Page One - The Writer's Podcast

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

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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
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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!

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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
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Follow us on Bluesky
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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 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.