What if the secret to writing a compelling novel—and querying it successfully—starts with understanding what's deeply meaningful to you? In this episode, I sit down with author Karin Gillespie to explore how to identify the personal connection in your writing and translate it into a pitch that agents and editors can't ignore.

Karin, author of nine novels and creator of the popular Substack "Pitch Your Novel," shares her 20+ year publishing journey—from traditional publishing with the Big Five to indie publishing and back again. She's seen the industry from every angle, and she's here to help you navigate today's competitive landscape with wisdom, warmth, and practical guidance.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why your personal connection to your story matters more than you think
• How to write a novel with a clear desire line that drives your narrative forward
• The essential elements every query letter needs (including the one-sentence pitch most writers forget)
• How to identify and pitch your book's genre in today's market
• What "comps" are and why they're crucial to your query success
• The reality of submission in 2025—and why it's so different from even five years ago
• How to create your pitch before you write your novel (and why this can save you heartbreak)
• Finding joy in the writing process, even when the business side feels overwhelming

Whether you're drafting your first manuscript or querying your fifth novel, this conversation offers both tactical advice on how to query a literary agent and gentle encouragement to stay connected to what makes your writing meaningful.

Connect with Karin Gillespie: Substack: Pitch Your Novel

Mentioned Resources:

• Publisher's Marketplace
• Query Tracker
• Amazon for comp research

If you're ready to learn how to write a novel that matters to you and stands out in the marketplace, this episode is your roadmap.

The Whole Writer is a podcast for fiction writers who want to nurture both their craft and their creative well-being. Hosted by Nicole Meier, multi-published author and book coach.

Want more support on your writing journey? Visit nicolemeier.com to explore coaching programs for fiction writers.

If this episode resonated with you, please leave a rating and review—it helps other writers discover the show!

🎙️Find Karin Gillespie here.

🎙️Find Nicole Meier here.

I'm talking directly to the novel and memoir writers who are exhausted, stuck, and wondering if they can ever find their way back to the page. If imposter syndrome has you questioning whether you're "really" a writer, or if burnout has made your creative dreams feel more like burdens, this conversation is for you.

Instead of another productivity pep talk or goal-crushing strategy, I'm offering something different: three gentle invitations to help you reconnect with your writing practice without the pressure. These aren't tips or tasks to add to your already overwhelming list—they're possibilities for approaching your creative work with intention, space, and self-compassion.

Whether you're struggling to start writing again after a long break, feeling depleted by the constant pressure to produce, or simply need permission to slow down, this episode will help you find a sustainable path forward. We'll explore how to distinguish between momentum that energizes and momentum that drains, why even good work can deplete you without adequate space, and how to create a writing practice that nourishes rather than exhausts you.

This is for writers who are ready to stop pushing and start listening—to themselves, to their needs, and to what their creative work truly requires to flourish.

Perfect for: memoir writers dealing with burnout, novelists experiencing imposter syndrome, writers seeking to restart their practice, anyone feeling overwhelmed by creative goals

Let's connect!

📚Dear Whole Writer Substack  

📚Nicole Meier Book Coaching & Developmental Editing

From nonfiction writer to debut novelist with a Big Five traditional publishing book deal.

In this candid episode, Kelly pulls back the curtain on the querying literary agents process, what actually happens behind the scenes when pursuing traditional publishing, and how she navigated the long road to landing a book deal. She discusses the crucial role of literary community for novel writers, the mindset shifts required to take your fiction writing seriously, and how her background in journalism both supported—and complicated—her transition to writing novels.

Kelly also offers practical, honest insight for writers querying agents, including how to treat your writing like a profession, manage rejection, and understand that becoming a published novelist is about far more than finishing a manuscript—it’s a transformation of your entire creative life.

Find Kelly at her Substack and Website.

Find Nicole at her Substack and Website.

In this transformative episode, I sit down with Gabriela Blandy—writer, life coach, breathwork facilitator, and shamanic practitioner—to explore the deeper reasons behind creative resistance and procrastination. 

Gabriela reveals that most of us weren't taught that our dreams are our most precious possession, leading to automatic patterns of looking away from our creative urges. She explains how childhood conditioning creates physical tension in our bodies that literally blocks creative energy from flowing, and why traditional productivity tips often fail when deeper emotional and energetic wounds haven't been addressed. Through practical techniques like chakra-based body diagnostics, specific movement practices, and reconditioning journaling prompts, Gabriela offers accessible ways for writers to identify where they're holding tension and learn to welcome creative energy back into their bodies. 

This conversation goes beyond surface-level writing advice to address the root causes of creative blocks, helping writers understand that procrastination isn't about lack of commitment—it's about safety and the need to heal our relationship with creativity itself.

For more on The San Francisco Writers Conference, visit here.

For more on Gabriela: Website | Substack

Find more on Nicole : Website | Substack 

I've been noticing some common themes in the conversations I'm having with writers. So today, instead of answering specific questions you've sent me, I want to address five patterns I keep seeing in my work with novel writers. Patterns that go beyond craft and into how we sustain ourselves as creative people.

These aren't just technical writing problems. They're the deeper challenges that can make or break our writing career. They're about mindset, sustainability and what it really takes to show up as an intentional and heart-centered writer in this industry. Tune in to learn more.

For more, visit my Website | Substack

Today I'm diving deep into the writer mindset with my dear friend and accomplished therapist, coach, author, and speaker Molly Carroll.

We cover so much ground from the transformative power of morning rituals to reframing our resistance through a completely new lens. Molly shares incredible insights about self-care through the creative process, and honestly, so much more than I could have hoped for.

I encourage you to turn in to hear more.

🎙️Find more on Molly Carroll here

🎙️Find more on Nicole here.

There's something happening to us writers right now, isn't there? The algorithms reward, consistency. The platform's demand content, and somewhere in the rush we've started to believe that faster means better. That value comes from volume, that our worth as creators is measured in word counts and publishing schedules.

If you've been feeling the pressure of creating faster, publishing more, and somehow keeping up with the relentless pace of the digital world. This episode is my gift to you.

🎙️Website | Substack

Here's the question I'm diving into this week on The Whole Writer. Who are you becoming as a writer? Not what are you writing, or how much you're writing, not whether you'll finish that draft or land the agent or get the publishing contract. Who are you becoming? Becoming is about evolution. It's about transformation.

Join me as we take a deeper look.

🎙️Website | Substack

Struggling with self-doubt or writer's block? Discover five essential truths that will transform how you approach your novel or memoir. Learn how to write authentically, believe in your manuscript, avoid burnout, and embrace the right opportunities for your book. Essential advice for fiction writers at any stage of their writing journey.

🎙️Find more on Nicole Meier here.

What if you could publish your memoir or novel directly to readers as you write it? Writer Jessy Easton shares how she's serializing her memoir "The One Who Leaves" on Substack, building a dedicated readership while crafting her story in real-time.

We discuss the creative freedom of serial publishing, how it changes the writing process, and why connecting directly with readers can be both terrifying and transformative. If you've ever wondered what to write on Substack whether Substack or another newsletter or blog platform could be right for your work-in-progress, this conversation offers authentic insight and inspiration.

🎙️Find Jessy Easton's Substack here.

🎙️Find Nicole Meier's Substack here.