So You Want To Be A Writer With Valerie Khoo And Allison Tait: Australian Writers' Centre Podcast

Fasten your seatbelts and stow those tray tables, as we interview Joe Aston about his latest book, The Chairman's Lounge – The inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out. Joe is a former Australian Financial Review columnist and he discusses his experience writing about Qantas, its CEO and the company’s public branding crisis. He also shares insights on journalism, research and balancing objective reporting with creating a compelling narrative.  00:00 Introduction03:36 Nat Newman’s writing tip08:50 WIN! Murdle Australia by G.T. Karber11:16 Word of the week: ‘penetralia’12:32 Writer in residence: Joe Aston21:10 Joe’s switch from corporate life to journalism27:25 The evolution of journalism28:04 The pressure of producing quality content29:02 Balancing reporting and opinion31:18 The role of CEOs in public perception34:06 Joe’s experience writing his book37:28 Research versus the writing process42:34 Future plans and new ventures49:02 Joe’s advice for aspiring authors50:50 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect w