The Society of Unpublished Authors

Episode 14: The Zine Scene (Beyond the Books Series) In this episode we chat to 3 Zine and Comic creators at the Ryde Zine Fair: ​Estee Sarsfield ​Annie Huang from TAKEON Publishing ​Samuel McEwen And we share some places where you can find out more about zines including: ​Sydney Comics Arts Market Place: SCAMP ​MCA ​Northern Beaches Libraries ​City of Sydney Libraries ​https://zinemap.com Head to...

This is part 1 of our new series Beyond the Books, where we learn from creators of different mediums. This week we speak to Australian author and international award-winning screenwriter Lauren Hackney. She shares about her journey from aviation into writing, and how all her success has come from being told ‘No’. Lauren also shares about her upcoming picture book Panda coming soon from Daisy Lane...

Episode 12: All The Feels

In this episode with have two interviews conducted at the recent Sydney Writers’ Festival. The first is with popular and awarded Western Sydney writer Adam Byatt. Adam chats to us about his experience as a first time Writer’s Festival attendee, his love of verse novels, and what he learned from The Anatomy of a Verse Novel panel. He shares his thoughts about young adult writing and gives his uniqu...

Episode 10: Creating In The Cracks This week's episode is all about writing in the cracks of time we have. We talk about what works for us and hear from some fellow creatives about their ideas. Sarah shares some thoughts from Holly Ringland about procrastination and shame. We discuss creating versus consuming and challenge ourselves to track the data of our own creativity, thanks to a book by Jon...

Episode 9: Dani Vee Interview! Pitching, Podcasting & Publishing In this episode we speak to Dani Vee, host of the popular Words and Nerds Podcast, publisher at Larrikin House and author of multiple books for children.
Dani shares her secret to managing such a busy and creative life. Spoiler: It’s doing what you love!
She talks about finding the joy and the positives in neurodivergence, and her gr...

Episode 8: Finding Your Tribe (The ins and outs of critique groups) This week’s episode is all about critique groups. We talk about what they are, how to find or start one, and even how to leave a critique group. Sarah shares about how helpful mixed genre groups can be, and Jo explains how her very structured picture book group operates in the capable hands of Mo Davey. We hear from children’s aut...

Episode 7: Better Together- Kate Temple Interview This week's episode is all about co-writing. We discuss well known Kidlit collaborators Emily Gale and Nova Weetman, Amy Kaufiman, Megan Spooner and Jay Kristoff. Also Maddy Mara and Christina Lauren. We welcome very special guest Kate Temple, co-author of many popular and award winning books for children. She shares all about the experience of wri...

Episode 6: Windows, and Mirrors, and Doors Oh My! In this episode we talk about books being windows, mirrors and sliding doors, an idea that comes from researcher Rudine Sims Bishop. Windows into other people’s lives, mirrors that reflect our own experiences, and sliding glass doors into new possibilities. Sarah shares how she has had to go seeking books with Latina stories for her children who ar...

On this episode we talk about why rejection feels so hard, and what we can do after we get rejected. We learn from poet Maggie Smith in her book 'Dear Writer' that YOU are not being rejected, your work is. We talk about 4 big reasons picture books are rejected from the Picture Book Summit Podcast Our big takeaway is not to send your work out too early. Take your time and make it the best it can be...

Episode 4: Money, Money, Money This episode is all about how much money you should/could spend chasing your dream of being a published author, and what you can do if you have none. We discuss creative writing courses, manuscript assessments, competitions and other paid avenues to publication. We also share our favourite free resources such as podcasts, online videos, critique groups and libraries....

We share the experience of having our book ideas come into the world, not written by us. We discuss whether there is anything truly original? Where do ideas come from, and how to capture them. What is a unique voice, and how can we find ours? We talk about the books Steal Like an Artist, Use Your Words, Big Magic and The Seven Basic Plots. We compare the way we write our first drafts, and how idea...

This episode is all about cringe. What does it mean, where does it come from, and how much should we care about it? Also, what role does social media play in cringe culture? We discuss actor Austin Butler’s thoughts that ‘embarrassment is an underexplored emotion,’ Erica Mallet’s ‘Cringe Mountain’ theory, and Amie McNee’s notion that cringe is the gateway to magic and letting go of what others thi...

This episode is all about what on earth publishers are looking for and whether knowing or not knowing can affect our writing. We discuss whether Rick Rubin's theory that ' the audience comes last ' is a good one for writers, and we also talk about country singer Luke Combs and his song  Doin This . We talk about young children and the way they make things for the joy of it, not the fin...