The Premise

Mark talks with Jeniffer and Chad about his long history in the publishing world, his point of view as a current agent for one of the top literary agencies, and how he’s facilitating transparency in the industry. 

He also gives some advice to Jeniffer about her own processes and a ton of tips on everything from pitching to your hook. 

Read his full bio below! 

BIO:

Mark Gottlieb is a highly ranked literary agent, both in overall deals and other individual categories. Using that same initiative and insight for identifying talented writers, he is actively building his client list of authors. Mark Gottlieb is excited to work directly with authors, helping to manage and grow their careers with all of the unique resources that are available at book publishing’s leading literary agency, Trident Media Group. Through his work at Trident Media Group, Mark Gottlieb continues to represent numerous New York Times bestselling authors, as well as major award-winning authors, and has optioned and sold books to film and TV production companies. He previously ran the agency’s audiobook department, in addition to working in foreign rights. In his free time, Mark Gottlieb tutors free English language classes to adults from low-income immigrant families, via the Literacy Volunteers program at Family Centers, a nonprofit organization offering education, health and human services. He is actively seeking submissions in all categories and genres and looks forward to bringing new and established authors to the curious minds of their future readers. 

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Cynthia’s second novel, Good Company, had the misfortune of coming out in the midst of the pandemic, but that hasn’t stopped its success! It just delayed some interviews a bit. Like this one. 

In Good Company, she writes about family, marriage, and friendship and the nature of those relationships as they build over time. She tells Jeniffer about what inspired her characters, and how much of that inspiration came from her real life experiences living in both Los Angeles and New York. 

She also discusses her writing process, how walking is part of that, and even a bit about the book she’s currently working on. Shhh. Don’t tell anyone!

Fans will also be happy to learn that her acclaimed first novel, The Nest, is currently in development for a limited series by AMC.

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Jeniffer and Chad chat with Warwick’s Director of Events, Julie Slavinsky and Book Buyer, Adrian Newell. They share insider knowledge and some fun anecdotes from their collective 45 years of experience in the industry. 

They uncover some long-held secrets of how books are chosen, how they end up in stores, and the role of book stores in an author's success. 

You’ll learn a bit of history on self-publishing, get a peek into the “Big Five” and other traditional publishing consortiums—And discover how much is still shrouded in mystery, even for those on the inside. 

IT IS  possible to get your indie book into popular book stores, you just have to know what it takes…and it takes a lot. But Julie and Adrian's invaluable tips will give you a leg up!

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Joe Ide’s latest novel is a departure from his IQ series. The Goodbye Coast puts Raymond Chandler’s classic detective protagonist, Philip Marlowe, into our modern world. Which Dennis Lehane calls,”Not so much a reimagining of Chandler’s world but a reinvigorating”.

Joe’s first novel in his IQ series has been optioned for a TV series, and he tells Jeniffer about that process, and why he decided to risk writing a novel using a beloved character invented by the godfather of crime fiction. He also tells how he imagined Marlow in the modern Los Angeles, with modern, and very LA characters—and the fun he had doing it. 

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Wild Game details Adrienne being brought into her mother’s secret adult world at the age of fourteen, and the years that followed as she took her place as her confidant and co-conspirator.  Jeniffer and Chad talk with her about what it was like to bring her story to life, the struggles she encountered while doing so, and the insights she gained along the way. 

When telling a story of your life, and people you love and the ways they amaze and hurt you, it’s a delicate balance. Adrienne relied on a quote from Vivian Gornick to guide her:  

 “...For the drama to deepen, we must see the loneliness of the monster and the cunning of the innocent…”

https://www.adriennebrodeur.com/
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Stevie Green is an organizing and decluttering guru whose own life is a total mess, which makes her relatable. And if her character seems very real, maybe it’s because Getting Clean With Stevie Green is the first novel Swan Huntley loosely based on her own experiences in La Jolla, California.  

Swan and Jeniffer talk about the process of writing her third novel, from the inspiration for the characters, and the humorous tone, to choosing to tell the story from several points of view, despite her reservations. 

In this episode Jeniffer and Chad speak with Rick about his book, Life Lived Wild, and how it’s more than just a memoir of his adventures. Rick explains how each memory is intentionally linked to not just his experience, but to the significance of our impact on our environment. 

There are fun and thrilling tales exchanged and also some serious talk about what we can do to change the course of our future and care for our planet.  

As you may guess from the title, the delightful children's book Lee recently wrote is about holiday magic and the ways the holidays are celebrated. As per usual, Lee has focused Red and Green and Blue and White on youth and diversity. Jeniffer talks with Lee about this lovingly crafted picture book, his inspiration, and how he puts his personal experience into his writing. Lee also reads from his book, and if you catch the original video of their conversation you can catch a glimpse of it!

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It's not surprising that Peter Heller is able to bring elements of suspense to his latest thriller novel, The Guide. After all, he's quite the adventurer himself, with a whole bevy of stories and experiences to draw from. Though The Guide is fiction, it's setting is very real, and he's often asked if the characters he creates are modeled after himself. Peter shares some of his own real-life adventures with Jeniffer, and you'll learn how and why his thriller novel set within a nature adventure came to be. 

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Called is a novel about fighting for what you believe in, no matter the cost. And though this particular version is fiction, it’s based very much in reality. Author, Marlena Fiol is the daughter of the John Schmidt of the book, and had previously written about her experiences in the form of memoir. But this time, it’s told from an outside perspective—there’s just a lot of material here! A Mennonite Missionary. His devoted wife. The other woman.  WWII. A leper colony in the Peruvian Jungle. And the man who revolutionizes Leprosy treatment, all to change the world for the better. But even heroes have their flaws... 

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