Month: March 2021

On this brand new episode of We’d Like a Word Paul and Stevyn dive into the world of agents – not secret, but literary.

Joining them are Piers Blofeld of Sheil Land, and James Wills of Watson Little – two major literary agencies. They discuss how to get an agent for fiction or non-fiction, how to keep an agent, and mistakes to avoid. They also dish up some behind the scenes gossip.

Piers has been the agent for Nadine Dorries, Cath Quinn, Jamie Thomson & Pizza Express. No, really. The Pizza Express Cookbook. He’s also Stevyn’s agent.

James is agent for Christopher Fowler, Martin Edwards, Alex Pavesi, footballer Jamie Carragher & the great Alan Moore – crime fiction, thrillers, sports star & graphic novels. He’s also the agent who sold the audiobook rights for Paul Waters’ book, Blackwatertown, to WF Howes. (Patrick Moy is the audiobook narrator. You should have a listen.)  

On this episode we hear about Piers Blofeld’s link to the Bond villain with whom he shares a surname (and Henry ‘Blowers’ Blofeld), and we hear from authors Jo Jakeman and Allie C Hall. We discover the price of getting an agent’s name wrong in your pitch letter, the importance of diversity, comedians called David getting book deals (yes Davids Baddiel & Walliams, we mean you), books on spontaneous combustion, dropping a tea-soaked gingernut on Paul’s phone, why your pitch letter should be ‘half long & twice strong’, changing book titles or not (David Alderton – Fat Dog Thin & Freya Berry – The Dictator’s Wife), author relationships with mega-publishers (like Penguin Random House, Harper Collins or Hachette) versus smaller but perfectly formed ones (like Orenda or Viper), how good storytelling is not the same as good writing (& far rarer), how winning awards may not change your life, why you need an agent to be your bad cop, and how agents cope with rejection. (You see? It’s not just authors who go through it.)

Listen in on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Or just click here.

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We’d Like A Word is a podcast and radio show from authors Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, editors, agents, celebrities, talkers, poets, publishers, booksellers, audiobook creators about books – fiction and non-fiction. We go out on various radio and podcast platforms. Our website is www.wedlikeaword.com –  which is where you’ll find information about Paul and Steve and our guests.  We’re also on Twitter @wedlikeaword and Facebook @wedlikeaword and our email is [email protected] – and yes, we are slightly embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear from you – your questions, thoughts, ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you’d like to come on We’d Like A Word in person, to chat, review, meet writers or read out passages from books. And if you’re still stuck for something to read, may we recommend Blackwatertown by Paul Waters or The Diabolical Club by Stevyn Colgan.

Young Adult (YA) fiction has been one of the real success stories of the 21st century and has seen rapid growth – particularly in the fantasy section of the book market. It has spawned hugely successful franchises like Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, The Hunger Games, Twilight, and Divergent.

But audiences have also grown for YA books and films set in our own reality, finding drama in obstacles real teenagers may face. That trend began with the huge success of The Fault in Our Stars, which was soon followed by Paper Towns, Everything Everything, The Spectacular Now and Me, Earl and the Dying Girl.

On this new episode of We’d Like a Word we talk to two successful YA authors who have managed to find a middle ground that combines fantasy with ‘coming of age’ issues faced by young adults.

Shiulie Ghosh is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster. She has worked for the BBC, ITN and Aljazeera. She moderates debates for clients including the World Health Organisation and the UN. She also writes young adult fiction novels including the Daughter of Kali and Cetacea series.

Sarwat Chadda is also an award-winning author of YA books including the Devil’s Kiss and Ash Mistry series. His latest novel City of the Plague God is currently sitting at the top of the charts in several Amazon categories.

In this episode we discuss the appeal and success of YA and the process of writing for a young adult audience. How do you tackle complicated and emotive subjects such as relationships, race and bullying? Are any subjects taboo? How do you deal with the tricky business of teenage sex lives? It’s a lively, spirited and informative chat with two experts of their craft.

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We’d like a Word is a (nearly) award-winning podcast about writing, writers and readers hosted by authors Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan and served up in three easily digestible 20 minute chunks per episode.

You can find it on most podcast platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, ListenNotes, Podcast Radio, Anchor FM, Google Podcasts, etc.

Or just click here.

On this new episode Paul and Stevyn are joined, all the way from New Zealand by Elizabeth Knox, and all the way from Cornwall by Stephanie Bretherton – two authors who have created realistic, alternative worlds for their characters to inhabit.

Elizabeth’s latest book The Absolute Book is the story of two sisters. When one is killed and the perpetrator seems to get away with it, the other enters into an ancient and sinister world of myth and legend in search of revenge. It’s an electrifying contemporary fantasy, which features talking ravens, giant crocodiles and the search for the all-important titular volume, The Absolute Book.  

Stephanie’s novel Bone Lines is the story of two women, separated by millennia. Alternating between ancient and modern timelines, the story unfolds through the experiences of a prehistoric shaman, the sole surviving adult of her tribe who is braving a hazardous journey of migration, and a dedicated scientist living a comfortable if troubled existence in London, who is on her own mission of discovery as she studies the shaman’s bones.

We discuss how you do your research and how addictive and immersive it can be (and, more importantly, when to stop and get writing!).

We also mention, in passing, the extraordinary worlds built by people like J R R Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey, Frank Herbert, George R R Martin, Ursula le Guin and many more.

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We’d like a Word is a (nearly) award-winning podcast about writing, writers and readers hosted by authors Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan and served up in three easily digestible 20 minute chunks per episode.

You can find it on most podcast platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, ListenNotes, Podcast Radio, Anchor FM, Google Podcasts, etc.

Or just click here.