1 00:00:04,050 --> 00:00:06,389 Sean Aylmer: Welcome to the Fear and Greed Daily Interview. I'm Sean 2 00:00:06,390 --> 00:00:11,640 Sean Aylmer: Aylmer. Something very different today. I don't think I've ever 3 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:14,340 Sean Aylmer: interviewed one of my colleagues for this show, but I'm 4 00:00:14,340 --> 00:00:17,849 Sean Aylmer: going to do that today. Michael Thompson is someone I've 5 00:00:17,850 --> 00:00:21,390 Sean Aylmer: worked alongside for almost three years now on this podcast, 6 00:00:21,930 --> 00:00:24,060 Sean Aylmer: but in his spare time, not that he has that 7 00:00:24,060 --> 00:00:25,680 Sean Aylmer: many of it, because he's got a couple of young 8 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:29,100 Sean Aylmer: kids, he's been writing a book, a novel. And today 9 00:00:29,100 --> 00:00:33,510 Sean Aylmer: that novel, How to be Remembered, arrives in bookshops right 10 00:00:33,570 --> 00:00:36,930 Sean Aylmer: around Australia and New Zealand. It'll be in the United 11 00:00:36,930 --> 00:00:41,220 Sean Aylmer: States and the United Kingdom later at this year. Michael 12 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:43,440 Sean Aylmer: Thompson Esquire, good morning. 13 00:00:43,650 --> 00:00:45,600 Michael Thompson: Good morning, Sean. This is very exciting. 14 00:00:45,900 --> 00:00:47,070 Sean Aylmer: It's very weird actually. 15 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:47,640 Michael Thompson: I know. 16 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:49,680 Sean Aylmer: Interviewing you, rather than doing a show. 17 00:00:49,860 --> 00:00:51,900 Michael Thompson: It feels like I should be asking you questions without 18 00:00:51,900 --> 00:00:55,680 Michael Thompson: notice and instead I'm doing an entire interview without notice. 19 00:00:55,860 --> 00:00:58,380 Sean Aylmer: And just keep in mind that mostly when I interview 20 00:00:58,380 --> 00:01:00,720 Sean Aylmer: someone, they're very polite to me. Just keep that in mind. 21 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:03,390 Michael Thompson: I think that's highly unlikely that that will happen. 22 00:01:03,630 --> 00:01:06,600 Sean Aylmer: You've written a book, How to Be Remembered. First and 23 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:08,009 Sean Aylmer: foremost, why? 24 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:10,440 Michael Thompson: Because I wanted to see if I could basically. 25 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:12,569 Sean Aylmer: Have you always wanted to write a book? 26 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:14,880 Michael Thompson: I think it's probably always at the back of the 27 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:17,310 Michael Thompson: mind that I would like to have a go at 28 00:01:17,310 --> 00:01:18,839 Michael Thompson: doing it, that I would like to do it. But 29 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:20,729 Michael Thompson: it's one of those things that when you're working full- 30 00:01:20,730 --> 00:01:24,150 Michael Thompson: time, that you think maybe I'll do it when I 31 00:01:24,150 --> 00:01:29,160 Michael Thompson: retire. And the circumstances just really kind of happened that 32 00:01:29,580 --> 00:01:32,280 Michael Thompson: I finished up at my previous job in the end 33 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:36,540 Michael Thompson: of 2019, and decided to take a few weeks, kind 34 00:01:36,540 --> 00:01:38,580 Michael Thompson: of a month maybe, before I looked for a new 35 00:01:38,580 --> 00:01:42,330 Michael Thompson: job. And then decided while that I was kind of 36 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:45,870 Michael Thompson: sitting at home searching the job ads, saying " Maybe I 37 00:01:45,870 --> 00:01:47,460 Michael Thompson: could just have a little go and see if I 38 00:01:47,460 --> 00:01:50,910 Michael Thompson: can start writing something." And so I did and it 39 00:01:51,060 --> 00:01:53,940 Michael Thompson: started to kind of come together. I thought, oh, well, I'll keep going. 40 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:57,330 Sean Aylmer: (inaudible) Michael's background. So you grew up in country, 41 00:01:57,330 --> 00:02:01,170 Sean Aylmer: New South Wales. You went to university in Bathurst. What 42 00:02:01,170 --> 00:02:01,950 Sean Aylmer: did you study there? 43 00:02:02,340 --> 00:02:02,880 Michael Thompson: Journalism. 44 00:02:03,420 --> 00:02:06,630 Sean Aylmer: Okay. And then just via your thumbnail sketch of your 45 00:02:06,870 --> 00:02:08,940 Sean Aylmer: jobs, what I'm trying to highlight is I don't think 46 00:02:08,940 --> 00:02:11,760 Sean Aylmer: that you've ever worked in a job that involves lots and 47 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:12,480 Sean Aylmer: lots of writing. 48 00:02:13,260 --> 00:02:17,280 Michael Thompson: No, funnily enough, because even though it was journalism, I 49 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:20,850 Michael Thompson: ended up going into radio producing. And so radio producing 50 00:02:20,850 --> 00:02:22,290 Michael Thompson: is kind of one of those jobs that no one 51 00:02:22,290 --> 00:02:24,930 Michael Thompson: ever really knows what it is. It's essentially working behind 52 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:28,680 Michael Thompson: the scenes to put together a radio show, which can 53 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:33,210 Michael Thompson: involve everything from writing short form content, really short, couple 54 00:02:33,210 --> 00:02:36,389 Michael Thompson: of hundred words on say, a crime or a wrap 55 00:02:36,389 --> 00:02:39,180 Michael Thompson: of politics in kind of 200 or 300 words, that can be 56 00:02:39,180 --> 00:02:43,049 Michael Thompson: delivered in 30 seconds or a minute. Or you're screening 57 00:02:43,050 --> 00:02:45,690 Michael Thompson: calls for a radio show or you're greeting guests and 58 00:02:45,690 --> 00:02:47,880 Michael Thompson: writing interviews and things like that. It's all the behind 59 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:50,700 Michael Thompson: the scenes things. And so you're right, there really wasn't 60 00:02:50,700 --> 00:02:53,279 Michael Thompson: a huge amount of writing in any of those jobs. 61 00:02:54,930 --> 00:02:56,910 Sean Aylmer: Before we get into the book itself, so we're just 62 00:02:56,910 --> 00:02:58,710 Sean Aylmer: going to carry on this discussion about you. I know 63 00:02:58,710 --> 00:03:02,580 Sean Aylmer: how much you love talking about yourself, Michael. Yeah, he 64 00:03:02,580 --> 00:03:05,790 Sean Aylmer: does not talking about himself whatsoever. How did you find 65 00:03:05,790 --> 00:03:09,090 Sean Aylmer: the time? You have two young kids, Henry and Mauve, 66 00:03:09,930 --> 00:03:15,480 Sean Aylmer: a partner, Sian. And you have a very busy life. And 67 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:18,210 Sean Aylmer: I remember when we first started this podcast, we're up 68 00:03:18,210 --> 00:03:22,020 Sean Aylmer: very early, whilst I'm going back to bed after we're 69 00:03:22,020 --> 00:03:24,060 Sean Aylmer: up very early, you are off to write for a 70 00:03:24,060 --> 00:03:24,361 Sean Aylmer: couple of hours. 71 00:03:24,361 --> 00:03:29,340 Michael Thompson: Yeah, yeah. Because by the time we started Fear and 72 00:03:29,340 --> 00:03:32,610 Michael Thompson: Greed, COVID had hit then. And so I decided to 73 00:03:32,910 --> 00:03:35,340 Michael Thompson: commit fully to trying to get this book written as 74 00:03:35,340 --> 00:03:37,620 Michael Thompson: well as launching Fear and Greed. And so by the 75 00:03:37,620 --> 00:03:39,360 Michael Thompson: time Fear and Greed came along, I was kind of 76 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:41,160 Michael Thompson: well into it. I was halfway through the books. I'm 77 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:43,680 Michael Thompson: like, well, I have to keep going now. And so 78 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:45,750 Michael Thompson: yeah, we'd be doing the podcast early in the morning 79 00:03:45,750 --> 00:03:48,270 Michael Thompson: and then I would write for a few hours and 80 00:03:48,270 --> 00:03:51,420 Michael Thompson: then go back to the podcast and talking to guests 81 00:03:51,420 --> 00:03:54,060 Michael Thompson: and writing scripts for that and just alternating, squeezing it 82 00:03:54,060 --> 00:03:57,000 Michael Thompson: in wherever you can. And the thing about writing a 83 00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:58,830 Michael Thompson: book is that you can kind of do it anywhere 84 00:03:58,980 --> 00:04:01,320 Michael Thompson: at any time as long as you got your laptop 85 00:04:01,620 --> 00:04:04,230 Michael Thompson: there. So I wrote all over the place. I wrote 86 00:04:04,590 --> 00:04:07,470 Michael Thompson: in the car with the kids and Sian would drive. 87 00:04:07,860 --> 00:04:09,750 Michael Thompson: We'd be driving to Canberra, for example, and I would 88 00:04:09,750 --> 00:04:12,210 Michael Thompson: just be sitting in the passenger seat writing. Most of 89 00:04:12,210 --> 00:04:14,309 Michael Thompson: that was edited out because it was complete rubbish because 90 00:04:14,310 --> 00:04:15,840 Michael Thompson: it's hard to write with kids in the car. 91 00:04:15,990 --> 00:04:17,250 Sean Aylmer: And great for conversation ... 92 00:04:17,670 --> 00:04:17,820 Michael Thompson: Oh yeah. 93 00:04:17,820 --> 00:04:18,750 Sean Aylmer: ... The kids in the car. 94 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:23,159 Michael Thompson: I actually think Sian probably preferred it because I wasn't talking. I wasn't 95 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:25,500 Michael Thompson: contributing to anything. And so she actually actually got some peace 96 00:04:25,500 --> 00:04:26,430 Michael Thompson: and quiet for a little while. 97 00:04:27,420 --> 00:04:31,230 Sean Aylmer: Perhaps. Okay. So I don't want to go too much into the book. I'm about halfway 98 00:04:31,230 --> 00:04:33,240 Sean Aylmer: through it Michael. I've got to say delighted that there's 99 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:36,000 Sean Aylmer: a character called Sean in it, I think, because thus 100 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,969 Sean Aylmer: far Sean's been okay, but I'm not so sure Where'd 101 00:04:38,970 --> 00:04:41,219 Sean Aylmer: the idea come from? And I mean, maybe you should 102 00:04:41,250 --> 00:04:44,700 Sean Aylmer: give the listeners a thumbnail of what it's about. It's very 103 00:04:44,700 --> 00:04:46,080 Sean Aylmer: difficult to describe, to be honest. 104 00:04:46,170 --> 00:04:49,469 Michael Thompson: Yeah, so it's basically, it's about a young man named 105 00:04:49,529 --> 00:04:52,950 Michael Thompson: Tommy. And so every year on the same day, he's 106 00:04:52,950 --> 00:04:56,190 Michael Thompson: basically forgotten by everybody who knows him. So his family, 107 00:04:56,190 --> 00:05:00,299 Michael Thompson: his friends, everyone who has known him, has loved him, 108 00:05:00,300 --> 00:05:02,640 Michael Thompson: et cetera, just forgets that he exists. So he is 109 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:05,219 Michael Thompson: essentially a stranger to them. And so the book is 110 00:05:05,220 --> 00:05:09,060 Michael Thompson: the story of him trying to forge a life for 111 00:05:09,060 --> 00:05:11,910 Michael Thompson: himself, to have pretty much what everyone else has and 112 00:05:11,910 --> 00:05:14,279 Michael Thompson: takes for granted: a relationship, a job, that kind of 113 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:17,580 Michael Thompson: thing, but more so to find a way to be 114 00:05:17,580 --> 00:05:20,100 Michael Thompson: remembered, hence the title of the book, to leave a 115 00:05:20,100 --> 00:05:21,330 Michael Thompson: legacy, that kind of thing. 116 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:24,240 Sean Aylmer: Where in your mind did that come from? 117 00:05:24,540 --> 00:05:27,029 Michael Thompson: Well, actually I was thinking about of all things, social 118 00:05:27,029 --> 00:05:30,419 Michael Thompson: media, and thinking about how once you have a digital 119 00:05:30,420 --> 00:05:33,210 Michael Thompson: footprint, you are never getting rid of it. And so 120 00:05:33,210 --> 00:05:36,270 Michael Thompson: you have people who put things out online that they 121 00:05:36,270 --> 00:05:39,240 Michael Thompson: will later regret. But once it's out there, it is out there forever 122 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:41,940 Michael Thompson: and that can be held against you a long way 123 00:05:41,940 --> 00:05:44,159 Michael Thompson: in the future. And I was thinking, oh, there would 124 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:46,140 Michael Thompson: be, surely there'd be people who would just love to 125 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:49,890 Michael Thompson: be forgotten, to just have their kind of digital footprint 126 00:05:49,980 --> 00:05:51,929 Michael Thompson: wiped. And there are kind of laws elsewhere in the 127 00:05:51,930 --> 00:05:54,600 Michael Thompson: world with that right to be forgotten. But I thought, 128 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:56,460 Michael Thompson: well, what if it was the other way around? And 129 00:05:56,460 --> 00:05:59,760 Michael Thompson: what if somebody just wanted to be remembered and there 130 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:01,890 Michael Thompson: was something that was preventing them from being remembered? And it 131 00:06:01,890 --> 00:06:04,440 Michael Thompson: just took off from there. It was a bit of a strange 132 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:06,510 Michael Thompson: leap to go from one to the other, but that's 133 00:06:06,510 --> 00:06:07,620 Michael Thompson: kind of where it went. 134 00:06:08,190 --> 00:06:11,130 Sean Aylmer: It's a great read. I've been reading it at night 135 00:06:11,130 --> 00:06:12,930 Sean Aylmer: and I normally go straight to sleep after a page 136 00:06:12,930 --> 00:06:15,000 Sean Aylmer: or two, and I'm actually doing chapters at a time, 137 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:16,171 Sean Aylmer: Michael. So that's the ultimate compliment here. 138 00:06:16,171 --> 00:06:18,989 Michael Thompson: That is a fantastic compliment. I'm going to take that as 139 00:06:18,990 --> 00:06:21,539 Michael Thompson: a review, " I read more than a few pages of 140 00:06:21,540 --> 00:06:22,440 Michael Thompson: this book." Thank you. 141 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:25,710 Sean Aylmer: That's exactly right. So once you did it, and I 142 00:06:25,710 --> 00:06:27,900 Sean Aylmer: mean, had you spoken to publishers? I mean, what's the 143 00:06:27,900 --> 00:06:29,339 Sean Aylmer: process of getting it published? 144 00:06:29,790 --> 00:06:33,750 Michael Thompson: Well, there's a few roads to publishing, but I wanted 145 00:06:33,750 --> 00:06:37,109 Michael Thompson: to go with the one that was probably actually going to be 146 00:06:37,110 --> 00:06:41,130 Michael Thompson: the most difficult, but I'm fairly stubborn as well. 147 00:06:41,130 --> 00:06:43,950 Sean Aylmer: Really? I had never noticed Michael. Go on. 148 00:06:44,339 --> 00:06:49,650 Michael Thompson: Yes, yes. I wanted to do it with a literary 149 00:06:49,650 --> 00:06:52,950 Michael Thompson: agent, which is quite difficult to find a literary agent 150 00:06:52,950 --> 00:06:56,010 Michael Thompson: to represent you. And so that was quite a long 151 00:06:56,220 --> 00:06:59,310 Michael Thompson: process. And that is where basically, if you can find 152 00:06:59,310 --> 00:07:02,070 Michael Thompson: one and you submit your book to them and they 153 00:07:02,070 --> 00:07:03,900 Michael Thompson: agree to represent you, then they will then go and 154 00:07:03,900 --> 00:07:07,500 Michael Thompson: represent you with publishers here and abroad. But this is 155 00:07:07,500 --> 00:07:09,900 Michael Thompson: the part where there is an awful lot of rejection. 156 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:12,270 Michael Thompson: And in that sense that the story is kind of 157 00:07:12,270 --> 00:07:16,740 Michael Thompson: fairly typical because I copped so many knock- backs along 158 00:07:16,740 --> 00:07:19,590 Michael Thompson: the way from trying to find an agent. I was trying in 159 00:07:19,590 --> 00:07:22,650 Michael Thompson: Australia and in the US and in the UK. And 160 00:07:22,650 --> 00:07:28,800 Michael Thompson: suddenly I found the most fabulous agent that I had 161 00:07:28,950 --> 00:07:32,310 Michael Thompson: kind of passed over the agency. And I thought, why 162 00:07:32,700 --> 00:07:35,490 Michael Thompson: have I not seen this one? It's a big agency 163 00:07:35,490 --> 00:07:37,770 Michael Thompson: based in the US. And then I found one agent and 164 00:07:37,770 --> 00:07:41,340 Michael Thompson: I thought, sounds like a perfect match for me. And 165 00:07:41,340 --> 00:07:43,950 Michael Thompson: so I submitted it to her and she loved the 166 00:07:43,950 --> 00:07:46,200 Michael Thompson: book and said I'll represent you. And then from there, 167 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:49,770 Michael Thompson: took it to publishers in Australia and submitted the book 168 00:07:49,770 --> 00:07:52,980 Michael Thompson: to those publishers. And it's funny, you have so many 169 00:07:52,980 --> 00:07:55,470 Michael Thompson: rejections leading up to that point. And then all of 170 00:07:55,470 --> 00:07:59,489 Michael Thompson: a sudden there were multiple publishers that all wanted the 171 00:07:59,490 --> 00:08:03,510 Michael Thompson: book. And there was actually an auction then for the 172 00:08:03,510 --> 00:08:06,270 Michael Thompson: rights to publish the book in Australia and New Zealand. 173 00:08:06,750 --> 00:08:10,350 Michael Thompson: And then Catherine, my agent, took the book to the 174 00:08:10,350 --> 00:08:13,650 Michael Thompson: States and sold it there as well. So it'll come 175 00:08:13,650 --> 00:08:17,520 Michael Thompson: out in the end of June with Sourcebooks in the 176 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:20,160 Michael Thompson: US and also in the UK. And now in the 177 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:23,820 Michael Thompson: last few weeks we started selling the translation rights. And 178 00:08:23,820 --> 00:08:25,860 Michael Thompson: so now How to be Remembered is going to be 179 00:08:26,100 --> 00:08:31,500 Michael Thompson: translated into German and into Italian and into Czech. And 180 00:08:31,830 --> 00:08:34,740 Michael Thompson: there would likely be more that follow on from there 181 00:08:35,010 --> 00:08:36,750 Michael Thompson: now that we're reaching that point where the book is 182 00:08:36,750 --> 00:08:37,710 Michael Thompson: hitting the shelves today. 183 00:08:38,340 --> 00:08:40,290 Sean Aylmer: Stay with me, Mike and we'll be back in a 184 00:08:40,290 --> 00:08:48,929 Sean Aylmer: minute. I'm talking today to my Fear and Greed colleague, 185 00:08:48,929 --> 00:08:52,170 Sean Aylmer: Michael Thompson, the author of How to Be Remembered. It's 186 00:08:52,170 --> 00:08:56,070 Sean Aylmer: spectacularly successful for a first novel. I think the time 187 00:08:56,070 --> 00:08:58,559 Sean Aylmer: that I saw you most excited throughout this whole process 188 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:01,320 Sean Aylmer: was, I mean, it was probably actually getting a publisher 189 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:04,500 Sean Aylmer: on board, but apart from that, you'd get in touch 190 00:09:04,500 --> 00:09:06,750 Sean Aylmer: with myself and Adam Lang, our colleague here at Fear 191 00:09:06,750 --> 00:09:09,090 Sean Aylmer: and Greed. And you'd say you wouldn't believe it. They're 192 00:09:09,090 --> 00:09:11,460 Sean Aylmer: talking about making a movie out of it. Tell us 193 00:09:11,460 --> 00:09:11,969 Sean Aylmer: about that. 194 00:09:11,970 --> 00:09:18,120 Michael Thompson: Yeah, it is still exciting now. This was six months or 195 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:22,620 Michael Thompson: so in advance of the book even being published. All 196 00:09:22,620 --> 00:09:26,520 Michael Thompson: of a sudden there was film interest being mentioned and 197 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:30,090 Michael Thompson: there were a few different production companies, film production companies, 198 00:09:30,090 --> 00:09:32,189 Michael Thompson: in the states that were again, all interested in it. 199 00:09:32,190 --> 00:09:35,070 Michael Thompson: And so here I was sitting in my little home 200 00:09:35,070 --> 00:09:37,920 Michael Thompson: office in the Sutherland Shire in Sydney. 201 00:09:38,070 --> 00:09:39,300 Sean Aylmer: Center of the Universe. 202 00:09:39,510 --> 00:09:41,699 Michael Thompson: Yeah. Well, for me, it's the center of my universe. 203 00:09:41,970 --> 00:09:45,150 Michael Thompson: I don't particularly like leaving home and I'm having Zoom 204 00:09:45,150 --> 00:09:48,750 Michael Thompson: calls with film producers in the States and they're all 205 00:09:48,750 --> 00:09:50,819 Michael Thompson: kind of saying, " Oh, we love the book. This is 206 00:09:50,820 --> 00:09:52,650 Michael Thompson: what we would like to do with it." This is 207 00:09:52,650 --> 00:09:58,380 Michael Thompson: extraordinary. And then the rights sold. And so at some 208 00:09:58,380 --> 00:10:02,250 Michael Thompson: point in the future we may see a movie being 209 00:10:02,250 --> 00:10:04,469 Michael Thompson: made out of How to be Remembered, which I just 210 00:10:04,470 --> 00:10:08,400 Michael Thompson: find remarkable because the book itself hadn't even hit the 211 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:12,240 Michael Thompson: shelves. It hadn't even been finished. We were still on 212 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:14,520 Michael Thompson: a fourth draft at that point. It hadn't even been 213 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:18,329 Michael Thompson: kind of finalized. And so the way the momentum builds 214 00:10:18,330 --> 00:10:21,449 Michael Thompson: behind these things, the whole thing just played out like 215 00:10:22,470 --> 00:10:24,059 Michael Thompson: I was watching a TV show or like I was 216 00:10:24,059 --> 00:10:29,790 Michael Thompson: watching a movie. These things that I never actually suspected or 217 00:10:29,790 --> 00:10:32,729 Michael Thompson: expected could happen. And they were suddenly happening and I'm 218 00:10:32,730 --> 00:10:34,560 Michael Thompson: like, this is bizarre. 219 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:38,160 Sean Aylmer: What a wild ride. Has it been fun or scary 220 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:38,670 Sean Aylmer: or what? 221 00:10:39,450 --> 00:10:41,189 Michael Thompson: It has been fun. It has been fun. And I 222 00:10:41,190 --> 00:10:45,930 Michael Thompson: think because when I set out to write it, I 223 00:10:46,140 --> 00:10:47,550 Michael Thompson: didn't know whether I was going to be able to 224 00:10:47,550 --> 00:10:50,040 Michael Thompson: do it because I had only written those really kind 225 00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:53,550 Michael Thompson: of short form things before. And it had all been factual. 226 00:10:53,550 --> 00:10:56,700 Michael Thompson: I mean, you are trying to relay facts exactly as 227 00:10:56,700 --> 00:10:59,910 Michael Thompson: they occur. And there's no opinion, there's no nothing in there. It 228 00:11:00,030 --> 00:11:02,429 Michael Thompson: is just the bare facts and you're trying to convey 229 00:11:02,429 --> 00:11:04,950 Michael Thompson: the maximum amount of information in the fewest words you 230 00:11:04,950 --> 00:11:08,370 Michael Thompson: can. And so here I was then trying to take 231 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:10,800 Michael Thompson: an idea that existed only in my head and see 232 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:13,320 Michael Thompson: if I can actually stretch this out to actually fill, 233 00:11:13,679 --> 00:11:15,570 Michael Thompson: instead of a quarter of a page, I'm trying to 234 00:11:15,570 --> 00:11:21,209 Michael Thompson: fill say 350 odd pages. And the fact that it 235 00:11:21,210 --> 00:11:23,100 Michael Thompson: was working and as I was writing, I would go, 236 00:11:23,100 --> 00:11:25,590 Michael Thompson: this is actually kind of coming together as a bit 237 00:11:25,590 --> 00:11:30,270 Michael Thompson: of a story. And from that point I was just 238 00:11:30,270 --> 00:11:32,640 Michael Thompson: so determined that I would try and get it published. 239 00:11:32,670 --> 00:11:34,500 Michael Thompson: And I thought, there's so many different ways I can 240 00:11:34,500 --> 00:11:35,670 Michael Thompson: get to it, but I'm going to go for the 241 00:11:35,670 --> 00:11:37,530 Michael Thompson: one that I really want, which is going with the 242 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:41,130 Michael Thompson: literary agent, getting a publisher here, and maybe who knows, 243 00:11:41,130 --> 00:11:43,439 Michael Thompson: we could find something overseas and I'm not going to 244 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:45,960 Michael Thompson: think about movie rights because that's just too ridiculous. And 245 00:11:46,290 --> 00:11:49,380 Michael Thompson: so the whole thing has been fun because it's just 246 00:11:49,380 --> 00:11:53,610 Michael Thompson: been ticking things off this list that I'd never imagined 247 00:11:53,610 --> 00:11:54,390 Michael Thompson: could actually happen. 248 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:57,000 Sean Aylmer: Do you think you'll get a really big head as 249 00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:58,950 Sean Aylmer: a result? Will you keep talking to us on Fear 250 00:11:58,950 --> 00:11:59,400 Sean Aylmer: and Greed? 251 00:12:00,270 --> 00:12:04,110 Michael Thompson: Look, yes, but only to keep myself grounded. Yes. Yeah. 252 00:12:04,110 --> 00:12:09,330 Michael Thompson: I do need to keep myself surrounded by ordinary people. 253 00:12:09,420 --> 00:12:12,810 Sean Aylmer: Right. Thank you. That is a great compliment. But it 254 00:12:12,929 --> 00:12:15,150 Sean Aylmer: must be hard though. I mean, some of the stories 255 00:12:15,150 --> 00:12:17,640 Sean Aylmer: you would talk about talking to these agents in the 256 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:20,730 Sean Aylmer: US and they're throwing movie star names around to play 257 00:12:20,730 --> 00:12:23,700 Sean Aylmer: different characters in your book and you would get off the phone 258 00:12:23,700 --> 00:12:25,740 Sean Aylmer: and ring us and just laugh about it saying this 259 00:12:25,740 --> 00:12:27,510 Sean Aylmer: is just this surreal world out there. 260 00:12:28,260 --> 00:12:31,140 Michael Thompson: Yeah. When suddenly they're talking about, oh, directors and actors 261 00:12:31,140 --> 00:12:33,059 Michael Thompson: and things, we kind of think this person would be 262 00:12:33,059 --> 00:12:37,620 Michael Thompson: really well suited. I'm like how is this possible? This book, it's still 263 00:12:37,620 --> 00:12:41,820 Michael Thompson: not even published yet. And now that it's hitting the 264 00:12:41,820 --> 00:12:45,120 Michael Thompson: shelves today and there's reviews coming through and the reviews are 265 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:48,720 Michael Thompson: generally pretty good. Okay. All right. Now I can kind 266 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:51,750 Michael Thompson: of see that path, kind of heading towards it. And 267 00:12:51,809 --> 00:12:53,580 Michael Thompson: one of the things that one of our guests on Fear 268 00:12:53,580 --> 00:12:55,170 Michael Thompson: and Greed actually said to me a while ago, this 269 00:12:55,170 --> 00:12:58,440 Michael Thompson: was Gary Linnell, who we had spoken to, and he's 270 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:03,300 Michael Thompson: obviously a former colleague of yours, Sean and he was a 271 00:13:03,300 --> 00:13:05,940 Michael Thompson: former colleague of mine in radio as well because he 272 00:13:05,940 --> 00:13:06,810 Michael Thompson: was a presenter there. 273 00:13:06,811 --> 00:13:08,160 Sean Aylmer: And a novelist of course. 274 00:13:08,220 --> 00:13:09,720 Michael Thompson: Yeah. And then we spoke to him and he was 275 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:12,480 Michael Thompson: publishing his latest book and he said, " Michael, the main 276 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:14,910 Michael Thompson: thing you need to know is that you are going 277 00:13:14,910 --> 00:13:19,410 Michael Thompson: from radio to publishing. And the two work at very, 278 00:13:19,500 --> 00:13:23,190 Michael Thompson: very, very different speeds. Because working in radio, you're working 279 00:13:23,190 --> 00:13:25,920 Michael Thompson: to a half- hourly deadline or an hourly deadline, and 280 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:29,189 Michael Thompson: it is just constant bang, bang, bang. Publishing, you are 281 00:13:29,220 --> 00:13:31,950 Michael Thompson: talking about months and nothing might happen or it might 282 00:13:31,950 --> 00:13:35,070 Michael Thompson: look like nothing is happening for months on end. But 283 00:13:35,070 --> 00:13:38,309 Michael Thompson: in the background, these are people who are having to 284 00:13:38,309 --> 00:13:41,130 Michael Thompson: read through 100,000 words at a time and then pass 285 00:13:41,130 --> 00:13:43,320 Michael Thompson: it on to the next person. And so all of 286 00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:45,750 Michael Thompson: this stuff is happening behind the scenes." And now I'm 287 00:13:45,750 --> 00:13:47,940 Michael Thompson: just kind of seeing it all kind of unfolding in 288 00:13:47,940 --> 00:13:48,329 Michael Thompson: front of me. 289 00:13:48,750 --> 00:13:52,050 Sean Aylmer: How incredibly exciting Michael. So How to be Remembered. It's 290 00:13:52,050 --> 00:13:54,720 Sean Aylmer: available at all good bookstores I'd imagine. Would that be right? 291 00:13:54,780 --> 00:13:58,260 Michael Thompson: Yes. All good bookstores. Basically anywhere that you can buy 292 00:13:58,260 --> 00:14:00,030 Michael Thompson: a book, you should be able to get How to 293 00:14:00,030 --> 00:14:02,729 Michael Thompson: be Remembered from today. And I'll tell you, the most 294 00:14:02,730 --> 00:14:06,600 Michael Thompson: bizarre thing is actually signing books, Sean, and having to 295 00:14:07,110 --> 00:14:11,520 Michael Thompson: figure out a signature that, and it's this panic that 296 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:13,980 Michael Thompson: you start moving your pen across and go, I've forgotten 297 00:14:13,980 --> 00:14:16,050 Michael Thompson: how to write my name. So there's all kinds of 298 00:14:16,050 --> 00:14:18,239 Michael Thompson: weird creations of my name that will now kind of 299 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:20,820 Michael Thompson: be heading out in different versions. Won't even actually look 300 00:14:20,820 --> 00:14:23,520 Michael Thompson: like Michael Thompson will be like Michelle Timkins and various 301 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:24,090 Michael Thompson: other things. 302 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:27,510 Sean Aylmer: I think we should leave this chat not from you 303 00:14:27,510 --> 00:14:29,970 Sean Aylmer: or I, but from one of those critics who read 304 00:14:29,970 --> 00:14:31,860 Sean Aylmer: your book in the US and you told me the 305 00:14:31,860 --> 00:14:35,010 Sean Aylmer: other day, because it's at times it's quite dark to 306 00:14:35,010 --> 00:14:38,310 Sean Aylmer: be honest. And the critic, you'll have to remind me 307 00:14:38,310 --> 00:14:42,150 Sean Aylmer: exactly, she said something along the lines of she's never 308 00:14:42,150 --> 00:14:44,310 Sean Aylmer: read a book that she quite loves and hates as 309 00:14:44,310 --> 00:14:45,359 Sean Aylmer: much all in one go. 310 00:14:45,690 --> 00:14:48,120 Michael Thompson: Yeah, you're right, Sean. She said basically that she loved 311 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:50,040 Michael Thompson: it and almost had to put it away for a 312 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:51,810 Michael Thompson: few days at a time while she was reading it 313 00:14:51,810 --> 00:14:55,260 Michael Thompson: because she found it too confronting. And in the end, 314 00:14:55,260 --> 00:14:58,380 Michael Thompson: it is meant to be quite a hopeful book. It 315 00:14:58,380 --> 00:15:01,140 Michael Thompson: is meant to be kind of, I think it's a 316 00:15:01,140 --> 00:15:03,270 Michael Thompson: little bit kind of 51st Dates. It's a little bit kind 317 00:15:03,270 --> 00:15:07,170 Michael Thompson: of Groundhog Day. It's kind of being held up as 318 00:15:07,170 --> 00:15:09,840 Michael Thompson: a book that if you like, the Midnight Library, which 319 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:12,690 Michael Thompson: was a pretty popular, very popular book over the last 320 00:15:12,690 --> 00:15:15,720 Michael Thompson: couple of years, the Rosie Project as well, that if 321 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:17,760 Michael Thompson: you like one of those, then chances are you're going 322 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:19,140 Michael Thompson: to like How to be Remembered as well. 323 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:22,380 Sean Aylmer: Michael, do not forget us here at Fear and Greed. 324 00:15:22,380 --> 00:15:25,050 Sean Aylmer: And thank you for talking to us this morning. How 325 00:15:25,050 --> 00:15:28,500 Sean Aylmer: to Be Remembered Bookstores now. Can you now go back 326 00:15:28,500 --> 00:15:29,220 Sean Aylmer: and do your day job? 327 00:15:29,700 --> 00:15:32,370 Michael Thompson: Fear and Greed is too much fun and I'm getting 328 00:15:32,370 --> 00:15:35,670 Michael Thompson: an education on business news as we go, so you 329 00:15:35,670 --> 00:15:36,540 Michael Thompson: are not getting rid of me. 330 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:39,480 Sean Aylmer: Excellent. That was Michael Thompson, my colleague on Fear and 331 00:15:39,480 --> 00:15:42,300 Sean Aylmer: Greed, and the author of How to Be Remembered, out 332 00:15:42,300 --> 00:15:45,780 Sean Aylmer: now wherever you buy books and it's a cracker. This 333 00:15:45,780 --> 00:15:48,030 Sean Aylmer: is the Fear and Greed Daily interview. Join us every 334 00:15:48,030 --> 00:15:50,340 Sean Aylmer: morning for the full episode of Fear and Greed, Australia's 335 00:15:50,340 --> 00:15:53,580 Sean Aylmer: most popular business podcast. I'm Sean Aylmer. Enjoy your day.