Host Tina Strachan welcomes Date With a Debut host Nick Wasiliev for a collaboration episode. Nick explains his podcast’s focus on debut authors’ books, publication paths, and behind-the-curtain industry insights, noting it began at Booktopia and later grew into four series with Words and Nerds after his 2023 redundancy. He discusses his debut novel When Men Cry (set in early 2020 Sydney, about four men confronting a friend’s wellbeing), his goal to finish a second novel’s first draft by year’s end, and his non-chronological drafting approach. They roundtable the biggest challenges for debut authors in 2026, covering traditional vs self-publishing, reduced submission pathways (including the final CYA conference), the need to support writing infrastructure and funding, realistic income expectations, and concerns about AI while emphasizing voice and writing for joy. Hannah Goldstein introduces her debut novel Dream Girls (Allen & Unwin, out 3 Nov 2026), about a complicated female friendship inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, before the group shares book recommendations and closes with accountability for Nick’s draft deadline.

00:00 Podcast Intro
00:56 Meet Nick Wasiliev
01:36 Date With A Debut Explained
03:09 How The Show Started
04:42 Who Listens And Why
08:07 Nick Novel When Men Cry
09:52 Second Book Progress
13:01 Writing Process Tips
18:03 Debut Authors 2026 Challenges
19:28 Traditional Vs Self Publishing
25:00 Support And Funding Gaps
28:33 Dream Girls Book Spotlight
29:51 AI And The Future
30:44 Debut Focus Over Noise
31:33 AI Books And Pushback
33:58 AI Tools Everywhere
36:18 Why Write For Joy
40:36 Money Reality Check
42:46 Author Income Streams
44:45 Community And Long Game
48:53 Debut Book Recs
49:33 Historical Novel Pick
52:27 Kids Book And Memoir Picks
57:25 Picture Book Love
01:00:56 Wrap Up And Thanks

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Hosts Tina Strachan welcomes debut authors Brenton Cullen, Jemima Parker, and Seetha Dodd to discuss their publication journeys and picture-book craft. Brenton shares writing since childhood, years of rejection, nearly quitting, then winning the Pitch It contest and selling The Prime Minister Problem, followed by picture book Meena’s Moving Day and further contracts; he stresses never giving up, revising deeply, and leaving room for illustrators. Jemima recounts shifting from law and textiles amid health concerns to picture books via Australian Writers’ Centre, SCBWI, and critique groups, leading to Poppy Makes Pockets with EK Books after a mentorship runner-up and mixed feedback, and notes publishing’s long timelines. Seetha describes moving into children’s writing after courses and festivals, securing Myra in the Middle (UQP), Ginger and Fred (Wild Dog), a Larrikin Prize win announced on Instagram, and a Queensland Literary Awards shortlist, emphasizing conferences, tailored submissions, and celebrating wins.

00:00 Podcast Introduction
00:56 Meet Debut Guests
02:32 Brenton Writing Journey
07:03 Success Mindset Shift
10:03 Rock Bottom Breakthrough
15:34 Jemima Creative Path
18:49 Finding Kidlit Community
23:26 Poppy Makes Pockets
26:30 Submission Rollercoaster
33:02 Seetha Early Writing Roots
35:30 New Books and Deals
37:11 Conferences and Networking
39:51 Queensland Literary Award
40:53 Picture Book Joys
44:54 Publishing Takes Time
47:38 Finding the Right Publisher
52:23 Top Tips for Authors
56:29 What’s Next for Everyone
59:38 Larrikin Prize Surprise
01:01:21 Community and Wrap Up

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Hosts Tina Strachan and Natasha Rai interview publishing professional and author Kelly Doust about her two-decade career across major and independent publishers, writing eight books, and launching Publishing Curious after redundancy to educate authors via a Substack and one-on-one services (strategy calls, pitch development, manuscript assessment). Kelly explains why publishing can feel opaque, compares indie versus major houses (advances vs attention and lead-title status), and urges writers to join communities and educate themselves. She outlines acquisitions meetings (key roles include publishing, sales, marketing/publicity, and sometimes finance) and notes lists and schedules shift. She discusses what drives sales—sharp hooks, targeted retailers (including Big W and deep-discount stores), endorsements, author engagement—and changing bestseller benchmarks (5,000 as the new 10,000). The episode also covers parallel importation, lobbying government, and AI’s impacts on submissions, workflows, and creator protections.

00:00 Podcast Intro
00:56 Meet Kelly Daoust
02:01 Kelly Career Journey
04:22 Why Publishing Feels Opaque
06:49 Publishing Curious Services
09:20 Indies Versus Big Five
11:27 Building Writing Community
15:38 Inside Acquisitions Meetings
25:06 How Publishers Allocate Budget
29:38 Debut Novel Spotlight
31:39 Retail Reality Check
33:15 What Actually Sells
36:48 Defining Good Sales
37:50 Algorithms Vs Local Authors
39:42 Parallel Importation Explained
41:10 Lobbying And Creator Rights
42:15 AI In Submissions
44:47 AI Editing And Bias
50:34 AI Flooding Amazon
51:55 Kids Books Are Different
53:09 Back To Publishing
54:08 Best Advice For Debuts
56:47 No Formula For Bestsellers
58:24 Podcast Wrap Up

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Natasha Rai hosts a follow-up conversation with Debut Crew 2026 authors Sophie Stern (What Is Left For Us), Inessa Jackson (Devil Mountain), and Leearna Shaw (A Farm in Golden Clouds) about their post-release experiences after discussing pre-release feelings in part one. They revisit elevator pitches, describe release-day anxiety, anticlimactic feelings, and the importance of launch events, then reflect on author talks, reader interactions, surprising questions, and the surreal experience of strangers buying and reviewing their books. The authors discuss shifting goalposts, post-publication slumps, comparison, and redefining success, plus what they learned about publicity, marketing, and managing expectations as publisher support winds down. Updates include Leearna's book two (A Home On Gully Lane) and a book three deal, while Sophie and Inessa draft second novels. They close with tips: be kind to yourself, plan launch-day celebrations, learn from author interviews, and network early.

00:00 Podcast Intro
00:47 Part Two Setup
01:21 Meet The Debut Crew
03:19 Elevator Pitch Round
06:10 Release Day Emotions
07:08 Launch Nights Highlights
11:39 Events And Nerves
15:57 Unexpected Questions
18:57 Strangers Buying Books
21:28 Feeling Legitimate
24:11 Shifting Goalposts
29:23 Publisher Support Ends
30:29 Author Marketing Hustle
32:39 Best And Weird Reader Moments
36:58 Book Two And Three Update
42:59 Sophie Writing Again
45:29 Anessa Revising Series
47:45 How Debuts Feel Now
50:36 Top Tips For Writers
53:24 Final Thanks And Outro

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Madeleine chats with Pip Williams ahead of the release of her third novel, The German Ward. Pip set out with a mission to write a mature love story, but the novel expanded into something more, exploring themes of memory, art and humanity during wartime. In this episode, Pip tells us about how in the writing of her third novel she wanted to challenge herself as a writer. She discusses her approach to structure, craft, social media (and why she stays off it) and how she has developed a positive approach to writing.

A little bit about Pip...

Pip Williams is the author of social research, essays, memoir, and the occasional poem, but she is best known for her companion novels, The Dictionary of Lost Words and The Bookbinder of Jericho. Since its publication in 2020, The Dictionary of Lost Words has won a number of major book awards, was chosen for the Reese Witherspoon Book Club and became a New York Times bestseller. As well as being adapted for stage, The Dictionary of Lost Words is being turned into a book concerto and has been optioned for a limited series. Pip’s second novel, The Bookbinder of Jericho, was published in 2023 and was an instant bestseller. In 2024, it won the Australian Book Industry Awards General Fiction Book of the Year and was Dymocks’ number-one book in its Top 101. Both novels were also recognised in ABC Radio National’s Top 100 Books of the 21st Century. Her upcoming novel, The German Ward, continues her exploration of love, art, and history, bringing to life a vivid World War I story of forbidden love and artistic discovery behind the lines in France. Pip’s books have been published around the world and translated into more than 30 languages.

This week's Debut in the Spotlight is Katie Bowman and her novel, Exchange of Heart.

00:56 Introduction

02:02 The author tour

05:31 The German Ward pitch

08:03 Writing a love story

09:48 Iso Rae

14:37 Women Artists in Wartime

20:40 Writing history

29:54 Memory and art

36:10 Success and pressure

41:26 Approach to writing

50:01 Social media

55:31 Writing routine

01:04:43 Top tip

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Recorded live at day one of the National Writers’ Conference at the Emerging Writers Festival 2026, this special Book Deal Podcast “agony aunt” session features bestselling author Toni Jordan answering anonymous questions from emerging and early-career writers. Jordan reframes rejection as a business decision, advises writers to focus on becoming “undeniable,” keep producing new work, and avoid perfectionism. She suggests denying real-life inspirations in fiction, warns that publishers can “love bomb” then provide limited support, and urges writers to ask clear marketing/publicity questions. Jordan explains the purpose of genre and comparison titles, offers strategies for managing self-promotion and public speaking, outlines etiquette and contractual realities for changing agents, and stresses that quitting a day job often takes years and luck. In a rapid “Chaos Round,” the panel discusses social media, agents, courses, AI, pitching, reviews, and career highlights, then takes audience questions on hurdles, writing for market, chapter length, and self-publishing vs traditional.

00:00 Podcast Intro
00:56 Conference Welcome
01:56 Meet Toni Jordan
03:52 Handling Rejection
09:45 Writing Real People
11:58 Publisher Support Reality
16:36 Genre and Comps
20:43 Self Promotion Without Cringe
23:44 Switching Literary Agents
29:23 Quitting the Day Job
34:56 Chaos Round Setup
36:00 Social Media For Writers
36:39 Agents And Negotiation
38:09 Feedback And Writing Courses
39:07 Why Not Use AI
40:19 Pitching At Events
42:00 Reviews And Awkward Questions
43:01 Career Highlights To Audience Q&A
44:26 Top Tips For Emerging Writers
46:17 Biggest Career Challenges
50:22 Writing For Market Vs Self
54:46 Chapter Length And Structure
58:36 Self Publishing Vs Traditional
01:01:33 Final Top Tip And Wrap

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Tina Strachan interviews New Zealand author Shara Curlett during the launch of her new middle-grade fantasy series Protector of Beyond. Curlett describes book one’s premise—12-year-old Aldetris sparks, is transported to another realm, bonds with a magical creature, and faces trials to train at the Academy of Protectors—plus the creation of the four Gards and Fiercers with illustrator Jennifer Beam, and comps like Nevermoor, Percy Jackson, and Wings of Fire. She recounts a busy release month including publisher and bookstore visits, school presentations featuring a Guard-sorting activity, and events in Australia with QBD and Kinokuniya. Curlett outlines her persistence-focused journey from Welcome to Miracle to signing with Zeitgeist’s Samuel Bernard after publisher interest, her productivity habits (writing in small gaps, formerly on her phone), and confirms Protector of Beyond (book two) is drafted for September 2027. Her top tip: separate emotion from publishing because it’s a business and rejection isn’t personal.

00:00 Podcast Intro
00:56 Meet Shara Curlett
02:37 Protector of Beyond Premise
04:32 Worldbuilding Sparks
06:27 Comp Titles Vibes
08:29 Launch Tour Whirlwind
13:29 School Visit Secrets
17:36 From Miracle to Protector
22:37 Courses Craft Growth
25:54 Writing Over Rejection
26:31 Finding Time As A Mum
27:31 Writing In The Gaps
29:51 Compartmentalize And Capture Ideas
32:21 No Perfect Time To Write
34:34 Protector Pitch Breakthrough
36:11 Landing An Agent Fast
38:16 Do You Need An Agent
40:32 Tips For Querying Agents
43:06 Protector Two Update
45:41 Top Tip Publishing Is Business
50:54 Final Thanks And Wrap

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This week, Madeleine chats with Irish author, Andrea Mara, about TV adaptations, getting permission to write, writing bestselling crime fiction, and her latest novel, Such a Nice Girl (Penguin Books Australia, 2026).

Andrea Mara is a number one Sunday Times, Irish Times and Kindle bestselling author, whose books have sold more than one million copies across all formats. The TV adaptation of her 2021 book, All Her Fault, aired in November 2025 to huge critical and audience acclaim, with Sarah Snook (Succession) playing the lead. It became the most-streamed TV show in America during the first week of its release. Her most recent novel, It Should Have Been You, won Irish Crime Novel of the Year at the 2025 An Post Book Awards. It was a No.1 bestseller in Ireland for six weeks, and a Top Ten Sunday Times bestseller in the UK. Her book No One Saw a Thing was a Sunday Times number one bestseller and has sold over half a million copies. Andrea lives in Dublin with her husband and three children.

You can find Andrea on Instagram @andreamaraauthor.

02:09 From blogging to novel writing
03:40 Getting permission to write
09:30 Landing a three book deal
10:59 Agents
17:52 All Her Fault
20:51 Filming in Melbourne & adaptations
31:01 Such A Nice Girl
33:22 Plotting
38:20 Domestic Suspense
41:44 Crime writing techniques
47:30 Wrap Up

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Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
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Madeleine Cleary | Author
Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos
Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor

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