Loved the examples in the red flags story, so more of that would definitely be great!
Also, I see a lot of advice on how to write the best query letter, but I haven't seen much on how to choose the right agents (for one) to query. If the ideal outcome is a long-term partnership then it seems important to get this right.
Perhaps it's a reflection of the stage I'm in that I haven't come across this content yet. Or perhaps it's just ludicrous to think a writer would say anything but yes to anyone who might consider them!
I think this is a great question, and I agree that it's hard to find advice out there about it! I wrote about how to choose which agents to query in a post called "Climbing Out of the Query Trenches" (skip to Step 3). But I focused on finding agents who represent your genre, and there are a lot of other considerations that go into it: the agent's level of experience, their communication style, their loyalty to long-term clients, how editorial they are, what strengths and weaknesses they have...
I'll work on a post about this soon. If you have any specific follow-up questions, let me know here, and I'll address them in the post!
Tysm - I'll check out that post & really look forward to the next one!
Maybe a follow-up Q is whether you have any suggestions for navigating that seeming tension between representation for a single manuscript vs a partnership?
Do you think this changes for someone who wants to write across genres?
Thanks for offering us a chance to pick your brain!
I am curious about how a writer can find "the right editor" for their manuscript. During my time in the submitting trenches, I have gotten some positive responses from a few literary agents who have told me they love my idea, but "don't have the right editorial contacts to bring this story to the market." I know we can find agents through manuscript wish lists and research into the types of genres they represent, but is there a way to find which agents can get you to the kinds of editors that take on manuscripts like yours? TIA!
Great question. I think the best way is to spend some time on Publishers Marketplace. I recommend paying for a one-month subscription (it's around $25, I think?), some month when you have a lot of free time to devote to research.
PM is a database of (nearly) all the deals that are done between agents and editors. You'll get a sense of what's actively selling, and you'll also get a sense of which editors buy books that sound like yours. (E.g. if you write psychological thrillers, you'll notice that certain editors tend to buy up lots of psychological thrillers.) From there, you can look into which agents work most often with those editors. You want agents who sell regularly in your genre.
If you notice that you're writing in a niche that very few editors are acquiring, this will be a little trickier. Then you'll probably want to go for agents that represent out-there books--agents who aren't afraid to represent something that no one else is doing. A good way to find those agents is simply to scroll through the deal announcements every week. What's the weirdest, most out-there book that sold? Who sold it, and who bought it?
Congrats on EVERYTHING! My question is: if I could only buy a subscription to one literary magazine, which one would you recommend? I'm 57k words into a memoir, so I'd love creative non-fiction, but I would also be reading for entertainment and I'm a literary fiction / historical fiction fanatic too.
I'm adding my thanks to everyone else's for all that you do and give! <3
Great question!! I hope other people weigh in here, because I have not been keeping up with my lit mag reading as much as I'd like.
For fiction, I really like One Story. Receiving one story a month in an individual booklet works so much better for me than receiving a whole journal that stares accusingly at me from the bookshelf. The single-story booklets feel manageable--you can casually pick one up, finish it in one sitting, and then recycle it if you didn't like it (or treasure it if you did). I wish more journals had this model!
I don't have any specific suggestions for creative nonfiction or historical fiction. Does anyone else have journals they recommend?
In answer to all your questions, I have one word, FEAR... fear of rejection, fear of not appealing to readers in my 4 novels. That's why I chose self-publishing on Amazon. However, even there I have a problem after the fact, and that is marketing my books. I'm a writer, not a marketer. What do I do?
"I'm a writer, not a marketer" - I relate so strongly to this, and I've been having a hell of a time trying to figure out how to market my book without first having to rewire my entire personality.
I can definitely write a post on marketing--I've been thinking about it a lot--and I'm working now on a post about the fears that keep us from writing. Maybe next I could think through the fears that keep us from submitting our work and sharing it with people.
I hope self-publishing has been a good solution for you. Have you tried any particular kinds of marketing--or does the whole subject of marketing just generally make you shudder?
Devon--re your comment that you don't aim to be merely as good as the books that are out there, but better--my bottle of tea today was in a flavor that was yecchh (I needed the buzz) but the inside of the cap said "Sailors navigate by the stars, not by the ships who've gone before them," or something like that. So, yes.
So glad I found you. Just two months in to Substack, it has felt pretty random. But your posts are jewels and I thank you for that. Did you see the post about Literary Fiction being dumped by the Big Five in 2028?
Thank you. It seems I’m doing the right things, I just need to give it more time. I’ve only been posting and commenting regularly for two months. I need to chill, I think, and just keep at it.
Ah yes, this is something I think about a lot! My main piece of advice is to always ask yourself: what is the gift? What am I giving people in this post? Is it something they want, or is it just something I want them to want? It's tempting to post your own fiction, or to post long rambles about niche topics, and think: people will LOVE this if they come across it! But I think the first question has to be: is this something people are already looking for? If they're not already looking for it, it's going to be a lot harder to get their attention.
So I would try to figure out what people are already looking for that you have to offer. And then I would do two things. 1) Build up a portfolio of good "gift" posts without worrying too much about growth or subscribers. Then, if someone likes something you've written and looks you up, there's already a lot of great content for them to click around in and enjoy. 2) Engage with other substacks. Restack with a comment. Share good posts with your followers. If you come across a post that you strongly disagree with, write your own post arguing against it. Join the discourse.
One other piece of advice: learn from what works. Back in the fall, I posted about literary vs. upmarket vs. commercial fiction, and that post (relative to my other posts) blew up and got me a ton of subscribers. I've reread that post many times, trying to figure out what I did right. What made that post different from all the others? How could I repeat the same magic?
I hope that helps, & good luck with your forthcoming book!!
First, I'd like to second Sharon Silver's question about "bridging the gap" between wanting to write and actually working up the momentum to sit down and do the damn thing. Lately, it's like something inside me is repulsed by (almost) everything I generate. Feels grinding.
Anyway, now a different question for you, about you: I still remember where I was when I read RecomMEN for the first time. Its execution was dazzling. I'm wondering if you'd be able to share a little bit about how a story like that develops for you? Like at what point (and why) did you make the decision to go with that structure? Did any other piece of art/writing in your life inspire that creation?
I totally hear you about things feeling grinding. A friend of mine once described it as the wheels turning and turning, but just getting stuck deeper in the mud. I'll try to write about that soon--I'm just coming out of that state myself, so might have extra thoughts on it!
And thank you for reading RecomMEN! With lit mag publications, I never have any idea whether people come across the story or not, so it's exciting to learn that real people actually read it.
The structure was sort of what kicked off the story. I was thinking idly and ruefully of a particular ex, and wishing that all my knowledge of them could go somewhere (all these things we learn about the people we love! what are we supposed to do with all that knowledge after the love is over?), and then I imagined an app or platform that would allow women to recommend exes to each other.
That would have been just a passing thought, quickly dismissed--but it occurred to me that it would be fun to write in a way that captures what the internet feels like, what scrolling feels like. So the idea of this "internet structure" is what pushed me to actually write the story, instead of letting it float away. I love a gimmick--I love a structural constraint.
I actually played with that structure again in a later story, "OptiDream," that got published in The Normal School. That story takes the form of a sequence of online reviews. For a while it felt like I held the secret to publication: choose a structural gimmick that's never been done before, and then jam some real truth and feeling in there. That probably still works!
Why dont royalty statements include a breakdown of library sales? If libraries have to shell out 50 bucks for renting each digital copy why is this money not counted towards book advances?
Your newsletter are always so helpful – and thanks for doing this.
My question would be: what should a proposal look like for a non-fiction book with an element of memoir through it? I know a non-fiction proposal is very different to that of a fiction one, and memoir as a form seems to follow the proposal structure of fiction, in that the entire thing needs to have been written before you approach agents. But I'm thinking of books like Gay Bar by Jeremy Atherton Lin, Rootbound/Hark by Alice Vincent, Salt on Your Tongue by Charlotte Runcie etc.
Good question! You'll have to make a decision about whether your book is memoir with history/science/culture/reporting/etc. woven in, or whether it's nonfiction with memoir woven in. If your personal story is the main thread, I think you should consider the book a hybrid memoir and draft the whole manuscript before querying agents. If the organizing structure of the book is more informational, and your personal story pops up here and there to elucidate, that sounds more like standard nonfiction--in which case you should draft a book proposal.
(You can absolutely work your personal story into the book proposal--in the intro, in the outline, in the sample chapters. If that's going to be an important part of the book, you want to make that obvious from the proposal.)
With the three hybrid books you mention, I would guess that all three were sold on manuscript, not on proposal. (Someone with a Publishers Marketplace subscription could verify that by checking when they sold vs. when they came out! Alas, I have let mine lapse.)
I could definitely do a longer post on this, because character arc is so tied to plot. But some quick ideas on how to create a compelling character arc:
- At the start of the story, there is a line that the character will never, ever cross. What happens over the course of the book to make them cross it?
- There are two principles your character is committed to upholding. Then, for the first time in their life, those two principles come into conflict: they've got to choose one and betray the other. Which do they choose and what are the consequences?
- What the character wants and what the character needs lie in opposite directions. They spend most of the story going after what they want, only to accidentally discover what it is they really need.
- At every stage of the story, the character makes a perfectly reasonable choice--and everything ends horribly for them. (Or: at every stage the character makes a perfectly horrible choice, and everything turns out well for them.)
- Eighteen major things happen that OUGHT to get your character to change--but they won't do it. And then one tiny, seemingly insignificant thing happens, and finally the dam breaks and the character changes all at once.
I think what makes your Substack stand out for me, what makes it so compelling, is the rare combination of your multiple perspectives as a former agent, editor, MFA graduate, and now author. As someone whose debut novel has been on submission for over a year, everything you post— from the close readings, to tips about craft, querying and dealing with agents, your insights on how editors choose books and assessments of current day publishing, is so intelligent, always interesting and very helpful! Thank you so much Devon, you are amazing!
While your posts are the bomb, I'm also here for your thoughtful and generous notes in the comments section. Look how you're building a thriving, engaged, friendly community! Keep up the strong work!
First of all, congratulations. Second of all, and I don’t wanna jinx everything, but I often find myself wondering how all this really good smart sensible advice is free. But I suppose you’re independently wealthy or something, or recognize that you are creating a market for your paid writing. Either way, I’m good. You always seem to come up with smart stuff to say so I’m not the one to suggest what you should write. Since you’re asking, however, I would appreciate more advice on how to sit one’s self down and write. That may be a stupid question because the only way to do it is to do it, I suppose. Still, anything that can help me bridge the gap between (a) wanting to have my writing done and (b) actually doing that would be helpful.
And I would love to write a post about how to sit down and write. I go through periods where it's the easiest thing in the world to sit down and churn out a story, and periods where the very idea is daunting and horrible. I need to think on this more, because I'm not sure I have concrete advice yet. But it's something I'm working on myself, so I'll write about it soon!
Ah. I dont know if it’s schadenfreude (such a disrespectful emotion) but it feels a wee bit calming to know that even you don’t have the ultimate foolproof secret to getting yourself to sit and write.
One thing I’m trying to do these days is tell myself that I need to get this book done so I can start on my second book.
I'm actually glad you asked why the newsletter is free--I thought about addressing that in this post, and then cut it at the last minute! Here's my current situation: I made enough money last year to take a year off from full-time work. So I'm living off savings and writing as much as possible before the year is up. (I've also been teaching a few classes as an adjunct.) At the end of this year, I'm going to have to get a real salaried job again, but I'm trying not to think about that right now...!
The newsletter is free for three reasons:
1) I have a book coming out this fall. I want people to have heard of me, to have good feelings about me, and to consider buying my book when they pass it in the bookstore. A free newsletter accomplishes those things, whereas I think a paid newsletter that continually advertises can be a little off-putting: pay me every month AND buy my book please!
2) I really dislike the opacity of the publishing industry. I don't think anything I'm saying on this substack should be proprietary knowledge. All authors should know how to negotiate with agents, how to write a query letter, how to leverage their credentials. Maybe the craft stuff I write about is outside that purview, but I still don't feel that any of it should be gatekept. If all writers know how to write good dialogue, then great: the world benefits!
3) I have a sort of woo-woo belief that if you give, you eventually receive. So I decided I would try to give what I have in the hopes that someday, some of it will come back around. Even if it doesn't, it feels good to give.
Clickbait towards a paywall on Substack always feels so wrong for the platform. As artists we need somewhere to go that isn't shouting at us (insta/FB/Toks), or is a Masters course or over-priced retreat we can't afford.
I totally and one hundred percent believe in the karma of giving without expecting a return. High five to you.
I, for one, will be buying your book (if/when it's published in the UK...)
Question: If the lion's share of publishing deals go to people under 40, (the BookTok generation), how do you pitch yourself when you're not in the favoured demographic? Do we need special skills to stand out from the Chosen Ones..? Is the creative bar simply going to be brutally higher for us..?
Thank you!! Re: your question, it's true that the playing field is uneven. What I've always felt, as I've watched the field tip back and forth, is that the only really surefire thing to do is write a fantastic book. So many books that cross editors' desks are NOT fantastic. So when they're considering a pile of 30 manuscripts, roughly equal in quality, they'll probably opt for a younger author--one of the Chosen Ones. But if your book is fantastic, then it'll stand out from the crowd, and it won't matter that you're not among the BookTok elect.
In terms of how to pitch yourself, I don't think you need to do any particular song and dance to "make up" for the fact that you're not in the favored demographic. All the usual things that help--writing a good query letter, building up some credentials, learning how to spin yourself and your story--can help here too.
The creative bar IS higher for those who are not in the fashionable set, whatever the fashion happens to be at the time. That's unfair--but instead of stewing about the unfairness, I've always tried to take it as a challenge. I'm not shooting for the quality of books that I regularly see published--I'm shooting higher than that. At least that way, my success/failure feels like it's up to me.
Giving away a lot of free, solid, believable, sensible inside info (and even outside info) is, I think, a very smart way to get people to later pay for your book. Because as opposed to the common way of making sales—saying, “You will get so much out of this, but pay me first”—a reader of your substack will say, I’ve already gotten tons of information for free, so I’m OK with paying now.
You newsletter is phenomenal, Devon. Everything you write about -- be it craft or industry-- is incredibly helpful and informative. Thank you for sharing your insights!
I've recently been focused on trying to add publishing credentials as a way to gain agent interest in my current manuscript. So far, I've concentrated on humor, but I also have another novel I'm revising that's more literary. I would love to hear more about your process for crafting short stories, especially since you sound like you're working on them yourself at the moment.
Again, thank you for all you do for us here on Substack!
I can definitely write more posts about short stories. I don't feel that I've cracked the code of how to write a great short story, but I can at least talk about what typically works for me and what methods are feeling good right now!
Also, building credentials through publishing humor pieces is a great idea. Kudos for expanding your repertoire that way!
Loved the examples in the red flags story, so more of that would definitely be great!
Also, I see a lot of advice on how to write the best query letter, but I haven't seen much on how to choose the right agents (for one) to query. If the ideal outcome is a long-term partnership then it seems important to get this right.
Perhaps it's a reflection of the stage I'm in that I haven't come across this content yet. Or perhaps it's just ludicrous to think a writer would say anything but yes to anyone who might consider them!
I think this is a great question, and I agree that it's hard to find advice out there about it! I wrote about how to choose which agents to query in a post called "Climbing Out of the Query Trenches" (skip to Step 3). But I focused on finding agents who represent your genre, and there are a lot of other considerations that go into it: the agent's level of experience, their communication style, their loyalty to long-term clients, how editorial they are, what strengths and weaknesses they have...
I'll work on a post about this soon. If you have any specific follow-up questions, let me know here, and I'll address them in the post!
Tysm - I'll check out that post & really look forward to the next one!
Maybe a follow-up Q is whether you have any suggestions for navigating that seeming tension between representation for a single manuscript vs a partnership?
Do you think this changes for someone who wants to write across genres?
I read the post and you're being humble - you have covered it really well!
Thanks for offering us a chance to pick your brain!
I am curious about how a writer can find "the right editor" for their manuscript. During my time in the submitting trenches, I have gotten some positive responses from a few literary agents who have told me they love my idea, but "don't have the right editorial contacts to bring this story to the market." I know we can find agents through manuscript wish lists and research into the types of genres they represent, but is there a way to find which agents can get you to the kinds of editors that take on manuscripts like yours? TIA!
Great question. I think the best way is to spend some time on Publishers Marketplace. I recommend paying for a one-month subscription (it's around $25, I think?), some month when you have a lot of free time to devote to research.
PM is a database of (nearly) all the deals that are done between agents and editors. You'll get a sense of what's actively selling, and you'll also get a sense of which editors buy books that sound like yours. (E.g. if you write psychological thrillers, you'll notice that certain editors tend to buy up lots of psychological thrillers.) From there, you can look into which agents work most often with those editors. You want agents who sell regularly in your genre.
If you notice that you're writing in a niche that very few editors are acquiring, this will be a little trickier. Then you'll probably want to go for agents that represent out-there books--agents who aren't afraid to represent something that no one else is doing. A good way to find those agents is simply to scroll through the deal announcements every week. What's the weirdest, most out-there book that sold? Who sold it, and who bought it?
Thank you!
Hi Devon,
Congrats on EVERYTHING! My question is: if I could only buy a subscription to one literary magazine, which one would you recommend? I'm 57k words into a memoir, so I'd love creative non-fiction, but I would also be reading for entertainment and I'm a literary fiction / historical fiction fanatic too.
I'm adding my thanks to everyone else's for all that you do and give! <3
Great question!! I hope other people weigh in here, because I have not been keeping up with my lit mag reading as much as I'd like.
For fiction, I really like One Story. Receiving one story a month in an individual booklet works so much better for me than receiving a whole journal that stares accusingly at me from the bookshelf. The single-story booklets feel manageable--you can casually pick one up, finish it in one sitting, and then recycle it if you didn't like it (or treasure it if you did). I wish more journals had this model!
I don't have any specific suggestions for creative nonfiction or historical fiction. Does anyone else have journals they recommend?
In answer to all your questions, I have one word, FEAR... fear of rejection, fear of not appealing to readers in my 4 novels. That's why I chose self-publishing on Amazon. However, even there I have a problem after the fact, and that is marketing my books. I'm a writer, not a marketer. What do I do?
"I'm a writer, not a marketer" - I relate so strongly to this, and I've been having a hell of a time trying to figure out how to market my book without first having to rewire my entire personality.
I can definitely write a post on marketing--I've been thinking about it a lot--and I'm working now on a post about the fears that keep us from writing. Maybe next I could think through the fears that keep us from submitting our work and sharing it with people.
I hope self-publishing has been a good solution for you. Have you tried any particular kinds of marketing--or does the whole subject of marketing just generally make you shudder?
Devon--re your comment that you don't aim to be merely as good as the books that are out there, but better--my bottle of tea today was in a flavor that was yecchh (I needed the buzz) but the inside of the cap said "Sailors navigate by the stars, not by the ships who've gone before them," or something like that. So, yes.
So glad I found you. Just two months in to Substack, it has felt pretty random. But your posts are jewels and I thank you for that. Did you see the post about Literary Fiction being dumped by the Big Five in 2028?
https://substack.com/@antipodes/note/p-195811471?r=49tzr&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
I haven't seen it! (Eek!) Could you send me the link?
Well, I have a book coming out this fall and I’m trying desperately to build an audience here on Substack…growth has stalled…any advice?
Thank you. It seems I’m doing the right things, I just need to give it more time. I’ve only been posting and commenting regularly for two months. I need to chill, I think, and just keep at it.
Ah yes, this is something I think about a lot! My main piece of advice is to always ask yourself: what is the gift? What am I giving people in this post? Is it something they want, or is it just something I want them to want? It's tempting to post your own fiction, or to post long rambles about niche topics, and think: people will LOVE this if they come across it! But I think the first question has to be: is this something people are already looking for? If they're not already looking for it, it's going to be a lot harder to get their attention.
So I would try to figure out what people are already looking for that you have to offer. And then I would do two things. 1) Build up a portfolio of good "gift" posts without worrying too much about growth or subscribers. Then, if someone likes something you've written and looks you up, there's already a lot of great content for them to click around in and enjoy. 2) Engage with other substacks. Restack with a comment. Share good posts with your followers. If you come across a post that you strongly disagree with, write your own post arguing against it. Join the discourse.
One other piece of advice: learn from what works. Back in the fall, I posted about literary vs. upmarket vs. commercial fiction, and that post (relative to my other posts) blew up and got me a ton of subscribers. I've reread that post many times, trying to figure out what I did right. What made that post different from all the others? How could I repeat the same magic?
I hope that helps, & good luck with your forthcoming book!!
First, I'd like to second Sharon Silver's question about "bridging the gap" between wanting to write and actually working up the momentum to sit down and do the damn thing. Lately, it's like something inside me is repulsed by (almost) everything I generate. Feels grinding.
Anyway, now a different question for you, about you: I still remember where I was when I read RecomMEN for the first time. Its execution was dazzling. I'm wondering if you'd be able to share a little bit about how a story like that develops for you? Like at what point (and why) did you make the decision to go with that structure? Did any other piece of art/writing in your life inspire that creation?
Thanks again for all you do!
I totally hear you about things feeling grinding. A friend of mine once described it as the wheels turning and turning, but just getting stuck deeper in the mud. I'll try to write about that soon--I'm just coming out of that state myself, so might have extra thoughts on it!
And thank you for reading RecomMEN! With lit mag publications, I never have any idea whether people come across the story or not, so it's exciting to learn that real people actually read it.
The structure was sort of what kicked off the story. I was thinking idly and ruefully of a particular ex, and wishing that all my knowledge of them could go somewhere (all these things we learn about the people we love! what are we supposed to do with all that knowledge after the love is over?), and then I imagined an app or platform that would allow women to recommend exes to each other.
That would have been just a passing thought, quickly dismissed--but it occurred to me that it would be fun to write in a way that captures what the internet feels like, what scrolling feels like. So the idea of this "internet structure" is what pushed me to actually write the story, instead of letting it float away. I love a gimmick--I love a structural constraint.
I actually played with that structure again in a later story, "OptiDream," that got published in The Normal School. That story takes the form of a sequence of online reviews. For a while it felt like I held the secret to publication: choose a structural gimmick that's never been done before, and then jam some real truth and feeling in there. That probably still works!
Why dont royalty statements include a breakdown of library sales? If libraries have to shell out 50 bucks for renting each digital copy why is this money not counted towards book advances?
I don't know the answer to this one!! Will try to find an answer. Stay tuned!
Thank you so much! This is one of the many mysteries of publishing!
Your newsletter are always so helpful – and thanks for doing this.
My question would be: what should a proposal look like for a non-fiction book with an element of memoir through it? I know a non-fiction proposal is very different to that of a fiction one, and memoir as a form seems to follow the proposal structure of fiction, in that the entire thing needs to have been written before you approach agents. But I'm thinking of books like Gay Bar by Jeremy Atherton Lin, Rootbound/Hark by Alice Vincent, Salt on Your Tongue by Charlotte Runcie etc.
Good question! You'll have to make a decision about whether your book is memoir with history/science/culture/reporting/etc. woven in, or whether it's nonfiction with memoir woven in. If your personal story is the main thread, I think you should consider the book a hybrid memoir and draft the whole manuscript before querying agents. If the organizing structure of the book is more informational, and your personal story pops up here and there to elucidate, that sounds more like standard nonfiction--in which case you should draft a book proposal.
(You can absolutely work your personal story into the book proposal--in the intro, in the outline, in the sample chapters. If that's going to be an important part of the book, you want to make that obvious from the proposal.)
With the three hybrid books you mention, I would guess that all three were sold on manuscript, not on proposal. (Someone with a Publishers Marketplace subscription could verify that by checking when they sold vs. when they came out! Alas, I have let mine lapse.)
Not a question but a comment. From your highly useful craft posts these two are my favorite:
Red Flags in Short Story Submissions & My Literary Fiction Is More Literary Than Yours.
I find your writing and publishing advice helpful and am curious about what you think makes for a good character arc.
I could definitely do a longer post on this, because character arc is so tied to plot. But some quick ideas on how to create a compelling character arc:
- At the start of the story, there is a line that the character will never, ever cross. What happens over the course of the book to make them cross it?
- There are two principles your character is committed to upholding. Then, for the first time in their life, those two principles come into conflict: they've got to choose one and betray the other. Which do they choose and what are the consequences?
- What the character wants and what the character needs lie in opposite directions. They spend most of the story going after what they want, only to accidentally discover what it is they really need.
- At every stage of the story, the character makes a perfectly reasonable choice--and everything ends horribly for them. (Or: at every stage the character makes a perfectly horrible choice, and everything turns out well for them.)
- Eighteen major things happen that OUGHT to get your character to change--but they won't do it. And then one tiny, seemingly insignificant thing happens, and finally the dam breaks and the character changes all at once.
Thank you, this is very helpful!
I think what makes your Substack stand out for me, what makes it so compelling, is the rare combination of your multiple perspectives as a former agent, editor, MFA graduate, and now author. As someone whose debut novel has been on submission for over a year, everything you post— from the close readings, to tips about craft, querying and dealing with agents, your insights on how editors choose books and assessments of current day publishing, is so intelligent, always interesting and very helpful! Thank you so much Devon, you are amazing!
While your posts are the bomb, I'm also here for your thoughtful and generous notes in the comments section. Look how you're building a thriving, engaged, friendly community! Keep up the strong work!
First of all, congratulations. Second of all, and I don’t wanna jinx everything, but I often find myself wondering how all this really good smart sensible advice is free. But I suppose you’re independently wealthy or something, or recognize that you are creating a market for your paid writing. Either way, I’m good. You always seem to come up with smart stuff to say so I’m not the one to suggest what you should write. Since you’re asking, however, I would appreciate more advice on how to sit one’s self down and write. That may be a stupid question because the only way to do it is to do it, I suppose. Still, anything that can help me bridge the gap between (a) wanting to have my writing done and (b) actually doing that would be helpful.
And I would love to write a post about how to sit down and write. I go through periods where it's the easiest thing in the world to sit down and churn out a story, and periods where the very idea is daunting and horrible. I need to think on this more, because I'm not sure I have concrete advice yet. But it's something I'm working on myself, so I'll write about it soon!
Ah. I dont know if it’s schadenfreude (such a disrespectful emotion) but it feels a wee bit calming to know that even you don’t have the ultimate foolproof secret to getting yourself to sit and write.
One thing I’m trying to do these days is tell myself that I need to get this book done so I can start on my second book.
Thanks for a wonderful Substack.
I'm actually glad you asked why the newsletter is free--I thought about addressing that in this post, and then cut it at the last minute! Here's my current situation: I made enough money last year to take a year off from full-time work. So I'm living off savings and writing as much as possible before the year is up. (I've also been teaching a few classes as an adjunct.) At the end of this year, I'm going to have to get a real salaried job again, but I'm trying not to think about that right now...!
The newsletter is free for three reasons:
1) I have a book coming out this fall. I want people to have heard of me, to have good feelings about me, and to consider buying my book when they pass it in the bookstore. A free newsletter accomplishes those things, whereas I think a paid newsletter that continually advertises can be a little off-putting: pay me every month AND buy my book please!
2) I really dislike the opacity of the publishing industry. I don't think anything I'm saying on this substack should be proprietary knowledge. All authors should know how to negotiate with agents, how to write a query letter, how to leverage their credentials. Maybe the craft stuff I write about is outside that purview, but I still don't feel that any of it should be gatekept. If all writers know how to write good dialogue, then great: the world benefits!
3) I have a sort of woo-woo belief that if you give, you eventually receive. So I decided I would try to give what I have in the hopes that someday, some of it will come back around. Even if it doesn't, it feels good to give.
I absolutely love this.
Clickbait towards a paywall on Substack always feels so wrong for the platform. As artists we need somewhere to go that isn't shouting at us (insta/FB/Toks), or is a Masters course or over-priced retreat we can't afford.
I totally and one hundred percent believe in the karma of giving without expecting a return. High five to you.
I, for one, will be buying your book (if/when it's published in the UK...)
Question: If the lion's share of publishing deals go to people under 40, (the BookTok generation), how do you pitch yourself when you're not in the favoured demographic? Do we need special skills to stand out from the Chosen Ones..? Is the creative bar simply going to be brutally higher for us..?
Thank you!! Re: your question, it's true that the playing field is uneven. What I've always felt, as I've watched the field tip back and forth, is that the only really surefire thing to do is write a fantastic book. So many books that cross editors' desks are NOT fantastic. So when they're considering a pile of 30 manuscripts, roughly equal in quality, they'll probably opt for a younger author--one of the Chosen Ones. But if your book is fantastic, then it'll stand out from the crowd, and it won't matter that you're not among the BookTok elect.
In terms of how to pitch yourself, I don't think you need to do any particular song and dance to "make up" for the fact that you're not in the favored demographic. All the usual things that help--writing a good query letter, building up some credentials, learning how to spin yourself and your story--can help here too.
The creative bar IS higher for those who are not in the fashionable set, whatever the fashion happens to be at the time. That's unfair--but instead of stewing about the unfairness, I've always tried to take it as a challenge. I'm not shooting for the quality of books that I regularly see published--I'm shooting higher than that. At least that way, my success/failure feels like it's up to me.
Giving away a lot of free, solid, believable, sensible inside info (and even outside info) is, I think, a very smart way to get people to later pay for your book. Because as opposed to the common way of making sales—saying, “You will get so much out of this, but pay me first”—a reader of your substack will say, I’ve already gotten tons of information for free, so I’m OK with paying now.
You newsletter is phenomenal, Devon. Everything you write about -- be it craft or industry-- is incredibly helpful and informative. Thank you for sharing your insights!
I've recently been focused on trying to add publishing credentials as a way to gain agent interest in my current manuscript. So far, I've concentrated on humor, but I also have another novel I'm revising that's more literary. I would love to hear more about your process for crafting short stories, especially since you sound like you're working on them yourself at the moment.
Again, thank you for all you do for us here on Substack!
I can definitely write more posts about short stories. I don't feel that I've cracked the code of how to write a great short story, but I can at least talk about what typically works for me and what methods are feeling good right now!
Also, building credentials through publishing humor pieces is a great idea. Kudos for expanding your repertoire that way!
I'm sure any hints from you will be helpful ones. Thank you and good luck with your short stories!!