Join Tina and Madeleine as they candidly discuss their paths in the writing world, from shooting author videos and exploring middle grade fiction to announcing upcoming book deals and generating new ideas. They reveal their personal writing practices, including plotting versus pantsing. Madeleine interviews Kylie Orr and they discuss the influence of social media on an author’s life and the challenges debut authors face in the publishing industry, such as managing expectations and gaining visibility. While reflecting on writer's block and finding inspiration in daily life, Kylie also celebrates the joy of seeing her books on shelves and the supportive nature of the writing community. The episode wraps up with motivational advice for aspiring authors.

00:00 Sunny Weather and Catching Up
01:05 Behind the Scenes of an Author Video Shoot
04:33 Exploring Middle Grade Books
09:10 The Journey of Writing and Publishing
21:59 From Feature Articles to Novels
35:17 Finding the Right Editor
35:54 Rewriting the Book
36:18 Entering the Richell Prize
36:57 Securing a Book Deal
38:01 The Eleventh Floor Pitch
39:30 Writing the Second Book
41:58 Insights on Agents
47:37 The Third Book
50:48 Social Media and Writing
58:35 Organizing Book Events
01:05:53 Wins and Woes

Links mentioned:

• Kylie Orr Kylie Orr
• Tina's book WILDER ZOO (BOOK ONE): NEEKA AND THE MISSING KEY Neeka and the Missing Key (Wilder Zoo, #1) :HarperCollins Australia
• Story Grid Story Grid - How to Write a Book People Will Read
• Save the Cat Screenwriting & Story Structure Software, Books, Classes - Save the Cat!®
• Scrivener Scrivener | Literature & Latte (literatureandlatte.com)
• Richell Prize The Richell Prize - Hachette Australia
• Fiona McIntosh masterclasses Masterclasses - Fiona McIntosh
• HQ fiction HarperCollins HQ - HarperCollins Australia :HarperCollins Australia
• Zeitgeist Agency Zeitgeist Agency

Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos

You can find out more about Tina and Madeleine and follow their journeys here:
Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author