Welcome new friends! There are a lot of new faces around here and I wanted to thank you for subscribing as well as give you a tour of the grounds. There’s lots of information to discover and much more to come.
The sidebar on the homepage is full of posts on oft-requested topics: query letters, finding an agent, contracts, book proposals, author life.
Here’s another list of popular topics, for your perusal!
Let’s pretend you’re a writer just starting out on the agent and publishing journey. You’ll want to start here:
If you’re a new paid subscriber, thank you! Check out the Fifty Queries Club and if you have a question for Q&A Thursday, just respond to any Thursday email and ask away!
NOW, let’s have a thread. We haven’t done that in a while. Let me know what you want to know. Let me know what you’re hoping for—writing and publishing wise—for 2022. Let me know what you’re reading! Ask your fellow readers about their favorite post!
These newsletters are incredible. Thank you so much for all the resources and all the pep-talks. I have to smile a lot as I read your words of recognition - yes, I want it to be easy; I want an agent/publisher just to recognize how great my book is and voila! it'll be published - easy peasy. I'm 54 still slogging away at this, constantly debating whether to quit. But seriously, your newsletters make me feel less like a loser, less like giving up - having a sense of humour about it all. I will become a paid subscriber - your wisdom is cheaper than therapy! Thank you.
I’m curious to hear everyone’s thoughts on the relationship between reading and writing. Do you read mostly within or outside of the genre you write in? How has writing changed your relationship with reading? Do you read less when you’re writing a lot and vice versa?
Hi Kate! I just subscribed to your newsletter and I'm so excited. It seems like it'll be a great resource--so thank you in advance for what I'm sure will be lots of wisdom. I'm not at the point where I'm ready to query, but I'm hoping that in the next year or so, I will be. I am interested in writing a range of things (from memoir to lit fic to science fiction/fantasy to short story) and I was wondering if, when I do get to the point of querying, will I be looking for an agent who can represent all my various interests/genres or would I want to have different agents? Is it common for writers to have more than one agent? Thanks!
I stopped working on of my novel (draft 3) during the summer when I started interviewing for jobs. Now I'm trying to navigate my new job, sitting long hours at the computer (besides planning a move across the ocean) and it's honestly exhausting ...so I find it hard to start writing again. Do you have any advice on how to get back into the groove without burning myself out to death?
Also, thank you for this newsletter! Every time it pops in my inbox it's giving me a much-needed reminder that I once used to be busy writing a book.
First of all: thanks for sharing so much insider knowledge with the rest of us! Your newsletter has been such a great way to learn and connect with the writing world, especially as someone with a corporate career. I loved your "Five Years and Six Drafts" post, especially as a writer nearing 40(!) who has *twice* come painfully close to selling a novel. In 2022, I'll be making attempt number 3, so more stories about perseverance and endurance are always appreciated!
These newsletters are incredible. Thank you so much for all the resources and all the pep-talks. I have to smile a lot as I read your words of recognition - yes, I want it to be easy; I want an agent/publisher just to recognize how great my book is and voila! it'll be published - easy peasy. I'm 54 still slogging away at this, constantly debating whether to quit. But seriously, your newsletters make me feel less like a loser, less like giving up - having a sense of humour about it all. I will become a paid subscriber - your wisdom is cheaper than therapy! Thank you.
I’m curious to hear everyone’s thoughts on the relationship between reading and writing. Do you read mostly within or outside of the genre you write in? How has writing changed your relationship with reading? Do you read less when you’re writing a lot and vice versa?
Hi Kate! I just subscribed to your newsletter and I'm so excited. It seems like it'll be a great resource--so thank you in advance for what I'm sure will be lots of wisdom. I'm not at the point where I'm ready to query, but I'm hoping that in the next year or so, I will be. I am interested in writing a range of things (from memoir to lit fic to science fiction/fantasy to short story) and I was wondering if, when I do get to the point of querying, will I be looking for an agent who can represent all my various interests/genres or would I want to have different agents? Is it common for writers to have more than one agent? Thanks!
Hi Kate!
I stopped working on of my novel (draft 3) during the summer when I started interviewing for jobs. Now I'm trying to navigate my new job, sitting long hours at the computer (besides planning a move across the ocean) and it's honestly exhausting ...so I find it hard to start writing again. Do you have any advice on how to get back into the groove without burning myself out to death?
Also, thank you for this newsletter! Every time it pops in my inbox it's giving me a much-needed reminder that I once used to be busy writing a book.
First of all: thanks for sharing so much insider knowledge with the rest of us! Your newsletter has been such a great way to learn and connect with the writing world, especially as someone with a corporate career. I loved your "Five Years and Six Drafts" post, especially as a writer nearing 40(!) who has *twice* come painfully close to selling a novel. In 2022, I'll be making attempt number 3, so more stories about perseverance and endurance are always appreciated!
Will you be opening for queries in 2022?
Thank you for this great roundup Kate! I will go back and catch up on some posts I missed.
Why is "going viral" to sell a book emphasized so much by some people?