Page One - The Writer's Podcast

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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.

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
Follow Izzy on Instagram
Visit Izzy'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

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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 our YouTube channel

Do your characters have to likeable? No! There are plenty of brilliant books and movies with horrible protagonists. So what makes them work? How do you write characters who are deeply flawed and unlikeable without turning the reader or viewer off? We discuss it all on this week's episode of Drafting Notes, while also discussing some of our favourite unlikeable characters.

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!

Support us on Patreon and get access to Drafting Notes episodes early, along with other great benefits!

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

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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
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Katalina Watt is the instant Sunday Times Bestselling author of Saltswept. They were selected for a 2025 Literature Matters Award from the Royal Society of Literature and served as the AIR Literature UNESCO 2024 Writer in Residence for Konstkollektivet in Sweden. A finalist for the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine as founding Audio Director for khōréō, Katalina is also a Writing Coach at The Novelry .

We loved chatting with Katalina about the transition from writing short stories to a full-length novel. They shared insights into their role as a writing coach and how it helps them maintain their own creative discipline, as well as the unique world-building required for their. Plus, we discuss the importance of finding a community of writers.

Links:
Buy Saltswept now
Follow Katalina on Instagram
Visit Katalina's website

Subscribe to Narrative Damage on your podcast app and on YouTube

Support us on Patreon and get great benefits, including a bonus episode with Abigail telling us about 5 books that have influenced her!: 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 episode on YouTube

This week, we lead with the scandal that has the industry in a frenzy, with Hachette pulling the release of Mia Ballard’s horror novel Shy Girl after viral claims that the prose was generated by AI. We discuss the YouTube video with over a million views that started the fire, the author’s defense involving an "acquaintance," and what this means for the future of "human" storytelling.

Staying on AI (when don't we talk about AI?), we discuss the UK government's decision to axe plans for a broad AI copyright exception, and ask if this is a victory for authors. Plus, we chat about the announcement that NielsenIQ and TikTok are launching a monthly Top 20 chart in the UK that combines real sales data with social media engagement.

00:00 Intro
01:24 Victory for Authors - UK Scraps AI Exception
10:36 Not Shy of Shortcuts - Hachette Ditches AI Novel
22:46 Tok of the Pops - Official UK Chart launched
30:06 Off Script: Stranger Than Fiction
36:42 Final Chapter - Pitt-Perfect Drama

Links:
Axed AI Copyright Exemption Welcomed By Book Trade
Hachette Horror Novel Shy Girl Suspended
Official BookTok Chart Set to Launch in the UK

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!

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