Happy Birthday to the podcast's founder,
@BiancaM_author
. Bianca is our creative mastermind and visionary! She is also too modest to talk about herself, so on behalf of all of us: THANK YOU, Bianca, for creating a supportive, fun, and resourceful community for storytellers! 💙
It’s frustrating running a podcast aimed at helping
#amquerying
#writers
get published, where our
#literaryagent
cohosts give advice on the query letters and opening pages that our listeners submit, and yet see so many floundering writers on X who’ve never heard of the podcast.
We have our own account now! Come follow us for awesome content and a fair amount of potty-mouthing. (It’s a real continuous verb, Karen. We just made it up!).
Struggling to find comps? Leave a message for us, giving a bit of info on your plot and genre, and we’ll have an indie bookseller suggest comps for you!
This podcast is a labor of love and a free resource for all writers at every stage of their journey. We want to make writers’ dreams come true and help them feel less alone. Please spread the word so we can find the listeners who need us most ❤️🙏🏼
It’s frustrating running a podcast aimed at helping
#amquerying
#writers
get published, where our
#literaryagent
cohosts give advice on the query letters and opening pages that our listeners submit, and yet see so many floundering writers on X who’ve never heard of the podcast.
For those of you who are stuck in the awful vortex of waiting, refreshing your inboxes hourly as you hope for good news…
We’ve been there.
It sucks.
Time slows down in the most torturous ways.
We hope so much that this is the week you get the one yes that changes everything!
Those damn man-hating liberals 😂🙄🙈
Hate to tell you, but writing is a political act. It’s THE most political act. And all three of us love men: good, strong, evolved, awesome men. And we will always fight the shitty patriarchy. Because that’s what good feminists do. Join us.
Happy NaNoWriMo for all who celebrate! May the ink flow, may the carpal tunnel be mild, and may those words pile up faster than bills at month end!
You’ve got this! 👏🏼🙌🏼👏🏼
#NaNoWriMo
The disclaimer you have to tick when you submit to Books with Hooks.
Every author who gets chosen for Books with Hooks: “I have a revised version I’d like to submit and also did I redact my name and title? And could you also check…”
😂🙈😂
#TheStruggleisReal
We have similarly made the decision to remove our podcast from Spotify. We’re sorry if it inconveniences any of our listeners, but we’re hoping they will understand, and find one of the many other platforms we’re available on to get their TSNOTYAW fix.
I’ve just finished sorting 207 writers into their beta reader match up groups 😅👏🏼 If you signed up, check your inbox. Congratulations on putting yourself out there! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
If you missed this round, the next one is happening in November!
We’re almost @ 5K followers and we’d like to ask your help in getting us to 7K. Please spread the word about the podcast (as well as the Books with Hooks segment) among your writing community: Once we hit our target, we’ll do a giveaway of 10 BWH segments!
Query fatigue is real. It’s a major struggle. Sometimes the best thing you can do is give yourself a break from it. Step back and write things that have nothing to do with the manuscript you’re querying. Find the joy in it again because that’s what made you start writing.
I've been trying to stay positive, but I have to be honest and say
#amquerying
has been hugely detrimental to my mental health and I really don't know how to deal with it anymore.
We’re trying something new whereby you record your question about writing or publishing, and we then air that voice recording on the podcast before answering it!
Try it out!
We started this podcast to help those floundering writers by giving them practical advice and guidance, and to create a supportive community. But if they don’t know about us, we can’t help them. Please like and share so we can reach the
#amwriting
#amquerying
#WritingCommnunity
We’ve added a new page to our website where we share your success stories! The first one is up and it’s so awesome!! If you would like to share good news/wins with us, please mail us at the address in the link! Congratulations
@ninaksimon
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼❤️❤️❤️
We joined forces with a designer to create an e-planner just for writers! It has everything in it that you could possibly need. Start your year off with a creative bang:
Or gift it to a writing friend. ❤️
#amwriting
#amquerying
#WritingCommmunity
We have exciting news! In our quest to continue bringing you practical and relevant content, we’re working on starting a newsletter early next year! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 this is where you sign up for it! Please share with the
#WritingCommmunity
Just got an email withdrawing a requested full "because I haven't heard from you, so I assume you're not interested, or just lazy."
Well, ok, I was just about to send you an update on my next reading retreat; glad to find out we're not a match without reading another word!
Gosh, but the trolls are exhausting, aren’t they? 🙈
Please give me some of your good news to drown out the lone troll who has drained way too much of my energy today.
What small wins did you all experience today?
We have something exciting happening tomorrow! Our logo has gotten a makeover! And we’d like you to help us pick which option you’d prefer. Watch out for when we post the poll! We’d love your input!
We have a jam packed Books with Hooks segment today with Carly and CeCe sharing many nuggets of wisdom. After which, CeCe not only interviews Bianca for the podcast, she also challenges her to a Twitter dance off. Who do you think will win? 😂👏🏼
We have another awesome episode up today! Paige and Rianne join Carly and CeCe on Books with Hooks to discuss their queries. And Bianca chats with Emily Henry, author of Book Lovers, about writing good dialogue and witty banter.
Our February newsletter has gone out and it’s full of awesome insights! Have you signed up yet? 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Let us know what you think. And thank you so much to the fabulous
@BronwenKeyesBev
for putting it together for us! Please follow her on her socials. ❤️🙏🏼
We have an amazing episode today! Not only does the brilliant
@emmastraub
(author of the wonderful THIS TIME TOMORROW) join us to share her wisdom, but
@carlywatters
advocates for a prologue 🤯 and Carly and
@ceciliaclyra
disagree on a submission. Don’t miss it!
Congratulations, Rachel!! We’re thrilled for you!
Head over to our podcast’s Good News page to read more and to see which Book with Hooks episode Rachel was on! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
In today’s Books with Hooks,
@carlywatters
and
@ceciliaclyra
each take on two query letters, discussing women’s fiction in more detail. Bianca chats with the fabulous
@FionaDavisBooks
about historical fiction, and multi-POV and multi-timeline novels.
We’re back with all new episodes! Woo hoo!
Today’s Books with Hooks features guest agent, Jenni Ferrari-Adler who looks at 3 query letters along with Carly and CeCe. After which, Bianca chats with author, Kath Jonathan, and freelance editor, Lisa Rivers. Don’t miss it!
We’re trying something new whereby you record your question about writing or publishing, and we then air that voice recording on the podcast before answering it!
Try it out!
We have a cracker of an episode today!
@carlywatters
and
@ceciliaclyra
are left unsupervised and the wheels come off! 😂👏🏼
@BiancaM_author
chats with Jeffrey Archer, one of the bestselling authors in the world, about his amazing advice for writers.
We have an awesome bonus episode today that you absolutely don’t want to miss! CeCe interviews
@amandapellss
(author of Smile and Look Pretty) and Bianca interviews
@mdbell79
(author of Refuse to be Done: How to Write and Rewrite in Three Drafts). After which, we answer your Qs!
Hey
@TSNOTYAW
i love your show (tons!) but it leaves me with 6 days a week of not-your-show. Any other podcasts on writing y’all would recommend to fill the other days?
Congratulations to all the applicants who won full bursaries to the virtual retreat in January! We did a lottery system to make it as fair as possible. Those who didn’t win still walked away with a free course of their choice and admission to the TSNOTYAW Book Club! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
We have an awesome bonus episode out today chatting with
@sarahgcantin
, Executive Editor at St Martin’s Publishing Group, as well as author, Susie Orman Schnall. Emilie from
@eastcitybooks
joins us to give you comps! Don’t miss it!
This episode is officially our most downloaded one with 7050 downloads. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 I remember when I got excited about 100 downloads. Thank you all for your amazing support!
We have an epic bonus episode up today. Over 2 hours of amazing content featuring the brilliant Emily Henry and
@CarleyFortune
. Not to mention
@eastcitybooks
and
@ParnassusBooks1
helping you with comps! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Here’s our exciting announcement! We have an AMAZING virtual retreat coming up on the 29th and 30th of January, and here’s just some of the brilliant line-up.
Head to to read more about what the weekend will entail, the costs, & how to book your spot.
We’re super excited to have Bianca be a part of an awesome panel at Podfest Expo this coming January 25-28th in Orlando.
She’ll be joining the fabulous
@zibbyowens
@estelleserasmus
and
@ronitplank
❤️👏🏼❤️ to discuss writing and publishing.
Use our code "TSNOTYAW" for a discount!
We launch the new format Books with Hooks today! Yay! Let us know what you think of it! Also, I chat with the fabulous Jesse Q Sutanto, author of the hilarious Dial A for Aunties, about her journey to publication and her secret to amazing overnight success!
This is from ‘A Damsel in Distress’ written by PG Wodehouse in 1919. Apparently authors of every generation have been struggling with readers’ dwindling attention spans 😂👏🏼
In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by two authors whose queries they discuss in depth. And in a new format, Bookstagrammer, Femi Omotade joins Bianca to interview author, Ashley Audrain, about her bestselling thriller, The Push.
In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe tackle the same 3 query letters together, covering a lot of ground advice-wise.
Guest Bookstagrammer, Femi, interviews the phenomenal Brit Bennett about The Vanishing Half. Tons of amazing insights in this episode!
We sold out of the first early bird tier within hours yesterday which is why we’re adding a second tier today! There are 37 slots left at this price. Don’t miss out 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 This is going to be epic!
We have a new episode up! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼Carly and CeCe look at two query letters each and then
@ceciliaclyra
interviews
@CaitlinBarasch
, author of A Novel Obsession!
In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe kick it back old school to discuss the same three submissions. After which, Carly and Bianca chat with Glendy Vanderah, author of The Oceanography of the Moon, about turning an old, rejected manuscript into your next big hit!
We have a super jam-packed Bonus Episode up today in which we answer your questions, give you comps, and chat with two amazing authors!! Don’t miss it!
We really appreciate the support! The hosts don’t make a cent from the podcast - all the time they spend on it is a labor of love for them. All the funding from listeners goes to covering the costs of producing the podcast itself. ❤️🙏🏼❤️
You asked for it and we got our incredible designer to deliver. This hardcover planner has 580 pages of incredible content to kick start your 2024 in the best possible way. You can purchase the digital or hardcover version here:
In today's episode from the archives, Bianca chats with award-winning and bestselling author, Lily King, author of Writers & Lovers.
And guess what? We'll be back with new episodes next week! 🥳
We have a new episode up and it’s a good one! You don’t want to miss it! Carly and CeCe discuss the importance of your major dramatic question in a query. And then CeCe chats with author, Jessie Stephens, as they unpack a lot!
In today’s Books with Hooks, we have Jami Sheets and Liz Green join us on the show to have Carly and CeCe discuss their submissions. And then Bianca chats with the publishing phenomenon, Ken Follett who blows her mind with all of his excellent writing advice 🤯
This is one hell of an episode!! It’s going to get you through the whole week! 😂👏🏼 It has two amazing author interviews, two comps segments, and a heck of a long Q and A session. You don’t want to miss any of it!
We’re ending off the year with a bang! The last episode of 2021 is full of all the vibes. Fabulous guest agent,
@VeroniKaboom
from Fuse Literary, takes on a few queries. And the amazing
@alkajoshi
gives me all the feels! You’re going to love it! This is the shot of oomf we need.
We have an awesome new episode up!
@simcarter
asked that Carly and CeCe share queries they ended up representing which they do in this episode. And Bianca chats with Felicity George about first acts!