Oh my goodness. We LOVE this episode with Sophie Cousens! She and her work are SO much fun—gorgeous settings, fun meet cures, quirky characters—and the escapism you need NOW. We talk about how she moved from YA sci-fi to (adult!) romantic comedies, losing confidence in your work at the 30,000 word mark—and how it’s often … Read more
For our third Book-to-Film Panel we’ve decided to delve into the Book-to-Film world–how it works, best practices, and what you can do now to improve your chances of seeing your (book’s) name in lights. Whether or not you hope your work will become a movie, this is a great way to position your work for film, … Read more
Content warning: Adult themes, childhood illness. We’ve never seen an author-agent relationship like this! Jonathan and Renée not only joke, but regularly roast each other—showing a level of comfort most can only dream of. We learn about their journey, from meet-cute (which Renée nearly forgot) to Jonathan playing hard to get (even though she was … Read more
Join us for a queries and first pages panel with literary agent Stacey Graham (3 Seas Literary). 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 … Read more
We are thrilled to have Book-To-Film producer Eric Mofford join us to answer all of our questions about elevator pitches, his favorite loglines—and why describing your work quickly is useful even if you never want to see your name in lights. We talk about how pitching works in Hollywood, why book-to-film titles are consistently strong … Read more
We loved this book! If you’re also a fan of Practical Magic, Hocus Pocus, and books both spooky and pretty, Lana’s newest work, Payback’s A Witch, is a beautiful, fun, sexy rom com for your October. We discuss how to know when you’ve written *just* enough description (and the fact that many readers don’t wan … Read more
Do you dread the “So–what’s your work about?” question? How do you answer fast enough? Will they get all the nuance? What if you just…freeze or, worse, go on for the next forty-five minutes? While it was never great etiquette to dive through the closing doors to pitch your work, having an elevator pitch can … Read more
We talk about putting language to uncomfortable encounters, “I see what you did there” moments that are streamlined and brilliant, and why you don’t need (and probably shouldn’t have) a strict schedule for yourself as a writer. We also discuss vibrant settings, happy accidents, and how Amanda became an entrepreneur. Amanda Jayatissa grew up in … Read more
Join us for a queries and first pages panel with literary agent Stephanie Winter (P.S. Literary). Submit your work for a chance at live feedback from Penny and 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 … Read more
We are so happy to welcome Janet Costa Bates, award-winning author of several titles including, most recently, the picture book Time for Bed, Old House. We talk about Impostor Syndrome, selling books with *and* without an agent, and collaborating with your creative partners (wait until you hear how well her illustrator tapped into her story). … Read more
