Always Take Notes
Always Take Notes is a fortnightly podcast from London for and about writers and writing. Hosts Simon Akam and Rachel Lloyd speak to a diverse range of people in the industry on a variety of topics, from the mysteries of slush piles and per-word rates, to how data are changing the ways newspapers do business and how to pitch a book. patreon.com/alwaystakenotes
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Rachel and Simon speak to the non-fiction author and novelist Anna Funder. After training as an international human-rights lawyer in Australia, Anna moved to Germany and published "Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall" in 2003; the book won the Samuel Johnson Prize (now known as the Baillie Gifford Prize for
#190: Toby Mundy, literary agent and executive director of the Baillie Gifford Prize
In this episode Simon and Rachel speak with Toby Mundy, the CEO of the UK office of the international literary agency Aevitas Creative Management, and executive director of the Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction. Toby has worked in the publishing industry for more than three decades. After starting his career at Har
Rachel and Simon speak with the non-fiction author Naomi Klein. Her debut book, "No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies", sold more than 1m copies after its publication in 1999; her follow-up, "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism" (2007), also reached the top of the New York Times bestseller charts. S
Simon and Rachel speak with Hugo Rifkind, a journalist who has just published his second novel, "Rabbits". Born and raised in Edinburgh, Hugo studied philosophy at university. He has formerly been a columnist for the Spectator, GQ and the Herald, and is now a columnist, critic and leader writer for the Times and a pres
#187: Pari Thomson, editorial director for picture books, Bloomsbury, and children’s author
Rachel and Simon speak with Pari Thomson, editorial director for picture books at Bloomsbury and also a children's author. After an international childhood, Paris studied English at university; she began her career with stints at a literary agency, as a bookseller at Waterstones and as a manuscript reader. She joined B
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist and non-fiction writer Hisham Matar. Born in New York to Libyan parents, Hisham spent his childhood in Tripoli and Cairo and has lived most of his life in London. He is the author of the novels "In the Country of Men", which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and "Anatomy
