Always Take Notes

6

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

Recent Episodes
  • #214: Ben Macintyre, journalist and author
    Jun 10, 2025 – 01:07:06
  • #213: Diana Evans, novelist and journalist
    May 27, 2025 – 01:00:46
  • #212: Andrew O'Hagan, novelist and non-fiction writer
    May 13, 2025 – 01:03:41
  • #211: Dani Shapiro, novelist and non-fiction writer
    Apr 29, 2025 – 01:04:15
  • #210: Joshi Herrmann, founder, Mill Media
    Apr 15, 2025 – 01:04:30
  • #209: Nnedi Okorafor, novelist
    Apr 1, 2025 – 01:07:33
  • #208: Ben Okri, novelist
    Mar 18, 2025 – 01:11:53
  • #207: Clair Wills, author and academic
    Mar 4, 2025 – 01:00:37
  • #206: Tim Winton, novelist
    Feb 18, 2025 – 01:02:58
  • #205: Hannah Barnes, journalist and author
    Feb 4, 2025 – 01:05:47
  • #204: Michael Lewis, journalist and author
    Jan 21, 2025 – 01:02:35
  • #203: Clare Alexander, literary agent, Aitken Alexander Associates
    Jan 7, 2025 – 01:02:04
  • #202: Philippe Sands, author and lawyer
    Dec 24, 2024 – 01:08:13
  • #201: Reni Eddo-Lodge, journalist and author
    Dec 10, 2024 – 00:59:44
  • #200: Frederick Forsyth, novelist
    Nov 26, 2024 – 00:54:39
  • #199: Paula Hawkins, novelist
    Nov 12, 2024 – 00:56:24
  • #198: Richard Dawkins, non-fiction author
    Oct 29, 2024 – 00:55:00
  • #197: Eleanor Moran/Kate Ruby, TV producer and novelist
    Oct 15, 2024 – 00:50:13
  • #196: Robert Harris, novelist
    Oct 1, 2024 – 00:58:55
  • #195: Carissa Broadbent, novelist
    Sep 17, 2024 – 00:58:32
  • #194: Kevin Barry, novelist and short-story writer
    Sep 3, 2024 – 00:57:07
  • #193: Abi Morgan, screenwriter and playwright
    Aug 20, 2024 – 01:02:37
  • #192: Harlan Coben, novelist
    Aug 6, 2024 – 01:00:44
  • #191: Anna Funder, non-fiction author and novelist
    Jul 23, 2024 – 01:03:39
  • #190: Toby Mundy, literary agent and executive director of the Baillie Gifford Prize
    Jul 9, 2024 – 01:00:13
  • #189: Naomi Klein, non-fiction author
    Jun 25, 2024 – 00:57:17
  • #188: Hugo Rifkind, journalist and novelist
    Jun 11, 2024 – 01:00:41
  • #187: Pari Thomson, editorial director for picture books, Bloomsbury, and children’s author
    May 28, 2024 – 01:02:55
  • #186: Hisham Matar, novelist and non-fiction writer
    May 14, 2024 – 00:51:51
  • #185: Bettany Hughes, historian
    Apr 30, 2024 – 00:57:04
  • #184: Paul Theroux, novelist and travel writer
    Apr 16, 2024 – 01:01:16
  • #183: Madhumita Murgia, journalist and author
    Apr 2, 2024 – 00:59:42
  • #182: Nicholas Shakespeare, novelist and biographer
    Mar 19, 2024 – 01:01:07
  • #181: Juliet Mabey, co-founder and publisher, Oneworld Publications
    Mar 5, 2024 – 00:58:26
  • #180: Jo Nesbø, novelist
    Feb 20, 2024 – 00:53:36
  • #179: Jhumpa Lahiri, novelist and short-story writer
    Feb 6, 2024 – 00:57:24
  • #178: Adam Thirlwell, novelist
    Jan 23, 2024 – 00:54:06
  • #177: Philippa Gregory, novelist and historian
    Jan 9, 2024 – 00:57:32
  • #176: Henry Jeffreys, drinks writer
    Dec 26, 2023 – 00:54:45
  • #175: Kassia St. Clair, journalist and author
    Dec 12, 2023 – 01:04:57
  • #174: Adam Sisman, biographer
    Nov 28, 2023 – 00:51:20
  • #173: Victoria Hislop, novelist
    Nov 14, 2023 – 00:59:07
  • #172: Anjan Sundaram, journalist and author
    Oct 31, 2023 – 00:56:01
  • #171: Sarah Braybrooke, publishing director, Ithaka Press
    Oct 20, 2023 – 01:04:02
  • #170: Frank Cottrell-Boyce, author and screenwriter
    Oct 3, 2023 – 01:04:29
  • #169: Helen Macdonald, nature writer and novelist
    Sep 19, 2023 – 01:00:47
  • #168: Lee Child, novelist
    Sep 5, 2023 – 01:16:16
  • #167: Megan Nolan, novelist and journalist
    Aug 22, 2023 – 00:50:30
  • #166: James Daunt, managing director, Waterstones, CEO, Barnes & Noble
    Aug 8, 2023 – 00:57:08
  • #165: Francesca Main, publisher, Phoenix Books
    Jul 25, 2023 – 01:00:54
Recent Reviews
  • Hope Bea
    Podcast overall good, but
    I enjoy the Always Take Notes Podcast. I don’t listen regularly but I do listen from time to time, I enjoy the hosts and being exposed to writers with which I’m otherwise unfamiliar. I took a point off just because I wouldn’t rate it a perfect 5, however I took another point off for the Naomi Klein interview. The approach Klein took to write her book Doppelgänger doesn’t sit well. It seems attacking, unaccepting and condemning of the work of Naomi Wolfe in a way that’s almost underhanded. Klein says in the interview that she chose a new publisher and didn’t let anyone know she was writing the book initially, so perhaps she had a feeling in herself of the spirit of bad sportsmanship behind the entire endeavor. Klein claims that Wolfe seemed to want to connect with her when it was on her own terms, but she found that dangerous. However, when she had an angle that suited and benefited herself, she couldn’t understand why the door to communication was no longer open. Maybe Naomi Wolf began to see Klein as Klein originally saw her. It would seem her intuition was correct, given the direction of Klein’s book. I think Klein comes off as sneaky, snide, myopic and pretentious and I’d be interested to know if she would concede her views on Naomi Wolfe’s research, now that so much of the pandemic narrative is being, brick by brick, turned on its head. The bad character she’s revealed in this interview leads me to feel I already know the disappointing answer.
  • Susannaviolin
    Great interviews
    This podcast keeps me inspired and moving forward.
  • Seth Thomas Pietras
    Fascinating
    Really happy to have found this podcast, as it provides a good dive into the world of words. Each interview gets to the bottom of what it takes really to get ideas published. If you’re interested in writing, definitely subscribe.
  • JustEmilyC
    Love it
    Excellent interview podcast. The smart hosts ask the questions that don't get asked on most author interview podcasts. They even ask about money! It deserves more recognition.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork on this page are property of the podcast owner, and not endorsed by UP.audio.