MSWL Admin We are so proud of writer Robyn Ryle! She’s the first person to get feedback twice from our feedback panels—and by the time she’d incorporated the feedback from the first panel, the second panel was blown away by her revision, her stakes, and her quick turnaround. We go over versions one and two, talk about … Read more
Feeling stuck? Need some good energy? Or just considering a turning point in your work–or your life? Join Thalia Elie, our resident good vibes expert, for a workshop on how setting can lead to a turning point–and turning points lead to inspiration. This class will open you up to thinking of new ways to use conflict, … Read more
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
