We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Caroline Young. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Caroline below.

Caroline, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you signed with an agent or manager? Why or why not?

I signed up with my agent, Isabel Atherton, of Creative Authors in 2020, and she’s really helped my career to thrive. While I’d had book deals before, where I represented myself, I really wanted to find an agent I could connect with, who would help me achieve more success and reach new publishers.
It was during lockdown, and I had much more time to focus on some new ideas, and so I sent Isabel my proposal for Crazy Old Ladies: The Story of Hag Horror, and she was intrigued by it, as she enjoys subversive pop culture, and she agreed to take me on. I think the type of books I write, which offer an accessible look at fashion, film and pop culture, also appealed to her. We gelled together, and also have the same work ethic! And I’ve realised the value of having an agent when it comes to understanding contracts, and negotiating advances, as it’s a complicated world.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a writer from Edinburgh, Scotland, and I specialise in books on film, fashion and pop culture. I’ve been an author since 2012, when my first book, Classic Hollywood Style, was published, Like all my books, it was a labour of love, and follow-up books include Style Tribes: The Fashion of Subcultures, Living with Coco Chanel, Hitchcock’s Heroines, Roman Holiday: The Story of Hollywood in Rome, The Colour of Fashion, and FashionQuake. I’m really proud of my most recent book, Crazy Old Ladies: The Story of Hag Horror, as it not only explores a subgenre of horror movies which cast icons of the silver screen, but also explores how women are treated by society as they age. It’s been nominated for a Rondo Award and for a Theatre Library Association Book Award.
One of the complements I’ve received from readers are that I find a way to make a subject interesting for people who might not think it would be!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I think many people on a creative journey find that they often have to prove that what they are doing is worthwhile. There will be many people who say you can’t do it, or question how you are going to achieve what you want – but I think if you are really focused you’ll get there in the end. And proving people wrong is also a great motivation

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

As a writer, there’s nothing more pleasing than seeing my book, on a shelf in a bookshop – it’s quite surreal to see the finished product out there, and hopefully being enjoyed. I enjoy the whole process of creating a book. It’s thrilling from the moment the book deal is signed, to going back and forth with the editor and seeing the final pages. I also love receiving comments on Instagram or emails from people saying they enjoyed my book – I feel really grateful that people have taken the time to reach out.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.carolinejyoung.com
• Instagram: @carolinejillyoung
• Twitter: @caroline79