Podcast: Terry Fallis on how giving work away for free can be profitable

In this week's podcast, we hear from Terry Fallis, a former political strategist turned satirical novelist. After spending more than 20 years in the vicinity of Parliament Hill,

Terry decided to put his insider knowledge to use and wrote The Best Laid Plans, the tale of a worn-out political strategist whose brilliant plan — to manage an unwinnable political campaign — backfires when the no-hope candidate begins to gain in popularity.

Getting the novel published turned out to be much harder than writing it. The manuscript was turned down by agent after agent and publisher after publisher. Instead of giving up, Terry looked to alternative methods of getting the story out. He began to release his book as an audio podcast, chapter by chapter, and garnered enough of a following that he decided to self-publish his effort in 2007.

What happened next is every self-published writer's dream. The Best Laid Plans was nominated for (and eventually won) the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour in 2008. The publishers who rejected him previously were looking at him with new interest. He quickly landed an agent and a book deal with McClelland & Stewart.

Terry's latest effort, The High Road, can be found in bookstores everywhere this month, thanks to traditional editorial, marketing and publicity support. And Terry is enjoying his newfound recognition as an award-winning author.

In the podcast, find out why he loves John Irving, Robertson Davies and Mordecai Richler and hear about the memorable evening he spent with the late Paul Quarrington. Terry also muses on how technology has affected the way he reads (he loves his iPad), writes (he loves his computer) and connects with readers (he loves his social media), and much more. You'll quickly learn why Terry's podcast of The Best Laid Plans became so popular — he's perceptive and funny and his voice is silky smooth.