Page One - The Writer's Podcast

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Katalina Watt is the instant Sunday Times Bestselling author of Saltswept. They were selected for a 2025 Literature Matters Award from the Royal Society of Literature and served as the AIR Literature UNESCO 2024 Writer in Residence for Konstkollektivet in Sweden. A finalist for the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine as founding Audio Director for khōréō, Katalina is also a Writing Coach at The Novelry .

We loved chatting with Katalina about the transition from writing short stories to a full-length novel. They shared insights into their role as a writing coach and how it helps them maintain their own creative discipline, as well as the unique world-building required for their. Plus, we discuss the importance of finding a community of writers.

Links:
Buy Saltswept now
Follow Katalina on Instagram
Visit Katalina's website

Subscribe to Narrative Damage on your podcast app and on YouTube

Support us on Patreon and get great benefits, including a bonus episode with Abigail telling us about 5 books that have influenced her!: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one

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Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video episode on YouTube

This week, we lead with the scandal that has the industry in a frenzy, with Hachette pulling the release of Mia Ballard’s horror novel Shy Girl after viral claims that the prose was generated by AI. We discuss the YouTube video with over a million views that started the fire, the author’s defense involving an "acquaintance," and what this means for the future of "human" storytelling.

Staying on AI (when don't we talk about AI?), we discuss the UK government's decision to axe plans for a broad AI copyright exception, and ask if this is a victory for authors. Plus, we chat about the announcement that NielsenIQ and TikTok are launching a monthly Top 20 chart in the UK that combines real sales data with social media engagement.

00:00 Intro
01:24 Victory for Authors - UK Scraps AI Exception
10:36 Not Shy of Shortcuts - Hachette Ditches AI Novel
22:46 Tok of the Pops - Official UK Chart launched
30:06 Off Script: Stranger Than Fiction
36:42 Final Chapter - Pitt-Perfect Drama

Links:
Axed AI Copyright Exemption Welcomed By Book Trade
Hachette Horror Novel Shy Girl Suspended
Official BookTok Chart Set to Launch in the UK

Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more!

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Deborah Masson was born and bred in Aberdeen, Scotland. After a varied career including marketing, reporting for a local newspaper, and a stint as a postie, she turned her hand to writing the crime fiction she always loved. Her debut novel, Hold Your Tongue, won the Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year and is the first in her DI Eve Hunter series. Her new standalone thriller, I’ll Be Watching You, is out now.

We had a fantastic time chatting with Deborah about her journey from writing "fairies at the bottom of the garden" as a child to becoming a powerhouse in Scottish crime fiction. She shares how she balanced motherhood with online writing courses to find her creative voice, the feeling of landing her first agent while standing in a supermarket aisle, as well as the unique challenges of writing a second book on a tight deadline. Plus, we discuss why she is a pantser rather than plotter, the importance of the supportive crime writing community, and why she decided to step away from her series to explore a dark, CCTV-inspired standalone.

Links:
Buy I'll Be Watching You now
Follow Deborah on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video episode on our YouTube channel

On today's Drafting Notes, we discuss twists and reveals! Are they the same thing? What makes some twists land and others miss the mark? What are some example of good twists (some spoilers here, but we announce that in the episode!)? And do you always need a twist in a novel?

Drafting Notes is a series in which one award-winning writer (Tariq) and one hopefully soon-to-be-published writer (Marco) discuss various writing issues as they occur to them!

Support us on Patreon and get access to Drafting Notes episodes early, along with other great benefits!

Drafting Notes and Page One - The Writer's Podcast are brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one

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Drafting Notes is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch as a full video interview on our YouTube channel

Abigail Dean is a writer from Manchester, living in south London. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, the Times and the New York Times. Abigail’s first novel, GIRL A, was an instant Sunday Times and New York Times Bestseller. Her third novel, THE DEATH OF US, is out now.

We loved chatting with Abigail and hearing about how she switched a legal career for writing, and why she likes to explore the aftermath of crime in her books. Plus, she tells us about the storytelling power of video games and how they made her want to tell her own stories, and we also chat about the pressure that comes with following up a big debut success.

Links:
Buy The Death of Us and Abigail's other books now
Follow Abigail on Instagram
Visit Abigail's website

Subscribe to Narrative Damage on your podcast app and on YouTube

Support us on Patreon and get great benefits, including a bonus episode with Abigail telling us about 5 books that have influenced her!: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageone

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-one

Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Bluesky
Follow us on Threads

Page One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.