t…
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This time out, RJ and Kit (but not the tragically fired Scott), welcome multitalented Kallie Marie. We cover a lot of ground and make each other laugh. It's a good time all around, really.By Kallie Marie, RJ Barker, Scott K Andrews, Kit Power
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Episode 2 - We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker (or How to Write Wide Characters)
59:54
59:54
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59:54This month we read We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker, a crime/thriller set in a small Californian town in the late 1990s but not all is as it seems. Nicholas helps us understand how Christ Whitaker builds up rich characters by delivering information in small bites from secondary parties, the show-not-tell approach I suppose. We also chat about …
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Writeopolis S4 E5 - Tendai (T.L.) Huchu
1:46:29
1:46:29
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1:46:29This time out, we're joined by the brilliant Tendai (T.L.) Huchu. In a free ranging and often hilarious conversation, topics covered include: Finally articulating Scott’s TV viewing aesthetic Columbo and Murder, She Wrote, and Magnum PI, oh my Love And Thunder controversy Tendi giving us the hard sell on The Northman The problem of writing about tr…
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This time out, the usual gang is joined by author and podcaster, Lucy Holland. Despite being tragically wrong about both dinosaurs and kaiju, a good time was had by all, including a sulky Kit. Enjoy :)By Lucy Holland, RJ Barker, Scott K Andrews, Kit Power
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Episode 1 - What is the point of this podcast?
30:34
30:34
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30:34Let's get to know each other! In this episode we talk ghost writing a YA novel, our favourite creative outputs, and we write the first sentence of our novel. According to Nick starting a novel with 'Once upon a time...' is a pastiche that he hates but I think it could go somewhere. The first proper episode of the BRBC will come out on the 27th Febr…
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In which we were joined by the brilliant Eddie Robson, and talked about many things, including: Dahlmer Writing for established characters, and how much more story freedom that gives you The best ‘raised by wolves’ joke ever Andor and why it’s worth sticking with Scott’s first-date success tips RJ actually reading a book for once Platinum trophies …
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This time out, we're joined by the brilliant fantasy author Peter McLean. Kit joins the show from his FantasyCon hotel room, with predictably 'hilarious' spotty-wifi-related results, and topics covered include Pete's Ur text, Spiderman in Mormonland, Dio Vs Ozzy, and much, much more. In spite of the technical challenges, it's a glorious conversatio…
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This time out, RJ, Scott and Kit are joined by Electric Dreamhouse Press editor in chief, Neil Snowdon. In a freewheeling conversation, highlights include RJs Queen heresy, the seemingly endless Highlander franchise, Neil's UR text, and much, much more. Enjoy :)By Neil Snowdon, RJ Barker, Scott K Andrews, Kit Power
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This time out, RJ, Scott and Kit are joined by the brilliant fantasy novelist Ed McDonald. Expect discussion of Predator/Prey, the myth of artists who don't like their own work, a shocking split decision on dinosaurs and Kaiju, and much, much more. A fitting finale to Season 3. Enjoy :)By Ed McDonald, RJ Barker, Scott K Andrews, Kit Power
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This time out, Kit and RJ (but sadly not Scott) are joined by the legendary Jackson Ford- and boy do they get into it, on music, TV, writing, and some true shockers on dinos and Kong Vs Godzilla. Enjoy! We clearly did :)
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E44: More Than The Text Of Our Book, ft. Greatest Author Chuck Tingle
1:35:22
1:35:22
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1:35:22Famed for his highly unique fiction, and for the the pink mask that conceals his secret identity, Chuck Tingle (pseudonymous name) is a much-beloved icon in the SFF book world and beyond. Today he joins us to share the incredible story of his journey through publishing, and to make a passionate case for why authors are so much more than just the st…
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This time out, RJ, Scott and Kit are joined by the awesomely talented AK Falkner. In a riotously funny, free ranging conversations, subjects covered include: The glory of Yorkshire Dentistry and intimations of mortality Star Trek Discovery spoilers Dr Strange spoilers, love and fury Kit being mass ‘Ted Lasso’ shamed The one time KISS didn’t suck Th…
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Writeopolis S3 E9 - George Daniel Lea
2:05:05
2:05:05
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2:05:05This time out, Scott and Kit (and not RJ) are joined by indie horror author and YouTuber George Daniel Lea. In a fun filled, free roaming conversation, we cover such things as: RJ being on holiday and Kit not being rude about it Scott’s epic list of watching/listening/reading The return of Russell T Davis to Doctor Who The ethics of including real-…
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This time out, RJ, Scott and Kit are joined by self published legend Jon Cronshaw! Amongst many other things, we get into: The awfulness of Discord Kit recommending crap TV shows Absolute chaos Justice for obscure Spiderman actors Slagging off Morbius before it was cool Jon’s Spanish-reading guide dog The imaginary reaction of readers The return of…
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Writeopolis S3 E5 - Just RJ and Kit
2:02:44
2:02:44
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2:02:44An ill guest and absent Scott mean RJ and Kit are left alone to play, which goes exactly how you'd expect. Expect a lot of rambling. Also, Craig briefly stopped working somewhere in the middle, so there's a brief tone to note the point where recording stopped and restarted. Enjoy :)By RJ Barker, Kit Powers
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S2 Ep 43: Momentum, Worldcon, and Arguing on the Internet (ft Sunyi and Scott)
46:43
46:43
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46:43Catch-up episode after a long gap! Sunyi and Scott both discuss career momentum, cheerfully losing at the Hugos, and the pushback they've had from Reddit / the internet. Sunyi explains why she'd turn down other nominations in the future, while Scott talks about why he was happy to sign a smaller deal for his UK rights. They also cover future plans,…
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Writeopolis S3 E4: Sophia McDougall
1:39:39
1:39:39
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1:39:39This time out, Scott, RJ and Kit are joined by the brilliant author Sophia McDougal. Topics covered include: The joys of Discord Often, but not always, getting Sophia's name right Sofia Loren ruining everything for everybody Watching mediocre TV for Reasons The many, many pitfalls about writing about cops in 2022 Kit and psychological breakthroughs…
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Writeopolis S3 E3 - Writing a novel by committee - Host only
1:45:27
1:45:27
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1:45:27In a guest-free episode, Kit, RJ and Scott get even more off topic than usual, but do end up brainstorming their alleged co-authoring project. Gound covered includes: RJs ongoing struggles with the nature of linear time Spoiling The Responder for Scott Spoilers also for Squid Games and Mandalorian and Boba Fett The Guy Ritchie/Spielberg sweet spot …
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This time out, RJ and Scott are joined by brilliant script writer and novelist James Moran. Topics covered include: Scott in a submarine “Off topic is on brand!” Murderous kindly old ladies and giggling with glee Writing fast for TV Spooks, and Not Killing Harry The mechanics of writing for TV and around outside factors The formative power of the T…
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The boys are back in town - or, rather, back huddled behind microphones in houses and/or garages. In this guest-free first show of 2022, expect a rambling conversation taking in the following bullet points: The dreaded ‘soft relaunch’. Scott having read three whole books RJ and the swinging hot takes Some Muppet Christmas Carol controversy Dissecti…
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In what could possibly be the longest delay in releasing an episode ever, we found a lost recording! All the way back from season 1 we have the wonderful Stark Holborn discussing: - where cowboys/westerns belong in the bookstore. - Scott takes us on a deep dive on how to organise Dr Who books. - There is cautionary tale of plotter vs pantser, where…
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In a guest-free season finale, RJ, Scott and Kit get into Muppet Christmas Carol, the vague nature of time itself, Wheel Of Time controversy, RJ's Doctor Who related child cruelty, a world exclusive regarding Sniper Elite 5, and oh so much more. Enjoy.By RJ Barker, Scott K Andrews, Kit Power
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Writeopolis S2 E7 - The Tiny Bookcase
2:05:23
2:05:23
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2:05:23This time out, RJ, Scott and Kit are joined by the brilliant Tiny Bookcase chaps. In an even-more-freewheeling-than-normal conversation, we touch upon: RJ making some shocking admissions RE Pratchett Ben being correct about Kong Transitioning from Flash fiction to novel writing People who are too talented and won’t pick a lane And much, much, much …
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This time out, RJ and Kit (but sadly not Scott) are joined by indie publishing legend Steve Shaw of Black Shuck Books. In a conversation that rambles even by our high (low?) standards, topics touched upon include: Kit almost getting the episode number right Steve nearly forgetting the name of the book he published that won a BFS award The inherent …
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SPECIAL EPISODE: The Grim World Predatory Publishers (ft. James MacDonald)
42:44
42:44
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42:44Ever heard the phrase "Money flows to the author"? James "Jim" MacDonald is the one who coined it. Jim is a long-time author and anti-vanity press advocate who, along with many others, has dedicated years of his life to investigating predatory publishers and teaching new authors to protect themselves. Today, he joins us in this Special Episode to s…
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S2 E42: Managing Your 'Author Bandwidth', ft Suyi Davies Okungbowa
1:04:13
1:04:13
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1:04:13Authors are expected to juggle many different demands on their time and energy--from social media and self-promotion, to side projects and live events. How do we decide what is or isn't worth our efforts, and where do we set boundaries to prevent burnout and overwhelm? Award-winning author and professor, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, discusses how he make…
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Season 4.4 - An interview with best selling author Sunyi Dean and the most incredible WW 2 battle you've never heard of!
1:21:55
1:21:55
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1:21:55Welcome back! Sorry for the delay, we've been focusing on a new format and preparing some back cataologue material, but from here on, we are back with a regular release bang! Logan is flying solo in this episode, interviewing USA Today and Sunday Times best selling author Sunyi Dean about her recent hit, The Book Eaters. They discuss her writing pr…
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