The Manuscript Academy

Please note: This episode contains adult language, but because Jen uses it so artfully, we couldn't stand to bleep it out. If you're listening around children, you may wish to grab some headphones and/or prepare your explanations for what those words mean. Jessica Sinsheimer went into the Tor/Macmillan offices to speak with the intrepid editor Jen Gunnels. We talk about why she never sends an editorial letter without a phone call, why authors need to trust their teams--and how writers can sometimes put too much of themselves into the work. Jen also talks about how some writers assume editors will be adversarial for sport--and why that serves no one. However, argument, if in an open and constructive context, can result in better work. Ultimately, "All art is about a certain level of inherent trust." Jen illustrates that with a wonderful story of a woman onstage with a flaming feather boa, tossing it to her team to be put out safely. You'll note that there are a lot of mentions of fire in this episode. Jen has been a director, actor, dancer, theater critic, dramaturg, and musician. She can play piano, mandolin, recorder, violin, bodhrán, bouzouki--and she can sing, too. She's been a professional belly dancer, and is a third-degree black belt. She owns (and operates) a rapier, stiletto, some swords, throwing knives, dirks, bo staffs, nunchucks, and a pair of sai. She was voted by her doctoral cohort to be most likely to survive the apocalypse. Listen, and you'll see why. You can see Jen's full #MSWL here: http://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/jennifer-gunnels/

In this 1-hour session, you will learn the essential steps to position yourself and your book as valuable investments to agents, editors, bookstores, and beyond. (Want more? Join our workshop October 22-24, How To Be Your Own Best Marketer: https://manuscriptacademy.com/product/be-your-own-best-marketer | $39 early bird, $49 regular, $0 members). Whether you’re preparing for a book launch or just starting your journey, this training will provide you with insights to stand out to publishers, readers, and bookstores. Key Takeaways: 1. Why Your Brand Matters – How to conduct a personal brand audit and refine your platform to attract attention from publishers and readers. 2. The Cost of Hosting Events – A behind-the-scenes look at bookstore events and how understanding costs can improve your relationships with event partners. 3. Creative Book Events – Strategies for planning engaging, memorable book events that go beyond traditional bookstore settings. By the end of the training, you will have a clear understanding of how to present your book and author brand as a smart investment, setting the stage for future success.

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 [email protected] 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.

We are so happy to introduce today’s podcast guest. The New York Times Book Review calls her work, SEARCH, “A wicked pleasure... Huneven is a wise storyteller...this novel has plot, character, structure and a delicious, deeply human pettiness that I think most honest readers will relate to... [Huneven's] descriptions of food are the best I've ever read." We loved our conversation with Michelle! Not only did her career start with a 700-page novel—and a great misunderstanding that lead to getting her agent—but she’s now had the freedom to explore her passions in her (many) successful books. We talk with Michelle about the line between memoir and fiction, how she got her agent, and what she’s learned along the way. Plus, if you’re looking for it, the salmon recipe is below. Learn more about her here: https://www.michellehuneven.com/ Michelle says: I was born in Altadena, California just a mile from where I live now. I college-hopped (Scripps, Grinnell, EWU) and landed at the Iowa Writer1s Workshop where I received my MFA. My first two books, Round Rock (Knopf 1997) and Jamesland (Knopf 2003), were both New York Times notable books and also finalists for the LA Times Book Award. My third novel, Blame, (Sarah Crichton Books, FSG, 2009), was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and also a finalist for the LA Times Book Award. My fourth novel, Off Course, (Sarah Crichton Books, FSG, 2014) was New York Times Editor’s Choice. My fifth novel, Search, comes out April 26, 2022. Along the way, I’ve received a GE Younger Writers Award, a Whiting Award for Fiction, and a Guggenheim fellowship. For many years my “day job” was reviewing restaurants and writing about food for the Los Angeles Times, the LA Weekly and other publications. I’ve received a James Beard award (for “feature writing with recipes”) and an assortment of other awards for food journalism. I’m presently teaching creative writing to undergraduates at UCLA, working on my next novel and writing the occasional bit about food. I live in Altadena with my husband Jim Potter, our dog (Tatty Jane), the memory of our cat (Mr. Pancks), a talkative African Grey parrot (Helen) and nine chickens (names on request). * As Promised, The Salmon! Click here to view and print: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q6eZZNNyeVQ4N5SI4eoQ7U1Ls4rEZ1WcYvf35dAybvA/edit?usp=sharing

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 [email protected] 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.