Behind The Mic: Lessons Learnt
What Season 3 of The Conversation Taught Me About Writing, Rejection and the Realities of Publishing
One of the best things about being an author is having the opportunity to follow your curiosity. In 2023, I launched my podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson, with the same spirit that drives most of my creative decisions: I had an idea, didn’t overthink it, ran with it, wondered what on earth I was thinking and here we are.
My intention with my podcast was simple: to talk to authors in a way that felt real. I wanted every episode to sound like two people having a chat over a drink in a pub or a cup of coffee, while you, the listener, eavesdropped. Yes, we talk about books but more than that, we talk about the people behind them. The stories behind the stories. And, quite often, the conversation goes off on a tangent, but in my experience, the tangents is where the magic happens.
In Season 3, I had 63 conversations with 63 incredible guests. These included one-on-one interviews as well as a special panel episode for October’s Crime Writers Special, where I was joined by
, and Amen Alonge. Guests this season included Max Evans, M.W. Craven, Elvin James Mensah, Alex Hay, Remi Kone, Lola Akinmade, John Marrs, and Kate Mosse, just to name a few.This season also saw the introduction of Coffee Break, a new feature of the podcast where I sit down for shorter, more book focused chats with writers like S.A. Cosby, Kia Abdullah, Patricia Marques, Rod Reynolds, Helen Monks Takhar, and Beth Lewis.
Now that the podcast is on hiatus until Season 4 launches in September, it feels like the perfect time to pause and reflect on everything I’ve learnt from these conversations. And I’ve learnt a lot.
I’ve learnt that everyone’s journey is different, but the core truths of creativity are often the same. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing my top takeaways from Season 3. And there’s no better place to start than right here.
Welcome to part one of lesson’s learnt from 63 conversations and counting.
There is no such thing as an overnight success.
If you’re an aspiring writer, it can sometimes feel like success just drops out of the sky for other people. You scroll through Instagram or see an announcement in The Bookseller or Publishers Weekly, someone’s got a six-figure deal, their debut book is being adapted for TV and you wonder, “How the f*** did that happen so quickly?” But from every author I’ve spoken to the truth is crystal clear: they’ve been working on their craft for years.
Nobody I’ve spoken to simply wrote one book, sent it off, and landed a deal straight away. There are drawers (or hard drives) full of manuscripts that never got picked up. There are spreadsheets documenting dozens of rejections. Some authors shared that they were rejected 20, 30, 50 times before getting a yes. Even I’m not immune. I’ve faced rejection throughout my publishing journey and as recently as a month ago. Which leads to the second thing I’ve learnt:
Rejection. Oh, it’s coming for you.
Not to be dramatic, but if you’re a writer, it’s not a matter of if, it’s when. It happens to everyone. Whether you’re querying agents, going on submission to publishers, or even navigating your second or third contract, rejection doesn’t stop. And it’s rarely personal. it’s just a business decision.
But I know, that doesn’t make you feel better because it’s happening to you and rejection, when it does hit, it burns. But here’s what I’ve learnt: rejection doesn’t mean the end. More often than not, it’s a pause. A pivot. A redirection. And the writers who’ve endured it? They’ve all had one thing in common: they didn’t let it stop them. Every writer I spoke to who faced rejection found a way to keep moving forward and that’s what you have to take on board. Rejection isn’t the end of the road; it’s a moment to reassess. And more often than not, it’s the push you need to keep going.
Spoiler Alert: There Are No Short Cuts
I’ve sat on more panels, interviews, and listened to more podcasts than I can even count. And in almost every single one, when it comes to audience questions, there’s always someone who asks about the writing process, but it’s clear from the way they phrase the question that they’re looking for a shortcut. A secret. A hack to writing the book they’ve been dreaming about. Maybe even the next bestseller.
But here’s what I’ve learnt from every single one of my conversations: there is no shortcut. No secret sauce. No magic bullet. No formulas. No hacks. You just have to sit down and write the book. That’s it. That’s the only way it gets done. The writers who’ve finished books, landed agents, and built careers have done one thing consistently: they’ve written. And rewritten. And written some more.
But writing is only part of it.
Do your research.
Research agents. Research publishers. Research your genre. Research why pre-orders are important. Research who’s writing in your space, not because you’re in competition with them, but because you need to understand the landscape you’re entering. Publishing is a business, and you need to know where you sit in it. Where power sits. Where decisions are made.
Every author I spoke to understood the importance of research. It gave them a clearer sense of where they were going, what they needed to do, and how to make their aspirations achievable. You never want to be in the dark. Preparation, knowing the industry, your goals, and your next steps can steady your path and give you the confidence to keep going.
It’s Just Business
It’s tempting to look at publishing through rose-tinted glasses or what I like to call ‘Hallmark TV movie’ glasses. You know the ones: the main character is a writer, sent by their editor to an exclusive retreat to finish their novel, where they also just happen to fall in love. It’s a completely unrealistic and romanticised version of what being a writer actually looks like.
But what’s become crystal clear from my conversations, my conversations with Maz Evans and Clare Mackintosh springs to mind, is that writing is a business. You are a writer, yes, but you’re also the CEO of your own creative enterprise. That means taking ownership of your career, understanding your place in the publishing process, and knowing how the business side works.
You write the book. The publisher sells the product. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care deeply about your art, you absolutely should, but you also need to understand the ecosystem you’re part of. Know what marketing and publicity actually entail. Know what your advance means, how royalties work, and how many books you need to sell to earn out. Know what’s expected of you and what you can expect in return.
Publishing, like any industry, has its ups and downs. There will be disappointments. But in my experience and from my conversations, the more pragmatic and informed you are, the better equipped you’ll be to navigate those moments and stay grounded in what matters most: your work.
That’s it for part one of what I’ve learnt from Season 3 of The Conversation. I’ll be back soon with part two, where I’ll share more insights from the brilliant authors and creatives, I’ve had the privilege of speaking to. In the meantime, let me know if anything I’ve mentioned here resonated with you; I always love hearing your thoughts.
And if you haven’t already, you can listen to The Conversation with Nadine Matheson anytime. All episodes are available wherever you get your podcasts.
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