Off The Page with Holly Craig & Polly Phillips

So happy to have Holden Sheppard as the final author to sum up 2023!What an inspirational person, author, judge and advocate for writers and the industry! Holden talks AI and how his involvement in highlighting the dangers has encouraged industry bodies to pay attention and act. We also discuss Invisible Boys and the Stan TV adaptation. Holden also discusses literary comps and what he looks for in a writer while judging. And how writing comps have paved the way for his publishing journey and successful career.One of the best interviews yet! 

Bestseller John Marrs has sold 2.5 million copies of his books, and his novel, The One is a Netflix series. Liv Matthews, author of The Twins, Silent Waters and The Prank was chosen as a Richard & Judy Bookclub pick (the UK equivalent to Reese’s Bookclub). Both Liv and John are amazingly humble and generous authors. And they speak to Hol & Pol about the path to their success, the doubts, the pressures and the self-confidence they needed to keep envy and competitiveness out of the way while achieving what every author can only dream about. 

We’re chatting to Samuel Bernard, a literary agent, book critic and reviewer for The Australian and Good Reading Magazine and going behind the scenes about what books make it to the charts and why. Informative, generous with his knowledge and also really in love with reading, Samuel gives us the inside goss to what it’s like being a literary critic and decider of “notable books”. Samuel Bernard is a freelance writer, critic, and editor, who joined Zeitgeist Agency as a Literary Agent in 2023. Sam writes for The Weekend Australian as a long-form critic and monthly contributor to the ‘Notable Books’ column. He also writes features and criticism for Good Reading Magazine and has his own opinion column on all things reading, books, and the publishing industry. His writing has also appeared in the Australian Book Review and Backstory Journal. In 2022, he was announced as an editor for Verge Literary Journal. Sam also has a Master of Writing from Swinburne University and has worked on a PhD in Creative Writing at Monash University. 

Welcome to Season 4 - a season that will take you directly behind the scenes of the publishing industry! In episode 1, Pol and Hol are back and catching up on the post publication of THE SHALLOWS, chatting about how important social media is for a successful launch, and about Polly’s trip to London and Berlin (where she met someone special). They discuss the editor/author relationship, second and third contracts and what a publisher looks for before offering. Enjoy! 

The one where we open up and get real about who to trust and how to get what you want… We’re talking all things editing and assessment. As writers who regularly assess others and get their work assessed by others, Hol and Pol examine what you really want - is it a pat on the back or some real feedback?! - how much you should pay for it, and where to get it from. The writing industry has spawned an entire sub-industry of people who will charge money to critique your work… and it’s not cheap. Find out how to make sure you get the most bang for your buck… 

Holly and Polly are recording in front of a LIVE audience for the first time! 🎤 and it’s their best episode yet. 🤩They discuss the ones that got away.. that is manuscripts/ideas/inspiration. ✍️ From Holly’s embarrassing title of her historical fiction novel to Polly’s novel on past lovers, with the help and laughter of the audience, Pol and Hol do not hold back. 😂 Old stories, teenage inspo, manuscripts that never made it and what makes a book stand out: title or plot? This is an episode you don’t want to miss! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

From aspiring to inspiring - the one where Hol and Pol talk to some of Holly’s group of WriteClubbers - some of the most positive aspiring authors out there. ❤️We talk about when you know you’re a 'writer', when to tell other people you write, as well as the importance of building a community. 🥰We also discuss everyone’s least favourite friend: imposter syndrome.😮Thanks so much for coming on and chatting Writeclubbers! xx

Cheaper than therapy - but just as uplifting. This week, Polly and Holly talk about how writing helps them process the ups and downs in their lives, the satisfaction of rewriting their own stories, righting wrongs and writing novels that ensure their enemies come to sticky ends. We also talk about whether Holly manifested the love of her life by writing him, how Polly upped her university street cred and all the exciting events we have coming up…

Holly chats to three successfully published authors, Jodi Gibson, Paula Johnston and Rae Cairns who all commenced their careers as indie authors.Ever wondered what goes into self publishing? Is it for everyone? What kind of personality do you need to adopt in order to do it properly and successfully?Jodi Gibson, author of The Five Year Plan, chats to us the ins and outs/business side of indie publishing and about her choice to go back to indie publishing after being with a trad publisher. Paula, author of The Lies We Told  talks about her book being stocked in every Waterstones in the UK and how she secured an agent with Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film agency.Rae Cairns, author of The Good Mother and Dying to Know discusses  how her indie published book, The Good Mother was shortlisted for the Ned Kelly award, securing her an agent and publisher in a matter of weeks!

Welcome back to season 3 Off The Page! We start this special season with a Vlog AND Podcast episode, recorded on the river banks of Matilda Bay.Find the Vlog here… https://youtu.be/NNGjSF1xx_UWe have fun in this episode with a “would you rather…” discussion on everything including digital vs traditional publishing, large advances vs smaller, bestselling author vs award-winning author. Feel free to share your “would you rathers” with us too.!

•How do we remain motivated to write when life gets in the way? •How do we structure our everyday lives around creativity? •How do we cope with the “highs” such as contacts/foreign deals and good news and then maintain focus during the flat times? •Basically, how to stay grounded as a writer.Enjoy on any poddy platform 🤍 and see you next season for more honesty, author interviews, VLOGGING, LIVE podcasts and more… Hol & Pol xxx

What goes into a book cover design? Who gets to choose the title? Why do endorsements help to sell books? What happens when you become a bestselling author? Polly Phillips and Victoria Selman, Sunday Times Bestselling author of Truly Darkly Deeply, discuss all the “inside industry info” in this fascinating and very informative Off The Page episode. 

We’re your teachers in this Off The Page episode, sharing all the tips & tricks we’ve learnt about writing. Tune in to discover how to… write a synopsis, how to plot, how to structure a cover letter and how to get inspiration for your novels! Plus there’s a Synopsis critique giveaway!!!Tune in to hear how it’s done. 

We will never be Royal, but we talk Prince Harry’s advance, royalties, foreign rights and what it takes to be a bestseller…We also share what we have in store this year… podcasting lessons anyone?

The one where Holly and Polly discuss writing over the holidays and why it’s difficult finding time to create. We talk our fave 2022 books and reflect on the highs and lows! Polly opens up about a challenging moment and the kids make Yule logs inside. Join us for a very, merry episode! 

 If you’re interested in podcasting, Chenee Marrapodi joined us to discuss all things podcasting: making money, networking, how to podcast, why we do it and the benefits of podcasting to boost your brand. 🎙It was really interesting to talk to Chenee, journo, MC and debut author under the shade of a gumtree! We got a lot out of the convo and we hope you will too! 🥰

Comparison is the thief of joy… we all know how this story goes. But how many of us compare, judge and feel envious towards other authors? How many feel competitive, even nasty?Going green… how to cope with Author envy. The one where Polly “discovers” Chris Hemsworth, Holly shows her dark side and we get to grips with that most gruesome trait - author envy…

The one where Polly and Holly meet Ali. Our first author interview with the amazing Ali Lowe, author of Trivia Night, a thriller about a night of swinging at a school trivia night that goes badly wrong… We talk good sex, bad reviews and what it’s really like to be an author. Tune in… 🎙

Holly and Polly are back and better together with the start of the season two, Off the Page. What have we been up to, how are the edits going and what’s in store this season?•More episodes •Author  interviews•Podcast collabs•Agent convos •A Christmas special •An epic and interactive finale!!! More later on that one!

Let’s talk about sex, baby - the one where Holly and Polly get up, close and personal, talking about writing sex and suspense in a thrilling new location!What’s it like to write sex scenes? Do you need to go somewhere private to get into the mood before writing? How many sex scenes per book should we write? And what if it’s too embarrassing to share? All of this and more in our grand finale episode of season 1!