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We are so happy to welcome the creative and delightful Anna Sargeant, editor at Sourcebooks, to the podcast! We talk about Anna’s journey from curriculum development to children’s books, Sourcebooks and their growth mindset, what makes for good children’s nonfiction, and how being an editor changed her approach to rejection. Plus, we talk about her … Read more
This week! Join our NEW Submission Packet Workshop to get your query and first pages optimized for today’s stressed-out agent. Learn more here: manuscriptacademy.com/product/submis…acket-workshop Have you ever wondered about the rule to not pitch agents and small presses at the same time? Or wondered how small presses treat you—versus agents? Douglas Weissman thought he was … Read more
You may have heard that today’s agent is more overwhelmed than ever: More submissions, slower response times across Publishing, and supply chain issues, to boot. What’s a writer to do? Enter our Submission Packet Workshop, which equips you to optimize your query and first five pages for the way today’s (overcaffeinated, overwhelmed) agent approaches an … Read more
In the first lockdown of 2020, Juno Dawson’s editor was expecting a YA thriller—but all she wanted to write was Desperate Housewives, with witches. We talk about organizing multiple storylines, plotting a trilogy, and the question of “At what point do you turn the card”—when do you reveal information to the reader? Plus the delightful … Read more
We are thrilled to talk with author May Cobb about planning your author financial life, working with multiple agents, writing lifelike sociopaths, and the changing trends of “likability” in characters. We loved reading My Summer Darlings—it really is the perfect summer read—and hearing about the story behind the story. May says: I grew up in … Read more
Today is a longer than usual episode—something we thought about breaking into two chunks, but—just as Jessica hates requesting a 50-page partial, getting to a cliffhanger, and having to wait for more—we figured we’d bring you everything, the full episode, all at once. This is an episode that goes deep into the dynamics between authors, … Read more
Join us for a queries and first pages panel with agent Léonicka Valcius (Transatlantic Agency). Submit your work for a chance at live feedback from our panel–plus, of course, a publishing Q&A. This event is designed to be supportive, uplifting, encouraging–and 100% introvert-friendly. (Wear pajamas! We’ll never know.) A replay will be available 15 minutes after … Read more
We love this author-agent pair! When Kimberly Brower first offered representation, she worried that, in a multiple offer situation, Jessica Payne would say no. Some authors just want a quick “It’s perfect, I’ll send it tomorrow”–but this was actually the first sign that they’d be the perfect pair. We discuss why nurses great make thriller … Read more
We are so excited to speak with bestselling author Emily Henry (Beach Read, People We Meet on Vacation) about all things character—how to make a character intense yet likable, how to make dialogue snappy yet believable—and how to make the most of an enemies-to-lovers dynamic. We also discuss over-editing, the (false!) idea that there’s a … Read more
Do you ever wonder about your author site? Are agents Googling you? Does your site show you in your best light? Have you been thinking you want a site but don’t know where to start? Do you have a site but aren’t sure if it’s the best it could be? Enter Cathy Dipierro, an experienced interactive … Read more
