Madeleine interviews Tasmania-based ABC journalist and digital editor Rebecca Armitage about her debut novel, The Heir Apparent (December 2025, HarperCollins Australia).

One might think Rebecca’s journey to publication was a bit of a fairytale, with simultaneous releases in multiple territories, pre-empts, a Reese’s Book Club pick and even a TV deal! But her journey to publication was not without its challenges, and Rebecca has some fabulous advice about creating good writing habits, finding resilience when dealing with multiples rejections and some great tips for when your book hits the shelves.

She details early rejections, pitching through the Australian Society of Authors, getting the 'yes', landing a HarperCollins pr-eempt and major US/UK deals, feels after being selected for Reese’s Book Club - and prompting a pub date shift, TV deals and more. She has some wonderful advice for emerging and debut authors on habit-setting, writing and pitching.

Our Debut in the Spotlight is Leearna Shaw, whose debut novel is A Farm in Golden Clouds (March 2026, Allen & Unwin).

00:56 Introduction to Rebecca Armitage

01:39 Heir Apparent Elevator Pitch

04:00 Journalism and Fiction

06:08 Inspiration

10:11 Research

15:14 Plotter or Pantser

17:40 Writing Habits and Targets

21:56 Draft to Submission

23:21 Pitching and Finding an Agent

26:27 First Yes Moment

26:58 Rejection Resilience

28:35 HarperCollins Preempt

30:11 Global Deal Whirlwind

36:16 Reese Book Club Pick

40:44 TV Adaptation Plans

44:11 Launch Advice for Debuts

47:06 Tassie Reading Recommends

49:25 Final Writing Top Tip

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You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:

Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author
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Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor

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Tina Strachan interviews author and CYA Conference coordinator Tina Clark about how the CYA writers and illustrators conference helps aspiring and emerging creators secure publication through competitions, bootcamps, and agent/editor/publisher assessments. Clark explains her motivation to centralize trustworthy industry information and protect writers from predatory services, and she outlines CYA’s hybrid format, including online bootcamps, in-person July sessions, and a rooftop networking event at the Pullman Hotel. She details how bootcamps work in small groups with editors, how competitions provide two sets of blind-judged feedback and shortlist entries for a final publisher/editor decision, and gives practical submission tips like strictly following guidelines and formatting headers/footers. She advises not to argue with editors in assessments and emphasizes her top tip: finish the book—“bum in chair” writing.

00:00 Podcast Intro
00:56 Meet Tina Clark
06:38 CYA Origins
08:06 Shadows of Africa
12:20 Why She Champions Writers
16:15 CYA Overview
16:46 Bootcamps Breakdown
24:21 Debut Spotlight: Bridie Blake
25:36 CYA Competition Dates
28:09 Judging Process
33:29 Prizes And Growth
35:24 Publisher Feedback Limits
35:46 Follow Submission Guidelines
37:35 Formatting Pitfalls
39:42 Why Assessments Matter
43:01 Submit the Opening Pages
45:49 Networking Not Pitching
46:58 Never Argue With Editors
48:50 Success Stories And Notes
55:26 Conference Day Options
57:07 Panels And Program Highlights
01:02:00 Rooftop Networking Night
01:03:14 Bum In Chair Finale

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You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:

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Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author
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The Writing Deal: Natasha, Madeleine and Tina on being a 'good literary citizen'.

Tina Strachan, Madeleine Cleary, and Natasha Rai share their updates in March: somatic therapy training, writing and editing in the snatches, immersion time, journalling, book research and more. Plus they brainstorm what their promo boxes look like and chat about what they are reading.

They reflect on advice from HarperCollins Australia Head of Fiction, Catherine Milne, about 'bailing-up' publishers at events, the art/commerce balance, comparison titles. They also discuss what being a 'good literary citizen' actually means.

00:00 Podcast intro

00:56 Monthly catch up

02:43 Writing in snatches

04:34 Structural edits crunch

11:11 Promo boxes!

14:55 Tina's self-care journal

18:57 Workshops and events

20:05 Spiritualist church book research

22:53 Publisher Pitch Reflections

24:20 Art Meets Commerce

29:31 Being a Good Literary Citizen

37:39 What We Are Reading

41:56 Wrap Up And Support

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You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:

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Tina Strachan children's book author
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Madeleine Cleary | Author
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Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor

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Natasha Rai interviews author Bridie Blake days before her rom-com debut The Boyfriend Clause releases. Blake pitches the novel: café owner Sabrina Fogarty enters a fake-dating deal with her broody neighbor, bestselling author Adam Whitaker, which escalates when he joins her family holiday to the UK. Blake discusses becoming a rom-com reader during the pandemic, her earlier years writing dark YA and suspense, and years of rejections, including a two-year US submission during COVID after signing a US agent. She explains developing The Boyfriend Clause from a “white lie,” outlining with a pitch and detailed plan, and choosing to publish in Australia so her dad could see it in bookstores. Text Publishing acquired it quickly, and Blake has submitted book two and is drafting book three.

00:00 Podcast Intro
00:56 Meet Bridie and Launch Day
02:34 Release Nerves and Social Media
04:08 Elevator Pitch The Boyfriend Clause
05:27 Why Romcoms Feel Good
08:59 From YA Darkness to Romcom
10:08 Writing Since Childhood
11:48 Resilience Through Rejection
14:51 Querying and US Agent Journey
18:28 Pandemic Submission Heartbreak
20:14 Switching Genres to Adult Romcom
20:49 Origin of The Boyfriend Clause
25:38 Pitch First Then Outline
30:04 Drafting Timeline and Agent Edits
31:37 Making It Australian
32:34 Americanize The Manuscript
33:18 US Submission Reality Check
34:55 Choosing Australia First
38:39 Dream Publisher Submission
41:18 Full Request To Offer
47:29 Editing And Next Books
52:48 US Vs Australia Publishing
54:36 Routine Craft And Feedback
59:33 Final Advice And Wrap

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You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:

Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author
Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos
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The Publishing Deal: Catherine Milne, Head of Fiction at HarperCollins, on Success, Bestsellers and Writing from the Heart

Catherine Milne has worked in publishing for many years, including with Penguin Books, Allen & Unwin, and since 2012, with HarperCollins, where she has been Head of Fiction since 2017. Her list is eclectic, ranging across fiction and non-fiction, but consistently award-winning and bestselling. It includes such successes as Trent Dalton, Julia Baird, Holly Ringland, Meg Mason, Jacqueline Maley, Alli Parker, Rebecca Armitage, Jacinta Parsons, Stan Grant, Rick Morton and Ben Crowe.

For more information about The Australian Fiction Prize, see here.

The Debut in the Spotlight this week is Sophie Stern, with her debut novel What is Left For Us (Penguin, March 2026).

00:00 Welcome to Book Deal

01:50 Catherine's start in publishing

06:12 The slush pile

08:35 Approaching publishers

10:21 Pitching

17:22 Inside Acquisitions Meetings

22:30 Second Book Pressure

25:48 Writing for Love

26:55 Debut in the Spotlight: Sophie Stern

28:11 Defining Success

29:44 Advances

33:26 Marketing Myths Breakouts

36:23 Case Study Sorrow & Bliss

41:20 State of the industry

47:54 The Australian Fiction Prize

52:49 Final Tip

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You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:

Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author
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Tina Strachan interviews author Amy Doak about her YA mystery thriller What Have They Done to Liza McLean?, pitched as a twisty story set at an elite boarding school with dual viewpoints and secrets leading to a death. Amy discusses crafting one-liners using comp titles to convey “vibe,” avoiding overthinking, and balancing the ongoing Eleanor Jones series (book four, Eleanor Jones Is Not Drowning, due in July) with writing a standalone to avoid being a “one trick pony.” She shares her publishing journey: an unsellable adult action-adventure manuscript, writing Eleanor Jones for her teenage self and niece, pitching agents, submitting to Penguin’s open window, and being selected after an editor spotted her pages at the printer; she signed with agent Alex Adsett, who negotiated a two-book deal. Debut Spotlight features Amanda Hewitt’s contemporary romance The Last Resort (Echo Publishing), about Abby’s solo holiday fling with Nick that becomes complicated when he buys her hotel chain; it was the only manuscript signed from 300 submissions in August 2024.

00:00 Podcast Intro
00:56 Meet Amy And The New Book
01:17 Story Pitch And Premise
02:19 One Liner And Comp Titles
05:45 Eleanor Jones Vs Standalone
08:43 Keep Writing While Waiting
11:52 Writing Habits And Process
13:50 Plotting Mysteries And Clues
16:16 Standalone Or Sequel Plans
18:16 Origin Story And First Drafts
21:42 Rejections And Market Fit
24:52 Penguin Submission Breakthrough
28:35 Signing With An Agent
29:05 Book Deal Spotlight
31:01 Pitching Agents Vs Publishers
34:15 Why Pitch Sessions Matter
37:15 Defining The YA Market
41:13 Kids Reading Up Too Fast
43:40 Romance Spice And Labels
46:10 BookTok And Going Viral
47:23 Writing In The Cracks
53:06 Top Tip Be Kind
56:21 Podcast Wrap Up

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Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos

You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:

Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
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Tina Strachan, Madeleine Cleary, and Natasha Rai discuss recent author life updates and practical publishing-event etiquette. Tina shares launching book three of the Wilder Zoo series, “Neeka and the Great Search,” and they discuss gift ideas for in-conversation partners, the importance of stocking and pitching the partner’s books, and not feeling pressured to spend much. Tina talks about adjusting to a new writing routine, realizing she can’t sustain full-day creativity. Madeleine describes February becoming busier after a calm January, plans to restrict social media, and mentions discovering an unauthorized Melbourne walking tour based on her novel “The Butterfly Women,”. Natasha shares submitting book two to her publisher and reflects on how writing later books feels different from a first book, including higher expectations, risk-taking, and fluctuating confidence, and the group discusses how routine changes can affect creativity and productivity and how drafts can swing between feeling “terrible” and “good.” They talk about social media’s addictive design and strategies to limit it, and Natasha outlines her portfolio career schedule combining writing blocks, counseling work, and shifts at Roaring Stories bookstore. The conversation touches on the value of unpaid writing-related work, the difficulty of earning a living from writing alone, and measuring success beyond sales. They also promote applications for the Magnetic Island “Writers on the Reef” program through James Cook University (with flights and a stipend mentioned), and float the idea of a future Book Deal Podcast writers’ retreat.

00:00 Podcast Intro
00:43 Welcome and Acknowledgement
00:56 Tina Launches Book Three
02:09 Gifts for In Conversation
06:56 Tina Finds a Routine
10:46 Mads Social Media Rules
12:18 Unexpected Walking Tour
14:59 Tash Submits Book Two
18:00 Writing Sequels and Pressure
25:41 Routine Changes and Creativity
28:18 Daily Writing Without Guilt
29:01 When Books Flow or Fight
30:44 Time Blocks and Trust
32:07 Rest as Productivity
33:02 Tasha’s Portfolio Routine
33:50 Beating Instagram Dopamine
39:40 What Portfolio Careers Mean
42:08 Value Beyond Sales
47:27 Magnetic Island Residency Plug
48:57 Planning a Podcast Retreat
50:19 Embrace the Poo Finale

Join our Patreon community for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love.

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You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:

Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author
Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos
Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor

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Natasha Rai explores the inspiring stories behind anticipated debut books of 2026 in her interview with Sophie Stern, Leearna Shaw, and Inessa Jackson, members of the 'Debut Crew 2026.' The authors share their elevator pitches, writing processes, publishing journeys, and how competitions boosted their confidence. They also discuss preparing for their book launches, navigating public speaking anxieties, and building supportive writing communities. Ultimately, the episode offers valuable advice for budding writers on maintaining perseverance and finding joy in the creative process.

00:00 Welcome to The Book Deal Podcast
01:00 Introducing the Debut Crew 2026
03:32 Leearna Shaw's Elevator Pitch
06:28 Inessa Jackson's Elevator Pitch
09:00 Sophie Stern's Elevator Pitch
10:56 The Journey to Becoming a Published Author
23:33 The Supportive Community of Debut Crew 2026
25:00 Signing the Book Deals
35:39 Understanding the Editing Process
36:55 Navigating the Publishing Journey
38:09 Dealing with Long Lead Times
39:29 The Acquisition Process
40:51 Receiving ARCs and Final Copies
41:52 Balancing Writing with Life
47:56 Finding Inspiration for Writing
52:08 Preparing for Publication
01:01:09 Building a Writing Community
01:04:38 Top Tips for Aspiring Writers

Join our Patreon community for less than the cost of a coffee per month and support the pod! Your contribution will go to directly paying our sound producer, Brogan, and to help us bring you the conversations with industry professionals you love.

Follow The Book Deal podcast on Instagram The Book Deal podcast (@the_book_deal_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos

You can find out more about Tina, Madeleine and Natasha and follow their journeys here:

Tina Strachan (@td_strachan) • Instagram photos and videos
Tina Strachan children's book author
Madeleine Cleary (@madeleineclearywrites) • Instagram photos and videos
Madeleine Cleary | Author
Natasha Rai (@raiwriting) • Instagram photos and videos
Natasha Rai | Author | Mentor

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