London Writers' Salon

Holly Black, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy novels, on her process for writing bestselling fiction, on getting vital feedback on drafts, how she overcomes rejection and what success in publishing actually is. * ABOUT HOLLY BLACK  Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy books, including the novels of Elfhame, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the Spiderwi...

Naturalist, artist, and educator John Muir Laws on how writers can awaken curiosity, deepen their connection to nature, and unlock boundless creativity through the transformative practice of nature journaling. * ABOUT JOHN MUIRS LAWS  John (Jack) Muir Laws is a principal leader and innovator of the worldwide nature journaling movement. ​He is the author and illustrator of several books including T...

Financial therapist and writer Vicky Reynal on how creatives can better understand our belief systems around money and what tools we can turn to when making hard decisions around money.  * ABOUT VICKY REYNAL Vicky Reynal is a psychotherapist, and runs her own clinic in London specialising in financial therapy. She has a weekly column in the Daily Mail answering reader’s money dilemmas. Her book "M...

Bestselling nonfiction author Beth Kempton shares how writers can navigate life’s transition,s embrace impermanence, and unlock fearless creativity by drawing on Japanese philosophy and the profound power of writing. * ABOUT BETH KEMPTON  Beth Kempton ’s bestselling titles include Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life and Kokoro: Wisdom for a Life Well Lived , https://bethkempt...

Anna Bogutskaya has studied thousands of horror films and books.  In this interview we talk to Anna about the role of the monster and how writers can harness primal emotions to tell captivating stories. We also dive into her process for pitching and writing nonfiction books. * ABOUT ANNA BOGUTSKAYA  Anna Bogutskaya is a freelance critic, author, film programmer and creative producer. She writes fo...

Writer, Entrepreneur & Podcaster David Perell on simple frameworks you can use to bring your voice to life and write in a way that makes your writing memorable and has your readers calling you “one-of-a-kind."  Links & Resources  Write of Passage David Perell How I Write Podcast ABOUT DAVID PERELL  David Perell has taught 2,000 people to write in his Write of Passage program. After being the King...

Literary Legend Kate Mosse on writing 11 + novels, finding her voice with her fifth novel, researching historical fiction, pushing past doubt, dealing with rejection and how she launched the Women's Prize For Fiction. * ABOUT KATE MOSSE Kate Mosse is the author of eleven novels & short story collections, including the No 1 bestselling The Joubert Family Chronicles. Her books have been translated i...

Dr. Isaac Prilleltensky has dedicated his life to studying happiness. In this episide we talk to him about  ‘mattering’ and how we can use his research findings to write more, worry less about our status and embrace a lightness in our creative work. * ABOUT DR. ISAAC Dr. Isaac Prilleltensky holds the inaugural Erwin and Barbara Mautner Chair in Community Well-Being at the University of Miami. He h...

Penny Wincer, an author, writer and non-fiction book coach on how writers can think deeply about their living spaces, what makes a house a home and we dive into her expertise around creating engaging non-fiction and creating a non-fiction book proposal to send to agents. * ABOUT PENNY WINCER Penny Wincer is an author, freelance writer and non-fiction book coach based in London. She is the author o...

Literary Agent (RCW Agency) and children’s author Sam Copeland on what he’s looking for in his submissions pile, how to write a compelling pitch letter, what he thinks about submitting to agents internationally and how he constructs funny middle-grade fiction. * ABOUT SAM COPELAND Sam Copeland was shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year at the 2020 and 2021 British Book Awards and selected for...

Award-winning cookbook writer, blogger and novelist Kate Young on creating a viral cooking blog, how she turned her blog into a series of cookbooks, and what goes into a pitch for a cookbook.  Plus her approach to plotting rom com, adding depth to rom-com characters, her approach to writing sex scenes and what she thinks every rom com should have.  * ABOUT KATE YOUNG Kate Young is a writer and coo...

Practical advice from Irish poet Pádraig Ó Tuama on writing and editing poetry and expanding your world with poetry. Highlights from a previous episode. For the full episode, listen to interview episode #103 * ABOUT PÁDRAIG Ó TUAMA ​Pádraig Ó Tuama is a theologian, writer, and conflict transformation practitioner. His books include In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World; Daily Prayer with the...

For decades, Rachel Blackmore dreamed of becoming an author. In 2020, she joined Writers’ Hour and began her first novel. Now, her debut, COSTANZA , is being published by Dialogue Books (Hachette) and is hailed as an addictive tale of desire and betrayal.  In this special interview, we're joined by Rachel and her literary agent, Juliet Pickering. We discuss Costanza's path to publication, what mak...

A curation of our favourite questions and poems from our interview with poet David Whyte. We ask him: What we can do when we can’t access our writing? How do we live through fallow periods of writing and what rituals he uses for writing. He shares the poems: A Seeming Stillness, A Song for the Salmon and Start Close In. * ABOUT DAVID WHYTE David Whyte is an internationally renowned poet, author, a...

Lyn Slater on going viral with her blog, Accidental Icon in her 60s, writing memoir How to Be Old and starting a Substack in her 70s and why getting older can be the most invigorating phase of life—full of rebellion, reinvention, connection, and creativity. * ABOUT LYN SLATER Lyn Slater is a cultural influencer, model, writer, content creator and former professor. She started Accidental Icon in Se...

Olivia Petter, award-winning journalist & author on breaking into journalism, vulnerability, writing about consent and celebrity ( Gold Rush ), finding her niche in journalism and landing a book deal. * ABOUT OLIVIA PETTER Olivia Petter is an award-winning journalist, author, and broadcaster based in London. As a journalist, she specialises in violence against women, pop culture, relationships, me...

Marketing strategist, editor and author Charlie Hoehn on the key things bestselling authors do to create a successful and shareable books.  We talk about: Helping Ramit Sethi and Tim Ferriss launch their books How to test and launch a nonfiction idea Creating a brand around your book,  Effective marketing strategies  The merits of self-publishing and the minimum he would accept for a traditional p...

Sunday Times Bestseller Beth Morrey (Saving Missey, Lucky Day) on her journey as a writer and TV producer and writing humorous upmarket books while exploring darker themes. We talk about her latest book Lucky Day and what it means to stop saying ‘yes’ and start living for yourself. * ABOUT BETH MORREY Previously Creative Director at RDF Television, Beth Morrey now writes full time. Her debut novel...

Nora Neus, Emmy-nominated producer, writer, and freelance journalist (CNN, Vice News, The Washington Post) and creator of the Long Form Lab on finding a story from the seed of an idea, how writers can discover and use their strengths and how to choose which media to use for a potential story.  * ABOUT NORA NEUS Nora Neus is an Emmy-nominated journalist whose reporting has appeared in CNN, VICE New...

SHOW SUMMARY Spoken word artist and writer Oisín McKenna on Oscar Wilde as inspiration, finding his footing in the spoken word world, turning his hand to writing a book, how he wrote his book in fragments and later added structure, and why you should be kind to yourself and how to trust that your writing will improve and get to where it needs to be. * ABOUT OISÍN MCKENNA Oisín McKenna was born in...

Short story and literary novelist and former Hachette Editor, Niamh Mulvey on how to create memorable characters, finding her voice as a writer after years of failing, overcoming rejection and what she’s learned from her years in the publishing industry.  * ABOUT NIAMH MULVEY Niamh Mulvey is from Kilkenny, Ireland. Her short fiction has been published in The Stinging Fly , Banshee and Southword an...

David Heinemeier Hansson, serial entrepreneur and bestselling author on his 14-year journey to selling millions of copies of his books, why you should view your books as valuable products, and how he has co-written and marketed his books—all while running multiple successful businesses, including Basecamp, Ruby on Rails, and Hey.com. Plus how he used his blog to create a viral book, why his editin...

Young Adult Bestselling author Krystal Sutherland on the reality of hitting the New York Times Bestseller list, how she constructs compelling hooks and endings for each chapter, moving across genres, and her advice for getting your book done and creating a page-turner.  * ABOUT KRYSTAL SUTHERLAND Krystal Sutherland is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of House of Hollow, A Semi-Defin...

Rupal Patel , an ex-CIA agent and author of From CIA to CEO on applying CIA tools to your personal and creative life. Plus she gives us tips for how to create more time and how to pitch a non-fiction book.   * RESOURCES & LINKS 📄 Interview Transcript (unedited) From CIA to CEO Rupal’s TED Talk, My Unexpected Discovery About Working at the CIA Rupal’s website * ABOUT RUPAL PATEL The daughter of In...

The poet and theologian Pádraig Ó Tuama tells us about his journey into poetry, how he knows a poem is complete and how poets might practice noticing. He also reads from his collection and deconstructs his poetry. We also discuss what it means to make a living as a poet. * ABOUT PÁDRAIG Ó TUAMA ​ Pádraig Ó Tuama is a theologian, writer, and conflict transformation practitioner. His books include I...