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Are you in a writing group? Georgia and Claire are joined by Deborah Hunn co-author of How to Be an Author: The Business of Being a Writer in Australia for a chat about the ins and outs of workshopping manuscripts. Invisible Boys author Holden Sheppard shares his tips for finding your unique voice and the Comma Chameleon helps us ‘pick the dinkus’.Topics include:Where to find a writing group and how to start one from scratchWhen is it too early to workshop your manuscript?How to give and receive constructive feedbackWhen to accept feedback and when to discard itFinding your best readersThe How to Be an Author editions of the Fremantle Press podcast are an informal series of chats between publishing industry professionals. Co-hosted by marketing and communications manager Claire Miller and publisher Georgia Richter it features regular guest appearances by editor Armelle Davies, as the Comma Chameleon, special publishing industry guests and top tips from contributors to the book How to Be an Author: The Business of Being a Writer in Australia.Original music Title Music and Comma Chameleon Theme by Mo Wilson (copyright 2021)Sound engineering Aidan D’Adhemar, Fremantle PA HireEditingClaire MillerProduced byTiffany Ko, Claire Miller and Chloe Walton, Fremantle Press Marketing and Communications

Welcome to the first How to Be an Author in Australia edition of the Fremantle Press podcast, co-hosted by marketing and communications manager Claire Miller and publisher Georgia Richter.In the first episode, Georgia and Claire share the details of Georgia’s new book she co-wrote with Deborah Hunn, How to Be an Author: The Business of Being a Writer in Australia, and share the details of the How to Be an Author in Australia Facebook group. They talk to designer Nada Backovic about her tips on how to get the best cover for your book, writer Meg McKinlay tells authors to have a ‘frank conversation with themselves’ and the Comma Chameleon has a quiz that gets to the roots of obsolescence.For the full show notes, go to fremantlepress.com.au.Original music Title Music and Comma Chameleon Theme by Mo Wilson (Ó 2021)Sound engineeringAidan D’Adhemar, Fremantle PA HireProductionTiffany Ko, Claire Miller and Chloe Walton, Fremantle Press Marketing and Communications

What happens when you put two podcasters into one studio? You get podcast mashup audio magic! In this episode host Rebecca Higgie celebrates the release of her debut novel, The History of Mischief, while Dani Vee celebrates the three-year anniversary of her tiny podcast with big ideas, Words and Nerds.English teacher, lit lover and self-confessed nerd Dani Vee describes her podcast, Words and Nerds, as a passion project created because of her love of literature and her desire to get into the minds of authors. Rebecca Higgie was thrown into the deep end as the Fremantle Press Podcast host after winning the Fogarty Literary Award.For the full show notes go to fremantlepress.com.au.Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from The Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’AdhemarSponsored by the Copyright Agency Limited Cultural Fund

In Rebecca Higgie’s penultimate episode as host of the Fremantle Press Podcast, we’re talking crime. Veteran crime writer Dave Warner joins the podcast to talk about his fifth book, Over My Dead Body, while new kid on the block Alexander Thorpe discusses his historical cosy crime debut, Death Leaves the Station.Join them as they travel from the 1920s and the Australian outback all the way to the mean streets of modern-day New York City. Sharing the journey will be a nameless friar, a missing corpse, a scientist who brings hamsters back from the dead and none other than Sherlock Holmes.For the full show notes go to the Fremantle Press website.Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from The Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton. Producer: Claire Miller Mastered and edited by: Aidan d’Adhemar Sponsored by the Copyright Agency Limited Cultural Fund

Maria Papas’s manuscript, I Belong to the Lake, is one of three unpublished manuscripts in the running to win the 2020 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award. If she wins, she’ll secure herself a publishing contract with Fremantle Press and a $15,000 cash prize from the City of Fremantle.In this podcast, Maria chats to Marketing and Communications Manager Claire Miller about her frustration with how some narratives deal with cancer as a blip in the lives of the characters – not as a disease that can have a profound and lifelong effect on sufferers and family members alike.This is the second time Maria has been shortlisted for the Hungerford and she has a message to all creative writing students about the importance of perseverance.Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from The Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’AdhemarSponsored by the Copyright Agency Limited Cultural Fund

Joanna Morrison’s manuscript, Still Dark, is shortlisted for the 2020 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award. If she wins, she’ll secure herself a publishing contract with Fremantle Press and a $15,000 cash prize from the City of Fremantle.In this podcast she talks to Claire Miller about the process of working on her manuscript – a complex novel told from multiple points of view that combines elements of crime fiction and magic realism.Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from The Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’AdhemarSponsored by the Copyright Agency Limited Cultural Fund

Sharron’s manuscript, The Silence of Water, is one of three unpublished manuscripts in the running to win the 2020 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award. If she wins, she’ll secure herself a publishing contract with Fremantle Press and a $15,000 cash prize from the City of Fremantle.In this podcast she talks to Marketing and Communications Manager Claire Miller about Western Australia’s convict past, about the lies and omissions in our history and about exile and the meaning of home. She also shares her path to the shortlist – a journey that saw her giving up on her manuscript more than once.Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from The Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’AdhemarSponsored by the Copyright Agency Limited Cultural Fund

rotagonist Mei Ling Pang is kicking her bad luck to the curb and Little Jiang creator Shirley Marr is showing readers how they can do the same. Her fresh and funny take on an old Chinese legend has resulted in a fast-paced, page-turning adventure that will warm the cockles of even the coldest undead, unbeating heart. With children's writer and fellow chai latte lover Rebecca Higgie at the helm, today's podcast is a warm and delicious brew of writing wisdom. Don't miss it!Little Jiang and The History of Mischief are available in all good bookstores and online. For the full shownotes, go to www.fremantlepress.com.au.Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from The Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’AdhemarSponsored by the Copyright Agency Limited Cultural Fund

We’re celebrating 30 years of the City of Fremantle Hungerford Award this year by bringing together Jay Martin, author of Vodka and Apple Juice: Travels of an Undiplomatic Wife in Poland, and Julie Sprigg, author of Small Steps: A Physio in Ethiopia. Jay won the Award in 2016 and Julie was shortlisted for it in 2018.Speaking about her debut book, out this month, Julie says she wasn’t prepared for the culture shock of living in Ethiopia, where she had to relearn how to do everything from the way she brushed her teeth to how she ate her dinner. She said she was naïve enough to believe that her experience of backpacking alone in London and South America as well as working extensively with asylum seekers would prepare her for her time in Africa.The pair talk about the genre of travel memoir, and how their novels fall into the category of ‘narrative non-fiction’, a book that’s based on truth but adapted into the flow of a novel. Jay and Julie end the podcast with great advice for those starting out on the writing journey, and have provided a list of resources in the show notes.The full show notes are available here: https://www.fremantlepress.com.au/c/news/11821-podcastsmallsteps2020Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from The Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’AdhemarThis podcast is sponsored by the Copyright Agency Ltd

In this podcast, recorded at The Business of Being a Writer seminar, Fremantle Press publisher Cate Sutherland delves into the world of self-publishing with authors Wendy Binks and Annabel Smith, and IngramSpark senior manager Debbie Lee. They address the stigma attached to self-publishing, and give pointers on things to consider before undetaking the self-publishing journey – from creating to distributing and marketing. Annabel challenges the notion that self-publishing is ‘quick and easy and cheap’, and asks, ‘What about your time? The marketing takes an enormous amount of time.’ All three guests emphasise that to self-publish, you must fill the role of creator, publicist, retailer, public speaker and accountant, just to name a few.For all the show notes go to: https://www.fremantlepress.com.au/c/news/11818-podcastselfpublishing2020Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from The Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife Studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’AdhemarSponsor: This show was made possible with a grant from the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund

Dianne Wolfer and Elaine Forrestal are both well-loved and well-established writers who have published a shelfload of historical children’s fiction between them. Settle in for a great podcast as the pair go in-depth on their writing process, and share tips on how to research and write historical fiction.Dianne says that although there are many stories out there about Australia’s involvement with WWI, not many tell the stories of the ordinary people who did extraordinary things during that time. Her Light series was inspired by a newspaper clipping – a story about a girl who was in the right place at the right time, helping to signal troopships from the lighthouse on the island she lived and grew up on. Elaine says that Goldfields Girl is told from the point of view of the rarely heard voice of a teenage girl, it is a story about adventure, courage and survival.Writing and financial security rarely come hand in hand, and the authors discuss the different types of support they receive to help them continue on their writing journey. They look at how their writing has changed over time, and how the industry has changed too.Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from the Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’Adhemar

Recorded at Perth Festival’s Literature and Ideas Weekend, this podcast is a live recording of the seminar ‘A Day in the Life of Bestselling Authors and Booksellers’, hosted by Holden Sheppard, with guests Natasha Lester, Michael Earp, Allyce Cameron and Aisling Lawless.First, grunge meets high fashion as bestselling City of Fremantle Hungerford alumni Holden Sheppard and Natasha Lester share their insights into the publishing world. Natasha stresses the importance of loving what you write because, as she puts it, ‘Writing a book is like having a child – you can’t just get rid of it. And when you love what you’re writing, the reader can feel that love.’In the second half, Holden and Natasha are joined by Michael Earp of The Little Bookroom in Melbourne and Allyce Cameron and Aisling Lawless of Dymocks in Morley and Joondalup. The group highlight the value of bookshops in providing community hubs and a personalised experience for readers, and dispel the myth that booksellers just sit around all day reading books. They recommend that authors engage and build relationships with booksellers rather than cold-calling to try to sell their books. Michael Earp cautions, ‘You can’t expect anything from booksellers because there is, financially and physically, not enough space for every new book in the market.’Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from the Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’AdhemarSponsor: This show was made possible with a grant from the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund

A.J. Betts had the idea for Hive eight years before she commenced writing it and 13 years before it was released. In between, she published three books, won an Emmy Award and did a PhD in the topic of wonder. A.J. said the idea for Hive came to her while she was on the Graham Farmer Freeway in Perth: ‘The traffic was really slow and I noticed the drip in the tunnel and I thought, that’s weird … In what situation would a drip be a problem or a danger?’By contrast, Holden Sheppard wrote the first draft of Invisible Boys in two months and within six months had completed and polished a third draft ready for submission into the City of Fremantle Hungerford Award, which he won. Holden said his novel was a tribute to his home town, Geraldton, and he was careful not to write it like a tourist ad, but rather to portray it as he saw it, focusing on its urban landscape rather than its typical portrayal of stunning nature.The road to publication might have varied, but both authors agree the success of their books has created a conundrum. How do you juggle day jobs and book promotion while nurturing ideas and writing?For the full show notes go to https://www.fremantlepress.com.au/?p=11351Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from the Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’AdhemarSponsor: This show was made possible with a grant from the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund

In this touching episode of Love to Read Local radio, debut author Yuot A. Alaak (Father of the Lost Boys) talks about his refugee experience, and how his memoir tells the story of his family, especially of his inspiring father who led 20,000 lost boys towards a brighter future during the Second Sudanese Civil War. He also mentions the power of storytelling, and its importance in African society. For him, stories were a way of distracting himself from the hardships of reality, and to keep hope alive. He says that it’s important that real and nuanced stories about Africa are being shared that depicts its beauty and the hospitality of its people, rather than the imagined, ‘dark continent’ that it’s often portrayed as.Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from the Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’AdhemarSponsor: This show was made possible with a grant from the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund

What happens when you conference call with four talented Western Australian writers who are equally committed to short fiction as to long? Loads! Hosted by Susan Midalia, this episode of Love to Read Local Radio will give you a wonderful insight into where the urge to write comes from – those turning points in life which compel writers to put words on the page. Susan is joined by Emily Paull (Well-behaved Women), Bindy Pritchard (Fabulous Lives) and Donna Mazza (Fauna) to discuss the experience of writing short stories as opposed to that of writing full-length novels. To an outsider, both formats sound terrifying and time-consuming in their own highly specific ways. What you may not know about short stories is they sometimes take longer than novels to write and they are easier to get early feedback on, but that writers may ultimately find short story readers less forgiving than the readers of novels. Add to this a raft of great reading recommendations which range from Randolph Stow to Carol Millner and from Jon Doust to Craig Silvey, and we can guarantee you a taller than usual TBR pile.This episode is produced by Fremantle Press for Love to Read Local by WritingWA. Visit the Fremantle Press blog for the complete show notes.Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from the Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’AdhemarSponsor: This show was made possible with a grant from the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund

It has been an amazing two months of Love to Read Local Radio, and today’s episode is no different. We’ve brought together Madelaine Dickie (Red Can Origami), Helen Milroy (Backyard Birds) and Brenton E. McKenna (Ubby’s Underdogs Series) to discuss why they love to tell stories.Helen says she’s always loved storytelling and would write in transit during her day job as a children’s psychiatrist. She was always fascinated by stories growing up, and she attributes this to her Indigenous background, where storytelling was always important. ‘Storytelling is a unique way to understanding your place in the world and understanding the world.’ In her work with children, she noticed that many were struggling with the negative associations placed on them and wanted to change that by showcasing the emotional gifts of children as something positive.Brenton recounts how he struggled with reading as a kid and how falling in love with comic books changed the way he saw reading. The Ubby’s Underdogs books are graphic novels inspired by the ghost stories he grew up with, and the life of his grandmother and her thirteen siblings. He says that a female superhero is rare, let alone an Indigenous one, and he had to fight for Ubby’s voice to be heard.Go to the Fremantle Press website for the full show notes: www.fremantlepress.com.au.About Love to Read Local RadioThis episode is produced by Fremantle Press for Love to Read Local. To listen to more episodes, subscribe to the Fremantle Press Podcast https://www.fremantlepress.com.au/the-podcast on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. Love to Read Local is a statewide, online celebration of Western Australian stories, books and writers. While we remain at a social distance in the physical world, let’s get socially closer in the digital world. Visit the Love to Read Local website https://ltrl.writingwa.org/ to connect with other readers, tell us which local books you love to read and perhaps inspire others to read those books too!Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from the Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’AdhemarSponsor: This show was made possible with a grant from the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund

What do you get when you put two criminal masterminds together? David Whish-Wilson and Pol Koutsakis talking books! In this fascinating episode, the pair discuss the hero – or antihero – in Pol’s two books, Athenian Blues and Baby Blue. Stratos Gazis, an ‘ethical hitman’, has a moral code that controls his choices and leads to intrigue. David’s PI Frank Swann is in a similar boat, falling into the thick of criminal dealings when all he wants is a simple, happy life as a family man.The authors discuss how the prevailing sense of place in their novels is an integral part of their writing – Athens during the financial crisis for Pol, and Perth, Western Australia, for David. Then they go international to discuss their experiences of working with European publishing houses. Pol shares the intricacies of translating his own work into English and David talks about the German translation of one of his books. They also provide a wonderful insight into the burgeoning Western Australian crime writing scene with recommendations that include Alan Carter, Dervla McTiernan, Sara Foster and many more. Head to Fremantle Press for the full show notes.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’AdhemarSponsor: This show was made possible with a grant from the Copyright Agency's Cultural FundMusic: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from the Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.

In this fascinating podcast, poet and academic Bron Bateman interviews fellow poets Caitlin Maling and Reneé Pettitt-Schipp about the unexpected parallels between their recent collections, which are both tied to their fathers and to the ocean. Reneé’s debut collection, The Sky Runs Right Through Us, won the WA Premier's Book Award for an Emerging Writer, and recalls her turbulent time spent on the Cocos Islands during her work with asylum seekers. She talks about how being surrounded by the constant flow of the tide created an environment where she felt stuck in a state of flux – and resented the violent space that the ocean became.In contrast, Caitlin talks about how the ocean is a place of comfort for her, as her childhood was spent either surfing with her dad, or fishing with her stepdad. In her writing, and in particular in her collection Fish Song, the ocean underscores the stories she tells as a stable constant in her life. The poets discuss how, although each has a different way of articulating their experience, their stories of humanity, of love and loss, are the crucial secret to having their poetry universally understood. For more information about Love to Read Local Radio and the complete show notes go to fremantlepress.com.au.Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from the Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’AdhemarSponsor: This show was made possible with a grant from the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund

Sara Foster and Alexander Thorpe have never met, but this podcast feels like the meeting of kindred spirits. From the classic mysteries of Agatha Christie and Josephine Tey to the police procedurals of Val McDermid and the atmospheric psychological thrillers of Nicci French, their discussion of their favourite books is a masterclass in international crime reads.The pair discuss how Sara’s work as an editor, first for HarperCollins in the UK and then as a freelancer, held her in good stead when it came to the editorial process. As an editor, Sara learned that when pacing your thriller, you need ebb and flow – that without pauses between the peak moments of suspense, you deaden the overall impact, so quiet moments where the readers can breathe are essential. What Sara’s editorial work didn’t show her was the extent of post-publication marketing or just what it takes to get a book out into the world. She says it’s important to allow creative joy to flourish even while the business of being a writer is taking up time and energy.Alex and Sara have a fascinating chat about her PhD thesis on maternal relationships in dystopian fiction, how to plot, audio books and true crime podcasts before ending with a big bunch of recommended local reads from Nadine Brown, Rachael Johns, Natasha Lester, Dervla McTiernan, Mihaela Nicolescu, Kim Scott, David Whish-Wilson and Tess Woods.The complete show notes are available on our website www.fremantlepress.com.auMusic: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from the Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’AdhemarSponsor: This show was made possible with a grant from the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund

Lots of people want to write picture books. Fremantle Press receives almost 600 picture book submissions a year, and we only publish up to five. In this episode of the Fremantle Press Podcast, Rebecca Higgie takes you into the studios of creators Kelly Canby, Tracey Gibbs and Katie Stewart to talk about how picture books are made. From the first idea to the first illustration to the storyboard, design, publication and promotion, this amazing chat unpacks the whole process. There are lots of pro tips from all three creators on giving your manuscript the best chance of success.For the complete show notes go to: fremantlepress.com.auMusic: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from the Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.Producer: Claire MillerMastered and edited by: Aidan d’AdhemarSponsor: This show was made possible with a grant from the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund