Are you a morning person or a night owl, and when do you do your best writing?
I ebb and flow between being a morning person and night owl! I try to do any brain-heavy writing in the morning and leave the afternoons for editing and emails, as well as all the other admin tasks around writing. Although, sometimes creativity hits me late at night, right before I go to sleep, and I know when this happens I know I have to take the opportunity and write with it.
What's your favourite drink to have when working on an article? Coffee or tea?
I’m a massive coffee drinker! I’m not a coffee snob either, so if I’m travelling or low on coffee supplies at home, all I need is a couple of cups (or three or four) of instant coffee and I’m good to go. If I’m on deadline and I’m writing into the night, I’ll sip on decaf while I’m writing. It might just be the placebo but I’m a big believer in faking it ‘til you make it.
What are some of your favourite books?
I’m a slow reader but a book-lover! It takes me a while to get through books - especially because so much of my work and free time involves looking at words - so I tend not to re-read books. In saying that, I’ve read The Idiot by Elif Batuman four or five times (as well as The Idiot’s sequel - Either/Or). It’s my desert island book - one of those stories that feels so close to me that it continues to live in my bones. I also love A Cigarette Lit Backwards by Tea Hacic-Vlahovic, The Sun Was Electric Light by Rachel Morton, and anything by Miranda July.
What are some of your hobbies or interests outside of writing?
I love movies, so rocking a solo cinema sesh is my number one way to spend my down time. I freelance a couple of days a week, so if I’m able to get my work done quickly then I’m lucky enough to sneak away to the movies and watch whatever takes my fancy. I also love running, going to gigs and watching bad TV with my housemates at home.
What aspects of the book printing industry do you find most fascinating to cover?
I’m really interested in the relationship between self-published authors and book printers. I find it really cool that authors who make work outside of the mainstream are able to print, package and distribute their art on their own terms through the self-publishing process.
What's the most surprising thing you've learned while researching a book printing article?
The way book printing actually works! I knew going in that it wasn’t as simple as sending a document to a printer and getting a book spat out, but the complexity and intricacies of the process are fascinating to learn about - just one little change can transform the entirety of the end product.
What advice would you give to someone choosing between different printing methods or materials for their first book?
Simple is always effective! If you’re crafting a book in which the words and the story is the focus, it’s more important for the book to be accessible and readable than it is for it to look flowery. The beauty of a book is in the details - the font, the paper, the binding - and so the simpler you keep the physical book, the more emphasis there can be on the story at its core.
