arts
Hosted by Cailean Steed · arts · EN
A podcast for writers about balancing the day job ... along with everything else in life. Writer and teacher Cailean Steed chats to writers about managing their careers alongside day jobs, side gigs, childcare, caring responsibilities, disabilities, finances, and everything else in life.
Required Pod Score for this podcast. PitchCentric checks your profile against host openness, topical fit, and audience signals before you generate a pitch.
Contact path
Verified email
Booking probability
18%
Guest openness
Selective
Sign up to generate a grounded pitch for Balancing the Books.
Signup to Generate a PitchA podcast for writers about balancing the day job... along with everything else in life. Writer and teacher Cailean Steed chats to writers about managing their careers alongside day jobs, side gigs, childcare, caring responsibilities, disabilities, finances, and everything else in life.
Balancing the Books is hosted by Cailean Steed. The show has published 10 episodes to date.
Recent episodes include "Episode 10 - Rebecca Ryan" (17 August 2026, 22 minutes), "Episode 9 - Isabelle Schuler" (10 August 2026, 65 minutes), and "Episode 8 - Hannah King" (3 August 2026, 52 minutes).
Balancing the Books publishes roughly weekly, with episodes averaging 56 minutes across 10 episodes.
Booking probability for Balancing the Books is 18%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. Balancing the Books requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. Balancing the Books's contact route on record: verified email.
The strongest fits for Balancing the Books are Artists, Writers & Performers. Balancing the Books has an arts audience.
Cailean Steed hosts Balancing the Books, an arts podcast with 10 episodes published.
Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.
Episode #10
Author of three funny/sad and sad/funny novels Rebecca Ryan joins Cailean to chat about juggling writing alongside multiple jobs and childcare as a single mother, the experience of being from a working-class background...
Episode #9
Cailean chats to Isabelle Schuler, author of Lady Macbethad and The House of Barbary, about getting the dream deal, going back to work after being a full-time author, and treating writing like a relationship.
Episode #8
Author of three novels and court transcriber Hannah King joins Cailean to chat about the unusual way she found her agent, writing while working full time, and how she found a community of writer friends.
Episode #7
Award-winning screenwriter and novelist Rachelle Atalla chats with Cailean about how working as a pharmacist helped her write her first novel, balancing different types of writing, and how she got into screenwriting.
Episode #6
Award-winning writer Foday Mannah joins Cailean to chat about writing alongside working full time as a teacher, using competitions to break into the publishing industry, and how to encourage a wider range of people to...
Episode #5
Award-winning author Kirsty Logan chats to Cailean about maintaining a career as a writer, navigating multiple projects, and writing alongside big life changes.
Episode #4
Observer Top 10 debut novelist Elle Machray talks to Cailean about taking the leap to writing full time, building a network, and making social media work for you.
Episode #3
Award-winning author Kirstin Innes joins Cailean to chat about managing freelance life, juggling various day jobs alongside writing, and the importance of community.
Episode #2
BAFTA award-winning screenwriter and Stonewall Book Award winner Dean Atta joins Cailean to discuss juggling multiple projects, overcoming barriers, and the importance of supporting other writers.
Episode #1
Bestselling author Lucy Rose joins Cailean to chat about managing their finances after leaving their publishing job to be a full time writer, surviving book tour as a neurodivergent person, and how they navigate social...
Episode #7
Cailean chats to writer and senior strategist Jo Callaghan, author of the award-winning Kat and Lock crime series. They discuss writing while dealing with grief, balancing a career as an author alongside a demanding...
Episode #9
Writer, editor and PhD student Elle Nash talks to Cailean about managing your time with ADHD, finding a writing community after moving countries, and dealing with 'compare and despair' as a writer.
Episode #8
Writer Chikọdịlị Emelụmadụ chats to Cailean about writing around motherhood, the importance of being a patron of the arts, and also challenges writers Heather Parry and Ben David to a duel.
Episode #7
Bestselling author and copywriter Alice Slater chats to Cailean about juggling full time work with her writing career. They discuss transitioning from shift work to a 9-5, what it's like to have a big debut, and why...
Episode #6
In this special extra-long episode, Cailean chats to literary agent Caro Clarke of Portobello Literary. They talk about the role of agents, break down contracts and author finances, and discuss the importance of...
Episode #5
Cailean chats to author, poet, journalist and musician Ammar Kalia about how he balances his working life. We discuss juggling the hustling freelance life alongside making space for creativity, how he built his career...
Episode #4
Cailean talks to Callum McSorley about balancing his writing career alongside being a stay at home dad to two young children. They chat about how Callum initially juggled a series of physically demanding jobs while in...
Episode #3
Cailean talks to writer Ben Davies about balancing his career as a children's author with his day job as a postman. We chat about managing writing alongside shift work, finding time to write around childcare, and the...
Episode #2
Cailean chats to writer and freelancer Heather Parry about managing a portfolio career, the importance of building community, and unexpected ghostwriting.
Episode #1
Imran Mahmood chats to Cailean Steed about balancing life as a writer of crime novels and television screenplays alongside his career as a barrister and being a father to two young children. We also discuss taking...
Recent guests on Balancing the Books. Study who booked and why before you pitch.
PitchCentric classifies Balancing the Books under these industries. Guests from them are the closest fit, and each links to the best podcasts in that industry.
Shows with the most semantically similar episode content. Pitch one, pitch all; producers cluster.
The Working Writer Podcast
Living The Writing Life Podcast with Nancy Christie
The Casual Author
The Casual Author
Writers at Work
Write Now with Sarah Werner
Is this podcast yours and you'd like to remove or correct details? Request removal or email privacy@pitchcentric.com.
Questions about the free trial? See the pricing FAQ