The Manuscript Academy

We speak with the lovely and talented Kelly Van Sant, agent at D4E0 Literary, about a new first page from author Erin Shachory. If you'd like to submit your first page for this podcast, please send it to Academy@ManuscriptWishList.com as a Word document, with "First Page Podcast" in the subject line. Here's Erin's first page, so you can follow along at home: My new life begins with a spark. First, a pinch in the center of my forehead, sharp enough to make me close my eyes. Then my skin tingles and a burst of inspiration seems to burst through my skin. Before I can even open my eyelids, I’m imagining my first sketches of Italy on a fresh page in Notebook 19: apartment towers lined with laundry and streets littered with beat-up cars, everything layered in smog and smoke. In movies, Italy is all vineyards and farmhouses. In Naples, it’s chaos. “Daydreaming?” Dad squeezes my shoulder, then nods to some chairs across the lobby. “I’ll check us in. You two sit tight.” As he sidles up to the registration desk, I shake my head, blurry with jetlag, and take in the sad, dim lobby of the oddly named American Hotel. “Italy sucks.” Troy nudges me with his elbow and calls the chair closest to the elevator. “C’mon, E. Give it a chance.” I follow my brother past a group of kids sprawled across backpacks and each other’s legs. They’re about our ages, chattering loudly in a mash-up of European languages, earphones dangling from their ears. No cares. No worries. Their dads didn’t just move them halfway across the world. I shrug off my backpack and toss it onto our pile of mismatched suitcases. “A ‘chance’ is a weeklong vacation, not selling our house and moving.” “Dramatic much?” Troy stretches out like a starfish and the chair sags. “We’ve been in the country about an hour, Eden. Chill out.” He turns his head and a girl across the room, a brunette with Botticelli curls, notices the small patch of bright purple hair behind his right ear. Then her eyes fall on the violet hair spilling over my right shoulder. Troy sees the girl and nods, but I fidget with my hair, self-conscious. I twist the whole mess into a knot and tie it back, hoping the purple streak is hidden by brown hair, cursing our shared birth defect, a recessive trait from our mother’s family. “I wish it was recessive,” I mutter.  Troy kicks my chair and mouths chill before returning to his phone. The electric whine of his favorite game blips and beeps, and he’s oblivious to me again.

We talk with Lindsey Danis about her experience being workshopped on our podcast, the changes she's implemented, and whether she wanted to reach through the screen and shake us for not getting it. We also answer Lindsey's questions and talk about how much self-deprecation can work on the page (versus in real life) and how to create (and why you should try to create) an emotional and aesthetic range. Want to volunteer as tribute? Submit your page for consideration by sending it to Academy@ManuscriptWishList.com as a Word document (yes, we know! The opposite of querying: we WANT an attachment). Please put "First Pages Podcast" in the subject line. For your reference, here is Lindsay's first page, which we went over in episode fourteen: My Life Without You by Lindsey Danis It’s the last day of the first week of school and the air has this incredible warmth, like summer’s just a tease. I unzip my navy-blue mechanic’s jacket, which I’ve been warned is not sanctioned as school uniform. I’m meeting my best friend Birdie at our sanctuary, the appropriately named Haven Diner. The Square feels like home and I breathe in its smell of incense, sweat, and garbage, happy to be here. Harvard Square is about a mile from my parents’ house (correction: my father’s house) and it’s ground zero for any street punk/riot grrrl/alternative kid in the Boston area. Street artists, protesters, musicians, writers—everyone who cares about arts, culture, and activism hangs out here, learning from and inspiring one another. The Square as we all call it shares nothing but a name with that Ivy League school. You would think it would be totally pretentious, just like the university barricaded behind 27 iron gates, but it’s the opposite. Harvard students cut across to go from dorm to class and back again, but the Square belongs to everyone. University janitors eat their packed sandwiches and rub shoulders with teen runaways, retail store clerks take smoke breaks, homeless folks play chess outside the coffee shop. Even the diehard Cambridge hippies pause and take in the scene on their way to poetry readings or theater performances. Worlds blend and cultures mix, especially when you’re waiting outside Haven for a seat. Popular girls from my old school who would never smile at me in the hallways call out my name to ask how summer was. At my new school I may be the weirdo, but whatever I am is all right here in the Square. There’s no judgment.

In this episode, we talk with literary agent Caitie Flum of Liza Dawson Associates about online communities (and where to find your people), teleporting powers (which we would use to get lunch in Paris), and why agents do so many things for free (hint: we love the work, but it's still unpaid). We also talk about how agents can tell you haven't read enough in your genre--and why that matters. PLUS Caitie's best tips for a writer just starting out. You can also find Caitie in episode fourteen, our first first pages podcast. She's on Twitter @caitief.

In this new feature, we invite an expert--tonight, Caitie Flum of Liza Dawson Associates--have them pick a page from our kind volunteers. We then talk about the lessons in this page--what editorial feedback we'd suggest--and how this can apply to the pages you're writing at home. Want to volunteer as tribute? Submit your page for consideration by sending it to Academy@ManuscriptWishList.com as a Word document. Please put "First Pages Podcast in the subject line." If you'd like to follow along at home, please scroll down to see this week's page. My Life Without You by Lindsey Danis It’s the last day of the first week of school and the air has this incredible warmth, like summer’s just a tease. I unzip my navy-blue mechanic’s jacket, which I’ve been warned is not sanctioned as school uniform. I’m meeting my best friend Birdie at our sanctuary, the appropriately named Haven Diner. The Square feels like home and I breathe in its smell of incense, sweat, and garbage, happy to be here. Harvard Square is about a mile from my parents’ house (correction: my father’s house) and it’s ground zero for any street punk/riot grrrl/alternative kid in the Boston area. Street artists, protesters, musicians, writers—everyone who cares about arts, culture, and activism hangs out here, learning from and inspiring one another. The Square as we all call it shares nothing but a name with that Ivy League school. You would think it would be totally pretentious, just like the university barricaded behind 27 iron gates, but it’s the opposite. Harvard students cut across to go from dorm to class and back again, but the Square belongs to everyone. University janitors eat their packed sandwiches and rub shoulders with teen runaways, retail store clerks take smoke breaks, homeless folks play chess outside the coffee shop. Even the diehard Cambridge hippies pause and take in the scene on their way to poetry readings or theater performances. Worlds blend and cultures mix, especially when you’re waiting outside Haven for a seat. Popular girls from my old school who would never smile at me in the hallways call out my name to ask how summer was. At my new school I may be the weirdo, but whatever I am is all right here in the Square. There’s no judgment.

Welcome to our very first First Pages episode! In this new series, we'll be discussing the most interesting first pages we can get our hands on--YOURS! We'll ask agents and editors to join us in finding the lessons in these pages that not only improve this work--but give you ideas for your own. Want to submit a page for consideration? Send it to Academy@ManuscriptWishList.com. We're joined this week by the lovely and talented literary agent Linda Camacho of the Prospect Agency. You can view her class, How To Write A Manuscript That Gets and Keeps Everyone's attention, in The Manuscript Academy's A La Carte classes section: http://manuscriptacademy.com/a-la-carte-classes/ For your reference (if you'd like to read along at home), here's the first page we'll be discussing this week: Strawberry Season I pick up the gun making sure not to ruin my new manicure and pull the carnival rifle to my chest, peering down the barrel at the long rows of colors until I see the first yellow star. Just like at target practice. Thank you, Dad! Brace the legs. Grip the ground. Take a deep centering breath. Give my hips a little swirl to the beat of the music pumping its way through the Sagadahoc Strawberry Festival. And boom! Bull’s eye. “Two more to go!” I turn to Renee, my oldest friend in Maine and the most down to earth chick I know, and say, “I’m going to bring home a two-foot strawberry.” I gesture to the obscene looking overripe stuffed fruit hanging from a large hook in the ceiling. Renee raises unplucked brows underneath fringy bangs. “Just what you need… at the blueberry farm.” She leans in close and whispers, “Seriously, all of these games are rigged. Don’t waste your money. If you waited tables with me at The Muffin, you wouldn’t be wasting it all on this…. ridiculousness.” “Play with me! Live a little! ” I raise the gun in the air. “Come on, you know you want to.” “I’ve gotta go to the bathroom.” “You picking the Port-O-Potty over my mission?” Renee points past the tilt-a-whirl, toward the line that extends almost all the way around the Fun House. “You are a total freak. Stay right here. The cell service is horrible. If I lose you, I might not be able to find you again. And trust me, it’s a long walk back home.” I give her a cheeky wink. “You are a freak, California girl,” Renee says before shoving both hands into her sweatshirt and heading into the crowd.

This week we talk with publicist and literary agent Dawn Michelle Hardy of Serendipity Literary Agency. We talk about publicity, and the surprising amount you can do from home, plus profit and loss statements, running marathons--and what really happens when you get rejected by a publisher. We also talk about research nonfiction writers should do BEFORE starting a proposal. And Dawn shares a fantastic story about a nervous writer pitching her in person--and what she did to calm her down. You don't want to miss this!

We talk with Melissa Edwards of Stonesong Literary about the transition from lawyer to agent, PubLaw basics, and how she really should start a Melissa Explains It All Podcast. We also talk about her favorite podcasts, what negotiation looks like within Publishing--and that someone should really make a product called Not So Tights for women who like to be warm AND comfortable.

We speak with Harlequin editor Carly Silver about corgis, men in kilts--and whether giving birth to a baby or a book is harder. We also talk about fangirling (and when even editors have to keep their cool), the loooooooong edit process, and an average month in Carly's editing life. We also talk about how trends can help publishers find money for similar work. Added bonus: We think Google should fund what she has in mind as a 20% project. Check it out! You can learn more about Carly at @CarlyASilver.

This pep talk was inspired by that extremely uncomfortable phenomenon of going home for the holidays, only to be grilled by your relatives. It was made with the generous contributions of writers just like you. We hope this will give you some cheer when your family asks, "Soooo--are you still writing?" "Are you a New York Times besteller yet?" "How much money do you make?" Explaining the writing life to your family can be hard, especially during the holidays. So when they start asking you why you don't have a movie deal yet/how many copies your book has sold/why you don't just hit Upload and become a bestseller, pop in your earbuds, crank up this podcast, and remind yourself you're not alone. Please note: there is some (very justified, we think) swearing in this podcast. To make your season a little brighter, we asked writers to tell us what works--and doesn't work--when discussing the writing life with your family. How do you keep the kids occupied? What do you say to those awkward questions? And how--with all the holiday craziness--do you find time for your work? We are thrilled to have the following contributors (in order of appearance, after the names montage). Find them on Twitter and thank them for being awesome! 2:24 Brandon Hoang @BrandonHoang_ 2:50 Ted Fox @TheTedFox 2:56 Tiffany Meuret @TMeuretBooks 3:03 Bethany Telles @BethanyTelles 2:26 Denise Mealy @DCCMealy 3:50 Writer from Texas 4:04 Caitlin O'Connell @Caitlin_Renata 4:10 Heather Smith @SmithWriter 4:20 Eileen 4:30 Pam Barney @lifewithBarns 4:38 Caitlin O'Connell @Caitlin_Renata 4:43 Mehr Lee @mehr_lee 4:50 Heather Smith @SmithWriter 4:59 Mehr Lee @mehr_lee 5:24 Kelly Schluterman @kmschluterman1 5:43 Writer from Texas 5:51 Lara Ruth Ziobro @lararuthz 6:06 Sharon Chriscoe @schriscoe_ 6:17 Ozma Bryant @ozma_bryant 6:33 Caroline @Keep_Tha_Faith 7:02 Marcela Ferreira @mlmfd 7:25 Jessica Kapp @JessKapp 7:58 Bethany Telles @BethanyTelles 8:10 Jessica Kapp @JessKapp 8:35 Kelly Schluterman @kmschluterman1 8:47 Pam Barney @lifewithBarns 9:04 Mehr Lee @mehr_lee 9:21 Caroline @Keep_Tha_Faith 10:09 Writer from Texas 10:29 Ozma Bryant @ozma_bryant 11:06 Sharon Chriscoe @schriscoe_

Julie and Jessica talk about the best methods for dealing with annoying questions from relatives about your writing. 1) Deflect! 2) Drink. 3) All the other smart things we mention in this podcast. Give us a listen!

We speak with literary agent Kurestin Armada about knitting, horror films, rejection--and why the passion projects are often, actually, the most practical. We also talk victory gardens, practical flowers, and what it means to read for pleasure when you're an agent. BONUS: If you're listening to this podcast, Kurestin thinks you're in good shape.

In this episode, Julie and Jessica tell you about the (FREE! Awesome!) Manuscript Academy holiday party coming up December 13. Need props? Yes! Maybe. For best results, listen to this podcast first.

In this episode, Jessica and Julie how tell you how best to spend ten minutes with an agent--whether in a pitch session, an office hour, a craft meeting, or stuck in an elevator.

We talk with Lane about photographing supermoons, what he'd do as Super Lane, and being a guy who sells romance. But not bromance. We also talk about what agents fear during pitch sessions, killing characters in picture books, and why being a veterinarian might not be the best back-up career for someone in publishing.

Join us for a chat with literary agent Linda Camacho (Prospect Agency) to talk about marketing, agents getting rejected, and the horror films you should definitely be watching. Even if you're scared. Like Jessica.