Best Irma Gold Podcasts (2024)

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Season 5: Episode 48: Jacinta di Mase, literary agent 56:44

8d ago56:44

56:44

Irma chats to agent Jacinta di Mase about what agents do to earn their 15%, the intricacies of contracts – including rights reversion, world rights, backlists and rising royalties, how an agent can fight for an author over cover design and choosing a title, the dos and don’ts of submitting to agents, the extent of editorial feedback to expect from …

1
Season 5: Episode 47: Hilde Hinton 46:38

29d ago46:38

46:38

Karen and Irma chat about the ins and outs of contracts. Then Irma talks to Hilde Hinton about the way her work polarises people, how an argument with her brother (actor Samuel Johnson) led to her first novel, why Lego is an important part of her writing process, how novels can make space for important conversations about big topics like mental ill…

1
Season 5: Episode 46: Beejay Silcox 51:32

2M ago51:32

51:32

Irma and Karen reveal exciting new partnerships with Ubud Writers and Readers Festival and Writers Victoria. Then Karen chats with Beejay Silcox about literary criticism in Australia – what good critics endeavour to do, the blowback from a tough review, what is lacking in Australian criticism, the impact of shrinking page space, the inability to ma…

1
Season 4: Episode 45: Children's books: Andrea Rowe and Anna Walker 1:06:23

3M ago1:06:23

1:06:23

Irma tries to convert Karen to writing program Scrivener. Then Irma chats to children’s creators Anna Walker and Andrea Rowe about how authors and illustrators work together (or don’t!), why illustrator notes are a no-no, the profound impact of picture books on both adults and children, the biggest mistakes that new writers and illustrators make, w…

1
Season 4: Episode 44: Kris Kneen 53:27

4M ago53:27

53:27

Irma and Karen discuss author websites. Then Karen chats with Kris Kneen about writing into deeply uncomfortable spaces and confronting issues like fatness and identity, how to write sex well, why they’re always switching up genres, how to deal with disappointment over missing out on awards, why they almost gave up writing entirely, and the moment …

1
Season 4: Episode 43: Diana Reid 45:47

5M ago45:47

45:47

Irma and Karen talk about prepping for radio interviews. Then Karen chats to Diana Reid about how writing scripts has informed the way she works as a novelist and her approach to being edited, what it was like to be thrown into the spotlight with her bestselling debut novel, how its extraordinary success affected her, advice on how to handle public…

1
Season 4: Episode 42: Peter Papathanasiou 52:53

5M ago52:53

52:53

Karen and Irma chat about point of view and writing from multiple perspectives. Then Irma talks to Peter Papathanasiou about his very long and convoluted journey to publication, how his debut was rejected by 100 agents and took 10 years to get published, why his goal was to get published in the UK first and advice for other writers about how to do …

1
Season 4: Episode 41: Melinda Smith 52:12

6M ago52:12

52:12

'Irma and Karen talk about the ins and out of book marketing. Then Karen chats with Melinda Smith about winning the Prime Ministers Literary Award for poetry, the potential of TikTok for poets, how arts grants have sustained her writing and how to write a good application (all the details), how form (or lack thereof) influences the writing of a poe…

1
Season 4: Episode 40: Niq Mhlongo 46:53

7M ago46:53

46:53

Irma and Karen chat about the highs and lows of podcasting. Then Irma talks to Niq Mhlongo about what it was like growing up in Soweto, South Africa, how sleeping in a tiny room with seven brothers got him hooked on reading, why he ditched law to become a writer, how Dan Brown made him think he’d become a millionaire from writing, how his debut nov…

1
Season 4: Episode 39: Daniel O'Malley 47:09

7M ago47:09

47:09

Karen and Irma talk about ten awful publishing truths. Then Karen chats to Daniel O’Malley about writing humour in books and how to develop this skill, how he lost the first 150 pages of his bestseller The Rook, the potential pitfalls of finding an agent, the process of his novel being made into a mini-series, how he used to tweet as one of his cha…

1
Season 4: Episode 38: Kate Mildenhall 1:01:07

9M ago1:01:07

1:01:07

Karen and Irma chat about what makes a good book title. Then Irma talks to Kate Mildenhall about how she organised (and survived!) a massive book tour, the brutal experience of her second book being rejected, why writing retreats are invaluable for her creative practice, the challenges of not sticking to one genre, how she approached the writing of…

1
Season 4: Episode 37: Christos Tsiolkas 50:12

10M ago50:12

50:12

Karen and Irma discuss the challenges of author photo shoots. Then Irma chats with Christos Tsiolkas about how reading Monkey Grip cross-legged in a bookstore was a seminal moment, and how his father – who couldn’t read – made him the patient reader he is today, how the poor reception to his second novel The Jesus Man deeply bruised him and the ove…

1
Season 4: Episode 36: Anita Heiss 36:30

10M ago36:30

36:30

Karen and Irma chat about one star reviews and Goodreads. Then Karen talks to Anita Heiss about why she writes across so many genres and which is her favourite, what she learned from writing the script for the 'Tiddas' live-show and how it feels to have your work performed on stage, how she creates sexy, sassy First Nations female characters, how s…

1
Season 3: Episode 35: Chris Flynn 49:51

12M ago49:51

49:51

Karen and Irma chat about the impact of AI technologies on authors. Then Irma chats with Chris Flynn about exactly how Bookscan works and how he uses the data to monitor his own sales and make decisions about where to invest time with publicity, why publishing is operating on an outdated business model and how it should change, how to organise a bo…

1
Season 3: Episode 34: Eliza Henry-Jones 56:18

1y ago56:18

56:18

Karen and Irma discuss how to craft a good sentence. Then Irma talks to Eliza Henry-Jones about why ‘paddock beanbagging’ is her preferred way to write, how writing a novel every year since she was 14 helped her understand her world, how difficult it was to first be published at the age of 25, why as a writer she is a ‘chaos demon’, how having a ch…

1
Season 3: Episode 33: Aaron Fa'Aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker 58:38

1y ago58:38

58:38

Karen and Irma discuss book tours. Then Irma chats with Aaron Fa’Aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker about the process of ghostwriting (or co-writing) Aaron’s memoir, how they tackled sensitive subjects like suicide, racism and Aaron’s domestic violence history, the decision-making process on what to include and what to not, why Aaron almost pulled the …

1
Season 3: Episode 32: Robbie Arnott 47:39

1y ago47:39

47:39

Karen and Irma talk about presenting at sales conferences. Then Irma chats with Robbie Arnott about his ‘chaotic’ writing process, how landscapes inspire him and how he approaches writing about climate change to avoid being preachy, why his first book rejection really knocked his confidence, the way he fictionalised family history to avoid friction…

1
Season 3: Episode 31: Jeanne Ryckmans (festival director) 33:43

1y ago33:43

33:43

Irma and Karen chat about festivals and events they’ve been attending. Then Karen talks to former Canberra Writers Festival Artistic Director Jeanne Ryckmans about how a literary festival is programmed, the role of publicists and why sometimes they don’t work in the author’s best interests, how a writer should pitch themselves to an artistic direct…

1
Season 3: Episode 30: Jock Serong 44:04

1+ y ago44:04

44:04

Irma and Karen chat about attending festivals as an interlocutor or as a panellist. Then Karen talks to Jock Serong about making the move from lawyer to novelist, why he dives into dark places, the fraught territory of navigating writing First Nations characters and history as a descendant of settler Australians, why he goes on writing excursions w…

1
Season 3. Episode 29: Marion Halligan 48:11

1+ y ago48:11

48:11

Karen and Irma chat about the pros and cons of online writing courses. Then they chat to Marion Halligan about how Sylvia Plath inspired her to get started, what she bought with her first earnings, how writing is a kind of madness, the challenge of writing a memoir about her late daughter, good and bad editing experiences and what it was like being…

1
Season 3. Episode 28: Deb Stevens (Retired Sales Agent) 43:53

1+ y ago43:53

43:53

Karen and Irma chat about writing residencies. Then they talk to bookseller and sales rep Deb Stevens about what goes on behind the scenes in the book trade, how books are sold into bookshops, if and when and how authors should contact their sales reps, preparing for your book’s release, how authors can work maximise promo of their books, the most …

1
Season 3. Episode 27: Inga Simpson 52:10

1+ y ago52:10

52:10

Irma and Karen chat about a new writing book, The Writer Laid Bare by Lee Kofman. Then Karen speaks with Inga Simpson about why choosing a character’s name to boost a word count ended up in a prize and her debut novel, how a childhood spent in nature influenced her writing, her determination not to let the second-book pressure derail her, the risks…

1
Season 3. Episode 26: Booksellers 58:01

1+ y ago58:01

58:01

Irma and Karen chat about how organised (or disorganised!) they are with their writing. Then Irma chats to booksellers Katarina Pearson (Harry Hartog), Alison Page (Dymocks) and Peter Arnaudo (The Book Cow) about how to get friendly with booksellers – what to do (when and how) and what not to do, how long you can expect your book to stay on the she…

1
Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival series. Episode 25: Natasha Lester 40:43

2y ago40:43

40:43

In a special series direct from the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival, Irma chats with Natasha Lester about how utter despair before an award ceremony preceded the best moment of her life, the lightbulb moment that changed the course of her career, the rewards of constructive sulking after rejection, how a fraught editing process almost d…

1
Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival series. Episode 24: Craig Silvey 35:20

2y ago35:20

35:20

In a special series direct from the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival, Irma chats with Craig Silvey about the author school visit as a child that changed his life, the careful considerations around writing characters from marginalised communities, why he thinks writing to word counts is unhelpful, how writing is like an illness, the harde…

1
Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival series. Episode 23: Brooke Davis and Rhett Davis 46:02

2y ago46:02

46:02

In a special series direct from the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival, Irma chats with siblings Rhett and Brooke Davis about what it’s like sharing the world of publishing with a sibling, their very different paths to becoming published authors, the downsides of a worldwide tour when your book is a smash hit, the childhood books that shap…

1
Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival series. Episode 22: Claire G Coleman 36:48

2y ago36:48

36:48

In a special series direct from the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival, Irma talks to Claire G. Coleman about how poetry influences her non-fiction style, the downsides of book touring, how she deals with Twitter trolls, the complications of working with two publishers, her love-hate relationship with the editing process, and how she respo…

1
Season 2. Episode 21: Robert Watkins 49:12

2y ago49:12

49:12

Craig and Irma unpack the role Amazon plays in the book world. Then Irma chats with Ultimo Press publisher Robert Watkins about why diverse publishing is so important to him, how to nab an editorial job, the way that authors should own the publicity stage and be proud, what makes him want to publish a manuscript, what good sales mean in terms of ha…

1
Season 2. Episode 20: Tony Birch 54:33

2+ y ago54:33

54:33

Craig and Irma talk about books that have wowed them. Then Tony Birch chats to Irma about the sensitivity around fictionalising family, the importance of First Nations writing, who has the right to tell certain stories, the problems with teaching writing at university, the rejections that have really stung, the time his mum threatened a radio host,…

1
Season 2. Episode 19: Sulari Gentill 45:59

2+ y ago45:59

45:59

Irma and Graig talk about teaching writing in schools. Then Craig talks to Sulari Gentill about how she turned a hobby into a profession, why she can write anywhere but finds a quiet environment impossible, how she was snubbed at a major awards ceremony, the pros and cons of the profit share model of publishing, the ways in which writing about the …

1
Season 2. Episode 18: Cat Sparks & Rob Hood 47:31

2+ y ago47:31

47:31

Irma and Craig discuss inspirational quotes. Then Craig chats to writing couple Cat Sparks and Rob Hood about whether there’s competition in a relationship when you’re both writers, how your book can be a sausage in the sausage factory, how hard it is as an editor to get what you want from a slush pile (because authors don’t read the freaking guide…

1
Season 2. Episode 17: Nigel Featherstone 50:09

2+ y ago50:09

50:09

Irma and Craig talk about the differences in typing and handwriting work. Then they both speak to Nigel Featherstone about how he always feels like an outsider, why it shits him that writing isn’t considered real work, how Tony Abbott was the unlikely inspiration for his novel Bodies of Men, the strange benefits of interviewing his characters, why …

1
Season 2. Episode 16: Isobelle Carmody 50:19

2+ y ago50:19

50:19

Irma and Craig talk about literary tourism. Then Craig talks with bestselling fantasy author Isobelle Carmody on the challenges of meeting fan expectations, why her writing income has suddenly dropped dramatically and how she adapted, whether genre labels are useful, the benefits of doing a creative PhD, and the repercussions of being an activist a…

1
Season 2. Episode 15: Allison Tait 52:43

2+ y ago52:43

52:43

Craig and Irma talk about the dead authors they would most like to interview. Then Irma talks with Allison Tait (AL Tait) on why the first structural edit she received did her head in and how she now works through them, the most difficult book rejection she’s ever experienced, why children’s book authors don’t get the kudos they deserve, and a whol…

1
Season 2. Episode 14: Charlotte Wood 51:59

2+ y ago51:59

51:59

Craig and Irma discuss lesson learned from life on the road doing a book tour for Irma's novel The Breaking. Then Irma speaks with national living treasure Charlotte Wood about the terror of public exposure on releasing a book into the world, the discomfort of the first draft and why it’s important to ‘look for trouble’, how and when to get feedbac…

1
Season 2. Episode 13: Mirandi Riwoe 42:43

3y ago42:43

42:43

Irma and Craig discuss Covid-19 impacts on book sales. Then Craig chats with Mirandi Riwoe about combining fact and fiction in her historical novels, viewing the past through the lens of the present, why it's important to her to write Eurasian and Chinese characters, and the important difference between accuracy and authenticity. About Mirandi Mira…

1
Season 2. Episode 12: Jack Heath 47:11

3y ago47:11

47:11

Irma and Craig talk about balancing the writing life with real life. Then they both chat with Jack Heath about what working as a full-time author looks like, feeling like a fraud even when you’ve published 36 books, the differences (and similarities) between writing and promoting both adult and kids’ books, what characterises an ideal publisher, th…

1
Season 1. Episode 11: Nikki Gemmell 51:24

3y ago51:24

51:24

Craig and Irma talk about what you write on your immigration card and when you first feel like a ‘real’ writer. Then Irma talks to Nikki Gemmell about the trauma of being outed for The Bride Stripped Bare, the importance of re-drafting and harsh edits, how words can change the world, the creep of imposter syndrome even when you have published a ton…

1
Season 1. Episode 10: Lisa Fuller 45:33

3y ago45:33

45:33

Craig and Irma talk about the good the bad and ugly sides of teaching writing. Then they both chat with Lisa Fuller about the state of publishing, how the industry can better support First Nations writers and editors, how the Pancake Parlour figured in her winning a major prize, and the many books her dog has eaten! About Lisa Lisa Fuller is a Wuil…

1
Season 1. Episode 9: Sophie Laguna 48:01

3y ago48:01

48:01

Irma and Craig talk about writing groups and getting quality feedback on your work. Then Irma talks with Sofie Laguna, on finding the essence of your characters, the fraught space of awards, how kids have made her writing practice better, the cruel world of publishing, how she struggles with success, navigating good and bad reviews, why writing a s…

1
Season 1. Episode 8: Eugen Bacon 49:30

3+ y ago49:30

49:30

Craig and Irma talk about the fraught experience of getting book endorsements. Then Craig chats with Eugen Bacon about issues around black writing, the joys and difficulties of life that trigger inspiration, the complexities of defining genre, the art of the short story, and why reading Toni Morrison is like eating the richest truffles. About Eugen…

1
Season 1. Episode 7: Valerie Parv 49:10

3+ y ago49:10

49:10

Craig and Irma talk about writing guides, in particular the new book by Georgia Richter and Deborah Hunn, How to be an Author. Then Craig chats with Valerie Parv about how she went from an advertising copywriter to sales of over 34 million books, whether genre elitism and genre prejudice exist, the crazy debacle that was dubbed Parvgate, the impact…

1
Season 1. Episode 6: Brendan Fredericks 56:35

3+ y ago56:35

56:35

Craig and Irma talk all things book launches. Then Irma chats with her publicist Brendan Fredericks about how to best work with your publicist, his friendship with Liz Gilbert and getting drunk with Germaine Greer, what not to do as an author on social media, his faux pas with Richard Ford, and his green room adventures with dogs. About Brendan Bre…

1
Season 1. Episode 5: James Bradley 47:45

3+ y ago47:45

47:45

Craig and Irma talk about rejection and how to cope with it. Then Craig talks to James Bradley about his path to becoming an award-winning author, how to write about important and urgent issues without becoming preachy, his love/hate relationship with social media and how to protect yourself as an author in the public arena, why genre shouldn’t def…

1
Season 1. Episode 4: Karen Viggers 54:36

3+ y ago54:36

54:36

Irma and Craig talk about the challenges of public speaking and how to be Wonder Woman on stage. Then they chat with Karen Viggers about the painful process of editing her latest novel and trying to find its heart, how escaping a party of screaming girls led to discovering she was a bestseller in France, the reality behind the ‘glamorous’ whirlwind…

1
Season 1. Episode 3: Chris Hammer 53:26

3+ y ago53:26

53:26

Craig and Irma talk about the ins and outs of writing gigs on cruise ships. Then they both chat with Chris Hammer about the unexpected international success of his debut crime novel, Scrublands, how the publisher you are with effects sales (and it’s not just big versus small), the value of awards (those that sell books and those that launch careers…

1
Season 1. Episode 2: Holden Sheppard 41:58

3+ y ago41:58

41:58

Irma and Craig chat about the manuscripts that never make it to publication. Then Holden Sheppard chats with Irma about writing failures and the drive to succeed, the publicity whirlwind and inevitable comedown, self-doubt and second-novel syndrome, being snubbed by literary big shots in the green room and world domination goals! About Holden Holde…

1
Season 1. Episode 1: Anna Spargo-Ryan 56:45

4y ago56:45

56:45

Craig and Irma chat about why they’ve launched the podcast, the history of the green room and their own green room experiences. Then Anna Spargo-Ryan chats with Irma about how she grew up with her own publishing house (sort of!), the manuscripts that never made it to publication, how she accidentally pitched a book on Twitter that led to a heated a…

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Irma Gold Podcasts

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