The Manuscript Academy

JOIN US Tuesday, August 11, 8pm Eastern for a FREE event with Cameron. Sign up here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/cam New in our series with literary agents and debut authors, we chat with Writer’s House agent Allie Levick, and her client Cameron Kelly Rosenblum, author of the Kirkus starred young adult novel, The Stepping Off Place. This novel is described by Booklist as, “Beautifully written examination not only of the sadness of grief, but the uncertainty it can bestow upon everything, from your relationship to others to the relationship with yourself.” Allie and Cameron’s professional relationship is the star of this podcast. We’ll chat about how Cameron’s first page dazzled Allie, and how she knew it was special. The inspiration behind Cameron’s work and explore the inner workings of a highly effective professional relationship. CAMERON KELLY ROSENBLUM grew up in Connecticut. She studied English literature at Kenyon College and earned a master's in education at Lesley University. Throughout her teens and early twenties, she filled journal after journal with anecdotes and characters she met, knowing someday she'd draw from these pages to write her novels. Currently, Cameron is a children's librarian living on the coast of Maine with her husband and two children. The Stepping Off Place is her first book. Visit her online at www.cameronrosenblum.com, on Twitter @ckellyrose, or on Instagram @ckellyrosebooks. ____ Alexandra Levick is a literary agent at Writers House where she is developing her picture book, middle grade, young adult, and adult lists. She represents a diverse list of creators whose styles range from literary to commercial, and just about everything in between. Kirkus review says: For six years Reid, 17, has warded off anxiety, social awkwardness, and the loss of her mother’s attention (her younger brother is autistic and her mother has thrown herself into fundraising for autism research) by hiding behind vibrant Hattie. But since Hattie summers on her affluent family’s private island in Maine, with unreliable cell service and no Wi-Fi, Reid hadn’t seen her in weeks when, days before the start of school, she learns that Hattie has drowned, and her death is likely a suicide. The storyline bounces back and forth between past and present to fill in details of Reid and Hattie’s relationship, including all Hattie deliberately hid from Reid—and quite a lot that Reid hid from Hattie. Reid always understood that her role in Hattie’s life involved not demanding answers or intimacy. At the same time, Hattie was central to Reid’s life, and learning to navigate each day without her seems impossible. Reid and Hattie are white and straight; other important characters are Asian, Latino, and gay. The large cast of characters, particularly the high school students, are well and sensitively drawn. The novel doesn’t glorify suicide or dwell on the details of Hattie’s death. Instead it explores loss, futility, honesty, and love, with a richness of prose and excellence of characterization rare in a first-time author.

We’re so pleased to welcome our first-ever historical fiction writer to the Manuscript Academy Podcast. Finola Austin is the author of Brontë’s Mistress, a story that Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author of The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter, calls “A beautifully written, highly seductive debut…The chemistry between Branwell and Lydia positively crackles on the page." Joining Finola is her agent Danielle Egan-Miller, president of Brown & Miller Literary Associates.  A mighty team, they will chat about the unusual circumstances behind “The Call," Finola’s massive attention to detail, tips on submission, and more.  We’ll discuss how books can create a sense of companionship and shared humanity to keep readers turning the page—how to edit the saggy middle—and what Danielle would love to see in her inbox.  Danielle will also discuss the ripple of love that Finola’s work evoked in her workplace, and how this creative group championed this fascinating work.  You can find Brontë's Mistress (out August 4) here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/brontes-mistress-finola-austin/1134079989?ean=9781982137236 You can find Danielle here: https://www.browneandmiller.com/team/danielle-egan-miller/

In this special episode, we talk with agent Gordon Warnock and author Jorjeana Marie about how to reignite your creativity, learn to trust yourself, and stay inspired along the way. We learn how they met (in the slush pile!), why people are pressured to choose just one creative passion (and what you should do about it), and (perhaps most important) how to bring back the joy of creation to your work. Jorjeana Marie is a storyteller. Whether it’s as a writer for Disney’s “Mickey and the Roadster Racers”, as a voice actress enacting all the roles in the “New Nancy Drew Diaries” (where Nancy now uses GPS to find her criminals and spends her spare time Googling herself!) or as a stand-up comedian touring the nation at The Improv and Catch a Rising Star Comedy Clubs, or as a produced playwright in NYC-she focuses on the fun and funny. As an award-winning narrator of over 250 books, Jorjeana’s narrative skills have earned her multiple Earphones awards, Best Voices of 2014, 2015 and 2016 and a prestigious Audie Award for “Salt to the Sea” by Ruta Sepetys. Publisher Weekly calls her “Pitch-perfect” and Audiofile Magazine for “The Assistants” by Camille Perri stated “Bridget Jones meets Working Girl in this audiobook, and holy moly, is it fun. Jorjeana Marie puts this diverse and hilarious cast of New York characters through their many-accented paces like Dorothy Hamill landing a triple axel. In every paragraph. Her warm, bright tone creates just the right mood, and her pacing, balancing humor and looming disaster, is perfect.” Gordon Warnock is a founding partner at Fuse Literary, serving as a literary agent and Editorial Director of Short Fuse Publishing. He brings years of experience as a senior agent, marketing director, editor for independent publishers, publishing consultant, and author coach. He frequently teaches workshops and gives keynote speeches at conferences and MFA programs nationwide. He is an honors graduate of CSUS with a B.A. in Creative and Professional Writing. With a zest for fresh, new voices and a deep love of the classics, Gordon actively seeks out both the timely and the timeless. In that spirit, he establishes involved, long-term working relationships with talented and dedicated authors of many genres.

We are so pleased to welcome Fiona Kenshole, senior agent at Transatlantic Agency, to discuss all things children’s books. If you’re writing picture books, early readers, chapter books or middle grade, this episode is for you. We talk about how children’s publishing is different from adult publishing, the elements each age group needs, building tension, creating voice, and writing about power and autonomy as seen from a child’s perspective. We also talk about image notes (and why they’re so controversial—plus a great story from Fiona on this), how even NYT bestselling authors do extensive edits, and Fiona’s upcoming class on July 28. Fiona will be teaching How To Write Children's Books That Surprise and Delight July 28 at 8:30pm EDT. You can learn more and get your ticket here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/fiona Timestamps: 10:15: How children’s publishing is different from adult publishing (also clip) 12:20: How to keep a child’s perspective in mind while writing 13:53: Specific for each children’s age groups 18:26 How to be funny 19:56: Voice in middle grade 25:20: Power dynamics in children’s books 27:16 Building tension in middle grade 36:55: Illustration notes, and why they’re so controversial 40:16: Fiona’s class on July 28

We talk about how two agents can have completely different comps for the same book (and both can be correct), how high concept works have their own stealth press packet (you've probably unwittingly taken part in their marketing), and tips for writers pitching in the pandemic (hint: it's not as bad as you think). We also talk about starting in action (versus peak action), how YA needs two layers (your unique concept + typical teen emotional life), and how we can create a strong character from tiny details on your very first page. Plus, the errors you can come back from when querying—and the ones you likely can’t. And no--you do not have to be perfect to get an agent. As a graduate of Vanderbilt University and The Columbia Publishing Course, Kristy Hunter began her publishing career in New York City—first as an editorial intern at Bloomsbury Children’s Books and then as a book publicist at Grove/Atlantic and Random House Children’s Books. When she moved to the agenting side of the industry, she was closely mentored by Deidre Knight, president and founder of The Knight Agency, and her first co-agented project sold at auction soon after. As an associate agent, Kristy enjoys being able to bring a unique perspective to her clients thanks to her diverse publishing background. When she’s not curled up with a fantastic book or manuscript, she can be found kickboxing or hiking with her dog and is an active member of SCBWI. You can find Kristy at https://knightagency.net/about-us/.

This week we speak with author and teacher Lani Forbes about her YA fantasy novel, The Seventh Sun, and her agent, Samantha Wekstein at Thompson Literary Agency. Samantha represents a wide range of authors from picture books up through adult. We talk about how they knew they were the right fit--how they work together on edits--and how Samantha actually stayed up all night to read this book by the offer deadline. (#Dedication.) Then the main part of the episode—worldbuilding! 9:48: How Lani approaches worldbuilding 14:03: Common worldbuilding problems Samantha sees in her submission pile 14:56: How to get the reader into your world without info dumps 17:23: The part of querying that’s hardest on fantasy writers—and what to do about it 19:56: Strong female characters versus the Strong Female Character trope 27:02: Lani’s method for adding tension 33:06 Their editorial process working together as author and agent, and what authors should look for in this relationship 43:53: The mistakes Lani made along the way (even successful published authors make them) You can find Lani's work here: https://bookshop.org/books/the-seventh-sun-9781982546090/9781982546090 and https://laniforbes.com/ You can find Samantha at @SWekstein on Twitter, and at https://manuscriptacademy.com/samantha-wekstein

Black Lives Matter. A note from Jessica: Here at The Manuscript Academy, we're all about real, authentic conversations that accomplish something important. Here are some resources to help you get started on becoming a better ally--how to support your friends, have difficult conversations with your relatives, and learn more about the cultural moment happening right now. (It's our hope that history books will remember this as the moment it all, finally, got better.) This is all a long, ongoing process, and as you'll hear, we are still on our own journeys. We're doing our best, and sharing what we've learned along the way. A note from Julie: Along with the rest of the country, we watched helplessly as the murder of George Floyd ignited our country. As always at the Manuscript Academy, we asked ourselves, “How can we help?” Join us for this podcast where Jessica gives advice on the best way to support our Black writers and friends during this difficult time, great podcasts to listen to, and more. Julie will talk books by Black writers that she really enjoyed (and that you must immediately put on your list) and great books for kids by Black writers brought to us via school librarian and author Cameron Rosenblum. We discuss some of our favorite recent books by Black authors: Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo, A Good Kind of Trouble - Lisa Moore Ramée, and You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson. Then we head into a first pages podcast with a page by the talented RAOWordplay. You can find some of our favorite books, podcasts, articles, and more here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iDYcpGaD_NEIpm3CzS5zuGVnTwaBtDCXXgryJ3Boq_8/edit?usp=sharing

In this very special episode—our first live-streamed Q&A—we talk about agent Alyssa Jennette's unusual entry to publishing, the tips she has for writers, and her answers, in the moment, to your most burning publishing questions. We cover her requirements for queries, whether agents have secret meetings, when agents fire clients, advice for graphic novelists and picture book writers, and much, much more. Want to join us for the next live recording? Or view this as a video? Head to ManuscriptAcademy.com/Facebook 22:10 What Alyssa looks for in a query 24:35 and 25:50 The author she took on even though he made a cringe-worthy query mistake 27:00 Do agents have secret meetings to discuss secret things? 33:15 Do you ever drop an author who’s repeatedly rejected? (And why do agents fire clients?) 37:27: Do agents need to be friends with their clients? 40:05: How do you submit graphic novels, works with a graphic component, and what advice do you have for artists? 43:44 Do a lot of illustration notes in picture books turn you off enough to pass, or so you prefer to see an author’s vision?

This week’s episode is all about comparative and competitive titles—what they are, how they work, and the most common writer mistakes. We talk about the books that are off-limits for comps, how to figure out if a book you’re considering is the right size (based off of information that is easily searchable), and how comps are just like the human “algorithms” you use every day to help your friends read, learn, and cook. We also talk about non-traditional (and more accessible!) definitions of platform, how editors pitch your books to their teams, and what you can do now to improve your odds of getting published. You can check out Hannah’s class, Cracking The Comp Title Code, going live Wednesday, June 17, at 8:30pm EDT, at https://manuscriptacademy.com/cracking-the-comp-title-code-class. A replay is also available at the same link. 13:58: The eternal platform question 19:09: Comps: What they’re for, how to use them, and how they help your book 21:00: The books you can’t use as comps 23:25: How editors pitch manuscripts at editorial board and acquisitions meetings 26:12: What Hannah looks for in comp titles—and why an A-/B+ midlist comp title is ideal 33:25: How to use Amazon to know if you can and should use a particular book as a comp

In this episode, Macmillan editor Rachel Diebel walks us through how acquisitions work at Macmillan, why the numbers aren’t always the determining factor (and what “the numbers” means), and submission guidelines (and what you should think if you are on submission for months). We also discuss imprints within imprints, publishing in quarantine, and her least favorite thing about the industry. Rachel is an editor at Feiwel & Friends (an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group), acquiring middle grade, young adult, and graphic novels. Broadly, across all categories, she is always looking for commercial fiction with a unique voice, a great hook, and characters she wishes would be her real-life best friends. She always wants projects by and about people from a marginalized background, and is a huge fan of stories that feature found/chosen families. Timestamps: 10:45: How she approaches rejections 11:42: How acquisitions meetings work at Macmillan 14:46: We talk about "The numbers," and what that means

In this uplifting, inspiring episode, we talk about how Molly McCaffery received more than 100 rejections, shelved more than three books–-and then landed top agent John Cusick. We talk about her journey, how she learned to successfully pivot, and the querying tips you can only learn after sending out that much work and spending that much time in the query trenches. We also talk about how to put your reader first (one of the top things John looks in a client), what Molly thinks about MFA’s versus conferences, and perhaps the best advice of all: Find your community, and win this as a marathon, not a sprint. You can find Molly at Mollymccaffery.com and @mollymccaffery. You can find John at Foliojr.com and @johnmcusick.

We are so happy to bring you this conversation with Stephanie Winter, an agent at P.S. Literary. We talk about how agents read differently than most book buyers, the logistics of selling a series, and what word counts scare us (and what we do about it). Plus, how rejection is kind of like a video game, what agents are *really* thinking during live pitch meetings—and how we envision a “be an agent for a day” program. And, perhaps most exciting, Stephanie discusses what makes great for voice in a Manuscript. You can learn more about her class, which is May 20, 8:30pm EDT, here: live.manuscriptacademy.com/voice You can discuss your book with Stephanie at https://manuscriptacademy.com/stephanie-winter Also, yes, there really was a 13-book deal: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/25/business/media/science-fiction-writer-signs-a-3-4-million-deal.html

We talk with writer-turned-agent Lauren Spieller about publishing in quarantine, long-term industry hope, and what this means for you (and your book) right now. We also discuss book scouting, selling books abroad, and whether writers should move to New York (NO!). We discuss what you actually need for a successful writing career, how Lauren had a brilliant idea for getting into the industry, and what she would change about publishing if she could. Also, much to Julie’s amusement, we grapple with possible definitions for “high concept.” If any of you come up with a high concept description for high concept, we are all ears! We also discuss Lauren’s tips for building tension in your writing. Here’s Lauren’s blog post about how to write a great query: https://www.laurenspieller.com/2012/11/29/the-dreaded-novel-summary-and-prizes/ Here are the books she recommends for quarantine reading: The Wolf of Cape Fen by Juliana L Brandt Wilder Girls by Rory Power The Kill Club by Wendy Heard The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

We talk with Kayla Lightner, agent at Ayesha Pande Literary, about how agents are trained to go through their inboxes—the role of subjectivity—and the benefits of a very specific #MSWL. We discuss the energy of querying—how that’s conveyed to new publishing hires—and what this means for you, your work, and your chances in publishing. Comps, also, come up as useful not only to your pitch, but also as an editorial tool to convey specific direction. And we talk about why people in publishing are discouraged from writing, themselves. We also talk about literary scouts, and what they do (hint: they’re the spies of the publishing world). Our favorite takeaway? In publishing, there is no wrong answer, as long as you can back it up. You can view Kayla's #MSWL here: https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/kayla-lightner/ And find her on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/lightnerkayla You can find our Facebook group (and the writers who want to be your critique partner!) at ManuscriptAcademy.com/Facebook.

Welcome to a #MSWL podcast first--a married publishing couple describing literary life, work, and how to make the most of both. We discuss what they'd love to see in their inboxes (and how their tastes vary), the crazy coincidences of their love story (they both went to Paris, worked at Scholastic, and lived in the same town before meeting), and how they both started their careers as the unsung heroes of the publishing world, in sales and production. Naturally, we talk about how these departments can affect your book's advance, distribution, look, feel, and much more. We also talk about how comp titles can change your print run, why you shouldn’t just choose the biggest comps possible, how production makes decisions about your physical book, and how all of this affects you as an author. You can meet with Kate to discuss your book and get insightful feedback here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/kate-meltzer And Brian here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/brian-geffen And you can find Kate on Twitter @katemeltzer and Brian @Brian_Geffen.