Do you ever wonder what it really takes to become the writer you’re meant to be?

In this insightful episode of the Books & Such Literary Management Podcast, host Jen Babakhan is joined by fellow agents and writers Debbie Alsdorf, Cynthia Ruchti, Barb Roose, and others to explore the real tools that move your writing forward—and the ones that might just waste your time.

Together, the team shares hard-won wisdom, personal stories, honest trade-offs, and a powerful new opportunity that blends the best of all three options: the Books & Such Writing Intensive.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why the gap between where you are and where you want to be is normal—and how to close it

• Pros and cons of writer’s conferences (and what no one tells you before you go)

• What to look for—and watch out for—in a writing coach

• Why not all social media “experts” are created equal

• Favorite books on craft from seasoned, published authors

• How the Books & Such Writing Intensive gives you focused, one-on-one mentorship with agents who are also experienced authors

Featured Resource: Books & Such Writing Intensive | September 22–24, 2025 Join the Books & Such agents for a one-of-a-kind, hands-on experience with mentorship, real-time feedback, and personalized guidance to help you become the writer you’re called to be. Learn more and register here.

Links & Mentions:

• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

• On Writing by Stephen King

• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

• Books & Such Website

New episodes of the Books & Such Podcast drop the first Wednesday of every month. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a fellow writer who’s ready to take the next step.

Welcome to our Books & Such podcast! We're so glad that you're here with us.  

According to literaryagent.com, the average literary agent can read 11,000 queries before finding a project that stands out for representation. Far too many hopeful authors are writing ineffective query letters. We want to help you avoid that! How can you write a query that grabs our attention?

 In this first episode, we discuss the factors that compel us to dig into your query letters.

• How important is your title?
• How long should your query letter be?
• What should you include in your query?

 Our goal is give you valuable insights as well as practical guidance to help you write high quality, attention-grabbing queries. We also tell you what to avoid and much more!

Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to our Books & Such podcast on iTunes so you'll be notified when new epsidoes are released.

RESOURCES:

Visit the Books & Such Website

Welcome to the Books & Such Podcast! This mini welcome episode gives you the inside scoop on what our new podcast is all about. You'll hear our podcast intro featuring our four hosts as well as an overview of how we want to help you in your publishing journey.

What's our podcast about?

We’re helping you read between the lines of publishing. Our experienced literary agents invite you into their world for a discussion that pulls back the curtain on how agents think and what we’re looking for. Each episode, we’ll discuss a hot topic you’ve always wondered about. If you’re pursuing or considering Christian publishing, the Books & Such podcast is for you. As literary agents, we’ll help you maximize your knowledge and equip you to confidently take the next steps in your writing journey.

Visit us at Books & Such.com