First Draft with Sarah Enni

This episode with Liara Tamani first aired on October 31, 2017. In this episode, she was the debut author of Calling My Name. Her newest book, All the Things We Never Knew, is out now!

Liara Tamani Show Notes

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Girlfriends (TV show)

Courtney Summers (listen to her First Draft episode here or read the transcript)

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks

SOLD by Patricia McCormick

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (listen to her First Draft interview here)

Alone with All That Could Happen: Rethinking Conventional Wisdom about the Craft of Fiction by David Jauss (writing craft)

The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White

I want to hear from you!

Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998.

Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni

Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth, author of Divergent; Linda Holmes, author and host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun, internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone's an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too; Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; John August, screenwriter of Big Fish, Charlie's Angels, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; or Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works.

Don't miss an episode! Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's free!

Rate, Review, and Recommend

How do you like the show?

Please take a moment to rate and review First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Your honest and positive review helps others discover the show -- so thank you!

Is there someone you think would love this podcast as much as you do? Please share this episode on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or via carrier pigeon (maybe try a text or e-mail, come to think of it). Just click the Share button at the bottom of this post!

Thanks again!

Dr. Somaiya Daud is the author of Mirage and its forthcoming sequel, Court of Lions (out August 4, 2020). Check out the cover reveal from Court of Lions and read an excerpt at Tor.com, as well as a conversation between Somaiya and I about how the theme of lost cultures functions in the series.

Somaiya has also answered questions on a February 28, 2020 mailbag episode, and was featured on the July 5, 2014 episode (the very first First Draft episode ever).

Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode

• Somaiya Daud's first interview with First Draft Podcast

• Throughout her writing career Somaiya's writing become more genre forced aka more "J. R. R. Tolkien and less William Gibson."

• When cosplaying form the Victorian era they say that no one would cosplay Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens you would cosplay Emma by Jane Austen

• Somaiya did her Masters thesis on The Arabian Nights by Muhsin Mahdi (Editor), Husain Haddawy (Translator)

• Somaiya's dissertation is on Historiography and Translation Theory

• Chelsea Grimmer is the host of The Poetry Vlog, a show in which people discuss poetry and pop culture

• Somaiya Daud on The Poetry Vlog where she talked about how Science Fiction is studied academically versus how it is perceived in pop culture

• Provincializing Europe by Dipesh Chakrabarty, talks about the ways in which Europe's idea of modernization was in part built on the idea that the rest of the world was caught in a historical waiting land

• Somaiya read Consorts of the Caliph by Ibn Al-Sa'i when implementing poetry into the Mirage

• Joanna Volpe,President and literary agent at New Leaf Literary agency

I want to hear from you!

Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998.

Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni

Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth, author of Divergent; Linda Holmes, author and host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun, internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone's an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too; Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; John August, screenwriter of Big Fish, Charlie's Angels, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; or Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works.

Don't miss an episode! Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's free!

Rate, Review, and Recommend

How do you like the show?

Please take a moment to rate and review First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Your honest and positive review helps others discover the show -- so thank you!

Is there someone you think would love this podcast as much as you do? Please share this episode on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or via carrier pigeon (maybe try a text or e-mail, come to think of it). Just click the Share button at the bottom of this post!

Thanks again!

First Draft Episode #214: Jason Reynolds

Jason Reynolds is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ghost series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, Lu), When I Was the Greatest, The Boy in the Black Suit, As Brave As You, Miles Morales: Spider Man, Long Way Down, For Every One, Look Both Ways, and co-author of All American Boys (with Brendan Kiely, listen to his First Draft interview here) and Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You (with Ibram X. Kendi),. In January, Jason was named the seventh National Ambassador for Young People's Literature for 2020-2021.

Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode

• Jason didn't grow up writing prose, but he and all his friends had rhyme books where they would write lyrics. They wanted to be the next Nas, Slick Rick, Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane, or Rakim.

• Jason's aunt would give him classic books as gifts, including Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

• Bob Marley's "Kaya," Nina Simone's "Four Women," Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" were hugely influential on Jason because of the beauty of the lyrics

• Jason teamed up with the artist and writer Jason Douglas Griffin for an early book, My Name is Jason. Mine Too: Our Story. Our Way.

• Jason credits Joanna Cotler, author and artist, and then publisher of her own imprint at HarperCollins, with teaching him how to write narrative and gave him the mantra: "Your intuition will take you farther than your education ever will."

• Jacqueline Woodson (author of Brown Girl Dreaming, winner of the National Book Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, and Newberry Honor winner), Rita Williams-Garcia (author of Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, a National Book Award finalist), and Walter Dean Myers (author of more than 100 books for young people, including Monster, winner of the Printz Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, and National Book Award, and more) are people Jason considers predecessors to his career.

• Christopher Myers, writer, artist, and the son of Walter Dean Myers, pressed Jason to return to writing, to carry on his father's legacy. At Christopher's urging, Jason read The Young Landlords by Walter Dean Myers (which the TV show 227 was based on)

• Caitlyn Dlouhy, Vice President & Editorial Director of Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, nurtured Jason's career by focusing on the integrity of his work

• Laurie Halse Anderson (author of Speak and The Impossible Knife of Memory), Eliot Schrefer (author of Threatened, a National Book Award finalist), and Gene Luen Yang (author and illustrator of American Born Chinese), and Jason also shouts out Sharon Draper's New York Times bestselling Stella by Starlight

• Jason references part of Walt Whitman's Song of Myself: "Unscrew the locks from the doors! Unscrew the doors themselves from their jambs!"

• Jason admires writers who use verse for all or many of their books, specifically Kwame Alexander (poet and educator, and New York Times bestselling author of The Crossover: A Novel, winner of the Newbery Medal and a Coretta Scott King Honor) and Ellen Hopkins (New York Times bestselling author of Crank)

• Alfred Hitchcock's works (including Psycho and Rear Window), and Stanley Kubrick's The Shining are examples of subtle ways that framing and design can make a viewer feel uncomfortable.

• Quincy Jones said about producing music, "I always say you have to leave space for God to walk into the room." That's how Jason feels about the appearance of poetry in text.

• The first scene of Boyz 'n the Hood shows one kid asking another, "Do you want to see a dead body?"

• Fresh Ink: An Anthology, edited by Lamar Giles (author of Fake ID and Spin), and Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America, edited by Ibi Zoboi (author of American Street, a National Book Award finalist, and Pride) are among the anthologies that Jason thinks are wonderful. He wonders why we've moved away from the short story format for younger readers.

• The TV show High Maintenance is another example of vignette storytelling that Jason was going for with Look Both Ways

• Jason shouts out Jennifer Buehler, Ph.D., Associate Professor at St. Louis University, Educational Studies who specializes in young adult literature

• Jason's friend and co-author of All American Boys, Brendan Keily (author of Tradition, listen to his First Draft episode here), refers to the story under the story as "vertical narrative"

I want to hear from you!

Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998. You can also email the podcast at [email protected].

Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni

Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divergent; Linda Holmes, New York Times bestselling author and host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun, internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone's an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too; Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; John August, screenwriter of Big Fish, Charlie's Angels, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; or Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works.

Don't miss an episode! Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's free!

Rate, Review, and Recommend

How do you like the show?

Please take a moment to rate and review First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Your honest and positive review helps others discover the show -- so thank you!

Is there someone you think would love this podcast as much as you do? Please share this episode on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or via carrier pigeon (maybe try a text or e-mail, come to think of it). Just click the Share button at the bottom of this post!

Thanks again!

Track Changes: Selling Your Book (Part 2) Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher Read the transcript

In the second look at how books get sold, former Little, Brown and Delacorte senior editor Kate Sullivan, Senior Content Development Manager for New Leaf Literary & Media, walks us through all the steps an editor takes between receiving an agent's pitch and signing a deal memo to acquire a book. Acquisitions meetings, P&L statements, and TI sheets, oh my!

This episode is brought to you by The Slow Novel Lab, a six-week creativity and writing course from Printz-winning novelist Nina LaCour. For the summer session, beginning June 7, Nina will donate 50% of profits to Direct Relief, a humanitarian aid organization working with underserved communities. Learn more and sign up for the Slow Novel Lab here.

Catch up on the series so far:

Episode 1: Publishing 101

Episode 2: Agents: Who Are They, What Do They Do, And How Do You Get One?

Bonus Episode: Publishing in the time of COVID

Episode 3: Selling Your Book (Part 1)

The following agents were interviewed for this episode:

We meet Jennifer de Leon as she prepares for the release of her debut young adult novel, Don't Ask Me Where I'm From, on August 4. Though Jennifer has been writing for years, she quickly learns that there's a lot about Capital-P-Publishing that she doesn't know. (Hear her First Draft interview here.)

Kate Sullivan is the Senior Content Development Manager for New Leaf Literary & Media. For 13 years, Kate worked in the editorial departments of three separate Big Five publishers, eventually becoming a senior editor.

Discussed in this episode:

• Faye Bender, partner and founder at The Book Group, is Jenn's agent.

• Caitlyn Dlouhy, publisher of Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books at Simon & Schuster

• Holly Root, literary agent and founder of Root Literary

• Seth Fishman, literary agent at The Gernert Company

• Chris Colfer, actor and author of Land of Stories

• BookScan

More Information:

• "The Book P&L: How Publishers Make Decisions About What to Publish," by Jane Friedman

• "What Book Editors Do" by Nathan Bransford

• "Publishing Myth: Editors Don't Edit" by Nathan Bransford; good follow: a Q&A with Peter Ginna, who has 30 years of book editing experience and put together the collection What Editors Do: The Art, Craft, and Business of Book Editing

• "PubCrawl Podcast: Publishing 101 Submission and Acquisition" featuring Sarah Jae-Jones and Kelly Van Sant

• "How to Handle an Editor's Call With an Offer" by Kristin Nelson, founder of Nelson Literary Agency and one of the agents we spoke to in the Bonus Episode of Track Changes (Publishing in the Time of COVID)

• "First Book: Acquiring Minds" on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour blog

• "The Waiting is the Hardest Part" by Joanna Mackenzie on the Nelson Literary Pub Rants blog

Want more information? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of the Track Changes newsletter, which goes a step (or two) further behind the scenes into the publishing world.

Support First Draft by subscribing to the podcast wherever you listen (on Apple Podcasts, Spotfiy, Stitcher, or elsewhere), and leave a rating or review on Apple Podcasts. You can donate to the podcast, on a one time or monthly basis.

Track Changes is produced by Hayley Hershman. Zan Romanoff is the story editor. The music was composed by Dan Bailey, and the logo was designed by Collin Keith.

First Draft Episode #254: L.C. Rosen

Lev A.C. Rosen, author of Depth and Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts), talks about his latest young adult novel, Camp.

This episode is brought to you by Highland 2, the writing software made by writers, for writers.

Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode

• Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar

• Phylicia Rashad, actress

• Dan Chaon, author of Among the Missing: Stories, and You Remind Me of Me

• David Walker playwright instructor Oberlin

• Lev teaches at Gotham Writers workshop in New York City

• Liz Gorinsky, editor who bought Lev's debut book while she worked at Tor

• Alvina Ling is Lev's editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

• Virgin Xtravaganzah, the drag queen and voice actor who read Lev's audiobooks for Jack of Hearts and Camp

I want to hear from you!

Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998.

Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni

Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth, author of Divergent; Linda Holmes, author and host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun, internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone's an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too; Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; John August, screenwriter of Big Fish, Charlie's Angels, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; or Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works.

Don't miss an episode! Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's free!

Rate, Review, and Recommend

How do you like the show?

Please take a moment to rate and review First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Your honest and positive review helps others discover the show -- so thank you!

Is there someone you think would love this podcast as much as you do? Please share this episode on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or via carrier pigeon (maybe try a text or e-mail, come to think of it). Just click the Share button at the bottom of this post!

Thanks again!

Pseudonymous Bosch, the pen name for Raphael Simon, is the New York Times bestselling author of The Name of This Book is Secret and the Secret series, Bad Magic and the Bad series. Shane Pangburn is a writer and illustrator and producer of YALLWEST (hear his First Draft interview here). Simon wrote, and Pangburn illustrated, The Unbelievable Oliver and its sequel, The Unbelievable Oliver and the Sawed In Half Dads. Pseudonymous Bosch, Shane Pangburn, and Melissa de la Cruz are joining forces for a new middle grade series, The Reject Room, out in 2021.

Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode

• Joni Mitchell is one of the artists most associated with Laurel Canyon in the 70s, which she explored in her third album, Ladies of the Canyon

• Margaret Stohl, author of Beautiful Creatures, Jo and Laurie, and many more (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here) is Rafi's childhood friend

• Sarah Burnes, literary agent (and my agent! Listen to Sarah and I chat on her episode of First Draft here)

• Melissa de la Cruz, author of The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel, Alex and Eliza, and more

• Sailor Moon

• Gilbert Ford has been the illustrator for many of the Pseudonymous Bosch book series

I want to hear from you!

Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998.

Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni

Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth, author of Divergent; Linda Holmes, author and host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun, internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone's an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too; Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; John August, screenwriter of Big Fish, Charlie's Angels, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; or Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works.

Don't miss an episode! Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's free!

Rate, Review, and Recommend

How do you like the show?

Please take a moment to rate and review First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Your honest and positive review helps others discover the show -- so thank you!

Is there someone you think would love this podcast as much as you do? Please share this episode on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or via carrier pigeon (maybe try a text or e-mail, come to think of it). Just click the Share button at the bottom of this post!

Thanks again!

Track Changes: Selling Your Book (Part 1) Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher Read the transcript

Literary agents Holly Root, founder of Root Literary, and Seth Fishman with The Gernert Company return to lead us through how an agent prepares a manuscript for submission, how they choose which editors to approach with a manuscript, and how they negotiate common types of book sales. We get into what a writer can expect during this notoriously nerve-wracking process.

This episode is brought to you by The Slow Novel Lab, a six-week creativity and writing course from Printz-winning novelist Nina LaCour. For the summer session, beginning June 7, Nina will donate 50% of profits to Direct Relief, a humanitarian aid organization working with underserved communities. Learn more and sign up for the Slow Novel Lab here.

Catch up on the series so far:

Episode 1: Publishing 101

Episode 2: Agents: Who Are They, What Do They Do, And How Do You Get One?

Bonus Episode: Publishing in the time of COVID

The following agents were interviewed for this episode:

We meet Jennifer de Leon as she prepares for the release of her debut young adult novel, Don't Ask Me Where I'm From, on August 4. Though Jennifer has been writing for years, she quickly learns that there's a lot about Capital-P-Publishing that she doesn't know. (Hear her First Draft interview here.)

Seth Fishman, he's an author and literary agent with The Gernert Company and manager of their West Coast office. He reps clients such as John Joseph Adams, Ali Almossawi, and Kate Beaton.

Holly Root, literary agent and founder of Root Literary who represents clients such as Victoria Schwab (hear her First Draft interview here), Jasmine Guillory (listen to her First Draft interview here), and Christina Lauren.

Definitions:

• Genre: Kelly Jensen of BookRiot says the term genre "refers to a type of art that shares similar features. Often, there are standard and common conventions and restraints, as well as common tropes and set-ups. Science fiction is a genre. Romance is a genre. Fantasy and mystery are also genres."

• Category: Jensen says category is "who the book is intended for. It's part of the marketing of a book, as well as a way for those who work with books to quickly ascertain the reader for whom the book would be most appropriate." Within the category of Young Adult there are genres like contemporary, science fiction, mystery, etc.

More Information:

• "How Long Does it Take to Sell a Book?" by Nathan Bransford

• "On Being on Submission" by Stacey Lee on Pub(lishing) Crawl

• A description of the auction process on the Steve Laube Literary Agency blog

• "Under the Gavel of a Book Auction" on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour blog

Want more information? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of the Track Changes newsletter, which goes a step (or two) further behind the scenes into the publishing world.

Support First Draft by subscribing to the podcast wherever you listen (on Apple Podcasts, Spotfiy, Stitcher, or elsewhere), and leave a rating or review on Apple Podcasts. You can donate to the podcast, on a one time or monthly basis.

Track Changes is produced by Hayley Hershman. Zan Romanoff is the story editor. The music was composed by Dan Bailey, and the logo was designed by Collin Keith.

First Draft Episode #252: Candace Bushnell

Candace Bushnell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Sex and the City, Lipstick Jungle, and The Carrie Diaries talks about her newest book, Rules For Being a Girl, which she co-wrote with New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno.

This episode was sponsored by HIGHLAND 2, made by writers, for writers.

Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode

• Four Blondes by Candace

• James Truman at Details Magazine (a profile of Truman from The New York Times in 1999)

• Joan Didion, essayist and author of Slouching Toward Bethlehem, The White Album, and The Year of Magical Thinking

• Anna Kerenina by Leo Tolstoy

• Is There Still Sex in the City by Candace

I want to hear from you!

Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998.

Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni

Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth, author of Divergent; Linda Holmes, author and host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun, internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone's an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too; Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; John August, screenwriter of Big Fish, Charlie's Angels, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; or Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works.

Don't miss an episode! Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's free!

Rate, Review, and Recommend

How do you like the show?

Please take a moment to rate and review First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Your honest and positive review helps others discover the show -- so thank you!

Is there someone you think would love this podcast as much as you do? Please share this episode on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or via carrier pigeon (maybe try a text or e-mail, come to think of it). Just click the Share button at the bottom of this post!

Thanks again!

Track Changes: Publishing in the Time of COVID

Publishing experts discuss how the global pandemic, and widespread shelter-in-place laws have changed their jobs, how publishers have responded to the uncertain retail market, what books are more or less likely to sell in this climate, and what all writers should be focused on during this time.

The following agents were interviewed for this episode:

Faye Bender, partner and founder of The Book Group, who represents authors such as Courtney Summers (listen to her First Draft podcast here and here), Maurene Goo (listen to her First Draft podcasts here, here, and hear her interview Sarah Enni here), and Jennifer de Leon (listen to her FIrst Draft podcast here, and follow her publishing journey in Track Changes, starting with Episode 1).

Sarah Burnes with The Gernert Company, who represents Margaret Stohl (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here), Heather Havrilesky, Zan Romanoff (listen to her First Draft interviews here and here), and me (hear Sarah and I discuss the lead-up to the release of my debut novel, Tell Me Everything, here).

Seth Fishman, he's an author and literary agent with The Gernert Company and manager of their West Coast office. He reps clients such as John Joseph Adams, Ali Almossawi, and Kate Beaton.

Kristin Nelson, founder of Nelson Literary Agency, who represents authors like Marie Lu (listen to her First Draft interviews here, here, and here), Ally Carter, and Simone Elkeles.

Holly Root, literary agent and founder of Root Literary who represents clients such as Victoria Schwab (hear her First Draft interview here), Jasmine Guillory (listen to her First Draft interview here), and Christina Lauren.

Discussed in this episode:

• Don't miss the previous episodes of Track Changes: Publishing 101 (listen on the website; Apple Podcasts; Spotify; or Stitcher); and Agents: Who Are They And How Do I Get One? (listen on the website; Spotify; or Stitcher)

More Information:

• "The Coronavirus Takes Its Toll on Publishing" in Publishers Weekly

• "The Deals Are Alright" in PublishersMarketplace (Sub. reqrd.)

• "Virtual Author Events Are the Next Big Thing" in Publishers Weekly

• "Print Unit Sales Flat in April" in Publisher's Weekly

• Furloughs, firings, and layoffs covered in a few places: "UTA Instituting Temporary Furloughs To Start In A Few Weeks, Mostly Assistants," in Deadline;

Want more information? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of the Track Changes newsletter, which goes a step (or two) further behind the scenes into the publishing world.

Support First Draft by subscribing to the podcast wherever you listen (on Apple Podcasts, Spotfiy, Stitcher, or elsewhere), and leave a rating or review on Apple Podcasts. You can donate to the podcast, on a one time or monthly basis.

Track Changes is produced by Hayley Hershman. Zan Romanoff is the story editor. The music was composed by Dan Bailey, and the logo was designed by Collin Keith.

First Draft Episode #251: John Hodgman

John Hodgman, comedian and author of The Areas of My Expertise, More Information Than You Require, and That is All, as well as collections of humorous essays Vacationland: True Stories From Painful Beaches and Medallion Status: True Stories From Secret Rooms. John is also the host of the Judge John Hodgman podcast as well as I, Podius with Elliott Kalan.

This episode was sponsored by HIGHLAND 2, a better way to write, and The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton, out from Page Street Books now!

Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode

• The Dead Pilots Society production of "Only Child"

• Ben Acker (listen to his First Draft here)

• Don Faulkner, writing instructor and poet who taught John at Yale

• Lee K. Abbott, short story writer with collections such as All Things, All At Once

• Raymond Carver, author of short story collections Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? and What We Talk About When We Talk About Love and Cathedral

• John Hodgman's episode of Fresh Air with Terry Gross

• Geoffrey Kloske is the President and Publisher of Riverhead Books

• Dave Eggers, author of The Circle, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and founder of McSweeny's Internet Tendency

• Ben Schott Schott's Original Miscellany

• George Plimpton, writer and editor of The Paris Review

• Writer's House is the literary agency where John worked

• Mark Adams (travel books) Meet Me In Atlantis and Tip of the Iceberg: My 3,000-Mile Journey Around Wild Alaska

• Jesse Thorn, co-host of John's Judge John Hodgman, and host of Bullseye

• George Saunders, author of Tenth of December and Lincoln in the Bardo

• The A.V. Club

• John wrote Dicktown with his friend, fellow podcaster and writer David Rees

• John's interview in Publisher's Weekly, in which he was interviewed by Elaine Szewczyk

I want to hear from you!

Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998.

Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni

Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth, author of Divergent; Linda Holmes, author and host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast; Jonny Sun, internet superstar, illustrator of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Gmorning, Gnight! and author and illustrator of Everyone's an Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too; Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; John August, screenwriter of Big Fish, Charlie's Angels, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; or Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works.

Don't miss an episode! Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's free!

Rate, Review, and Recommend

How do you like the show?

Please take a moment to rate and review First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Your honest and positive review helps others discover the show -- so thank you!

Is there someone you think would love this podcast as much as you do? Please share this episode on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or via carrier pigeon (maybe try a text or e-mail, come to think of it). Just click the Share button at the bottom of this post!

Thanks again!