I made a bold move and will need your help...

My new podcast, plus TONS of writing links and resources

*For writing news and resources, scroll down.*

I made a bold move.

I’m a big fan of boldly announcing to the world that I’m going to do something and then figuring out how the heck to do it. A bit reckless, perhaps, but I find it an effective motivational strategy.

Recently, I posted the following as a Note on Substack:

If I were to start a podcast in which I interview published authors who had a looooooong and bumpy road to publishing, would you listen? Do you know someone who might be a great guest?

I’d be interested to talk to people who:

• wrote multiple manuscripts before successfully publishing

• queried for years, perhaps with multiple projects, before finding an agent

• parted ways with their first agent and had to re-enter the query trenches

• had a book die on submission

• had a book not make it through acquisitions

• had a book deal fall through

• was orphaned by their editor

• after failing to publish in one genre, pivoted to a different genre and found success

• after years of pursuing traditional publishing, found success with self-publishing or with a small indie publisher

Not only did I get tons of people telling me they would totally listen, and quite a few guest suggestions, I also received this response:

In case you don’t know who

Courtney Maum

is, well, she’s kind of a big deal. She’s a novelist, memoirist, and author of the incredibly popular handbook for writers: Before and After the Book Deal. Her Substack newsletter has 35 THOUSAND subscribers.

So yeah. If she thinks my podcast is a good idea, and if she might even be a guest on my podcast… Looks like I have no choice but to make this dream a reality. Because look, I’ve been dreaming of starting my own podcast for the past eight years. Looks like 2025 is when I will finally make it happen!

But I’m going to need help with this podcast…

Thanks to currently being a cohost on

Literary Mama

’s podcast THIS MAMA IS LIT!, I have learned how to interview guests and audio edit episodes. I also bought myself a fancy mic and headphones:

So I know enough about finding/interviewing/recording guests and audio editing podcasts. Enough to get started and make a stab at this. (I’m also a big fan of jumping into new ventures then figuring things out as I go along.)

However, I still need to do some research.

Things I need to research (and for which I would love advice!):

• Which hosting site to use, especially if I want to monetize (which I do). Right now I’m looking at Acast. Thoughts?

• Choosing music for the intro/outro.

• Designing a logo.

• Marketing my podcast and spreading the word.

• Monetizing my podcast.

• Best practices for launching my podcast.

• Anything else I might need to know.

• I doubt I’ll have much trouble finding guests, but I’d still love suggestions for great people to interview.

So, if you have advice on any of the above, DON’T BE SHY — I’d love to hear from you.

Also, I’d be interested taking some kind of online “start your own podcast” course if it covers in detail all of the topics above. Do you know of a good one? Or maybe a good podcast that is ABOUT starting a podcast? Please let me know your suggestions!

And then, when the time comes…

I don’t know when I’ll actually launch this podcast. My three-year term on town council (did you all know I was a town councilor?!) is up at the end of April, so I was thinking I’d wait until late spring or summer when, theoretically, I have more time.

(Oh wait, during the summer my kids are home and I run a day camp, and for the fall my husband has volunteered me to write the town holiday show. There’s really no time when I have tons of time, so I’ll just have to make it happen anyway.)

Point is, whenever I launch my podcast, I am going to desperately need people to spread the word. I will be counting on you, my dear, lovely, wonderful Substack subscribers, to subscribe to the podcast (it will be free) and rate/review it and tell everyone in the world about it. Or, you know, just tell a writing friend who might be interested.

And, in the mean time, what bold move will you be making in 2025? Why not tell the world about it?

Writing News & Resources:

For All Writers:

• Join the immersive FREE 52 Weeks of Creativity Course, available for both fiction and memoir writers from none other than

  Mary Kole & Good Story Company

• Also from

  Good Story Company
  : a free online workshop on Dec. 29: Rock Your Writing Goals.

• Have you joined Blue Sky yet? Consider participating in the #BluePit Writer Hype Event on January 13. Unlike other similar events in which you have to have a finished manuscript, this one is open to writers at any stage: drafting, editing, querying, on submission, or published. The idea is to help writers start building an online audience, finding and supporting other writers, and connecting with publishing professionals. Helpful when you’re starting from scratch on a new social media platform!

• If you live in the DC area, register for my 3-week workshop, Fabulous First Pages at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, starting Feb. 1, 2025. Learn what makes a great start to a novel and get your first pages critiqued by your peers! (Use the coupon code NEWYEAR25 by Jan. 5 to receive $15 off.)

• In fact, use the coupon code NEWYEAR25 by Jan. 5 to receive $15 off ANY workshop or class at The Writer’s Center!

• The Writers Center website is a GREAT resource for finding grants, fellowships, residencies & retreats, publishers (who publish non-agented authors), and literary journal opportunities.

• Writing Workshops offers lots of online classes in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, picture books, and the business of writing.

• Check out the meet-up group called Shut Up & Write. There are in-person chapters all over the country, as well online events.

• Looking for places to submit your writing? Check out NewPages and Sub Club.

• Loved this piece of advice from Lauren Razavi:

  

For KidLit Writers:

• A list of places that publish stories for children from The Write Life.

• Literary Rambles has information on kidlit agents and agent interviews.

• Submit your children’s book to these publishers: no agent required!

• Here’s an incredible list of upcoming events for KidLit writers!

• Check out SCBWI (The Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) for events, conferences, critique partners and more. (Picture book through YA.)

For Querying Writers:

• Happening TOMORROW, Dec. 19: online panel from Manuscript Academy with agent Fiona Kenshole. Fiona once gave me GREAT feedback. I made the changes she suggested to my query & opening pages and started getting requests (and then an agent)!

• Get ready for #SmallPitch, January 27-28, 2025, an event where authors can pitch their work to small/indie publishers. Pitches will be submitted through a Google form, so you don’t even have to go on social media to participate. Woohoo!

• Excellent query advice from

  Karin Gillespie
  : Not Your Usual Query Advice.

• You’re using Manuscript Wishlist to research agents, right? Okay, good, just checking. (P.S. MSWL is on Blue Sky now!)

• Reminder that query reviews are available through the Book Pipeline Workshop. Only $75 per review until end of year.

• Here’s a list of small publishers, most of which do not require agents.

• Andrea Bartz has a list of successful query letters (many of them thrillers).

• I occasionally choose a subscriber for a FREE submission package critique. Send me your query and first two pages, and, if I chose your submission, I will send you feedback on both. Fill out the form here.

Writing Conferences & Events:

• Recently two separate people recommended this online writing conference to me: Women in Publishing Summit, happening March 5-8, 2025.

• The enormous AWP conference (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) will be held in Los Angeles this year, March 26-29.

• If you live in the DC area, this comprehensive Calendar of Local Literary Events, compiled by Washington Independent Review of Books is overwhelming and awesome.

• Live in the mid-Atlantic region and looking for a writing retreat get-away? The Writer’s Retreat at Good Contrivance Farm north of Baltimore is open year-round. The only requirement for this peaceful retreat is that you use the time to work on your writing. Spaces normally book about two months in advance.

• Thinking about going to a conference or applying for a residency? Check out the free searchable database on Poets & Writers.

• The Shit No One Tells You About Writing’s Deep Dive Virtual Conference will be held February 1-2. I also highly recommend listening to their podcast of the same name!

• The San Miguel Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival is happening February 12-16 in beautiful/historic San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I’ve spent a lot of time in San Miguel, and it’s a great place to visit, especially in the winter season.

• Are you an author who's had a book published in the last two years? The Annapolis Book Festival is now accepting submissions for our 2025 Festival, which will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025. (Author submissions close on Dec. 20!!)

• The Writing Day Workshop “How to Get Published” Conferences are affordable and helpful. Plus, sign up for pitch sessions with agents for $29 a piece. For online conferences, attend from anywhere in the world! Check out the upcoming conferences:

  • San Diego Writing Workshop: Feb. 7-8, 2025 (online)

  • Las Vegas Writing Workshop: February 22, 2025 (in person)

• Writers Digest offers loads of virtual conferences on a variety of publishing and writing craft topics.

• For more writing conferences, check out this list or the free searchable database on Poets & Writers.