The Manuscript Academy

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:

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. Wan

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

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 Th

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, pullin

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

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

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

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—w

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 befo