The Manuscript Academy

More than 1,500 of you voted for memoir, so we brought you three agents for one of our first single-genre MSWL Live panels! Taj McCoy (Laura Dail Literary Agency), Katharine Sands (Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency), and Stephanie Winter (KO Media Management) share what’s working in memoir right now, what agents really mean by “platform” (hint: it’s about community, not follower counts), and wha...

Out of the 200 stories that land in an agent’s inbox, why should yours be the one she reads? Agent Fiona Kenshole of Transatlantic Agency joins us from our Presentation Party to share what she looks for in a query, and why there are really no hard rules, only what works. Before agenting, Fiona was a publisher in the UK (think Mary Poppins, Paddington Bear, and The Giver) and made films like Corali...

Julia Alexandra knows rejection. After querying in high school and again in graduate school, she hit a wall of passes on a book she now admits wasn't ready. Worse, she spent years self-rejecting, holding back books that were probably ready long before she sent them. In this episode, Jessica Sinsheimer and Julie Kingsley talk with Julia about her debut YA fantasy, Midnight on the Celestial, the sto...

It's one of the most common questions in our inbox: what's the difference between commercial, literary, and upmarket fiction, and which one is my book? (Video version here https://youtu.be/AMGl98NhtT4?si=mGcpIWTloL_HgMms) This week, agent Kaitlyn Sanchez of Bradford Literary finally makes it make sense. She explains what defines each category, plays a game of "commercial, literary, or both?" with...

How does an author go from 1,000 rejections to New York Times Bestseller? Tune in to find out! Senior editor Ruqayyah Daud (LBYR/Requited/Hachette Book Group) and her author Jordan Stephanie Gray sit down to talk about what actually happens between "I love this manuscript" and a book on shelves: what really goes on in an acquisitions meeting, why a "no" is almost never about your writing, the call...

Comp titles are second only to platform as the most feared part of a writer's journey--but they don't have to be scary. In this episode, editor and author coach Hannah Robinson breaks comp titles down into something writers already do instinctively every day: describing an unfamiliar thing by connecting it to something familiar. Hannah walks through her "Magic Madlib" formula — [Your Title] meets...

It's Manuscript Academy's 10th anniversary season--and to kick it off, co-founders Jessica Sinsheimer (agent, Context Literary Agency, co-founder of #MSWL, Manuscript Wish List®, and The Manuscript Academy®) and Julie Kingsley (award-winning author, media professor + co-founder of The Manuscript Academy®) are here to catch you up on everything coming this year. Ten years ago, The Manuscript Academ...

Also on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/QaWwJ8O5NFA In this episode of the Manuscript Academy Podcast, hosts Julie Kingsley and Jessica Sinsheimer introduce new tools and features for writers, including a comp title finder, an advanced agent search, and a writer group creator. They discuss the development of a virtual interactive space for writers to connect globally and announce improvements in sort...

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: https://manuscriptacademy.com/faculty-members/stefanie-molina We discuss: Current Trends in Publ...

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 exposition, the balance between tension and pacin...

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 stakes, character, payoff and more to make your commercial and literary works m...

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. We discuss: ***Collaborating with Licensing Partners: Ivan works closely with major b...

Promoting your book isn’t about making noise—it’s about making a difference for readers who need your story. In this Manuscript Academy episode, we’re happy to join nonfiction book coach and marketer Allison Lane to: – Break down exactly how to shift your mindset from fear to confidence and why it’s so important for your career: – Self-Doubt and Fear of Visibility: Let’s be real—none of us love se...

In this 1-hour session, you will learn the essential steps to position yourself and your book as valuable investments to agents, editors, bookstores, and beyond. (Want more? Join our workshop October 22-24, How To Be Your Own Best Marketer: https://manuscriptacademy.com/product/be-your-own-best-marketer | $39 early bird, $49 regular, $0 members). Whether you’re preparing for a book launch or just...

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 work fresh, learning and growing as a person, and remaining emotionally open to your work and y...

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 your questions. Want to apply for next Mys...

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 discuss: *Why you need to define your audience--and pitch an agent on this reader *How specificity...

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 most recently, Math for English Majors (Sept 2024). His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Popul...

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 villain *Opportunities to build tension, pulling the reader (or agent!)...

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 the dystopian genre change? *Why do agents ask for exactly your metatags—...

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 her publishing dreams. Learn more about Kristy here...

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 results when querying, and how to keep your work fresh wh...

You’ve heard of the all-important voice—but how do you make it more vivid, both on the page—and in your life? Enter Jessica Doyle-Mekkes, an author, voice coach, and eloquent speaker on how your voice in your life and your voice on the page are linked, vitally important—and within your control to improve. Listen along for what helps your voice come out as you intend—whether singing, public speakin...

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 Literary Agency), we discuss: *What happens if you have film interest before book interest *Ho...

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 one by suicide. We discuss everything from platform, to craft...