Awkward convo: Endorsements PLUS featured book SEARCH HISTORY by Amy Taylor

Our Featured Book segment is brought to you by Allen and Unwin and Kate chats to Amy Taylor about her debut novel Search History.

Amy Taylor is based in Naarm/ Melbourne (Naarm). An adapted chapter of her debut novel was selected as one of the winners in the 2021 Ultimo Prize for best emerging writers in Australia under 30 years of age. Search History is her first novel.

Amy’s advice: Find your writing routine and stick to it.

Amy recommends: Lorrie Moore’s debut collection Self Help

And we have another awkward convo – one we’ve been looking forward to for awhile! We talk about endorsements – aka praise, puffs and blurbs. How do you ask for an endorsement, what do authors think about the ‘endorsement machine’, how many are too many and can we do without them? Kate sought comment from a number of past guests – early and established, named and anon – about all their endorsement feels. We also chat about reviews and recommendations on social media, what we pay attention to and what we ignore, and what this all means for the industry.

• ‘Fool’s Gold’ – a Sydney Review of Books article by Catriona Menzies Pike

• Katherine mentions the much-read Catriona Menzie’s-Pike SRB article Critic Swallows Book.

• Kate asked readers on instagram how and why they pick up a book

• Nick Bhasin’s debut book – I Look Forward to Hearing From You

Authors who spoke to us for the episode include:

• R.W.R McDonald – author of The Nancy’s who spoke with friend Katherine Kovacic on the pod
• Sally Hepworth – author of The Soulmate who spoke to Kate here
• Ashley Kalagian Blunt – author of Dark Mode who spoke with Sheila Ngoc Pham on the pod
• Tegan Bennet Daylight – new YA fiction Royals
• Alice Robinson – author of The Glad Shout who spoke to Kate here
• Penni Russon -author of The Endsister who spoke to Kate here
• Chris Flynn – author of Here be Leviathans who spoke to Kate here
• Cate Kennedy – author of Like a House on Fire who spoke to Kate here

Let us know your thoughts on the ‘endorsement machine’! We’d love to hear your take – as author, reader or industry person. Let us know on instagram.