Get ready for some full transparency. How much an agent should be charging you, at what percentage, and when.

Advice on query letters: personalization, comp titles, submission strategy, and more!

NYT bestselling author/illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka shares the challenges and gratifications of reaching across different age categories and the importance of illustrations in storytelling. Listen to hear his tips on writing within established franchises (like Star Wars), how to pivot a picture book idea into a graphic novel series, and memoir writing.

Query smart by making sure you’re targeting agents and editors who want what you’re writing.

One of the most difficult experiences for an author is changing literary agents. Sometimes, as much as many hate to admit it, seeking out new representation becomes necessary. If a relationship between an author and their agent isn’t productive, it can often be worse than having no agent at all.

Query rejection hurts. You’re putting your shiny new novel out into the world, just for people to say “no, thank you.” Here are some of the best ways to deal with a query rejection.

Rob Kent, author and host of the Middle Grade Ninja podcast, joins Mary Kole to talk about his illustrious publishing career and provides valuable insights and inspiration for aspiring writers. He discusses the importance of managing expectations for success in your writing career, as well as writing for your own personal happiness.

An uplifting conversation with author Wendelin Van Draanen, where we discuss the therapeutic nature of writing and the silver lining in a difficult path to publication.

One query letter sent to the right agent … and an offer of representation comes your way! Of course we writers stress about our queries. We’ve poured so much into our manuscripts, and we only get a few hundred words to pitch them! Let’s go over the elements of a query letter to improve your chances of getting that wonderful phone call one day.

Decades-long agent, Rachel Orr, talks about real life clients as she shares what agents and editors are looking for, what to include in your query letter, and how to challenge the status quo.

NYT Bestselling young adult and middle-grade author Jonathan Auxier joins Mary Kole to discuss visual writing, worldbuilding, and how different media use dialogue to create action.

If you’re a beginning writer, you may be wondering how to organize your writing. Working on a novel means you’ll have lots of bits and pieces to keep track of: character and setting notes, plot outlines, reference photos, versions of your manuscript, notes to yourself, quotes and inspiration to keep you going when the going gets tough...yikes!

Insights from industry veteran Chuck Sambuchino on how to become a well-informed writer, build a platform, and get published.

Typing “the end,” either literally or figuratively, after spending many months on a project is worthy of celebration. The logical next step is querying. But before you begin to query, there are some critical steps to take.

Communicating with literary agents is an important part of the querying process. Here are some communication do's and don'ts that'll give you the best shot at receiving a response to your query.

Many writers struggle with how to deal with negative criticism. Not all writing feedback you receive in your lifetime will be “constructive criticism”. Some of it may feel like straight-up criticism criticism, or worse, destructive criticism. Ouch! Here are some thoughts on bouncing back from a devastating writing critique, and what to do next.

Tune in for a chat with Mary Kole's long-time friend in the children's publishing space, YA Author J.C. Geiger. He tells all about how he made an epic mixtape with music no one's heard before (and met his heroes in the process), and talks about writing young adult characters, the future of post-pandemic fiction, and—of course—the power of music.

Coming up with the dreaded comp titles for your query letter or elevator pitch doesn’t have to be a chore. Here’s why you need them and how to make looking for them (a little) more fun.

A conversation with John Cusick, literary agent and MG/YA author. We delve into writing for MG and YA readers, what agents are looking for, and breaking writing rules.

You’re ready to take the next step, but manuscript submission can feel overwhelming. (Am I the only one who hadn’t heard anyone use the word ‘query’ in a hundred years before entering publishing?) Let’s take a zoomed-out look at what manuscript submission is and look at some resources that can help you with the process.