Shows
The Publisher And The Writer16. Leesa Ronald on Romcom Writing & PublishingMeet a debut author juggling kids, writing, Instagram and success. Leesa Ronald's debut romcom Special Delivery was published in December 2024 and has already been reprinted. Success! Leesa has also signed a further two-book deal with Allen & Unwin, her second romcom will hit bookshelves towards the end of 2025.00:00 Introduction01:10 Jane asks Leesa about her lived experience as an author. Leesa explains how she was fortunate to land up with Allen & Unwin and the rhythm of her interactions with her publisher.04:00 Interactions with various people at the publishers and getting used to response times.05:30...2025-03-0931 min
The Publisher And The Writer15. Waterstones, P.O.D. and F.A.Q.In this week’s episode of The Publisher & The Writer, we answer questions on a variety of writing and publishing topics.00:47 Jane’s trip to London, with a stop at the huge Waterstones bookshopat Piccadilly. Seeing how genre fiction is laid out and how much it dominates the fiction floor.02:40 The fantasy section being close to children’s section and issues that causes. Sex in fantasy is pretty full on so parents are helped to appreciate topics in young adult books. Reading Fourth Wing, and how author writes for those who feel they don’t fit in.2025-03-0230 min
The Publisher And The Writer14. The Bait Trap Author Lynne JohnsonIn this episode of the Publisher and the Writer podcast, Seana Smith interviews Lynne Johnson, former lawyer and current author of the indie published crime novel 'The Bait Trap.' They cover Lynne's initial interest in crime writing, her experiences with online creative writing courses, the challenges and strategies of self-publishing, her marketing efforts, and the supportive community she found in the process. The episode also touches on her upcoming second novel and the valuable insights she's gained from her writing and publishing experiences.00:00 Introduction00:27 Meet the Hosts01:21 Interview with Lynne Johnson...2025-02-2329 min
The Publisher And The Writer13. Writing Journeys & Publishing NewsWe are back for 2025. In this episode we cover a lot of ground, with insights into the writing and publishing journey of successful authors, plus Aussie publishing news and a catchup on how 2025 has started for Seana's writing and for Ventura Press.Join Jane Curry and Seana Smith for a candid insight into how to write and to publish your book.00:00 Introduction and Ventura Press author Katherine Johnson's wins inaugural HarperCollins Australian Fiction Prize.01:24 Katherine Johnson's publishing journey and the impact of literary prizes for authors.05:53 Australian publishing news: Tex...2025-02-1630 min
The Publisher And The Writer12. Frankfurt Report + Vanity Press FalloutIn this extra episode, concluding our first 10-part series, we catch up with Jane who has just got back from the Frankfurt Book Fair and we explore the collapse of Shawline, a vanity publisher.01.09 Frankfurt. Ventura part of the Australian Publishers Association stand in Hall 6. It's the most enormous gathering of intellectual property purveyors. It's a wholesale market, publishers doing business with publishers.02.58 Lots of young rights agents work hard, whilst MDs look important. It's a microcosm of the whole industry.05.00 Which of Ventura's book got interest. Who else was there. What...2024-10-3026 min
The Publisher And The Writer11. Publishing FAQs AnsweredJane and Seana answer readers’ questions.Why Jane set up Jane Curry AdvisoryThe Frankfurt Book Fair - what happens there and why Jane is a regular visitorWhy the book fair was established in FrankfurtHow Jane will approach publishers at Frankfurt about Seana’s memoir Going UnderLondon Book FairWhat are bestseller numbers in Australia compared to the UKAre all books sold in Australia printed here?When does Seana write? Seana’s writing tipsWhy is café writing so popular and effective!)Recommended writing groupsJenny Valentish memoir structure workshopWriting ecosystems in UK, USA, Scotland, Ireland, AustraliaMaking publishing more equitab...2024-10-2035 minThe Publisher And The Writer10. How To Self-Publish 2Jane Curry and Seana Smith take a deeper dive into self-publishing, using Seana's self-published books as examples.Seana’s first self published book, made the mistake of not researching what people want to read. Did not sell at all well. And was pulled. So the next project was better researched and planned, Wildly Weird But Totally True: Australia.Commissioned a cover, and layout, which didn’t work well.Learning curve, it started selling when I began running adverts on Amazon.All the ways Amazon earns money; printing books, sales commission, advertising, Kindle downloads.Ingram also does print on deman...2024-10-1329 min
The Publisher And The Writer9. Aussie Publishing Company NewsKeeping up with publishing company changes is essential for writers. In this extra episode within series 1, jane and Seana chat about some recent changes in Australian publishing, and about how to stay up to date in the English-speaking world.Ventura Press news, Instagram disaster and 10 manuscripts coming in every day Australian publishing news, Affirm has been bought by Simon & Schuster Simon and Shuster is owned by KKR How it will work, Affirm is keeping its sales team. Writers will still approach Affirm directly not via Simon & Shuster Hardie Grant have bought...2024-10-0919 min
The Publisher And The Writer8. How To Self-Publish 1These are exciting times for self-publishers which has really come in from the cold.People have always self-published, Beatrix Potter and the Bronte sisters did versions of itIn the digital world you can create demand and fulfill it entirely online. Print on demand (POD) explained.Ebooks, still dominated by Amazon and Kindle, are devoured by readers, especially romance and crime genres.Now is the time for self publishing to have its moment. The advantages for readers as well as author.The democratisation of the publishing process. Publishers and bookshops are a closed wo...2024-10-0622 min
The Publisher And The Writer7. The Small Print: How To Understand Publishing ContractsSigning a contract can be a cause for celebration, but there may be regrets later.As a publisher you often only return to them when something has gone wrong and you need to get out of the contract. The contract is a legal document, but connection and communication are what make the author-publisher relationship work. There is often a power imbalance.Rights in contracts; what is the publisher being assigned by the writer; ANZ rights, English-speaking rights, Commonwealth rights.Format rights, book, ebook, audiobook, extracts, film and TV and translation rights. The different sizes of books, and ha...2024-09-2933 minThe Publisher And The Writer6. Editing The ManuscriptEditing books is the topic of this podcast, and it’s a vast one. Jane explains the three major types of editing: The structural editThe line edit aka copy editProofreading This is a deep dive on best practices, working with the right editor, the editor’s skill set. You will learn what to expect from an editor and how to ensure that you and your editor work well together. We also discuss the issues in the digital era with version control and making sure that the right final manuscr...2024-09-2230 minThe Publisher And The Writer5. Selling In + Selling ThroughThis episode explores and explains the two parts of selling books. Selling in covers publishers and distributors selling books into bookshops in advance of publiscation. Selling through covers the books actually being sold into the hands of readers via bookshops. The importance of the month of publication, once that is set it cannot move. Everything works backwards from the publication month.Book reps (representatives) visit bookshops, large and small, and sell the book to them. Larger sales into larger shops is discussed and the value of being in bookshop catalogues. Why ‘spine out’ is not what you...2024-09-1530 minThe Publisher And The Writer4. The Art + Craft Of WritingQuick chat about what we’ve been up to in our daily writing and publishing work.The prequel to writing is reading great books, and learning from them.Deciding what to write, asking yourself what you love to read. Finding out what is popular and what might sell, the joys of loitering in bookshops.The importance of understanding genres in fiction especially. Know your genre!Literary fiction versus genre fiction and the blurred edges.Writing is a craft and can be taught and learned. Seana lists some of the courses done in creative non-fiction.Discussion about creative writing post-grad courses and...2024-09-0832 minThe Publisher And The Writer3. Not The Slush PileIn this episode, we discuss a range of topics pertinent to aspiring authors, from differentiating between types of publishing (trade, educational, and self-publishing) to the process and challenges of handling unsolicited manuscripts. Jane shares insights into the evolving landscape of publishing, the digital transformation, and offers practical advice for writers seeking to get their manuscripts noticed. We use the term unsolicited manuscripts these days, and it is a good time to be sending them in. Publishers do not want to miss out.Aspiring writers are seen as an opportunity for publishers. However, the reality is t...2024-09-0127 minThe Publisher And The Writer2. Publishing Companies ExplainedIn this episode we take a tour of the publishing landscape in the English speaking world.Check out the biggest to the smallest traditional publishers to see where your book might fit in. We discuss the following publishing companies, with stories of how they operate, which ones use their own sales representatives and which use distribution companies. Examples of books and publishing within these companies are given from our own experience. The Big Five - histories and who runs them here in AustraliaIndependent companiesSmall boutique pressesUniversity Presses2024-08-2531 minThe Publisher And The Writer1. Introducing The Publisher And The WriterMeet the co-hosts, Jane Curry of Jane Curry Advisory and Ventura Press, and Seana Smith, her latest book is the memoir ‘Going Under.’We chat about:What we’ve been doing lately in our publishing and writing lives.Jane on her love of books with purpose.Jane Curry Advisory ‘I’ve always been a bit of an evangelist.’Being on the idside and the outside of publishing. Seana on factual writing and creative non-fiction, the huge differences between them.Recording the audiobook and author care. Seana's first book ‘Sydney for Under Fives’ commissioned by Jane when she worked at...2024-08-2529 minThe Publisher And The WriterThe Publisher & The Writer Trailer Check out the trailer for the new podcast from Jane Curry and Seana Smith.Join The Publisher & The Writer for our first series of 10 episodes. We'll demystify the writing and publishing business and support you on your creative journey.Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mark-july/today-is-the-dayLicense code: K79OEY7K6QBX2TDR Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2024-08-1401 min