The Manuscript Academy

Longtime critique partners Julie Kingsley and Cameron Rosenblum dive into another first page for The Manuscript Academy Podcast. Join them for a quick reading and review of contemporary YA first page. Repped by the fabulous Brianne Johnson, a Senior Agent at Writer’s House, Cameron is a school librarian, who served as a judge for the CYBIL’s Award and was a guest blogger for the Nerdy Book Club. This page by author Lauren Shade. CHAPTER ONE SADIE I can't get caught. My stomach turns as I unclench my fists and wipe my palms down the side of my shorts. I can’t. I am so close…so close to the truth I can taste it, and if I get caught, she’ll take it away from me. She did it once. She’ll do it again. I keep my eyes locked on the kitchen archway. Toes curled in the plush living room carpet. Sweat gathers under my arms and behind my bent knees, in the area where my boobs meet the underwire of my bra. My heart beat drums in my ears, much louder than the air conditioning or the gentle wind pulling the smell of salt-water and rain through the open terrace doors. The wall separating us is streaked yellow with sunlight. I can almost see her through it, phone pressed against her ear, probably pacing and definitely with a drink in hand, but nowhere close to suspecting what’s going on right under her nose. With a shaky breath, I inch my hand into my mother’s coat pocket. Slowly. Slowly. Fingers touching metal and plastic. This is wrong. Stealing her keys. Breaking into her office. I should stop. Maybe I should listen to Dante’s advice for once. The first time he told me some things were better left alone was when I was twelve. It was during primary school. I would spend each summer at the Arzola Estate in Coral Gables. The manicured lawns were my playground. The ocean front was a mini paradise I would swim in for hours on end. One day when the chauffeur dropped me off, he turned to me with dead-set eyes and said, “Nobody has this much money unless they’re involved in bad things; if you know what I mean.” But, I didn’t know what he meant…though I’d soon find out. Dante and I used to love playing hide and seek at night. That night was no different. The mansion was a fortress. I would fade into the shadows of the hallway or climb the stairs to the third floor, maybe higher to the fourth where the library was and the art studio. This time I was it. I stood in the middle of the common room, shouting the countdown behind cloaked eyes and a smile that grew wider by the second. When I finally found him, Dante was hiding outside the boathouse, but he wasn’t hiding from me. There was a blizzard in his eyes, a frozen panic that raised chill bumps on my arms. He had turned into a statue—stone-faced and stone-silent. I was cautious as I approached him. “Dante?” Pop! I jumped as the gun exploded. A metallic jingle—the keys scraping against each other. The memories vanish, and I’m back in the den. My mother’s voice floats from the next room, low and quick. I strain to make out the conversation she’s having, gauge how close or far she is, but her words all mesh together. Focus. “Damn it, Javi! Who gave him access to the accounts? Do I need to come there myself?” I go completely still, the keys swinging back and forth in my fingers. In the kitchen, cabinets open with a creak and shut with a bang. Her accent draws closer as though she’s walking toward the living room. I pinch my eyes closed and grit my teeth until my jaw starts to ache, and though inside I’m on fire, outside I’m ice. I’m Dante on the night we heard those noises.

We speak with agent Erik Hane of Red Sofa Literary about how he got his start, how he used to think fiction writers were hired--and the programs he'd build if given the funding. We also spend a brief moment talking about how #MeToo has come to publishing. Plus, some dangerous-sounding winter sports Erik and Julie seem to know way too much about. (We're glad they're safe, and hope Erik gets a sled dog soon.) You can listen to the Print Run episode we mentioned (episode 60) here and see all of their other amazing content here: https://www.printrunpodcast.com/

We speak with author Carrie DiRisio, the voice behind Brooding YA Hero, plus her agent, Melissa Edwards at Stonesong Literary, and her editor, Alison Weiss at Sky Pony Press. Together, we discuss the creation of Brooding YA Hero, and how it became a book that is so much more than a Twitter feed. (Plus, of course, we talk about how platform can help your work--and what to do if it's uncomfortable for you.) PLUS we introduce Carrie's new class--all about tropes, and how you can use them, twist them, and/or completely reject them in your fiction--for that work that is the gold standard of "Familiar but with a twist" (which is what, for whatever reason, seems to work so well in publishing and Hollywood). The class package is $29 and comes with a recorded class, live Q&A with Broody, and dedicated Facebook group workshop. Learn more at ManuscriptAcademy.com/Broody. PS: Yes, there's a bit of a popping sound on Carrie's track. We were trying out new software and had one of the settings wrong. D'oh! Anyway, that's fixed now. Thanks for bearing with us!

We speak with literary agent Kiana Nguyen of Donald Maass Agency about being a writer AND agent, her days as a park ranger in California and New York, and what she'd do with a Ph.D. in Anthropology. PLUS, we talk about her unusual journey into publishing--which involved Twitter networking, a contest, and getting killed in a work of fiction, The Intern's Handbook by Shane Kuhn: http://www.shanekuhn.com/the-intern-s-handbook.html We also discuss why a form letter is just a form letter--but that still doesn't make US feel better, and very important topics including trains that get across the country in under an hour (see https://www.wired.com/2013/07/elon-musk-hyperloop/). You can book a meeting with Kiana here: http://manuscriptacademy.com/ten/

Happy 2018! We're here to talk about your goals, and how best to accomplish them. NEW FEATURE: You can now *watch* this podcast as a video. In fact, it will make a lot more sense if you do! Just head on over to http://manuscriptacademy.com/videopodcast/ to view. It'll work on your phone, just like a podcast--but with a behind-the-scenes look at how we make these. To vote for donkey or camel, please visit: http://manuscriptacademy.com/donkey-or-camel/ The books we mentioned; Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, and MFA vs. NYC, edited by Chad Harbach. The friends you should follow (in order of appearance): Jennifer Iacopelli, @JenniferCarolyn Kathleen S. Allen, @kathleea MK Brownlow, @MK_Brownlow Colin D. Smith, @colin_d_smith Naseem Jamnia, @jamsternazzy Jen O, @_JenOlsen_ Jennifer Lane, @JennyJanuary HC Marks, @HCMarks Katrin Hollister, @KatrinHollister Mike Chen, @mikechenwriter, also designed ManuscriptWishList.com, and builds author websites! See AtmosphereAuthorWebsites.com. Christine L. Arnold, @ChristineRnold Jenna Satterthwaite, @JennaSchmenna Elaina Batista-Parsons, @Bravelrene77 Candra Baguley, @ccbaguley33 Nicole Sharkey, @coleyshark Correct pronunciation of Edinburg (ed-in-bruh) provided by We Scottish Lass (who has a lot of cute videos!) at https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GI864aZJkdE

We talk with agent Kurestin Armada (P.S. Literary) and her client, Amy Schaefer, who not only got an offer of representation while in another country--but while on a boat near Papua New Guinea. Without wifi. Or phones. Just one radio. Many writers worry about whether they can possibly get an agent's attention, and sell books in the US, if they live abroad. For all of the writers out there, we hope this episode puts you at ease. If Kurestin and Amy can do it with a single sideband radio, an old Nokia, and a pile of SIM cards--you can, too.

Join us December 11, at 8:00pm EST, for a happy hour featuring writers, agents, editors--all coming together to celebrate the season. PLUS there will be prizes, giveaways, and more. Listen in for tips on what to bring, what to drink--and how to make the most of this annual event.

For the first in this series (all about live meetings!), we talk with agent Melissa Edwards at Stonesong about live pitches, e-consultations, and what works—and doesn’t—in each. What makes a writer successful in these meetings? How do they best get answers that move their work forward? And what’s the difference between pitch and summary—and what blend helps you the most? (And yes, that super long, awkward pause is on purpose. Form matching content. You'll see.) Learn all this--and more--with Melissa, You can follow her on Twitter at @MelissaLaurenE, and book a meeting with her at http://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/melissa-edwards/.

We asked Rachel Ekstrom Courage to talk about comp titles--comparative and competitive works that can, when used correctly in your pitch, give an agent a quick (and useful) idea of what your work is like, where it would fit in the marketplace, and who would read it. When used badly, comps can read like "This is Harry Potter meets The DaVinci Code meets Eat, Pray, Love"--both vague and an indicator of a lack of research. How do you use them to your advantage? Listen in!

We asked agent John Cusick at Folio Literary to narrate his inbox, #TenQueries style. Just like #TenQueries on Twitter, he described what he was seeing--but you can hear in his voice when he gets surprising mistakes (and great queries!). If you've ever wondered if agents are making up the stories of what's in their inbox (hint: if anything, they don't talk about the strangest things they receive), this is the episode series for you! While we had him, we asked about his experiences with live pitches--and the awkward and wonderful moments he's had during these meetings. What works for him? What can you do to improve your interactions with agents? Listen in!

In our Season Two launch, Jessica and Julie talk about the Academy's plans for our second year of business (wooo!). We'll tell you a bit about our new types of episodes, new services, workshops, author experts--and more! Plus, we discuss the superpowers necessary for publishing, and what we'd do with (more than) a million dollars, if we could.

Jessica and Julie are melting. It's over 100 degrees, and it's August--that mythical time that Publishing slows down (even more) for a month. In this season one finale, we discuss why August became this slower season--how a writer can best to spend that time--and what's coming up for this year in the Academy.

We talk with agent Stephanie Fretwell-Hill of Red Fox Literary about what happens when things go wrong during international work travel--and how the publishing community will often come together make sure everyone's okay. (You don't want to miss Stephanie's story--it's a very "Agents are people too" moment that had Jessica terrified on Stephanie's behalf. Don't worry--she ends up fine!) We also talk about the difference between our IDEA of what a career is like, versus the reality. (Hint: We almost never think about how creative professions usually have less time for inspiration than we imagine.) We also talk about building a book community outside of NYC (Stephanie's in Atlanta), how to balance work and life, and how best to get an agent emotionally onboard with your work. Want to talk with Stephanie more? You can! She's part of The Manuscript Academy's Ten Minutes With An Expert program. You can e-meet her to discuss your work here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/ten/ and follow her on Twitter here: @SFretwellHill. Podcast edited by the amazing @ParleyCook.

We talk with editor Jaime Coyne, of St. Martin's Press/Macmillan, about the joys and stresses of being and editor who also writes--or did also write--or now speculates about how many editors and agents secretly write. Meanwhile, plenty of tips on how Jessica imagines that going (catastrophically) with social fallout (and awkward run-ins at corner stores in yoga pants after having been editorially torn apart). Back in the real world, we discuss how different edits can lead you to the same place (yes, really! Sometimes editor A's suggestion X and editor B's suggestion Y can get you to the same draft Z), why that's true--and why you shouldn't idealize editorial life. Plus, of course, filming day--which Jaime attended, jackhammers and all. This episode was edited by the amazing Parley Cook.

You heard it here first! Join The Manuscript Academy--along with editors and agents from top houses and agencies--for five daily lessons, five videos, a supportive critique group, AND a LIVE first pages panel--all for $25. Just head to ManuscriptAcademy.com/Five to learn more.