The Shameless Book Club

R.F. Kuang on appropriation

Aug 21, 2023

In this episode, New York Times bestselling author R.F. Kuang discusses her book Yellowface and its reflection of her experiences in the publishing industry. She shares the cathartic experience of writing from the perspective of June and updates us on her upcoming projects. The podcast also explores the challenges and frustrations of the publishing industry, the complexities of characters, and the dynamics of the book world. They also discuss discoverability in the publishing industry and announce the upcoming release of 'Catabassus', a fantasy love story set in hell.

27:58

Episode guests

R.F. Kuang

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Rebecca F. Quang reflects on the representation and complexities of the publishing industry in her book Yellowface.

Rebecca F. Quang discusses her writing process, the challenges faced by authors, and her upcoming fantasy novel Catabassus.

Deep dives

Rebecca F. Quang discusses the success and challenges of her latest book Yellowface

Rebecca F. Quang, New York Times best-selling author, reflects on the hype and feedback surrounding her book Yellowface. Despite her success, Rebecca shares how she retreats from the overwhelming attention to maintain focus and grounding. She also discusses her dual career as a writer and a PhD student at Yale, highlighting the difficulties of managing both. Rebecca opens up about the depiction of characters in Yellowface and how they reflect the nuances and complexities of the publishing industry. She sheds light on the portrayal of Athena, a successful author, and June, a struggling writer, and explores themes of representation and authenticity in the book world. Rebecca reveals her writing process for developing unhinged characters and the inspiration she draws from real-life situations. She concludes by discussing the potential for a TV adaptation of Yellowface, the challenges faced by mid-list books in the publishing industry, and her upcoming fantasy novel, Catabassus.

Introduction

2min

Challenges and Frustrations in the Publishing Industry

11min

Exploring Character Complexity and Writing from an Unhinged Perspective

6min

Intrigue, Impersonation, and the Book World

2min

Discoverability in the Publishing Industry, Sequels, and the Next Book

6min

Hello, book clubbers!

Today, we are bringing you an interview with New York Times bestselling author R.F. Kuang. At the very beginning of this month, we dropped a review episode of Rebecca’s latest and arguably buzziest book Yellowface, so this interview couldn’t have come at a better time. In this conversation, Rebecca talks about the ways the book is reflective of her own experience in the publishing industry, why writing from the perspective of June was actually kind of cathartic, and of course, she updates us on her exciting upcoming projects.

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Your host today was Sohani Goonetillake and this episode was audio produced by Annabelle Lee.

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