#Authoring

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.

Aspiring competitors have built elaborate systems and spent years in some cases for the chance to show off their deep knowledge of everything from sports and history to literature and pop culture, and McNear shares their intense, endearing efforts.

The author joins us today to talk about that and more, including those Jeopardy! sketches we all love on Saturday Night Live, the evolution of beloved host Alex Trebek’s 30+ years on the show, and what, and who, might be the future of Jeopardy!

Resources:

• Answers in the Form of Questions: A Definitive History and Insider's Guide to Jeopardy! 
• Claire McNear on Twitter
• Claire McNear at The Ringer

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.

From the life-altering brain injuries plaguing NFL players and insensitive mascots rampant throughout sports at all levels to the legal problems some of our favorite sports stars find themselves in to the systemic racism and sexism that is at the center of many ongoing sports problems, Jessica and Kavitha tackle all those issues and more, and offer a nuanced, hopeful look at how, as the book title says, the modern fan can feel better, and maybe even take some action, about loving sports.

Resources:

• Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back: Dilemmas of the Modern Fan
• Jessica Luther on Twitter
• Kavitha A. Davidson on Twitter
• Jessica Luther at the Burn It All Down sports podcast
• Kavitha A. Davidson at The Lead sports news podcast

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.

Luckily we have publicity expert Brielle Cotterman—who helps clients raise their profiles through books, media, and public speaking—on this week’s episode with some simple, actionable tips to become just a little bit more of a celebrity, at least within your own niche. You might even have some fun along the way.

Resources:

• Brielle Cotterman’s website
• Help a Reporter Out

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?

We get all the answers from Chris Ceccotti, head of development and content strategy at Gidden Media. He walks us through the process of a book getting a producer’s attention, finding its stars and writers, and becoming Netflix’s next big thing. And he’s got (tempered) good news about the state of book options mid-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). 

So what’s an author to do when she can’t find the book she and her fellow scribes have been searching for for years? Write it herself, of course, which is exactly what #Authoring co-host and bestselling New York Times nonfiction author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong did! The result, her fantastic new e-book How to Come Up With All Those Words: A Practical Guide to Writing a Successful Nonfiction Book, from Conception to Publication, is available now. This week, we preview the book – everything from the importance of vetting your book idea and the power of an intricately detailed outline to how to start and organize your research and why finding books that inspire your book writing process (like this one!) will be valuable to you throughout your authoring career.

Tune in for even more great advice on how to write the book, and go directly to Jennifer's website to buy your copy of this must-read primer now.

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.

We talk this week with Leah Konen, the author of five Young Adult novels, who recently published her first adult thriller, All the Broken People, about how she did it—with two more adult thrillers and a TV adaptation on the way. She offers great tips for anyone interested in genre-switching, writing thrillers, or simply injecting more suspense into anything you write.

Resources:

• Leah Konen official website 
• All the Broken People
• Leah’s editing services

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.

Resources:

• Agents & Books newsletter sign-up
• Kate McKean's website

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

From Beth: Can you become enough of an expert on a passion topic to be a credible author of articles or books if you're not in that industry? And if so how? (Spoiler: yes, and we tell you how!)

From Kirthana: Right now I'm back on Twitter and am trying to re-establish my presence and organically increase my followers. I like what I've seen of the book community on Twitter, and would love to connect with other debut writers and novelists, but not quite sure how to do that. Also, I know Goodreads is hugely important and have never used it, so insights on the best way to use it and engage readers there would also be great. (We’ve got tips on what has worked on our own social media, and even better ideas from Roxane Gay’s online genius.)

From Curtis: thanks for the episodes about book launches in the age of coronavirus. I’d love more advice on getting out there. Do FB ads work? (We share some resources for super-creative ideas for online events, as well as what works and doesn’t work on a more practical level from friend-of-the-show Anna David.)

Plus, we talk up the #AuthorsForBlackVoices online silent charity auction to benefit literary racial-justice non-profits, which includes several offerings from Jennifer and Kim as well as agents and authors auctioning off critiques and writing career coaching. We'll be on a short hiatus for the remainder of summer, then back with more in the fall!

Resources:

• Roxane Gay’s Goodreads 
• Goodreads’ tips on Goodreads
• Curtis Honeycutt’s book Good Grammar Is the Life of the Party
• Anna David’s Instagram post about what worked and what didn’t in promoting her book Make Your Mess Your Memoir 
• Kate Reed Petty’s Electric Lit Post “It’s Time to Radically Rethink Online Book Events” 

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.

Run in with a red-faced Donald Trump? Ben had one. Breaking the story of Kim Kardashian’s career-making videotape? He did it. Gain new respect for Monica Lewinsky as he saw her refuse to allow herself to be permanently cast as a political villainess? He did that, too.

Widdicombe, who launched his media career after moving to New York from his native Australia in the ‘90s, names names and shares details of time spent with the biggest celebrities of the last 25 years. But he also turns a breezy summer read into something deeper by putting these decades of pop culture into a larger cultural context, connecting the dots on how the likes of Paris Hilton and reality TV made it possible for a Trump presidential win.

And we also get some tips on the art of dealing with a difficult interviewee from the man who’s maneuvered dozens of them.

Resources:

• Ben Widdicombe on Twitter
• Gatecrasher: How I Helped the Rich Become Famous and Ruin the World
• Avenue Magazine

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.

Miral chats with us about why now is the perfect time to try self-publishing, who makes a good candidate to be a successful self-publisher, and what the keys are to selling a self-published book.

Hint: marketing, marketing, marketing. That’s the name of the game for every author, self-published and traditionally published, but since self-pubbed authors are completely responsible for getting their books into the hands of readers, it’s no exaggeration to say they have to become marketing experts, and we could all learn a lesson or 20 from them.

Miral also touches on the nuts and bolts of self-pubbing – the cost, the best outlets for releasing your book, how to get started on the self-publishing journey – and talks about hybrid authors, writers who self publish and traditionally publish their work.

Resources:

• Miral Sattar on Twitter
• LearnSelfPublishingFast.com – courses on self publishing
• Bibliocrunch – professional resources for self-publishing authors