All Episodes
Episodes
How to Write a Query Letter (Part 1): Paragraph One, the Hook
In the first episode of a three-part series of episodes on how to write a query letter, Abigail teaches writers how to write the first paragraph of their query letter. To do this, she covers important elements...
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First Chapters: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
We're back with book three!
Abigail sits down with certified editor and book coach Savannah Gilbo to discuss and analyze the first chapter of HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN.
Following the normal first...
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Quick Query Tips: 3 Strategic Ways to Research Literary Agents
Welcome to the first Quick Query Tips episode!
While Abigail books more literary agents and editors for the show, she turns the focus from interviews with literary agents to the research and submission process.
In...
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First Chapters: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
We're back!
Abigail sits down with Savannah Gilbo to discuss and analyze the first chapter of HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS.
This is an especially interesting conversation on first chapters since the first...
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Jennie Nash ON: What Makes a Great Book Coach, Fundamental Questions Writers Need to Ask (and Answer), and Why Writers Should Invest in Their Work
"Working with a book coach is an investment, and there's no guarantee. No book coach is going to say, ‘I guarantee that you will get an agent and a book deal.’ That would be dishonest. They can't do that. So you're...
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Michelle Brower ON: What Makes a Great Book Club Pick, Creating Community, and How to Write Through the Middle
"I love books that sort of take you through the pain of living in some way. Life inherently has tragedy and hardship. And I love books that take you to that, but also give you an opportunity to see a way out and to...
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First Chapters: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
QUICK NOTE! THE BOOK VS. THE AUTHOR
As much as I love the HARRY POTTER series, I am saddened by and do not condone JKR’s attacks on the trans community.
It’s this reason that, for these first chapter episodes...
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Tee Moore ON: Becoming a Career Author and How to Find a Literary Agent
"I'm becoming more intentional about my dreams because my purpose didn't just die when I became a mom, it actually became more realized. Being a mom was just part of my purpose. It's part of the path. I meant to be a...
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Stephanie Winter ON: Millennial Fiction, the Difference Between Voice and Style, and How Agents Work with Editors
"I'm here to answer any questions and help create a strong positioning for the work. Whether that means, figuring out how the creator needs to receive feedback, that they can best process the information or adjusting...
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Emmy Nordstrom Higdon ON: Predicting the Market, A Love for Weird Stories, and How to Lift Up Diverse Books in Traditional Publishing
"You can't really pick what you're going to represent or what you're going to pitch based on what people are excited about today. You need to be thinking about what's going to be happening three years from now or...
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Tara Gilbert ON: What Makes a Character-Driven Story, YA vs. MG Novels, and How to Emotionally Connect with Your Reader
"I think it's really just grounding your reader in the story, making sure that they are right up front aware of who this character is or what they want and what their goal is, you want to make sure you're grounded...
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Paula Munier ON: How to Identify and Capitalize on the Selling Points of a Story and What Makes a Story Unique
"Stories are what get us through, stories are how humans have encouraged one another to survive the dark times and given pointers about how to survive the dark times.” – Paula Munier, Talcott Notch Literary
Abigail...
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