Show Notes
Rachel and Simon speak to the historian Hallie Rubenhold. Born in Los Angeles, Hallie moved to Britain as a graduate student; after completing an MA and an MPhil, she worked for a time as a curator for the National Portrait Gallery and as a commercial art dealer. In 2005 she published her first book, "The Covent Garden Ladies", about "Harris's List", a directory of London's prostitutes. Hallie followed it up in 2008 with "Lady Worsley's Whim", about the 18th century’s most notorious adultery trial. Both books have been adapted into television dramas. Hallie then turned to fiction - publishing "Mistress of My Fate" and "The French Lesson" - before returning to non-fiction with "The Five: The Women Killed by Jack the Ripper" in 2019. The book went on to win the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction and became a Sunday Times bestseller. We spoke to Hallie about moving from the world of museums to the world of writing; researching and publishing "The Five"; and her latest book, "Story of a Murder".
We’ve made another update for those who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon. We’ve added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a whopping 160 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we’re now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (eight are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a monthly call with Simon and Rachel.
A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World’s Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via Amazon or Waterstones.
You can find us online at alwaystakenotes.com, on Twitter @takenotesalways and on Instagram @alwaystakenotes. Always Take Notes is presented by Simon Akam and Rachel Lloyd, and produced by Artemis Irvine. Our music is by Jessica Dannheisser and our logo was designed by James Edgar.
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More from Always Take Notes
In this episode Rachel and Simon speak to Charlotte Mursell, publisher at Orion Fiction. Charlotte started her career at the romance publisher Mills & Boon and worked for several years within HarperCollins, including at HQ, its commercial-focused imprint. In 2020 Charlotte joined Orion Fiction; as publisher since 2025, she leads the commercial fiction team, oversees the imprint’s strategy and acquires titles across a wide range of genres. She has published books by authors including Joanne Harris, Veronica Henry and Santa Montefiore. Her titles have been recognised by major prizes, including the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and she has published multiple Richard & Judy and Reese Witherspoon book club picks. In 2019 Charlotte was named a Bookseller Rising Star and in 2025 she was shortlisted for Editor of the Year at the British Book Awards.
Simon and Rachel speak to David Walsh, chief sports writer at the Sunday Times. David began his career reporting for the Leitrim Observer in Ireland and at the age of 25 he became the editor. His next job was at the Dublin-based newspaper the Irish Press, and while working there he decided to take a year out to cover cycling in Paris. He returned to his job for a short period before moving on to the Sunday Tribune followed by the Sunday Independent, and in 1996 he joined the Sunday Times. In 2012 he wrote "Seven Deadly Sins", the story of his 13-year pursuit of the cycling drug cheat Lance Armstrong, which played out on the pages of the Sunday Times and ended in a Hollywood movie, "The Program" in 2015. David's other books include "Inside Team Sky" and "The Russian Affair" and he has won Sports Writer of the Year four times at the Press Awards. We spoke to David about deciding he wanted to be a sports journalist at the age of six, his investigation into Lance Armstrong, and covering brain injuries in rugby and other sports.
Rachel and Simon speak to the literary agent Madeleine Milburn. She started her career in publishing as a foreign rights assistant at A P Watt, the world's first modern literary agency (now part of United Agents). She then moved to Darley Anderson as head of rights, where she represented her own clients and helped set up the children's division. In 2012 she founded the Madeleine Milburn Agencyand has since represented numerous bestselling authors, including Nita Prose ("The Maid"), Elizabeth Macneal ("The Doll Factory") and Ashley Audrain ("The Push"). "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" by Gail Honeyman has sold over 3 million copies worldwide, was the inaugural selection for Reese Witherspoon's Book Club and is being adapted for the screen by Witherspoon's production company, Hello Sunshine, and MGM. Madeleine won Literary Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2018 and has been listed by The Bookseller as one of the 150 most influential people in the book trade every year since 2017. We spoke to Madeleine about her entry into publishing, setting up her own literary agency and her determination to make greater use of the slush pile.
Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist and non-fiction writer Matt Haig. Matt's work includes the novels "The Humans", "How to Stop Time" and "The Midnight Library", the last of which has sold over 10 million copies worldwide and spent 52 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. He has also written several children’s books including "A Boy Called Christmas", which became a feature film starring Maggie Smith, Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent. Matt's non-fiction works include the memoir "Reasons to Stay Alive", which spent 46 weeks in the British top ten, and "The Comfort Book". His work has been translated into over 50 languages. We spoke to Matt about his early struggles as a literary novelist, writing about depression in "Reasons to Stay Alive", and his new novel, "The Midnight Train".
Rachel and Simon speak to the literary agent Amanda Harris. Amanda started her publishing career in publicity, first at Pan Macmillan, then at Simon and Schuster. She switched to editorial and worked with authors including David Baldacci and Jackie Collins before moving to Orion, where she launched two imprints, Orion Spring and Seven Dials. In 2019 Amanda joined YMU, a global talent agency, and set up their literary division, selling almost 100 books, many in six- or seven-figure deals. In 2025 Amanda founded Maven Literary Management, a “modern literary agency” which represents fiction and non-fiction authors. Amanda has agented over 50 Sunday Times bestsellers - including books by Claudia Winkleman, Matt Lucas and Graham Norton - and has been nominated four times for Literary Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards, winning in 2025. We spoke to Amanda about moving from publicity to editorial to agenting, the process of setting up Maven, and working with celebrity authors (and ghostwriters).