#authoring by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong & Kimberly Potts

Answers in the Form of Questions: A Definitive History and Insider's Guide to Jeopardy! For $1000, Alex, what is a fantastic new book from author Claire McNear? Culture and sports journalist McNear has written a delightful history not only of the game show itself, but she also chronicles the fascinating history of the impressive efforts of would-be contestants to get a spot on the ultimate trivia show.

That parenthetical quote above comes directly from the fantastic new book Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back: Dilemmas of the Modern Fan, and we are very excited to have that book's authors, Jessica Luther and Kavitha A. Davidson, on #Authoring this week. The sports journalists have written a deeply insightful and thoughtful examination of the many issues that today's thinking sports fan faces when considering their fandom.

The concept of "building an author platform" provokes fear in many writers: Why do we need to be media stars in addition to writing great books? The simple answers: so you can get paid more for your work, get your books into more readers' hands, and go on to write and sell more books. But building a platform might not be as hard as you think—and it doesn't necessarily require Today show appearances or millions of social media followers.

You're writing your book, dreaming of the Hollywood stars who will play the leads in the TV or movie version. But what are the chances you'll really see your book on the small screen? How might that happen? And what are the chances of that happening right now, given the pandemic?

You want to write a nonfiction book. Maybe you've already written a book proposal. Maybe you've already sold the book. Now you have to actually write it, which has you wondering: HOW DO I ACTUALLY WRITE A BOOK?! They don't give you a handbook with the book contract (no matter how much you may wish for one), and no bookstore shelf has yet contained that magic tome that will guide you step-by-step through the writing of 300 glorious pages of prose (trust us, we've looked for such a treasure). 

Just because you started your career in one genre doesn't mean you have to stick with it for the rest of your life—just ask Judy Blume and J.K. Rowling! But it's not as easy as it might seem (especially when you're not Judy Blume or J.K. Rowling). It may involve starting all over with a new agent, a new publisher, and new readers.

Why do you have to finish your novel before getting an agent? What should you look for when choosing agents to send it to? What does an effective fiction query letter include? We walk through exactly how to get from having a cool novel idea to having a cool agent representing it with the help of Kate McKean, VP and agent at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency and author of the indispensable Agents & Books newsletter.

We answer questions from listeners Beth Schap, Kirthana Ramisetti, and Curtis Honeycutt!

Ben Widdicombe is the only writer to have worked for the New York Post's Page Six, TMZ, and The New York Times, "an unusual Triple Crown," to say the least. It also helped him build a resume of interviewees that includes bold-faced names from Hollywood, high society, New York hotspots, and the White House. He recalls his most memorable experiences with all of them in his fun, insightful new book, Gatecrasher: How I Helped the Rich Become Famous and Ruin the World, which he talks to us about on this week's #Authoring.

Curious about self-publishing? Considered trying it, but found the whole process complicated and more than a little intimidating? Ditto, which is why we sought out expert advice from Miral Sattar, founder and CEO of self-publishing go-to sites Bibliocrunch and LearnSelfPublishingFast.com.

Anna David's done the memoir thing, to critical acclaim. And having shared her own story, as well as that of one very interesting, Golden Globe-nominated actor, in multiple books, now she's created a clever new way to tell even more of her life experiences, while helping other writers figure out how to tell theirs: introducing the "biz-oir."

We know it means money in our bank accounts, but beyond that, there is a lot about book advances that a lot of authors don't know. While it might seem, for instance, that publishers are just pulling arbitrary numbers out of the air, there is a process they follow before every contract they offer: the P & L, or profit and loss spreadsheet. How exactly does that work? It's a key document in any traditionally published book project, and we're lucky to have superagent Laurie Abkemeier (Marley & Me, Rise of the Rocket Girls, Seinfeldia) – Jennifer and Kim's agent – to break it all down for us. In this incredibly informative chat, Laurie also dives deep on royalties (Is it ever a bad thing to get them? Maybe …), how the category/type of book your project fits into helps determine your advance, and what it means when your book goes to auction. And what's the deal with "earning out? Does not earning out mean the end of your career as an author? Laurie spills all the details! 

We continue discussing ways to strengthen your author business plan in a recession with superstar business coach, branding expert, and author Dorie Clark. As Clark explains, authors are uniquely positioned to turn their platform into more money-making opportunities to further fund their writing.

Whether you're making most of your living from writing books or using it as a side hustle, you still must contend with some sticky financial issues: how to manage large(ish) checks with long dry spells in between, how to pay taxes when they're not automatically deducted for you, and how to pay for, you know, life when those authoring checks aren't enough to live off of.

We continue our discussion about how to handle book releases when events are canceled, authors are stuck in their houses indefinitely, and it's nearly impossible to break into a packed—and terrifying—news cycle. This week, we get insightful social media tips from Sarah Frier, the author of the excellent new narrative history No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram; and we brainstorm publicity ideas with Edward Gross, the co-author of Nobody Does It Better, an oral history of the James Bond franchise that came out amid both breaking pandemic news and the delay of the latest Bond film.  

Publishing a book is stressful enough, as we have noted many times on this podcast, even in the most normal of times. But books are continuing to come out, even as much of the world takes to quarantining itself in the coronavirus pandemic. That means many authors are left with cancelled book tours and are now scrambling to refocus their efforts toward online promotion—and hope at least some readers can tear themselves away from the news, tune in, and buy some books online.

There are any number of things related to releasing a book that can send your stress level off the charts … like, for instance, monitoring how well your book is doing on the sales charts! That's why it's so crucial to practice extra good self care at these times in your authoring career.

It's harder than ever to break through the crowded media landscape to get coverage for your upcoming book release. But one great way to do it—and to literally create your own publicity—is to pitch articles and essays that you yourself can write, tied to your book release.

Think publishing a book is a competitive business? So is promoting one! Book tours are not a given for the majority of authors, and planning an event – even finding a venue to host you – takes a lot of time and know-how.

It's harder than ever to break through the endless media noise to get the word out about your book. Grand Central Publishing publicist Kamrun Nesa walks us through how you, as an author, can generate publicity for your work, and how you can better work with your publisher and publicist. She offers insight about how and when to pitch your book to media, what the publicity cycle looks like, whether to hire an outside publicist, and when to ask for help.

Introvert, extrovert, it doesn't matter: asking other authors for help, especially for the considerable favor of a book blurb, can be nerve-racking. Jennifer and Kim have been there, and share some specific tips for approaching your fellow scribes for those back-of-the-book endorsements (hint: a little smooching of the tuchus is in order).

After you've written a book, what happens when you turn it over to your editor to be published? Suddenly, after months or years of being alone with your work, you're suddenly subjected to outside feedback and faced with some major decisions regarding packaging, like choosing a title and subtitle and commissioning a cover. These steps are perhaps the most critical to how your book will look to the world—and the final decisions are not always within your control if you're going the traditional publishing route.

From selling a book idea to selling yourself as the best person to write it, a stellar book proposal is a must. Jennifer and Kim chat about the specific parts of a proposal – with examples from the winning proposals that sold their books – including your author biography, market research, a promotion and marketing plan, and the sample chapters.

With self-publishing available at the click of a mouse and traditional publishing struggling to find what works, going outside the Big Five looks better than ever. Is some form of self-publishing right for you?

Every book project begins with an idea. And after that, it's up to the author and her or his agent to get that idea out into the world (more specifically, into the hands of an enthusiastic editor).

Authors Jennifer Keishin Armstrong (New York Times bestseller Seinfeldia, Sex and the City and Us) and Kimberly Potts (The Way We All Became the Brady Bunch) introduce #Authoring, the podcast by authors, for authors, featuring 100% real talk about the wild, wonderful publishing business. We're here to talk about everything that comes after writing the book: working with editors, promoting your work, making money, and beyond.