London Writers' Salon

TV writer Michael Jamin (‘Just Shoot Me!’ and ‘King of the Hill.’) on his experience as a writer and showrunner, growing his platform and how he created, promoted and self-published his book A Paper Orchestra , * ABOUT MICHAEL JAMIN Michael Jamin has been writing for television since 1996.  His many credits include Just Shoot Me, King of the Hill, Beavis & Butthead, Wilfred, Out of Practice, Rules...

The First Lady of Iceland Eliza Rei d on her writing habits, her creative life and why the Iceland Writers’ Retreat is a perfect place for writers.   We also discuss her fiction and nonfiction, navigating self-doubt, being tenacious with time and how she balances her responsibilities as a writer with her role in public service.   * ABOUT ELIZA REID Eliza Reid is a journalist, editor, and cofounder...

Clara Vulliamy, a children’s author of over 30 books talks about how she approaches collaboration, and what she’s learned from decades in the world of children's publishing as an author and illustrator.  * ABOUT CLARA VULLIAMY Clara Vulliamy is the daughter of author-illustrator Shirley Hughes and architect John Vulliamy. Her first experience of making pictures was being allowed to use up her Mum’...

Before Sunrise co-writer, Kim Krizan on plotting for the screen, creating memorable characters for Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy and advice on how to start writing a screenplay. * ABOUT KIM KRIZAN Kim Krizan is the Academy Award-nominated writer of the films “Before Sunrise” and “Before Sunset.” Her book Original Sins: Trade Secrets of the Femme Fatale is a tongue-in-cheek examination of history’s d...

New York Times bestselling author Learning to Love Midlife on why life gets better with age, midlife as a chrysalis & awakening and how we can create the ideal condition for a Creative Life. * ABOUT CHIP CONLEY Chip Conley is on a mission. After disrupting the hospitality industry twice, first as the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, the second-largest operator of boutique hotels in the world,...

Leo Vardiashvili on disciplined writing, completing his literary novel and writing about home.  * ABOUT LEO VARDIASHVILI Leo Vardiashvili moved to London with his family as a refugee from Georgia when he was twelve years old. He studied English literature at Queen Mary University of London. * RESOURCES & LINKS Hard by a Great Forest by Leo Vardiashvili One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey...

New York Literary Agent Lucinda Halpern on positioning your book, finding the big idea for your pitch and finding and getting signed with a literary agent. Also, query letter essentials and how to get feedback from beta readers. * ABOUT LUCINDA HALPERN Lucinda Halpern is a New York literary agent with over 15 years' experience securing book deals with Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Harper...

Hester Musson ( The Beholders ) on her writing and querying process for her gothic historical thriller. She also talks to us about how she overcame rejection and got published. * ABOUT HESTER MUSSON Hester Musson studied at Bristol University and the RCS in Glasgow. She worked as an actress and autocue operator in London before writing full time, and now lives in Scotland. The Beholders is her deb...

Farrah Storr, former Editor-In-Chief (ELLE/ Cosmopolitan) and Head of Writer Partnerships for Substack on what it takes to grab the attention of a reader, overcoming the fear of publishing work and leaning into discomfort. We also discuss how we might think like an editor with our own writing, and how we might use feedback constructively. We also chat about why it's important to experiment and tal...

The New York Times bestselling author Jami Attenberg talks about her latest non-fiction book 1000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round, her journey from being a broke writer to creating a successful creative career, creating the #1000wordsofsummer movement and how she fights for a life of writing. We also discuss the financial struggles and risks of a...

Filmmaker, author, presenter Alex Bescoby ( The Last Overland ) takes us behind the scenes of his Channel 4 documentary. We discuss brand partnerships, finding the right team, dealing with setbacks and the editorial process. * ABOUT ALEX BESCOBY Alex Bescoby is an award-winning filmmaker, best-selling author, and an experienced broadcaster. His films have been broadcast in more than 80 countries o...

Accelerator Physicist and author Dr. Suzie Sheehy (The Matter OF Everything: Twelve Experiments That Changed Our World) on simple storytelling techniques to make science and other complex subjects engaging. Plus, Suzie's early impressions as a first-time author, her process for writing and researching The Matter of Everything, and overcoming her 'valley of death' moment with the book to complete i...

New York Times bestselling author David Arnold on his journey from professional musician to writer, choosing POV, using vignettes and writing characters that YA readers can’t resist in his latest book, 'I Loved You In Another Life.' * ABOUT DAVID ARNOLD  David Arnold is the New York Times bestselling author of Mosquitoland , I Loved You in Another Life, The Electric Kingdom, Kids of Appetite, and...

Emma Ganon on The Success Myth , our obsession with achievement and how to let go of the idea of having it all. We dive into her creative journey as an entrepreneur and writer of both nonfiction and fiction and the world of Substack. We also talk about Emma’s different income streams, reflections on her Self-Publishing Era, and we look at how she distributes her time and energy. This was a heartfe...

Seth Godin is one of the most influential writers and thinkers of our time. He is the author of twenty-one international bestsellers, and his work has been translated into over thirty-nine languages. In this conversation with Seth, we discuss his latest books, The Song of Significance and The Practice , and how we might find the courage to make and share creative work. We also talk about the impor...

Bestselling historical fiction novelist Victoria Hislop (The Island, The Figurines) on how she started writing, how she weaves her love of travel and history into her books, the realities of research, and her process for writing books that engineer conversation. We talk about how she evokes a sense of place, how she absorbs a new environment to write about and why she begins with a synopsis before...

Crime mystery author Gwyn Bennett about how she built a successful indie publishing business sold thousands of her own books, and why she accepted a publishing book deal with Indie Publisher Storm. We touch on why it's important to produce a professional indie published book, Gwyn's approach to writing sales copy for her books, hitting the Amazon bestselling list and how she’s approached building...

Award-winning poet and writer on her process of crafting a poem, how she brought lyric sensibility to her memoir, and how we can observe and distill our experience of the world. We also talk about how she constructed her memoir, chose what to include, and navigated the intensity of publication as a memoirist. * ABOUT MAGGIE SMITH Maggie Smith is an award-winning author and poet. her poem Good Bone...

Jean Kwok (New York Times bestselling author) on the process of creating compelling characters and structuring a psychological family drama thriller. Plus we talk about narrative tension, handling criticism and dealing with pressure and failure as a writer. * ABOUT JEAN KWOK  Jean Kwok is the award-winning, New York Times and international bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee , Girl in T...

Nonfiction writer and financial advisor Peter Komolafe, on pulling himself out of homelessness, struggles with debt through to becoming a financial expert. We explore how we might rewrite our relationship with money, his 5 "BASIC" principles of financial security, how visualisation helped him achieve his goals, and his experience writing The Money Basics. Peter also shares his advice on how he uti...

Natalie Doherty, Children’s Publishing Director at HarperCollins, on what she looks for when acquiring books, the case against writing toward market trends, different categories of children’s books, and what makes a magical children’s book.  * ABOUT NATALIE DOHERTY Natalie Doherty is Fiction Publishing Director at HarperCollins Children’s Books, where she joined the team in May 2023 and is now wor...

Youtuber and author Ellie Middleton on how she started sharing her work publicly, her viral posts, how she’s built an audience of 300k and rules she follows for content creation. Plus her experience of writing and publishing her nonfiction book Unmasked : The Ultimate Guide to ADHD, Autism and Neurodivergence. * ABOUT ELLIE MIDDLETON Ellie Middleton is an autistic and ADHD creator, speaker, writer...

Prize-winning essayist, literary critic, and professor of European literature Ben Hutchinson, author of On Purpose: Ten Lessons on the Meaning of Life , on how reading and meaningfully engaging with literature can help us live more fully—and more purposefully. Plus, lessons on living well from the literary greats, tips for becoming better readers and ways for writers to know they’re on the right p...

Professor Herminia Ibarra on her hugely influential books Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader , and Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career.   In this conversation with Herminia, we discuss reinventing your career, how to gain confidence as a writer, why thinking first and then acting doesn’t always work, navigating periods of flux, advice for leaders and the art...

New York Times-bestselling author Chris Guillebeau (Side Hustle School podcast) on the new rules of money, how people are making money in the new economy and his philosophy for how we as creators can experiment with new technology and platforms and turn creativity into income. * ABOUT CHRIS GUILLEBEAU Chris is an entrepreneur, explorer, and New York Times-bestselling author. He visited every count...