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
Samantha Wekstein, agent at Writers House, was generous enough to join us for a #TenQueries episode. We chat with her about how she got into publishing (she worked with Jessica first!), some amazing things she’s created along the way–and how this shapes what she looks for. Then we asked her to go through her queries … Read more
Andrea Somberg: I met Marjorie Herrera Lewis through MSWL, and within minutes of talking to her, I couldn’t wait to read her novel, When the Men Were Gone. It was based on the true story of Tylene Wilson, a woman who became one of the first female football coaches in Texas during World War II, in spite … Read more
We speak with agent John M. Cusick of Folio Literary Management about great first lines, what they can do for your work–and how they can make a good first impression that will stick with your reader, whether in a bookstore or in the slush pile. How do you know if you’ve done enough research–or if … Read more
