The Write and Wrong Podcast | Writing Tips, Book Publishing and Literary Agents

Literary agent, Katie Blagden joins the podcast to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the literary agenting process. After an unconventional path through film, TV, advertising and bookselling, Katie found her true calling representing sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction. In this episode, Katie breaks down her submission preferences, explains why comping Lord of the Rings is a major red flag, and shares her manuscript wishlist. In This Episode: * Katie's non-linear journey from advertising to bookselling to the Bright Agency, and eventually finding her home at the Ampersand Agency. * The reality of author pay and the importance of recognising the unseen editorial legwork required to champion a book through acquisitions. * Why Katie prefers a five-chapter submission over the standard 50-pages to see if an author can sustain a narrative beyond heavily workshopped openings. * Actionable advice on using comparative titles: why you should never comp Game of Thrones and how to effectively pinpoint specific elements of popular books (e.g., the found family of Dungeon Crawler Carl). Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction & Katie's Journey to Agenting 04:47 - The Reality of Author Pay & Behind the Scenes of Acquisitions 12:21 - The Graham Norton Book Club & The Empathy of Reading 16:16 - Moving to the Ampersand Agency & Building a Speculative Fiction List 26:37 - The Cabin Book Choice: The Wintersmith or The City We Became 37:25 - Submissions: 50 Pages vs. Five Chapters & The Importance of the Synopsis 53:57 - Cover Letter Red Flags & How to Use Comp Titles Effectively 1:10:04 - Katie's Manuscript Wishlist: Intersectional Voices, Contemporary Fantasy, and a Sapphic The Mummy in Space Links & Resources: * Follow Katie on Instagram: @katieblagden * Visit Katie's website: katieblagden.com [https://katieblagden.com/] * Submit to the Ampersand Agency: theampersandagency.co.uk [https://theampersandagency.co.uk/] * Join the Patreon for ad-free extended episodes: patreon.com/writeandwrong [https://patreon.com/writeandwrong]

Sunday Times best-selling author C.J. Tudor joins the podcast to chat about her seventh novel, Serenity Falls. CJ discusses the book's premise—a supposedly perfect, crime-free Florida town with a suspiciously high mortality rate—and why it breaks her tradition of starting titles with the word "The". Whether you want to know how a "vomit draft" works or are curious about the realities of TV adaptations, this episode is packed with writing insights and publishing truths. In this episode: * The plot of Serenity Falls, following a UK father and daughter who inherit a house in a disturbingly cheery Florida community with strict curfews and a dead body in their swimming pool. * Why Tudor considers herself a "pantser" who writes messy 30,000-word vomit drafts without planning, rather than meticulously plotting her novels. * Her experience having her novel The Burning Girls adapted into a television series by Paramount+ starring Samantha Morton, and why she prefers to leave screenwriting to the experts. * Tudor's unconventional path to publishing, from leaving school at 16 to working as a radio copywriter and dog walker before The Chalk Man sparked a massive publishing auction. Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction & The Disturbingly Cheery Town of Serenity Falls 05:04 - Breaking Title Traditions & The "Vomit Draft" Process 15:58 - The Realities of Being a Debut Author vs. Career Longevity 21:39 - The Cabin Book Choice: The Shining by Stephen King 24:17 - Adapting The Burning Girls for Television 33:10 - From Radio Copywriter and Dog Walker to Bestselling Author 49:26 - Final Advice: Write What You Love and Don't Chase Trends Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/writeandwrong]! 💖 And get extended episodes, ad-free and a week ahead of everyone else. 🙏 For audio listeners: * Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3VlBsK8OXo0lcNaJfOMqEt?si=fc72cd2b133a4574] * Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-write-and-wrong-podcast/id1556026770] * Amazon [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e66691f7-10be-461d-ae2d-6392560c6f94/the-write-and-wrong-podcast] Listen to The Chosen Ones and Other Tropes, Jamie's other podcast with Melissa Welliver and Naomi Gibson! 📚 * Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3e3xQXFl4VjLwGhlOO7oz3?si=9f5cd6556bf24150] * Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-chosen-ones-and-other-tropes/id1663211212] * Amazon [https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/ae6514f9-d46d-407b-b934-fc943be8f490/the-chosen-ones-and-other-tropes] Follow on socials! 🥳 * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/writeandwrongpodcast/] * TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@writeandwrongpodcast]

Epic fantasy author Marvellous Michael Anson joins the podcast to discuss Heir of the Shadow, the highly anticipated sequel to Firstborn of the Sun coming out on November 26th. Marve breaks down how she built her Yoruba-inspired fantasy world where characters harness the power of the sun, and how a flight over the snow-capped Sahara Desert sparked the entire magic system. From navigating the transition between indie self-publishing and traditional publishing to querying Curtis Brown with a targeted spreadsheet, this episode offers a deep dive into the business and craft of writing. In This Episode, We Cover: * How Marve uses anime like Fire Force and Avatar: The Last Airbender as visual research to create grounded, everyday magic systems involving heat and cold energy. * The immense challenge of writing a middle book and why plotting the complex succession timeline of her Yoruba-inspired court required massive whiteboards at her publisher's office. * The harsh realities of the publishing industry, including treating a book like a product rather than a precious baby, and the rollercoaster of losing an agent and a day job in the same summer. * Actionable querying strategies, including using Publishers Marketplace to build a targeted spreadsheet that ultimately landed her dual representation with Curtis Brown. Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction & The World of Firstborn of the Sun 04:01 - Worldbuilding, the Sahara Desert & Anime Magic Systems 17:58 - "Middle Child Syndrome" & Writing Heir of the Shadow 30:36 - The Cabin Book Choice: Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola 32:01 - Boarding School Journals & Self-Publishing His Dark Reflections 44:19 - Losing an Agent, Querying Dystopian Fiction & Signing with Curtis Brown Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/writeandwrong]! 💖 And get extended episodes, ad-free and a week ahead of everyone else. 🙏 For audio listeners: * Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3VlBsK8OXo0lcNaJfOMqEt?si=fc72cd2b133a4574] * Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-write-and-wrong-podcast/id1556026770] * Amazon [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e66691f7-10be-461d-ae2d-6392560c6f94/the-write-and-wrong-podcast] Listen to The Chosen Ones and Other Tropes, Jamie's other podcast with Melissa Welliver and Naomi Gibson! 📚 * Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3e3xQXFl4VjLwGhlOO7oz3?si=9f5cd6556bf24150] * Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-chosen-ones-and-other-tropes/id1663211212] * Amazon [https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/ae6514f9-d46d-407b-b934-fc943be8f490/the-chosen-ones-and-other-tropes] Follow on socials! 🥳 * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/writeandwrongpodcast/] * TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@writeandwrongpodcast]

Veteran game writer and Netflix Find Your Voice Award winner Max Doty joins us to discuss his debut horror novel, The House that Eats the Dead. Max shares how his viral short stories on the r/NoSleep subreddit caught the eye of a literary agent and led to a two-book publishing deal. He also details his transition from writing interactive mobile game narratives to traditional publishing, and why learning to take collaborative feedback is essential for a long writing career. In This Episode, We Cover: * The genesis of The House that Eats the Dead, a story about a house that consumes dead things and erases them from existence, and how it evolved from a Reddit post into a full-length novel. * Max's background writing interactive narratives for mobile games like Surviving High School and Choices, and his surreal experience winning a Netflix screenwriting contest. * The differences between the immediate validation of posting on internet forums versus the long, solitary process of traditional publishing. * Actionable writing advice, including how to use spreadsheet gamification to hit a 2,000-word daily goal and why you should never be "Dr. No" in a creative brainstorm. Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction & The Premise of The House that Eats the Dead 05:37 - Going Viral on Reddit's NoSleep & Landing an Agent 14:55 - Winning a Netflix Screenwriting Contest 20:53 - Writing Advice: Collaboration and Taking Feedback 25:42 - The Cabin Book Choice: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski 31:00 - Writing for EA, Surviving High School, and Mobile Games 36:30 - The Rules of r/NoSleep and the Psychology of Internet Publishing Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/writeandwrong]! 💖 And get extended episodes, ad-free and a week ahead of everyone else. 🙏 For audio listeners: * Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3VlBsK8OXo0lcNaJfOMqEt?si=fc72cd2b133a4574] * Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-write-and-wrong-podcast/id1556026770] * Amazon [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e66691f7-10be-461d-ae2d-6392560c6f94/the-write-and-wrong-podcast] Listen to The Chosen Ones and Other Tropes, Jamie's other podcast with Melissa Welliver and Naomi Gibson! 📚 * Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3e3xQXFl4VjLwGhlOO7oz3?si=9f5cd6556bf24150] * Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-chosen-ones-and-other-tropes/id1663211212] * Amazon [https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/ae6514f9-d46d-407b-b934-fc943be8f490/the-chosen-ones-and-other-tropes] Follow on socials! 🥳 * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/writeandwrongpodcast/] * TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@writeandwrongpodcast]

Literary agent Mia Dakin joins us this week to chat about her start in publishing and building her list of authors from scratch at Greene & Heaton. Mia tells us about finding her first author through Instagram, the specific fiction genres she is looking for, and the influx of AI submissions to the agency. Whether you are an aspiring writer trying to perfect your cover letter or just curious about the literary agenting process, this episode is packed with behind-the-scenes insights. In This Episode, We Cover: * How Mia transitioned from a publishing master's at UCL to a full-time agenting role at Greene & Heaton. * What she is actively looking for in submissions, including multi-generational sagas, clever retellings, and locked-room mysteries. * The agency's strict stance on AI-generated submissions, why AI flattens creative work, and how publisher contracts are explicitly adapting to prohibit AI use. * Actionable advice for querying writers, including how to effectively use comparative titles by explaining their relevance, and why you should always have beta readers proofread your cover letter and synopsis. Episode Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction & Getting into Publishing 06:22 - Building an Author List & Finding Writers on Instagram 11:40 - Genres, Retellings, and Manuscript Wishlists 24:43 - The Cabin Book Choice: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier 30:00 - AI in Submissions and Publishing Contracts 39:23 - Cover Letter Tips, Comp Titles & Synopsis Advice Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/writeandwrong]! 💖 And get extended episodes, ad-free and a week ahead of everyone else. 🙏 For audio listeners: * Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3VlBsK8OXo0lcNaJfOMqEt?si=fc72cd2b133a4574] * Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-write-and-wrong-podcast/id1556026770] * Amazon [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e66691f7-10be-461d-ae2d-6392560c6f94/the-write-and-wrong-podcast] Listen to The Chosen Ones and Other Tropes, Jamie's other podcast with Melissa Welliver and Naomi Gibson! 📚 * Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3e3xQXFl4VjLwGhlOO7oz3?si=9f5cd6556bf24150] * Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-chosen-ones-and-other-tropes/id1663211212] * Amazon [https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/ae6514f9-d46d-407b-b934-fc943be8f490/the-chosen-ones-and-other-tropes] Follow on socials! 🥳 * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/writeandwrongpodcast/] * TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@writeandwrongpodcast] * Twitter [https://x.com/WriteAndWrongUK]