Free TLC Podcast: Dealing with Rejection, with Catherine Cho

To celebrate the launch of our 2023 Being a Writer Festival which focuses on writing well, and feeling well, we’re delighted to share a full, FREE TLC Podcast on the key topic of ‘Dealing with Rejection’, which touches on two key elements of the Festival (Wellbeing, and Industry).

This was the very first podcast we recorded back in February 2020 for our Being a Writer Podcast, and we felt that now was the perfect opportunity to revisit a topic that still resonates strongly with the writers we work with.

Literary agent Catherine Cho talks with TLC’s Nelima Begum, tackling the topic of rejection and how to deal with it. After working as an agent at Curtis Brown, and Madeleine Milburn Ltd, Catherine founded her own agency, Paper Literary in 2021, whose approach is built on a commitment to storytelling. She is also the author of a memoir, Inferno (Bloomsbury 2020), and was shortlisted for the 2020 Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award.

In this podcast, Catherine talks us through the reasons for manuscripts not getting picked up, what they mean and how they can redirect your writing. We learn more about the relationships between writers, agents and publishers, and the editing and re-drafting process. Catherine also shares valuable advice on the mindset needed to approach your writing, and how to remain resilient throughout the submissions process.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now, or access the transcript here.

TLC is currently producing Season 4 of the Being a Writer Podcast, which has so far featured authors Vaseem Khan, Jet Moon and Doug Johnstone, and indie publisher at Bluemoose Books, Kevin Duffy.

Past seasons of the Being a Writer Podcast have featured discussions with Nikesh Shukla, Winnie M Li, Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, Abi Fellows, Judy Piatkus, Courttia Newland, Damian Barr, Joelle Taylor, Steven Camden, and many, many more… Each conversation has a different topic, and is hosted by our very own Nelima Begum.

Members of the Being a Writer platform can access all episodes of the Being a Writer Podcast (over 30 episodes, and counting!) absolutely FREE with membership, which starts at £10+VAT per month. Sign up for a free 30-day trial now, if you’re not already a member.

If you are a Being A Writer member you can also access a 30% discount on Festival Passes for our upcoming Being a Writer Festival. Simply log in to your Being A Writer account before clicking the booking link below. Not yet a member? Sign up for just £12 a month here and access the entire toolkit and all benefits including your Festival discount.