The Write Spxt Landline ☎️

A weekly newsletter by a publishing professional with a decade of experience. This is for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.

Have You Seen Romit? by Chital Mehta is a coming-of-age story but centered around a 56-year-old mother. Let me explain:

Usha, the voice that drives the story forward, is a grieving mother whose son is missing. For her entire life she did what was expected of her: wife and mother, do as her husband says. But there is a deep shift that happens inside of her, a similar hurricane to when a teenager is growing into an adult, when everyone around her becomes nonchalant at her son’s disappearance. Chital allows us the privilege to witness Usha growing into a voice that would eventually lead her into the forests of India in search of her son. And you know India has tigers, right?

What stood out to me the most in Chital’s writing journey is that she used a 10 to 15-minute timer for writing sprints. She didn’t dedicate hours to writing because, frankly, she couldn’t. She is a mother of two herself. Writing was squeezed in when it could fit. Six years and 60 drafts later, she is reaping the fruits of her labor.

In this chat we dive into…

* why ten minutes of writing a day can be enough

* why writing longhand can help you reconnect with your work

* turning networking into a skill through small, everyday challenges

Find Chital on Substack

If you enjoyed this, listen to these

Ways You Can Support My Work

* Are you working on a book a need help? Visit my Stan Store to schedule a call.

* Subscribe to my newsletter.

* Share this newsletter with someone you think would enjoy reading it.

* Send an email to [email protected] if you believe your work is aligned with The Write Spxt for a feature.

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You can find me here, too:

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The Write Spxt is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Current associate director of marketing at Pantheon and Doubleday Books, imprints at Penguin Random House.

A weekly newsletter by a publishing professional with a decade of experience. This is for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.

I am incredibly inspired by Tomás, who I collaborated with on his latest book Cat Love. Over the course of his life, so far, he has been able to build an incredible caliber of published work across different genres. When I asked him about how he overcomes writers block, he said he doesn’t have it. Because he has figured out that magic is born from low expectations, from being able to do what you love while having fun and ensuring your life is well lived.

What a concept.

We can learn a lot from this way of being: we do not have to punish ourselves by dragging our feet through the mud to find the muse. We do not have to isolate our writing or ourselves to create. We only need to have within us the desire to incorporate the work into our lives, like we do with eating, and simply live.

This conversation made me want to give myself (and my writing) a little more room.

Books by Tomás

Poetry

* Machete Read

* Patient Zero Read

* A Larger Country Read

* My Favorite Things Preorder, on sale 2/9/27

Fiction

* Cat Love Read

Nonfiction

* Where Are You From: Letters to My Son Read

* Let Me Count the Ways Read

As Editor

* Coming Close: Forty Essays on Philip Levine with Mari L’Esperance Read

As Translator

* The Heights of Macchu Picchu by Pablo Neruda Read

Media mentioned while chatting with Tomas

* The Writing Life by Annie Dillard Read

* Underground by Haruki Murakami Read

* Luis Alberto Urrea Explore

* Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Explore

* University of Nebraska Press Explore Unsolicited Submissions

* Poets & Writers Magazine Explore

If you enjoyed this, listen to these

Ways You Can Support My Work

* Working on a book marketing campaign and need some help? Visit my Stan Store to schedule a call.

* Subscribe to my newsletter.

* Share this newsletter with someone you think would enjoy reading it.

* Send an email to [email protected] if you believe your work is aligned with The Write Spxt for a feature.

* If you can’t afford to become a paid monthly/yearly subscriber, but would like to leave a one-time tip, please click the below button!

You can find me here, too:

Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads

The Write Spxt is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Current associate director of marketing at Pantheon and Doubleday Books, imprints at Penguin Random House.

A weekly newsletter by a publishing professional with a decade of experience. This is for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.

I read The Original Daughter in audio format while at the gym. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this unless you're comfortable tearing up mid-set. Listening to it felt like riding an emotional rollercoaster: grief, shock, anger, empathy, understanding and frustration all at once. Having siblings of my own, the narrative hit home in a personal way and made me reflect on what it means to create your own family.

It took Jemimah nine years to finish this story. The emotional depth threaded within is a clear reflection of the care she put into ensuring the voices for each character did something substantial.

It was a privilege to collaborate with her on the trade paperback release, emboldened with a brand new cover to make tangible the complex sisterhood at the center.

In this chat, we dive into…

* nine years of isolated writing

* the “poetry is a luxury” mindset

* bridging craft and ambition

If you enjoyed this, watch these

Ways You Can Support My Work

* Do you need help working on a book marketing campaign? Visit my Stan Store and schedule a chat.

* Subscribe to my newsletter.

* Share this newsletter with someone you think would enjoy reading it.

* Send an email to [email protected] if you believe your work is aligned with The Write Spxt for a feature.

* If you can’t afford to become a paid monthly/yearly subscriber, but would like to leave a one-time tip, please click the below button!

You can find me here, too:

Instagram | Facebook

The Write Spxt is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Current associate director of marketing at Pantheon and Doubleday Books, imprints at Penguin Random House.

A weekly newsletter by a publishing professional with a decade of experience. This is for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.

Here is a confession: despite spending my entire career working in the world of books and storytelling, I still get incredibly uncomfortable when I have to turn a camera on myself. Put me in a room to ask questions or have a deep, late-night conversation, and I’m completely at peace. But the moment I’m staring at that little glass lens on my phone, trying to pretend it’s a person? No.

So I sought out someone who I believe has mastered the art of talking to a camera as if those on the other end are in the same room. Ysabella shares book content on Instagram and displays a comfortability I hope to learn one day.

Talking to her reminded me that reading is arguably the most beautifully labor-intensive form of entertainment we have left and that choosing to sit with a book is, in its own way, a quiet act of resistance.

In this conversation we dive into…

* Using reading as an escape

* Starting a bookstagram account

* Asking for what you want when attempting to collab with authors and publishers

Books mentioned while chatting with Ysabella

* Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

* My Tender Matador by Pedro Lemebel

* Twilight Zone by Nona Fernández

* House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

* Chile, Pinochet & The Caravan of Death by Patricia Verdugo

If you enjoyed this, listen to these

Ways You Can Support My Work

* Visit my Stan Store and buy one of the workbooks or other resources I have available.

* Subscribe to my newsletter.

* Share this newsletter with someone you think would enjoy reading it.

* Send an email to [email protected] if you believe your work is aligned with The Write Spxt for a feature.

* If you can’t afford to become a paid monthly/yearly subscriber, but would like to leave a one-time tip, please click the below button!

You can find me here, too:

Instagram | Facebook

The Write Spxt is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Current associate director of marketing at Pantheon and Doubleday Books, imprints at Penguin Random House.

A weekly newsletter by a publishing professional with a decade of experience. This is for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.

My first attempt at using Substack’s Recording Studio was with Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, author of The Disordered Cosmos and The Edge of Space-Time. I have had the privilege of collaborating with Chanda on the publication of Space-Time and have been feeling so proud to be a part of such important work.

In this conversation, I dive right into as many questions as I can get out, staying mindful that I should not keep her for more than an hour. Afterwards, I was still left riddled with many more questions, wishing I had picked this one over that one; wishing I had asked it in this way over that way; hoping I made use of the space-time she shared with me. As always, Chanda was patient with my ignorance and made sure the science she cares so deeply about was accessible for my muggle brain (and maybe yours).

What questions would you ask a theoretical physicist?

If you enjoyed this, listen to these

Ways You Can Support My Work

* Visit my Stan Store and buy one of the workbooks or other resources I have available.

* Subscribe to my newsletter.

* Share this newsletter with someone you think would enjoy reading it.

* Send an email to [email protected] if you believe your work is aligned with The Write Spxt for a feature.

* If you can’t afford to become a paid monthly/yearly subscriber, but would like to leave a one-time tip, please click the below button!

You can find me here, too:

Instagram | Facebook

The Write Spxt is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Current associate director of marketing at Pantheon and Doubleday Books, imprints at Penguin Random House.

A weekly newsletter by a publishing professional with a decade of experience. This is for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.

For as long as I can remember, I have been navigating this life through a creative perspective. Choices were made based on feeling and instinct, what was in my gut, rather than on probability or math. This, naturally, drove my father crazy. Someone from a third-world country views creative pursuits as risky, fragile things.

“Their is no guarantee,” he’d tell me. “Become a doctor!”

Despite his efforts, I ignored him. I went to college for communications, knowing that I wanted to always be as close to storytelling as I could. When I graduated and was bringing a sad salary as an administrative assistant from a technical college, he shook his head. I always knew, however, the technical college was just a stepping stone. A way to make money while I figured out an exit strategy. It would take me about two and half years to get out, making my way to New York to pursue books.

I’ve now been in books long enough to sometimes scratch my head and wonder, should I have just become a doctor?

According to Joel Uili, the founder of The Career Archetypes, I did exactly what I was supposed to do. I followed the yellow brick road, the path less travelled, fueled by passion and purpose.

If you’re anything like me, then you have spent your life chasing a vision only you can see. And you have probably also spent a substantial amount of time doubting yourself, wondering whether you’re doing the right thing or whether you should simply become a doctor.

After you listen, I’m curious of the questions and revelations that land for you. Please, leave a comment and share.

In this chat, we dive into…

* what it actually means to have a calling

* why so many people feel disconnected from their work

* how creativity, instinct and self-knowledge can guide you toward a more meaningful life

If you enjoyed this, listen to these

Ways You Can Support My Work

* Visit my Stan Store and buy one of the workbooks or other resources I have available.

* Subscribe to my newsletter.

* Share this newsletter with someone you think would enjoy reading it.

* Send an email to [email protected] if you believe your work is aligned with The Write Spxt for a feature.

* If you can’t afford to become a paid monthly/yearly subscriber, but would like to leave a one-time tip, please click the below button!

You can find me here, too:

Instagram | Facebook

The Write Spxt is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Current associate director of marketing at Pantheon and Doubleday Books, imprints at Penguin Random House.

A weekly newsletter by a publishing professional with a decade of experience. This is for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.

I sat down with Kristy Woodson Harvey, a New York Times bestselling author I’ve pointed to for years when people ask me what it takes to build a career as an author. Not only is she versatile in her skills, but she is also a great collaborator with her publisher. This means that she is not solely dependent on what the publisher can do for her, but rather alongisde her.

Kristy didn’t come from a single viral moment or a lucky break. She built her readership the long way, through relationships, consistency and a genuine understanding of the people on the other side of her books.

She treats every book like its own ecosystem that isn’t just something to write and release, but something to nurture, connect and grow over time. And after 13 books, what becomes clear is this: there is no secret formula just a willingness to keep showing up.

In this conversation, we dive into…

* why chasing trends will always leave you behind

* how to build a readership through community, not virality

* what authors get wrong about bookstores, libraries, and local support

If you enjoyed this, listen to these

Ways You Can Support My Work

* Visit my Stan Store and buy one of the workbooks or other resources I have available.

* Subscribe to my newsletter.

* Share this newsletter with someone you think would enjoy reading it.

* Send an email to [email protected] if you believe your work is aligned with The Write Spxt for a feature.

* If you can’t afford to become a paid monthly/yearly subscriber, but would like to leave a one-time tip, please click the below button!

You can find me here, too:

Instagram | Facebook

The Write Spxt is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Current associate director of marketing at Pantheon and Doubleday Books, imprints at Penguin Random House.

A weekly newsletter by a publishing professional with a decade of experience. This is for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.

I sought Victoria Wood out because I really enjoyed the aesthetic of her Instagram feed and the variety of information she shared. If you take a look, you will notice that Victoria shares short book reviews using the carousel feature, she invites her community in by letting them see her engaging hobbies, she showcases her bookish humor and more. She used this consistency to build trust that publishers now rely on.

What stands out most about Victoria’s journey is not speed, but patience. She spent years posting before the first paid opportunity; years of learning what works and what connects.

If you are trying to figure out how to become a bookstagrammer, this is the chat you should prioritize.

In this conversation, we dive into…

* how to start on bookstagram

* what publishers are looking for when partnering with influencers

* how to grow an audience without burning out or chasing the algorithm

If you enjoyed this, listen to these

Substack for Writers Workshop in collaboration with Tarpon Springs Book Festival

I am excited to share that I will be hosting a Substack for Writers workshop in collaboration with Tarpon Springs Book Festival! If you are in the area, would love to see you. The workshop is free for all.

Ways You Can Support My Work

* Visit my Stan Store and buy one of the workbooks or other resources I have available.

* Subscribe to my newsletter.

* Share this newsletter with someone you think would enjoy reading it.

* Send an email to [email protected] if you believe your work is aligned with The Write Spxt for a feature.

* If you can’t afford to become a paid monthly/yearly subscriber, but would like to leave a one-time tip, please click the below button!

You can find me here, too:

Instagram | Facebook

The Write Spxt is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Current associate director of marketing at Pantheon and Doubleday Books, imprints at Penguin Random House.

A weekly newsletter by a publishing professional with a decade of experience. This is for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.

Anyone who has ever lifted a book to their nose and inhaled the scent of paper knows where the publishing capital is. For generations, those who wanted to be close to the source of those printed pages, to take part in their making and release into the world, made their way to the concrete jungle.

It has long felt like a quiet industry rule: if you want to work in books, you have to be in New York.

Except Viviana Moreno didn’t.

In an industry that still carries strong geographic assumptions about where opportunity lives, Viviana has built her path from outside the city, in the Sunshine State no less. Her story stood out to me because not only does it challenge a familiar narrative, but because it speaks directly to the many aspiring publishing professionals who believe proximity is the only way in.

In this chat, we dive into…

* how she entered the largest publishing house in the world without relocating to New York

* what a publicist really does behind the scenes

* how campaigns take shape months before publication

If you enjoyed this, listen to these

Substack for Writers Workshop in collaboration with Tarpon Springs Book Festival

I am excited to share that I will be hosting a Substack for Writers workshop in collaboration with Tarpon Springs Book Festival! If you are in the area, would love to see you. The workshop is free for all.

Ways You Can Support My Work

* Visit my Stan Store and buy one of the workbooks or other resources I have available.

* Subscribe to my newsletter and upgrade to paid.

* Share this newsletter with someone you think would enjoy reading it.

* Send an email to [email protected] if you believe your work is aligned with The Write Spxt for a feature.

* If you can’t afford to become a paid monthly/yearly subscriber, but would like to leave a one-time tip, please click the below button!

You can find me here, too:

Instagram | Facebook

Current associate director of marketing at Pantheon and Doubleday Books, imprints at Penguin Random House.

A weekly newsletter by a publishing professional with a decade of experience. This is for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.

At a moment when creative careers are being reshaped in real time by contraction, consolidation and constant demands to “pivot,” Neima Patterson offers a perspective rooted in range, intention, self-trust and using the community around you.

She is a writer working across television, film, novels and Substack, currently revising her debut novel through the We Need Diverse Books and Penguin Random House Revision Workshop, while continuing to build a creative life that isn’t dependent on a single industry or format.

Neima speaks plainly about what it takes to sustain a multi-form writing practice today because that is the recipe for todays survival: your work must live in more than one place, you must ask for what you want without apology, and you must remain creatively porous while the industry itself becomes more rigid.

This is a conversation about adaptability without dilution and about building a career that can actually carry and hold you.

Ways You Can Support My Work

* Visit my Stan Store and buy one of the workbooks or other resources I have available.

* Subscribe to my newsletter and upgrade to paid.

* Share this newsletter with someone you think would enjoy reading it.

* Send an email to [email protected] if you believe your work is aligned with The Write Spxt for a feature.

You can find me here, too:

Instagram | Facebook

Current associate director of marketing at Pantheon and Doubleday Books, imprints at Penguin Random House.

The Write Spxt is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.