Are you a morning person or a night owl, and when do you do your best writing?
I’m actually more of a midday-early afternoon time kind of person when it comes to writing! My brain just takes a bit to switch on, or I find that mornings are spent trying to get into the zone by researching and finding sources or references, before I can truly lock in and write it all out.
What's your favourite drink to have when working on an article? Coffee or tea?
Coffee is definitely something I gravitate towards (albeit decaf), but I also love a good tea! Lately I’ve been super into chai and dirty chais (chai with decaf coffee) if I’m out and working near a cafe, but any other day, I’m likely drinking a decaf english breakfast or another herbal blend like chamomile and spiced apple.
What are some of your favourite books?
I love to read all kinds of books, and whilst I used to mainly read young adult and adult fiction (fantasy, sci-fi, contemporary fiction, romance, etc.), I have been reading more non-fiction in the last few years. It’s so hard to pick a few of my favourite books because I have so many! A few titles that immediately come to mind are Red Rising by Pierce Brown, Vicious by V.E Schwab, Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn, After The Lights Go Out by Lili Wilkinson and if I had to pick just one book, it would probably be Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor.
What are some of your hobbies or interests outside of writing?
I probably have too many hobbies that come and go based on what I’m into. Most of my hobbies are craft though, in that I love to knit and sew garments for myself, do some embroidery or crochet every now and then, I have a small but growing collection of vinyl records, I love a good K-drama and most recently have gotten into gardening/cultivating flowers in my backyard and watching the latest campaign from Critical Role. When I’m not working or doing any of those things or working, I love taking my dog out to off-leash parks or for walks in the Dandenong Ranges.
What aspects of the book printing industry do you find most fascinating to cover?
I’d say that the most interesting thing to cover in articles are all the different ways that authors and businesses can use printing to their advantage and the beauty in the small details that can really help a story or project stand out to others. It’s probably my marketing and design background influencing this but I just find it so interesting that the process can be so complex; from formatting the content of a book to choosing the specifications in a certain way so that you are truly able to reach your target audience and make an impact.
What's the most surprising thing you've learned while researching a book printing article?
Although it makes sense in context of how quickly technology was developed in the 80s-90s, the most surprising thing to me was how ‘new’ digital printing technology is. The first printing press was invented in 1440 but the first digital printing machine came out in 1993. If modern printing is only in its 30s, I’m so excited to see how it continues to evolve in the next few years as things continue to accelerate.
What advice would you give to someone choosing between different printing methods or materials for their first book?
Before making any decisions, always bring it back to one question: ‘What’s the purpose of this book?’. It’s so easy to get carried away by what would look cool when producing a book, but the main factor for success will always be whether it’s fit for purpose. How do you want someone to feel when they see, pick-up and read this book? How do you want them to engage with it? It’s going to be different for every project, and that’s what makes it fun for us to collaborate with customers to bring that vision to life.
