The Manuscript Academy

You may remember Julia Alexandra from our episode in the fall when we went over three query versions with her (good, better, best): Well, she now has an agent! Ellen Goff (HG Literary) joins us with Julia to discuss balancing plot, character, and world--if your fantasy novel will hold up without your fantasy elements, which we're now calling "The Goff Test"--and how you can optimize your queries f...

If you've ever had trouble with point of view in your work, wait until you hear the advanced logistical world author Nia Davenport had to navigate for her new novel, Out of Body, which she pitches as Freaky Friday meets Get Out. Not only does she have best friends, crushes, confused parents, and a villain on the loose--but she weaves it all into a story of identity, personal growth, and becoming a...

Tennessee, 1960. One extraordinary team of women--and the first all-Black women’s track team--found glory at the Olympic games in Rome. Here in America, their success was "an impossible dream come true." Now, author Aime Alley Card tells us her personal connection to the team, how she did her astonishing amount of research, and how she found agent Leticia Gomez to represent the work, now available...

Join our interactive Says/Does Activity + view transcript here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/faculty-members/sara-schonfeld We discuss editing with love and patience, acquiring in the age of book bans (let's just say Florida doesn't get to choose what the rest of the country reads), how to make your book feel "fresh"--and why so many editors ask for "a new twist on something familiar." Book a mee...

Sometimes publishing your novel takes an unexpected route. In today's episode, Jessica and Julie speak with author JB Harris to discuss how she pivoted when agents told her the manuscript she'd been working on for 11 years would be hard to break out during COVID. We cover querying, finding the right small traditional publisher, and how to market yourself as a published author without an agent. Tra...

We’ve never seen a romantic comedy like this one! Happily Never After breaks ALL* the rom com rules, while still maintaining tension, interest, narrative arcs, and everything you need in a satisfying read. Learn the rules our favorite way—by watching Lynn breaks them, succeed, and tell you how she did it. Whatever your genre, a romantic element adds emotional range, a break from anything difficult...

We are thrilled to welcome Emmy Nordstrom Higdon, agent at Westwood Creative Associates, to talk with us about the red and green flags when querying agents--how you can show (mostly) green flags, recognize agent red flags, and give yourself the best odds of a positive, productive working relationship. Learn more about Emmy and book a consultation here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/faculty-members...

Even our podcast editor describes author Karen Outen as "a breath of fresh air." After twenty years of work, her book, Dixon Descending, features two brothers with a seemingly impossible goal: To be the first Black American men to summit Everest. We discuss how Karen learned to write realistic dialogue that jumps off the page, her publishing journey of more than 20 years, and how to pitch complica...

CONTENT WARNING: Mentions of abortion, grooming, assault. Annie Cardi's new book, Red, is a very modern take on The Scarlet Letter. Today, Annie joins Jessica and Julie to discuss the importance of tough topics in YA novels, how to create "quiet" books that pack a punch, and writing advice for new authors. Transcript here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/podcast-annie-cardi We discuss: Teaching teen...

A smart, poignant novel perfect for fans of Lessons in Chemistry “An incredible STEMinist read.”—The Honey Pop Transcript, timestamps and video clips here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/podcast-sara-read Join Julie and Jessica as they talk to the fabulous Sara Read, the author of the recent book Principles of (E)motion. Trust us when we say it'll make you swoon--and get excited for math like you'v...

Join our workshop here! https://manuscriptacademy.com/product/three-day-submission-strategy-workshop Are you a writer thinking about querying? Or have you already queried, and you're worried that a rejection you received means you should pivot, edit for months, or--worst of all--give up? This is for you. Listen in on how we'll interpret rejections, help you do your research, workshop with you, sup...

We're thrilled to welcome Abrams editor Erica Finkel to the podcast to discuss editorial board meetings, the top reasons writers get rejected--and how "fit" means far more than you'd think. Book a meeting with Erica here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/faculty-members/erica-finkel Erica Finkel (she/her) is an Executive Editor for Amulet Books and Abrams Books for Young Readers. Before starting at A...

We are thrilled to welcome you to the replay of our SEVENTH (woo hoo!) Annual Holiday Party. In this event, writers nominated writers for feedback from our agent panel. Each agent chose a nominator-nominee pair to come up, read their work, and receive support and feedback in front of our audience. Our agents are: Kaitlyn Sanchez, Bradford Literary Linda Camacho, Gallt & Zacker Literary Kiana Nguye...

We can’t wait—what an exciting month! December 5, 8:30pm ET: Our You Belong Here class with Nancy Tandon and Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo: https://manuscriptacademy.com/you-belong-here December 6, 1pm ET: For Members, we have our Mystery Agent consultation with Jenissa Graham. Apply to be on the next one here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/mystery-agent December 6, 3pm ET: Meetings go live for Members D...

Query writing is a craft in and of itself and so often, even the experts disagree on the best approach (hint: that just means there are number of ways to write an amazing query!). Today we're joined by the very talented, multi-hyphenate writer, coach, and former copy editor, reader, bookseller, and more, Jonathan Baker, who answers your rapid-fire querying questions. Learn more athttps://manuscrip...

This pep talk was inspired by that extremely uncomfortable phenomenon of going home for the holidays, only to be grilled by your relatives. It was made with the generous contributions of writers just like you. We hope this will give you some cheer when your family asks, "Soooo--are you still writing?" "Are you a New York Times bestseller yet?" "How much money do you make?" Explaining the writing l...

In October, we wrapped up the month with a deliciously spooky Halloween #MSWL panel. Join us for a live panel recording with agents T.S Ferguson, Kelly Van Sant, Jenissa Graham, and Claire Harris as they take us through their creepy wishlists and fun bookish activities. But even if you’re writing serious nonfiction, or in a completely other genre, this is a great view into what agents love within...

Join us December 5 for Nancy’s class, You Belong Here (meant to alleviate the “walking with your cafeteria tray toward the popular kids’ table” feeling of pitching agents): https://manuscriptacademy.com/you-belong-here After an exceptionally rocky entry to publishing—including a *five year* delay—Nancy Tandon is a well-regarded Middle Grade writer who manages to make her voice (and mystery!) age a...

We are so happy to welcome Monica Rodriguez, agent at Context Literary, to the podcast! Not only is Monica Jessica’s Agency colleague in charge of Brand Management (and helping writers promote their work), she’s also an agent with expertise in branding, marketing, and helping creatives refine their ideas. Plus, she’s an agented writer on submission, so she has empathy for both sides of the desk. W...

Starting today (we promise you're not too late!), join us for a Three-Day Workshop: Unputdownable: Write A Book Agents Can't Stop Thinking About. It's three classes, daily forums, a thriving workshop community, live Q&A and a first pages feedback panel. This workshop includes: *Class: Banner Days - have the reader looking forward and backward, imagining how characters and situations will interact–...

Join us in a lively conversation with debut author M Hendrix, whose book The Chaperone came out this year with Sourcebooks! From finding an agent and pitching your book during the pandemic, finding hope in dystopian novels, and making YA fun for teens to read, we cover this and more! M Hendrix (she/her) is the author of The Chaperone, published by Sourcebooks Fire on June 6, 2023. M earned her bac...

We are thrilled to welcome Sierra Godfrey, author of The Second Chance Hotel and A Very Typical Family, to the Member Lounge. Sierra, along with Mike Chen, built the first ManuscriptWishList.com, and her work as an author is charming, funny, romantic—and set on the gorgeous fictional Greek island of Asteri. There, her main character accidentally marries a handsome traveler—and, together, they acci...

We are so happy to welcome Dani Segelbaum, Vice President, Literary Agent, and Subsidiary Rights Director at Carol Mann Agency. We discuss how the best nonfiction is an experience, how it relates to platform and the real world, how sub rights tie in—and why it’s so much easier to get Anti-AI clauses in contracts for books abroad. Dani Segelbaum joined the Carol Mann Agency in 2021 as a literary ag...

Join us for a deep dive into query revisions with YA fantasy writer, Julia! Julia and Jessica have spent the last few months in revisions, taking a good query and transforming it into an amazing one. Today we share all the insights learned from this process, how to be resilient, receive feedback, and make your pitch pop. Julia's bio: I am a graduate student in mental health counseling with a tende...

We love Kaitlyn! She’s so happy, perceptive, kind, and talented—AND a literary agent who’s created community for her writers, a strong sales track record, and a team of authors—all while being a full-time math teacher, educating young minds. Book a meeting with her here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/faculty-members/kaitlyn-sanchez Kaitlyn Sanchez (she/her) joined Bradford Literary in 2022 with tw...