✨Is Your Query Dancing the Tango When It Should be Swimming in a Pool? Our Hosts on Switching Writing Gears ✨
Plus, a Q&A with awarding-winning YA author A.S. King, a video answering your burning questions, Emilie Sommer is back to tackle your comp requests, and... (🥁🥁🥁) Deep Dive Registration opens!
Today is the day, writing friends!
It’s finally here. The 2025 Deep Dive Virtual Retreat registration is now open! Better still, the first 150 people to register will get an amazing discount. Interested in saving anywhere from $100 to $200(!) off the standard pricing? You’d better get a move on! 🐦💵💻
Meanwhile, over on the podcast…It’s 📕Books with Hooks🪝time, and this week’s episode sees Bianca, Carly and CeCe critiquing queries for a memoir and a YA steampunk novel. Among this week’s abundant insights is the obvious-but-not observation that writing a query and writing a manuscript require very different skills. Knowing when to change gears, to switch from “dancing the tango” to “swimming in a pool” (in other words, knowing what belongs in your query vs. on your pages), is not a skill we’re all born with, but it is one we need to cultivate if we’re trying to get that “Yes!” Luckily for us, we’ve got TSNOTYAW to help us figure it (and so much else!) out. 😍
We know we’re all word people here, but we’ve got a little math problem for you today that we think you’ll appreciate. Here goes: What do you get when you add 8 novels + 15 years + 500 rejections? Apparently the American Library Association's Michael L. Printz Award. Twice. Not to mention the NYT Book Review calling you “One of the best Y.A. writers working today.” If you’re querying and feeling rejection-dejected, we think you’ll appreciate today’s author Q&A with A.S. King (whose latest, Pick the Lock is out now)—she gives us the straight goods on her path to publication, including the times she felt like quitting even after she’d already been published. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: this writing thing is not for the faint of heart. But persistence and the right attitude (both of which she clearly has in abundance) can get you through it. 🙌🏼🔓
Finally, our hosts tackle your burning writing and querying questions in another insightful and advice-packed Q&A video. In this edition, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe cover everything from the best way to polish your query (hint: turning to AI ain’t it!) to using social media authentically rather than transactionally to when a love story is a romance vs. contemporary vs. commercial fiction (and, of course, more!). 🔥🤔
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading! ❤️
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team
P.S. Still not sure about upgrading to paid? Check out our Tuesday Teaser below to see what you’re missing!
This Week’s Podcast✨🎙️✨
It’s 📕Books with Hooks🪝time on the podcast (listen to it here!) this week. Tune in to hear Bianca, Carly and CeCe, analyze a memoir query and one for a YA steampunk. Our hosts provide feedback on the structure, content, and emotional depth of the letters, emphasizing the importance of clarity, causality, and character development. They also delve into the challenges of writing in the first person and the need for emotional layers in world-building.
“I feel like we're broken records at this point, but it's really important, because, without causality, I'm just getting highlights. I'm getting all these highlights and I don't see how they come together. And I'm sure they do come together. But one of the biggest challenges of writing a memoir is that you might have an interesting story, but are you a storyteller?”
— CeCe Lyra
November’s Bonus Episode is Here!
Bianca and Emilie Sommer from East City Book Bookshop tackle a variety of book recommendations based on listener comp requests.
They discuss neurodivergent characters, speculative fiction (including speculative westerns!), literary fiction dealing with trauma, art and historical mysteries, dark fiction, hopeful sci-fi, romance in unique settings, historical fiction that tackles climate change, feminist retellings, middle grade…and more!
Listen now!
Author Q&A with A.S. King 😍
A.S. King has been called “One of the best Y.A. writers working today” by The New York Times Book Review and is one of YA fiction's most decorated. She is the only two-time winner of the American Library Association's Michael L. Printz Award and has won the LA Times Book Prize. She also writes middle grade fiction as Amy Sarig King and has taught for a decade in MFA programs. She’s the founder of Gracie's House, a charity that funds safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth in rural areas, and spends many months of the year traveling the world speaking to high school and university students, educators, and humans who care about literacy and the mental health of young people.
TSNOTYAW: Were you ever close to giving up on writing and, if so, what stopped you?
A.S. King: I gave up on writing many times. It took me 8 novels over 15 years to get a yes after approximately 500 times hearing "no." That's hard, so there were a few points in there when I gave up. But the dream didn't die, you know? The most memorable time I quit writing was after my sixth published book. I decided I was quitting for good—the business had ruined the joy for me. I was too weird for any publicity team to know how to market, and too tired to keep putting myself into positions that only made me feel like shit. I quit so seriously that day. I knew I would never write another novel. And then, three days later, I wrote the words "Gustav is building a helicopter," the opening to my first purely surrealist novel, I CRAWL THROUGH IT. I think I ended up getting weirder as a way to survive the publishing business. I always was a rebel, I guess.
What one piece of advice (craft- or publishing industry-related) has always resonated with you?
Always be writing the next book. Always.
How do you ensure you have enough time to write amidst so many obligations competing for your time?
You make time to write books. It's the only way to do this. You mark out the time the same as people with 9-5 jobs have to get there at 9 and leave at 5. I have word count goals—usually 2k per day when I'm drafting. I have a lot of jobs and volunteer positions. But I am a solo mom and the only income in my house, so if I don't make the time, I don't eat. When my kids were tiny, I remember this scene where I was at the kitchen table and I was nursing a baby in my left arm, and my 5 year old was jumping up and down to my right telling me a story about unicorns. I was writing my third published novel with my free right hand while I responded to the conversation about unicorns. You just do it.
What is the most challenging part of being a successful author? And how do you mitigate its effects?
I have a hardest time trying to explain that while I have won many awards for my work, and am grateful for all of them, I still need other jobs to be able to afford to write. Medals don't buy beans. Starred trade reviews don't buy rice. This is the Catch-22 of being weird again, maybe. I mitigate the effects of having to explain this by enjoying being honest about the reality of most writers' lives. The ironically-related second-place answer to this question is the jealousy. I've lost people in my life because they couldn't handle what they saw as me becoming "too successful" (while I was completely broke, I remind you.) Their anger was hard to navigate. One time, a friend asked me how my day was going and I told her I got a good event offer that morning, which would help me pay bills (it was like a $1k speaking event way back in my early career) and she slammed her hand on her kitchen counter and screamed at me, "Why don't I get speaking events?" She is not only not an author, but she is unemployed and doesn't have a platform on which to be a speaker. It was so weird. I then found out she tells all kinds of local people massive lies about me and my personal life. I mitigated that by walking away.
Writer’s block: myth or unfortunate reality? If you experience it, how do you overcome it?
I used to say I didn't get writer's block because I couldn't afford to. That was true at the time because I was always the breadwinner, even when another adult lived in my house. Fact is, writing burnout (and life burnout) is real. And that's time for a rest of some kind. Whether it's a long one or a short one is up to you. For me, switching forms helps. I write poetry and short stories. Reading also usually helps me get out of a burnout phase. I'm in one now, actually. I know I have to start writing a book in January and I'm just trying to do as much of the other stuff as I can, and also rest and read as much as I can to be ready for January. One of my favorite things to do is to volunteer in a totally new space that I know nothing about. It means I learn a new thing. And since I see the world as a million unwritten stories, when I learn new things, I see them as stories. Bam! That's a cure.
How important do you think it is for writers to be on social media?
I think in these days of limited marketing an publicity dollars, it's a good thing to have social media and participate. However, it’s also a place that can hurt writers' feelings. Comparisons are odious and social media is already bad for that without the fact that you have to watch other writers doing things when you might be feeling low. So here's my trick. I am always happy for other writers making art and releasing it into the world. I buy their books. I am happy when they get film deals and I go to watch their films. I have always been genuinely happy for people when they succeed. If this is not how you are made, or, if, like me, you have a few down weeks in a year when you should NOT be looking at social media, then learn about yourself and do what makes you most comfortable. I am not a hard-seller. Like—I do school visits and don't mention my books at all because I'm really here, in writing and in those schools, to make sure kids know about trauma and how it affects them and to make sure they are educated about recovering and thriving. Selling books isn't why I'm on social media either. Make it about you and your passions in life. I post about my hot sauce, my nonprofit, and my weaving and painting. I post about my life. To me, that's more important than a hard sell any day. Being real and human. When it's release time, I post what I have to about my books, of course, but then I go back to real life. One big piece of advice--don't trash other writers. Even if they make mistakes. It's not a good look, and it sticks with people--those are the only authors I do not support with my whole heart.
What is something you’ve learned about yourself later in your writing career that would have surprised your younger self?
I adore writing for young people. I didn't think that's what I would do, but I absolutely love it. Better yet, I don't really write FOR young people. I write ABOUT them, and I write books that are FOR teens AND for adults. When I was in 8th grade, I said I wanted to write books that helped adults understand teens and teens understand adults. That's what I ended up doing. Now, the tricky part is that there is no way to cross-market books for teens and adults at the same time, really. But I don't care because I love doing what I do. But never, back when I wrote my first 8 attic novels, did I think I would be writing about young people and loving it. I'm writing an adult book now, but it's also got teens in it. Can't stop the rebel in me, I guess.
Pick the Lock is out now! Get it through our Bookshop.org affiliate page here. Doing so supports the author, The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, and an indie bookstore! 📚❤️
Early Bird Registrations for the Deep Dive Open Today! 🐣
Our Hosts Answer Your Burning Questions! 🔥😍🎥
In today’s Q&A session, Bianca, Carly and CeCe answer your questions in a frank, funny and informative discussion that tackles (among other things): alternatives to using AI to polish your query letters, authentic social media engagement, word count guidelines for fantasy queries, defining genres in query letters, and the best way to research agents who are open to unsolicited queries.
Check it out now!
Tuesday Teaser 😉
Next week’s newsletter exclusively for our paid members is another edition packed with a little bit of something for everyone, starting with an essay from novelist and lifestyle writer Hanna R. Neier, that breaks down the difference between developmental editing and book coaching, and offers insights into how you can tell which one (if either) is right for you.
We’ve also got a video from an award-winning contemporary and paranormal romance author, Lauren Connolly on why you need to get your introverted author self out of the house (as someone who met their future agent at a conference, Lauren is something of an expert on the subject).
Also in next Tuesday’s issue, we’ve got an essay by I Don't Do Disability and Other Lies I've Told Myself author Adelle Purdham, which makes the case for why memoirists need to expose themselves, warts and all on the page.
And, finally, a reminder: Our Tuesday newsletter is now where you’ll find Carly and CeCe’s written Books📕with Hooks🪝query critiques. We include them every other Tuesday, on weeks following a Books📕with Hooks🪝episode of the podcast.
Not yet a member? For just $8USD a month or $80USD a year you get:
an exclusive newsletter on Tuesdays featuring bonus author Q&As and other exclusive content from industry experts
weekly access to Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra’s written notes on queries from the podcast’s Books With Hooks feature
monthly bonus podcast episodes, AND
regular Ask Me Anythings / Q&As with Carly, CeCe, and Bianca Marais.
If that doesn’t kickstart your writing journey, we don’t know what will!
Your Last Chance to Register for the Beta Reader Matchup!
Are you looking for beta readers, some of whom might potentially become writing group members down the line?
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Your manuscript doesn't have to be complete to sign up for this 3000-word review!
Registrations are open from now until the 1st of December with the match emails going out on the 2nd of December. This is the last match up happening until March so don’t miss out!
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That’s all for this week’s news! If you enjoyed it, why not share the love? 🥰
Tune in again next week for more invaluable wisdom from our wonderful hosts! Until then, happy writing! 😍
❤️ The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team
Our work takes place on land now known as Toronto and Ottawa and we acknowledge that these are the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat Peoples as well as the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation. Toronto is covered under Treaty 13 and the Williams Treaties. We respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures, languages, and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada. We invite you to learn more about the land you inhabit, the history of that land, and how to actively be part of a better future going forward together at Native Land or Whose Land.
Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work in this newsletter is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe in this newsletter are solely that of themselves and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.
What you say about needing strong storytelling skills in order for your manuscript to grab people’s attention is so true! Stories are what genuinely connect us to our audience. Our media company’s newsletter is aiming to help people learn how to implement powerful storytelling techniques into their writing, regardless of whether it’s a memoir, fiction, or marketing content.
Excellent information packed into this one, as always! Thank you for being so real with your advice!
I really enjoyed the excellent interview with A.S. King this week. Thanks!