Here’s a teaser for the upcoming September editor podcast featuring Arianne Lewin, an Executive Editor at GP Putnam Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Ari joined me to talk about word count – does it matter at the acquisitions level, how to know if your word count is bloated, and how to trim it down if it is. Also covered, a better explanation of show vs tell, how to do world building effectively without info dumps, and great examples of concise world building in fantasy.

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Today’s guest is Lamar Giles, a two-time Edgar Award finalist for his YA thrillers FAKE ID and ENDANGERED His third YA thriller, OVERTURNED received a glowing New York Times review. Lamar is a contributor to the YA anthology THREE SIDES OF A HEART and the editor of the forthcoming We Need Diverse Books YA short story anthology FRESH INK.

Lamar joins host Mindy McGinnis to talk about the over confidence he had as a young writer, and how he took the time to reflect on 8 years worth of rejection before landed his agent in 2010 with his sixth novel. Also covered: diversity in publishing and how genre writing can be looked down upon, and the complexities of writing a book set in a city you are unfamiliar with, and how research can help you get… most things… right. 

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Nothing But Sky by Amy Trueblood

 In A Flash by Melanie Faith 

Here's a teaser for the upcoming exclusive agent episode featuring Jennifer Laughran of Andrea Brown Literary. To hear the entire episode in September and for access to previously posted agent episodes, support the podcast through Patreon:

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Today’s guest is Jessica Verdi, author of the YA contemporary novels My Life After Now, The Summer I Wasn’t Me, What You Left Behind, as well as And She Was. Jess received her MFA in Writing for Children from The New School and is a freelance editor of romance, women’s fiction, chick lit, YA, and kid lit

Jessica joins host Mindy McGinnis to talk about querying a first novel, landing her agent, and breaking out of writing only one genre. Also covered: how Jessica handles hot button issues in her books, and the pushback that can come from writing about such topics, as well as the pros and cons of getting an MFA and why everyone needs an editor.

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Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby 

See All The Stars by Kit Frick 

Today’s guest is Lori Rader Day, winner of both the Mary Higgins Clark Award and the Anthony Award. Lori joins host Mindy McGinnis to talk about the work that goes into a novel before you ever query it, the benefits of joining professional writing organizations, as well as the moving rung of what we deem success after being published. Also covered: how genre writing can be looked down upon, and how genre tags can build walls between readers and books they might enjoy.

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Nothing But Sky by Amy Trueblood

Tribute by Chris Knoblaugh

A roundup of the month's guest and topics, as well as advice from host Mindy McGinnis on how to self-edit, whittling down your word count when your manuscript has become bloated. 

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Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby

Tribute by Chris Knoblaugh

Today’s guest is Kit Frick, author of psychological thrillers for teens, as well as a poet and editor. Kit joins host Mindy McGinnis to talk about not only the querying process, but the process of knowing her writing was ready to query – and how she got to that place, as well as how different structures can be illuminating for particular stories, and how those same structures are challenges to write.

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Nothing But Sky by Amy Trueblood

Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby 

Here’s a teaser for the upcoming August agent podcast featuring Lauren Spieller of Triada Literary.

To hear the entire episode in August support the podcast through Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/MindyMcGinnis to learn more.

Here’s a teaser for the upcoming August editor podcast featuring Kieran Viola, Senior editor at Disney Hyperion / Freeform books.

To hear the entire episode in Augsut support the podcast through Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/MindyMcGinnis to learn more.

Today’s guest is Sara Crawford, the author of the YA novels WE OWN THE SKY and HURRY UP WE’RE DREAMING. She graduated in 2008 from Kennesaw State University with a B.A. in English and in 2012 from the University of New Orleans with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing (emphasis in Playwriting). Currently, in addition to working as a freelance writer and internet marketer, she is also a creative writing professor in the graduate program at Southern New Hampshire University, teaching online classes. Sara joins host Mindy McGinnis to talk about the pros and cons of self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, as well as how to stay healthy emotionally, physically and mentally as a writer. Also covered; how freelancing can be lucrative for a writer.

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Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby 

Soulstruck by Natasha Sinel