Is there a formula for success? What do you do when “A new twist on something familiar” starts to feel overly simplistic? Enter editor Ivan Taurisano, editor at Abrams, who works from the opposite direction of most editors: he can think of a concept that’s marketable, then put together the team to make it happen. … Read more
We love Bonnie Jo Pierson. Not only is she a Manuscript Academy alum and a published author, she’s a member of a 20-person writing group—and an expert on knowing what feedback to take, what to ignore, and how to tell the difference. After 17 years of writing, her novel is ready—and we talk about keeping … Read more
Today is a special live recording of the Manuscript Academy podcast! In front of Manuscript Academy members, Jessica and Julie are joined by faculty member and Macmillan editor Christina Lopez in another installment of our Mystery Agent/Editor segment. Listen in as Christina critiques writer Karissa Riffel’s YA horror query and first page, and answers all … Read more
Have you ever been tempted to say “My book is for everyone”? We get it! It sounds like the perfect way to convince an agent your book is a slam dunk bestseller–right? Wrong. Realistically, no book is for everyone–and this is a great thing. We’re happy to join Emma Peters, editor at W.W. Norton, to … Read more
We are so excited to welcome math teacher Ben Orlin to the podcast! Ben Orlin is a math teacher who can’t draw. His book Math with Bad Drawings (2018) has sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide, and has since been followed by Change is the Only Constant (2019), Math Games with Bad Drawings (2022), and … Read more
We are so happy to welcome Nour Sallam, agent at P.S. Literary, to the podcast! We discuss: *How agents should advocate for clients from signing to offers to contracts to publication and beyond *Why messy characters and their interiority are often the one thing missing from your work *Why we should experience empathy for your … Read more
We are so pleased to welcome agent Erica Bauman from Aevitas Creative Management to the podcast! We discuss: *How to make your work more atmospheric *Where to place emphasis when writing between genres *Balancing keeping the reader in their heads vs. their senses *When the genre of our world gets closer to dystopia, how does … Read more
Debut author Kristy Jackson joins Julie and Jessica to talk about her new middle grade book, MORTIFIED, now out in bookstores everywhere! From embarrassing middle school moments to querying hiccups, Kristy talks about her 20+ year-long writing journey, how she found the right agent for her, and how perseverance made all the different to achieving … Read more
In the first installment of the Manuscript Academy Book Club, we have Liv Constantine, the pen name for internationally bestselling sister duo Lynne and Valerie Constantine! Joined by Jessica, Julie, and the Manuscript Academy community, Valerie and Lynne answer your questions about how to collaborate and edit as a team, how to get the best … Read more
We are thrilled to introduce our very own Julie Kingsley’s debut novel! It’s called The Space Between You and Me and came out this week! “That summer, I finally grew into myself. The problem? I grew too fast. And fruit that grows too fast often bursts in the sunshine.” With her agent Lane Heymont (Tobias … Read more
We are thrilled to introduce our very own Julie Kingsley’s debut novel! It’s called The Space Between You and Me and came out this week! “That summer, I finally grew into myself. The problem? I grew too fast. And fruit that grows too fast often bursts in the sunshine.” With her agent Lane Heymont (Tobias … Read more
Content Warning: This podcast discusses suicide, grief, and loss. Pam O’Hara’s beautiful writing captivated our expert audience during a recent Manuscript Academy panel, so much so that it was picked for our 2024 MSWL Agent Choice Awards. Pam joins Jessica and Julie to speak about her stunning memoir about love, loss, and losing a loved … Read more
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Soundcloud. Please note: This episode contains mentions of alcoholism, recovery, and sobriety. We are so happy to welcome author Jessica Guerrieri and agent Ismita Hussain (Great Dog Literary) to the podcast. They’re a great example of what to look for in an author-agent relationship–they’re creative, collaborative, supportive, and successful … Read more
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Soundcloud. We are thrilled to introduce Ali McLafferty, author, teacher, and most recent winner of the as-yet-untitled (Manuscript) Academy Awards. Ali was nominated by agent Melissa Edwards (Stonesong Literary) for this gorgeous fantasy novel that brings up a lot of issues in our world as well. We discuss how … Read more
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Soundcloud. You may remember Julia Alexandra from our episode in the fall when we went over three query versions with her (good, better, best): Well, she now has an agent! Ellen Goff (HG Literary) joins us with Julia to discuss balancing plot, character, and world–if your fantasy novel will … Read more
Listen on Soundcloud, Spotify & Apple Podcasts. Curious about how we started? Listen to our 10th Anniversary Episode here. We had the best time with this panel! Many thanks to our amazing panelists, and to our Manuscript Academy members for the queries, questions, and kindness. Vote for YOUR genre (or age group) for the next … Read more
For MSWL’s 10th anniversary (we know! We can’t believe it either!) we’ve invited KK Hendin, co-founder, who made us legit within four minutes of the first tweet. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, or Spotify. ***Did you catch our #MSWL Live Agent Panel? Four agents, two query critiques, one exercise, and one awesome prize. Tune in … Read more
We’re so happy you’re here! #MSWL, ManuscriptWishList.com, and our other resources exist to make agents more accessible, research more convenient, and the whole process more human. Here are some guides to get started: Main guide to searching for agents: http://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/the-comprehensive-search-and-query-guide/. We suggest you make a list of possible agents, then look at each agency website for their latest guidelines. For … Read more
Welcome to the newest arm of Manuscript Wish List®: The Manuscript Academy. The Academy exists for writers who want the best aspects of a conference–the classes, the direct access to experts, the networking, and the personalized critiques–delivered right to you, without paying for flights, hotels, or travel. Our model is different: You can learn on … Read more
Have you ever wondered why Publishing seems to take so much longer than any other industry? We posed this question to agent Stefanie Molina, Ladderbird Literary–and discuss what it means for agents, editors, and – most of all – writers. Want to talk about your work with Stefanie? Schedule a time here: manuscriptacademy.com/faculty-member…tefanie-molina We discuss: Current Trends … Read more
We are so happy to welcome Liv Ivanov, agent at Creative Media Agency, to the podcast! In this episode, we talk about making your work more addictive (we can all dream of the “I read it in one sitting” agent response!) through: *Effective pacing*Structure*Tension*Symmetry *The MICE Quotient And more! Liv shares her insights on avoiding excessive … Read more
How do you make your work more commercial–and why is commercial the trend right now? Join agent Alyssa Jennette (Stonesong Literary) as we talk about: 1) Why is commercial trending right now? 2) What can ALL genres (including literary) do to appeal to readers in this moment? 3) Why you should focus revision efforts on … Read more
