In this episode, Tommy Dean shares his journey through the publishing landscape, including his experiences as a writer, editor, and now a literary agent. We discuss the importance of strong openings, character development, and how to craft an effective query letter. We also touches on the resurgence of short fiction in the market and the dynamics between writers and agents.

Tommy Dean is an associate literary agent with Rosecliff Literary, the author of two flash fiction chapbooks, Special Like the People on TV (Redbird Chapbooks, 2014) and Covenants (ELJ Editions, 2021), and a full flash collection, Hollows (Alternating Current Press, 2022). He lives in Indiana, where he is currently the editor of Fractured Lit and Uncharted Magazine. A recipient of the 2019 Lascaux Prize in Short Fiction, his writing can be found in Best Microfiction 2019, 2020, 2023, and Best Small Fiction 2019 and 2022. His work has been published in Monkeybicycle, Laurel Review, Moon City Review, Pithead Chapel, Harpur Palate, and many other litmags. He has taught writing workshops for the Gotham Writers Workshop, The Writers Center, and The Writers Workshop. Find him at tommydeanwriter.com and on Twitter @TommyDeanWriter.

Query Tommy at: https://QueryTracker.net/query/TDRL

Tommy's Substack: https://tommydean.substack.com/