The official blurb: Bestselling authors Gillian McAllister and Holly Seddon discuss the truth about being an author, plus expert insider interviews. From: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/honest-authors-show/id1194154338
And another blurb: How do you get a book deal? Why does it take so long for a book to come out, even though it’s finished? Is it normal to totally freak out OR feel like a zombie on publication day? How many abandoned manuscripts does it take to finally hit a home run? What does being a bestseller actually mean and how many books do they sell? From http://hollyseddon.com/about-me/the-honest-authors-podcast/
This podcast is for “The Writer” rather than a mainstream audience, but I suspect a lot of avid readers might enjoy it too.
It’s a British podcast hosted by authors Gillian McAllister and Holly Seddon, two writerly friends who seem quite comfortable with each other.
As the name would suggest, Gillian and Holly attempt to be open and honest about what it’s like being a writer – sharing the good and the bad. They regularly respond to listener questions (most of which seem to come from would-be writers or emerging writers).
For example, in the episode of 30 March 2021, they discuss redrafts, professional jealousy and finding the time to write. On 24 November 2020, they had a ‘mental health roundtable’. This is really valuable for writers, because writing can be psychologically challenging. There’s a lot of rejection, working on your own, second guessing yourself – a big mess of conflicting feelings and emotional drivers, really.
Each episode begins with Gillian and Holly chatting (and I’m going to be honest here too – sometimes I skip these parts, especially if it’s COVID lockdown chat).
Their guests are often fellow writers, but they’ve also had their own agents on the show which was been incredibly interesting – my favourite episodes (and I’d share their dates, but can’t seem to find them!)
If you’re an aspiring writer, I find this podcast to be really generous and useful. It’s nice to ‘be amongst’ people that feel the same way.
It’s a very bolstering podcast but also contains plenty of functional advice that might just help you further along with your own writing work. I know it’s often sent me racing to my keyboard …
Michelle Prak Writer 