Craft from the Couch: Episode 05 | Priyanka Mattoo
Talent agent turned memoirist Priyanka Mattoo shares her best tips for debuting and explains why she thinks authors should be tacky...or at least, tackier than they currently are.
Today’s Craft from the Couch guest,
, is no stranger to the creative process. A former talent agent at the global behemoths UTA and WME, Priyanka was also Jack Black’s partner at their production company Electric Dynamite before co-founding the women-led podcast network EARIOS, where she hosted the critically acclaimed beauty and wellness podcast “Foxy Browns.” Priyanka’s filmmaking work has landed her at festivals from Sundance to Cannes, and her witty but intelligent nonfiction has appeared everywhere from the New Yorker to Vulture. An additional accomplishment, Priyanka has managed to stay funny on Twitter even as it goes down in a blaze of former glory. (Exhibit A from September 5th: “I'm always saying things like ‘should i get a PhD in neuroscience’ but like canva would be more useful.”)If you’ve read my guide to publishing, “Before and After the Book Deal” you will have met Priyanka on page 239 where she contributed to the section about film and TV options. While explaining why going on submission with packaged deals (a script that already has a buzzy showrunner, actor and producer attached) is always preferable to just sending a script, in her trademark candidness, Priyanka noted, “I’d rather call a producer and say, ‘I have a project and Danny Boyle wants to direct it,"‘ then, ‘I have a Word document coming your way!”
Down-to-earth but sophisticated (Priyanka speaks multiple languages, has a degree in both Italian and the freaking law, and has lived in thirty-two places in the last forty years), one of the most charming things about Priyanka is her seeming inability to lie. Despite her professional experience, in our interview, Priyanka admits that she had no idea what to expect from her debut publication.
Acquired by Knopf and published in hardcover on June 18th of 2024, Priyanka’s memoir-in-essays Bird Milk + Mosquito Bones begins with a home—she was born in a wooden house in the Kashmir region of the Himalayas—and continues with a home removed. In 1989, Priyanka’s family had to flee Kashmir because of mounting violence that ended up destroying Priyanka’s house and the community around it. Readers travel with Priyanka to Srinagar then Saudi Arabia, England, Michigan and finally, LA on a journey that is one of wayfinding as well as self-discovery. “The magic of Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones,” writes author Jami Attenberg, “is that it takes us all over the world but always feels like it could be happening right next door.”
I think you’ll find this special blend of accessibility and sparkling intelligence on display during my chat with Priyanka about the debut author experience. What most surprised her about the publication of her first book? What efforts was she proud of, and what would she do differently? And—equally importantly—why does Priyanka Mattoo think that authors should be tacky?
Watch the interview to find out! And don’t forget that every Craft from the Couch talk comes with a giveaway of the featured author’s book. More about that after our discussion—and while I have you, make sure to follow Priyanka at her own Substack, “The Multitude” where she writes about the creative process and the art of being human.
Priyanka Mattoo on debuting 101:
Giveaway details:
Paid subscribers can enter to win the Craft from the Couch book giveaway by typing the special giveaway phrase from the video into the comments below. A few guidelines:
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Want more Craft from the Couch? Check out our recent episodes!
Marie-Helene Bertino (BEAUTYLAND) on: Voice
Chloe Caldwell (WOMEN) on: Reprints
M.L. Rio (IF WE WERE VILLAINS) on: Deadlines
Lauren Hough (LEAVING ISN’T THE HARDEST THING) on: Dogs
Stay tuned for more! Our next guest will be Isle McElroy (PEOPLE COLLIDE) on temporary communities.
Speaking of communities—thank you, as always—for being here. I’ll see some of you tonight in my “Making Memoir Work” class at 7pm EST—I’m really looking forward to it!
xoxo
Courtney
I LOVED this book! I listened to her read it last month while gardening and love how deftly and interestingly Priyanka interwove her stories, a really intriguing take on memoir. Highly recommended!
Really appreciated this conversation, Courtney, especially Priyanka’s emphasis on taking charge of the post-pub experience.