Literaticast

I'm joined by Suzanna Hermans, from Oblong Books & Music in New York's Hudson Valley. She talks about how she curates the selection at Oblong -- what prompts an "auto-buy" from her -- and when books get returned. We also touch on some hot topics: Does a scandal from an author prompt exclusion from the bookstore shelves? And just how terrible IS Henry Higgins from MY FAIR LADY? (#theworst). Plus, g...

It's a jam-packed double episode featuring two authors whose YA books are polar opposites... except for the fact that they are both TERRIFIC... and they both have the same release date! Amy Spalding is on hand to discuss her new rom-com THE SUMMER OF JORDI PEREZ (AND THE BEST BURGER IN LOS ANGELES), and also to do a deep dive into the hamburger-based culinary traditions of L.A. Justina Ireland joi...

Every year in Spring, children's agents descend on a small city in Italy for the largest international children's-only book fair in the world. But it's not all gelato-nomming and prosecco-swilling! I give a crash course in what translation rights even are, and then superagent Kathleen Ortiz from New Leaf Literary joins me to talk about what exactly goes on at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. (Tho...

YA author Saundra Mitchell joins me to chat about her new anthology, ALL OUT: THE NO-LONGER SECRET STORIES OF QUEER TEENS THROUGHOUT THE AGES. ALL OUT is stuffed chock-full of genre-spanning queer historical stories, and Saundra talks about not only the making of this book, but also different ways to approach anthologies. Also: we talk about how YA publishing has changed in the past ten years, wha...

Brilliant and opinionated Lisa von Drasek joins me to talk about Kerlan Collection, the Caldecott and Newbery Awards, and much more. Lisa tries  not  to get roped into my shenanigans of wildly speculating about award outcomes, and only partially succeeds. And, we share a passion for a certain upcoming book about zombies. PS: I almost definitely said the date of the ALA Youth Media Awards announcem...

Superagent  Molly Ker Hawn , head of the U.K. office of The Bent Agency, joins me for a proper chinwag about the U.K. vs U.S. book market. Along the way, we answer some listener questions, including: What does one look for in a newer agent? How does one work with an editor? What if one wants to write in multiple categories/genres? Plus, we talk about upcoming new books, complain about the monarchy...

I spoke to four amazing children's booksellers across the country and got their top picks for holiday giving. Obviously this is for AFTER you've already bought all my client's books ;-)  I hope you find some new favorites on this list, and I hope all my listeners have a wonderful holiday season full of warmth and light... and BOOKS!

I sit down with editor Kendra Levin, who is also a life-coach for writers, to talk NaNoWriMo, among other things. She uses the Hero's Journey as not just a craft tool, but a process tool, and gives us a big dose of inspiration for the writer's life. (NaNoInspo that should be useful all the year round!) Along the way, I tell my secret NaNoWriMo confession. Kendra also helps me answer some listener...

I chat with Scholastic/Graphix editor Cassandra Pelham Fulton about how graphic novels are created from the editorial POV... and then with creator Nilah Magruder about her road to comics success. It's a double episode - and DOUBLE the fun! 

This week's show is jammed full of goodies. I explore the topic of Authenticity, then talk with guest author and self-marketing guru Jess Keating about Platform Development (what even IS that?!?), social media best practices, how to buddy up to librarians and booksellers, how to add value for educators, and so much more. Then Jess regales us with some wild animal facts (both the animals AND the fa...

I talk about the qualities of my "ideal author"  besides , like, writing awesome books. Author Martha Brockenbrough joins me to rap about such topics as: Writing in multiple categories; the difference between writing fiction and nonfiction; the value of saying YES to opportunity, and more. We then take a look at the subject of her newest book, a man who  may  have said YES at least two times too m...

I rant a bit about "girl books" and "boy books", then I am joined by David Elliott, the brilliant author of BULL, the ORQ series, and much more. His books are generally hilarious, and his latest is in verse, so we talk about having an "ear" for comedy and poetry. We talk about novels in verse, and David sheds light on his process, talks about Jungian analysis, and gabs about Greek myths and Joan o...

I give the skinny on how to spot SCHMAGENTS in the wild - aka scammy and scummy fake "agents" who take naive writers for a ride. Then superagent Kate Testerman joins me for frank talk about how to work with an agent, the ever-loving slowness of publishing, how to choose comp titles, and even the eternal question: When to give up on publishing dreams and go learn to become a carpenter. We also touc...

YA author Mackenzi Lee joins me to talk about, well, almost everything, from book deal depression to hitting milestones like the NYT Bestseller List. We also cover: how to tackle historical research (and when to get anachronistic); cross-dressing fencers; Dutch tulip-mania; a lady painter of the Italian Baroque; 1980's women wrestlers -- this is a wide-ranging conversation with a fascinating autho...

I talk about what I like to see in an author's website. And Publicist Extraordinaire Saraciea Fennell talks to me about the Secret World of Publicists -- including what authors can do to work with their publicist, how to grow your own network by getting the word out in your local community, when (and if) to spend your own money on publicity, authors getting political on social media, and much more...

I share some of my top tips for writers attending big conferences. And Chronicle Books senior editor Melissa Manlove joins me to give advice about writing picture books. Also, I give HER advice about getting sick in Italy (spoiler: DON'T). Plus Swedish Punks, Turkish Cats, and more!

​In this episode, I answer my most frequently asked question: What the heck is a literary agent, anyway? And author and professor Laurel Snyder is on hand to talk about Imposter Syndrome, mid-list author mania, crafty plots (and how to keep 'em moving), avoiding creative burnout, and more.