From Editor to Writer with Phoebe Morgan

From Editor to Writer with Phoebe Morgan

From The Tortured Writers Podcast by Urban Podcasts

December 12, 2025 · 45 min · Season 1 · Episode 6

About this episode

Phoebe Morgan discusses the challenges and insights of being both an editor and a writer in the publishing industry.

What if the thing we struggle with most as writers… is exactly what editors struggle with too? In this episode, I am joined by Phoebe Morgan, Executive Publisher for Commercial Fiction at Simon & Schuster UK and bestselling author of five novels. We talk openly about everything from hook-driven fiction to the reality of acquisitions, the trends dominating the industry right now, and what it really feels like to write your own books while editing others for a living. Along the way, I also answer your brilliant questions from how to navigate genres to building a vivid sense of place and we hear from fellow tortured writers about cats on keyboards, chronic rabbit-hole researching, and writer’s block that feels more like “writer’s constipation.” What We Explore - The Truth About Being an Editor-Writer : I ask Phoebe how she balances editing bestselling commercial fiction with writing her own novels and whether she can ever truly switch off that editorial brain. - What Editors Actually Look For : We break down hooks, voice, market trends, and why some genres catch fire while others require a big marketing push to find readers. - Separating Drafting From Editing : Phoebe shares why…

People in this episode

Guest: Phoebe Morgan

Topics covered

  • editorial process
  • writing
  • commercial fiction
  • industry trends
  • writer's block

Keywords

  • hook-driven fiction
  • acquisitions
  • market trends
  • drafting
  • editing

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Substack, Simon & Schuster

Books & works: @cheshirenovelprize

More episodes of The Tortured Writers Podcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Tortured Writers Podcast podcast page.