MSWL Admin Ever wish you could attend a first pages panel–from home? Tomorrow, you can do exactly that. Danielle Chiotti of Upstart Crow literary will be going over YOUR first pages–while talking about the universal lessons in each that keep an agent reading. We’ll also do a Q&A and live podcast recording. The event begins at 8:30pm … Read more
Ever wonder what happens when you meet with an agent? Two very generous people–Danielle Chiotti, agent, and Kayla King, writer–let us listen in on their consultation. In this episode, Danielle reacts to Kayla’s page in the moment, asks for clarification, and comes up with solutions on the spot to make Kayla’s page (even) stronger. … Read more
When we talk about structure, we’re talking about the narrative framework of your story. The bones of the house. The foundation upon which those bones rest. Without these, you have no house. You wouldn’t try to put a roof or hang drywall on, well, nothing, right? If you’re missing a support beam, the house becomes … Read more
Wendy Heard Intro: One hazard of being an author with art degree is that people ask me why I don’t design my own book covers. Through gritted teeth, I always try to explain how specialized a skill book cover design is and how utterly unqualified I am to do it with my decade-old degree in … Read more
By Zabé Ellor Participating in a Twitter pitch conference is a great option to get your work in front of agents and editors. Though cold querying is how the vast majority of authors find representation, participating in a pitch contest is a fun opportunity to give your work visibility and hone your pitching skills. As … Read more
by Kip Wilson Forget the misconception that YA historical books are boring. Today’s historicals bring teenagers to life on the page—with all of their passion, impulsivity, and quirkiness. YA historical novels published these days focus on protagonists who are relatable to teens today, with stories every bit as compelling as those in contemporary or fantasy … Read more
by Melissa Richeson, agent at Apokedak Literary Agency Wouldn’t it be great if some magic potion existed which was guaranteed to land a publishing deal? It’s tempting to imagine…5 conferences + 7 query revisions + 25 submissions and POOF! A contract appears! Unfortunately, that’s the stuff of publishing fiction, right? Absolutely…kinda. Every author’s story is different, … Read more
We know, we know, we get super excited every time we upload a video of our faculty members, but OH MY GOSH does Dawn say amazing things. Go check out these free, educational clips: Is all publicity good publicity? How to present your top three selling points when pitching your work The role of your agent and … Read more
We are so excited to congratulate author Mike Chen and agent Eric Smith on the release of the beautiful, moving novel HERE AND NOW AND THEN with Harlequin MIRA. Mike has been our friend for years and even built the version of ManuscriptWishList.com that you see now. Eric Smith is an agent at P.S. Literary, and a … Read more
This Pep Talk In Your Pocket was made with the generous contributions of writers just like you. We hope this will give you some cheer when your family asks, “So–are you still writing?” Explaining the writing life to your family can be hard, especially during the holidays. So when they start asking you why … Read more
