Radio Broadcasting
Sue’s radio career began as commercial radio hit the UK. She was one of Capital Radio’s very first names, broadcasting and producing shows from rock and pop music to popular current affairs.
From there, Sue was headhunted by the BBC where she presented Radio 4’s You and Yours and a range of programmes across all the networks.
From 1998 to 2006 she presented the popular weekly programme Making History for Radio 4.
Sue was voted one of Britain’s favourite radio voices.
The Write Lines
Most recently Sue presented two series of The Write Lines on BBC Oxford Radio bringing together her passion for writing, journalism and live broadcasting.
From blank page to bookshop, find out what’s On The Write Lines Bookshelf.
To accompany the radio broadcast, read the writing advice articles.
Series One
Series one of The Write Lines went out live on BBC Oxford in November 2009 with Social Networking Consultant Ben Johncock providing real-time updates on Twitter.
Series one included recorded interviews with the following authors: Caroline Smailes, Elizabeth Chadwick, Roisin McAuley
Episode One: LISTEN NOW
The beginning of the journey – from blank page to bookshop and beyond – Do I have a novel in me?
Studio guests:
Jacq Burns – co-founder of the London Writer’s Club
Will Atkins – commissioning editor for McMillan New Writing
Carla McKay – book reviewer for the Daily Mail
Mark Billingham – crimewriter, author of nine novels
Marie Phillips – author of Gods Behaving Badly
Episode Two: LISTEN NOW
What to write and how to make a living at it – Does genre matter?
Studio guests:
Jacq Burns – co-founder of the London Writer’s Club
Andrew Crofts – prolific author, both fiction and non-fiction, in particular a writer’s bible entitled How to Make Money and Enjoy Your Life
Wendy Oberman
Episode Three: LISTEN NOW
Getting your work published – How do I find a publisher?
Studio guests:
David Godwin – literary agent David Godwin Associates
Katie Fforde – author
Jane Smith – editorial consultant
Robyn Scott – author
Episode Four: LISTEN NOW
Selling your book – How do I get my book in bookshops?
Studio guests:
Jacq Burns – co-founder of the London Writer’s Club
Scott Pack – former supremo at Waterstones, now publisher and editor
Tony Mulliken – chairman of Midas PR
Ben Johncock – social networking consultant and blogger for The Bookseller
Tweets provided on this episode by Jane Smith
Series Two
Series two of The Write Lines went out live on BBC Oxford in September 2010 with budding author and Social Networking Consultant Ben Johncock providing real-time updates on Twitter.
Series two included recorded interviews with the following Oxfordshire authors: M G Harris, Helen Rappaport, Tim Pears, Barbara Trapido, and children’s author Julia Golding.
Episode One: LISTEN NOW
In this first of the new series, we take an overview of the writer’s journey to becoming a successful published author.
Studio guests:
Sarah Franklin – editorial and marketing consultant
Scott Pack – former supremo at Waterstones, now publisher and editor
Andrew Crofts – prolific author, both fiction and non-fiction, in particular a writer’s bible entitled How to Make Money and Enjoy Your Life, which sums up the main thrust of this first epsiode of Series 2
Lauren St. John – journalist turned children’s author
Ben Johncock – social networking consultant and blogger for The Bookseller
Episode Two: LISTEN NOW
Studio guests:
Jacq Burns – co-founder of the London Writer’s Club
Jane Wenham-Jones – novelist and author of Wannabe a Writer?
Lynn Shepherd – copywriter turned novelist, and author of Murder at Mansfield Park
Richard Beard – novelist and non-fiction writer, and Director of the National Academy of Writing
Episode Three: LISTEN NOW
Studio guests:
Carole Blake – respected literary agent of Blake Friedmann and author of the essential addition to any writer’s bookshelf, From Pitch to Publication
Jane Smith – editorial consultant
Miranda Glover – novelist and co-founder of the Contemporary Women Writer’s Club
Nick Harkaway – novelist, screenwriter, and author of The Gone-Away World
Ben Johncock – social networking consultant and blogger for The Bookseller
The Write Lines Podcasts
ebook publishing and getting a traditional book deal
LISTEN NOW ON SOUNDCLOUD
Sue Cook talks to three writers who have all enjoyed success by self-publishing ebooks. Mark Edwards (Catch your Death, Killing Cupid), Roz Morris (My Memories of a Future Life) and Mel Sherratt (Taunting the Dead, Somewhere to Hide) share their experiences of going it alone and, in Mark’s case, of securing a traditional book deal.
Topics covered include getting to the top of the Amazon Kindle charts, building a buzz about your book, formatting a book for Kindle, cover design, the benefits of agents and editors, digital vs print publishing and pricing strategies.
How to build a career as a writer
LISTEN NOW ON SOUNDCLOUD
Sue Cook is joined by Julie Cohen (novelist, tutor), Sue Moorcroft (novelist, short story writer, tutor) and Nicola Morgan (fiction for children/YA and non-fiction for adults, tutor) to talk about how to build a career and profile as a writer.
Topics covered include ways to get into writing, making money from writing, recycling your writing, using Twitter for research, holding a book launch, getting book reviews and author networking.
How to market your book
LISTEN NOW ON SOUNDCLOUD
Sue Cook talks to Dr Alison Baverstock (author, publishing expert and university tutor), Catherine Ryan Howard (successful self-published author) and Jane Wenham-Jones (fiction and non-fiction writer, journalist and speaker).
The guests share their experiences, with advice about writing marketing copy, identifying a market for your book, building a readership, avoiding the hard sell, how publishers promote books, cheap and free books and using social media.
National Short Story Week
Sue Cook interviews a host of writers for The Write Lines exclusive podcasts for National Short Story Week.
British Short Stories
LISTEN NOW ON SOUNDCLOUD
Sue is joined in the studio by Emily Bullock (Winner, Bristol Short Story Prize 2011), Stuart Evers (Ten Stories About Smoking, Picador 2011), Linda Leatherbarrow (award winning writer, regular contributor to Slightly Foxed) and Jonathan Pinnock (Winner, Scott Prize 2011) with further contributions via Skype from Nicholas Royle (editor, The Best British Short Stories 2011, Salt) and Helen Oyeyemi (Mr Fox, Picador 2011). A unique and fascinating look at the short story in the UK today.
Women’s Fiction
LISTEN NOW ON SOUNDCLOUD
Sue is joined in the studio by Rowan Coleman (Lessons in Laughing Out Loud, Arrow, 2011), Sophie King (The Wedding Party, Hodder, 2009) and Sue Moorcroft (Love and Freedom, Choc Lit, 2011). The guests discuss the definition of women’s fiction and what makes good women’s fiction. They give a wealth of valuable tips for those wanting to break into the genre, including how to crack the women’s interest magazine short story market, what makes a good heroine and how to choose your characters’ names. A lively programme full of anecdotes and advice for budding women’s fiction writers.
Children’s Fiction
LISTEN NOW ON SOUNDCLOUD
Sue is joined in the studio by Joe Craig (Jimmy Coates series, Harper Collins, 2005), Tamsyn Murray (My So-Called Phantom Lovelife, Piccadilly Press, 2011) and Chris Priestley (Mister Creecher, Bloomsbury, 2011) with a further contribution via Skype from Jon Mayhew (The Demon Collector, Bloomsbury, 2011). The guests discuss what children like reading, what makes a good protagonist in children’s fiction and how children’s authors today use social media to connect with their readers. The guests also give their tips on writing a good short story. An entertaining and valuable insight into writing children’s fiction.
