Today I chat to Erica Wagner and Craig Smith. Erica Wagner is a painter and collage artist, book publisher and creative consultant to storytellers. Her early career saw her work as an editor and later Associate Publisher at Penguin Books Australia, before establishing Silverfish, a new children's list, for Duffy & Snellgrove. She later moved across to become children's publisher at Allen & Unwin, where she stayed from 2000-2020. In amongst that, she was a big instigator of graphic novels, co-founding the graphic novel micro-press Twelve Panels Press.

Craig Smith has illustrated more than 400 books for children over 40 plus years, working with many of Australia's most experienced writers and editors. He’s seen the changes in technology, and embraced various means along the way – although as you’ll hear, nothing beats that initial start on paper.

Today I chat to bookseller extraordinaire Barbara Horgan. In 1986, Barbara Horgan and her late husband Tony became the owners of Shearer’s Bookshop in Sydney. They established a big name for themselves in the industry, awarded Bookseller of the Year four times, and made life members of the Australian Bookseller Association. For the past eight years, Barbara has run multiple book clubs at Beaufort Street Books.

Today I chat to Anna McFarlane. Anna has worked for several publishing houses during her thirty plus year career, and is currently at Allen & Unwin where she publishes books for children and young adults, including early readers like the CBCA award-winning My Friend Fred by Frances Watts and Anne Yi, middle grade fiction such as A Girl Called Corpse by Reece Carter and Dragon Skin by Karen Foxlee, and a number of bestselling and award-winning young adult fiction. 

Today I chat to Susannah McFarlane. Susannah is the award-winning author, creator and publisher of over 80 books and some of Australia’s most successful children’s book series including Zac Power, Go Girls, EJ12 Girl Hero, EJ Spy School, Boy vs Beast, D-Bot Squad, Fairy Tales for Feisty Girls, Brave Tales for Bold-Hearted Boys, and Grumble Boats . With over one million books sold in Australia alone, Susannah understands children and writes stories they love and that parents trust. Susannah held a number of marketing positions with Australian publishers before becoming licensing director, then publishing director and then managing director of Egmont Books UK. She returned to Australia when her kids thought Hyde Park was nature and co-founded Hardie Grant Egmont. She now works part time as Head of Publishing for Bible Society Australia and spends the rest of her time writing or avoiding writing. 

Today I chat to Kristin Gill. Kristin has worked across all sectors of children’s publishing for more than 30 years. She’s held roles in sales and marketing and was a Publishing Manager at Penguin Random House Australia until 2021.

Kristin is now co-owner of Northern Books, where she works as a publishing consultant and manager of literary events for writers, readers and schools across Victoria.  

She’s also the Ambassador Manager for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation – an organisation she has been actively involved in since it was founded in 2012.

In this episode I speak to Brian Cook. Brian has worked in all facets of general publishing since 1969 from sales and marketing to editorial and distribution. He was among the first to start doing manuscript appraisals, and is most recently known for his literary agency, The Authors Agent, which he only stepped away from in 2022.

Today he shares his wise words, from his experiences over the past fifty years. 

When it comes to books, Dyan Blacklock has worn multiple hats. She was a publisher with Omnibus, an imprint of Scholastic, for almost 20 years, she’s also an author and has worked as an editor and currently, an agent. 

In this episode, I chat to Laura Harris. Laura has been part of the publishing industry for more than 35 years and is a recipient of the George Robertson Award for distinguished long service to the Australian Publishing industry. Laura was a senior editor and publisher at Harper Collins, before moving across to Penguin Books where she was a publisher and then publishing director. She was later appointed publishing director for Penguin Random House, where she worked until 2023.

Laura has shaped many books over the years, including works by Mem Fox, Aaron Blabey, Morris Gleitzman, Felice Arena, Melina Marchetta and Sonya Hartnett.

She now runs Laura Harris Publishing.

In this episode, I chat to Margrete Lamond. Margrete’s  been a full-time publisher for more than twenty years, and an editor and a published author for a whole lot longer. She’s worked with publishing giant Scholastic, for the small independent Little Hare Books, and with acclaimed independent Hardie Grant, as well as founding critically acclaimed Dirt Lane Press and, more recently, Gilded Snail. 

She’s also the author of around 25 books for young readers – so yeah, with all those things in mind, you could say she knows a thing or two.

In this episode, I chat to Simon & Schuster's Head of Children's publishing Tash Besliev, whose brilliant mind helped get this mini-series off the ground.  

In this episode, award winning author Holden Sheppard chats about screen adaptations, and his experience having his novel Invisible Boys turned into a television series with Stan Australia. 

In this episode, Chenée chats to literary agent Annabel Barker to find out what exactly an agent does, who needs one, how international rights work and much, much more.

This episode looks at the business side of being a KidLit creator with author/illustrator James Foley and author Cristy Burne. Find out what to expect when publishing a book, how much you'll have to hustle, the common misconceptions and much, much more.

In this episode, publisher Laura Sieveking takes us inside Scholastic Australia. She chats about commercial fiction, commissioning projects, writing strategically and how her work in publishing has shaped her own work as an author.

In this episode, Children's and YA Publisher Cathy Vallance and editor Felicity Dunning take us inside UQP (The University of Queensland Press). Cathy and Felicity take a deep dive into the editorial process, as well as sharing their thoughts on how to find the right home for your manuscript. 

In this episode, publishers James Layton and Dani Vee take us inside Larrikin House. We chat all about challenging stereotypes, pitch parties, book fairs and the difficulties that come with publishing a book that appeals to both kids and gatekeepers.

In this episode, Commissioning Editor Michelle Madden takes us inside Penguin Random House, sharing her top tips for those dreaming about publishing a book featuring that iconic little bird. Michelle also explains why it's important to consider sales when pitching your work and some great news for non-fiction kid lit writers.

In this episode, Senior Editor Luna Soo discusses how aspiring writers can get their work in front of the Hardie Grant team, including competitions, assessments and pitching sessions. Plus, the common mistake being made by picture book authors and what to do if you find yourself standing in front of a publisher or editor.