From 42 Rejections to a Debut Deal – Niloufar Lamakan’s Story

Niloufar Lamakan on Persistence, Late Starts, and Age-Positive Fiction

My guest this week is debut novelist Niloufar Lamakan, whose rom-com Aged to Perfection celebrates older protagonists and smashes stereotypes about women over 60. We talk about Niloufar’s unexpected path into writing via a creative writing course, the determination it took to push through 42 rejections before landing a publishing deal, and why comedy needs emotional depth to really connect. She also shares candid insights into book promotion, event mishaps, and how every small audience can be valuable training for bigger stages.

Niloufar opens up about the steepest parts of her writing learning curve, why she enjoys editing as much as first drafting, and her belief that it’s never too late to start writing – as long as you’re prepared for the possibility of failure and the joy of surprising yourself along the way.

Find Aged to Perfection in all the usual places, including Kindle Unlimited. 

Learn more at niloufarlamakan.com and sign up for her newsletter.

Self-Publishing Support

If you're working on a book of your own and want help navigating the publishing process, check out my Complete Self-Publishing Package at wkwproductions.co.uk/selfpublishing. From ISBN registration to formatting and upload support, I’ll help you get your book out into the world – professionally and stress-free.

Thanks for listening to The Write Place Podcast.
Happy writing – and I’ll see you next time!