The power of letting go of perfectionism

The Extras with Jennie Godfrey

Alicia Fernandes

Welcome to The Extras, our members-only backstage pass to the bits we couldn’t fit into our episodes - but really wanted to. After every episode you’ll find us here, with irresistible nuggets from our guests’ conversations that we just had to tell you. From the windfalls that made bestsellers happen to the plotlines that never made the press, our authors are full of insight, wit and writing advice.

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The wild thing about being a debut author is that, after years of thinking about it, the moment you’ve often dreamt about happens both all at once and in a bizarrely drawn-out way: when the clock strikes midnight on your publication day, you’re an author. But then you’ll find out that your aunt’s pal got her pre-order in the post two days ago. What then?

Lots of publishing is quite weird, great, unglamorous and magic, we’ve found. But there’s still nothing quite like the feeling just before your first book goes into the world - especially when it’s a debut as anticipated as Jennie Godfrey’s The List of Suspicious Things. We had a great time chatting with Jennie - and we’re chuffed to reveal her juicy insight into what happens after you’ve written your first book in this issue of The Extras: