I’ve published several nonfiction books but keep striking out with fiction. I’m learning a lot here that I’m incorporating into my work. One thing bugs me: it actually takes three yeses. An agent, an acquiring editor, and the team at the publishing house. You can hit a wall at one of those stages.

I just love listening to the insight offered by the ladies. The Books with Hooks segments are great and Bianca’s interviews with the authors showcase close reading at its finest. The authors genuinely appear to be delighted by her thoughtful questions. The show has definitely turned me on to some new books AND improved my writing in the process. Wish I could give it more stars than 5. Bravo!

As a wannabe author this podcast has been an essential resource for me in entering the publishing industry! As soon as a new episode drops, I am there soaking up all the offered information! Absolutely love! Can’t get enough!

I don’t know if it’s just me but the narrators are so bad it hurts just to listen to them. Also I never really get what I’m looking for, for example if I click on an episode that says “the dangers in writing realistic fiction”, no one actually talks bout it, the hosts just slur aloud query letters which trust me is not the same. Also what is with all of the whispered ads?? If you feel ashamed for doing ads then don’t act like you are. Urg, so annoying. all of the hosts act like the saints of writing instead of being honest and relatable, which is pretty irritating. Speaking of which, even though there are three hosts (and cohosts) I don’t feel any positive group dynamic and the audio is pretty bad.

My absolute favorite podcast. I have learned how to write for publication because of these ladies and I now have several short stories published. They know the industry and they do not hold back giving us all the tools to succeed in it!

The advice and insights that Bianca, Carly, and CeCe provide in this podcast are invaluable to beginning and seasoned writers alike. Add it to your must-listen playlist! And if you want more writing advice, check out their upcoming Deep Dive Virtual Retreat in February 2025. #dds2025excited

I am a teen writer and this is one of my favorite podcast to help with writing.

This is such a gem of a podcast for current and aspiring novel writers. It offers such practical advice for navigating the publishing industry.

For fiction writers, the hands down best podcast. And even for the NF people…definitely worth the listen. Every episode is pure treasure.

Not sure why the hosts other than Bianca drop their voices and whisper their ads as if they are recording them in secret.

Please tell your interview guests to change their batteries on their smoke detectors. Like, come on. The constant beeping makes it absolutely unlistenable

Bianca, CeCe and Carly turned my writing slump around when I stumbled across TSNOTYAW. The combined query letter critiques, author interviews, and interviews with the professionals behind the scenes (coaches, attorneys, locally owned booksellers) are a magic elixir. It shapeshifts my creative compost heap into action, directed me to find writing coach Katie Wall, and always lifts my mood.

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I’m a passionate, lifelong, serious writer with an MFA in Creative Writing, and I can say with confidence that this is the MOST helpful writing podcast! Bianca, Carly, and Cece are pros! Thank you so much for your insight!

Bianca, Carly and CeCe provide weekly engaging content and great tips for aspiring writers. Carly & CeCe’s query critiques are so interesting, and Bianca is a master interviewer, always asking smart, thoughtful questions of the authors who come on the show. Can’t recommend the podcast highly enough!

I wasn’t sure how I would like a “writing” podcast. Most of my info about publishing comes from articles, webinars, etc. But after one episode of this, I can’t get enough! It’s so helpful. I wish they would cover more memoir/CNF but otherwise, a great listen for writers!

I began listening to the podcast for the query letter reviews, which I find extremely valuable in my own querying journey, but I quickly realized the importance of the author interviews in improving my understanding of the publishing world overall. The entire podcast is a magnificent help in navigating the publishing journey and I’m so happy I found it! Thank you to all three hosts, to the guests, and to Emily, the bookseller who helps with comps (and recently answered my own comp request). I love listening!

There are podcasts better than this about writing out there. Too many ads. They think they are right about everything. So, it’s good enough…but not going to inspire your book. A book that WILL inspire your book is Refuse to Be Done by idk who but it’s really good. Helped me a lot. This podcast is not the place to go for advice.

Hi! I really appreciate the time, energy, and passion you put into your show. Small feedback: I’d love it if you put the author interviews at the beginning of your episodes. Most of the time I don’t want to hear reviews of authors new material, some of it is low quality writing and hard to follow. Although I see the value in seeing the raw stages of writing. *** Edit this feedback: I love a lot of your query feedback sections, it’s just sometimes an episode starts off with 2 of these where the query is so in the dumps and I space out the whole time… But there’s always value in these lower quality ones too. Perhaps the solution is to include a stellar querey letter with a rough one together so you nail the engagement and the transformational value pieces.

I listened to every episode of his podcast, and the three hosts provide invaluable insight into writing a query letter. Although, at times, the two agents on the show, Carly Watters and Cece Lyra, can be contradictory in their advice from episode to episode. Today, they may say x is OK, and in two weeks, say don’t do x, which can be confusing. It also feels that they expect the authors to present the entire story in the first five pages, yet say not to divulge too much. The primary host, Biana Marais, an author, acts as a moderator, and her input from the author’s perspective is often needed. I wish she invested in a good mic, though, as the sound quality is horrendous. She sounds like the bad child, locked in the basement closet, talking through the closed door. She non the less is by far the best interviewer I have come across. Her line if questions is refreshing.

The only podcast I listen to religiously. I’ve learned so much about both writing and the business of publishing.

So much good advice from qualified, knowledgeable people!

If you want to understand what a query letter needs to do, this podcast will teach you!

This pod gives lessons through examples, which is perfect for me. It is uplifting and inspiring for new writers. Recommend for new and experienced writers!

I can’t say enough about this podcast. I’ve gotten so much great advice from it. But the best take away is… It just takes one yes. Smart ladies, giving real advice and not blowing smoke. Thank you.

This has been a great way to become acquainted with the publishing world. The motto that “It only takes one yes” is a heartening way to approach a process that is guaranteed to be full of rejection. The books with hooks sections are a great way to see what works and doesn’t work with query letters. I especially liked the episode “Writing an Opening Chapter that Ticks All the Boxes” because this is the first thing that any agent, publisher, or reader will ever see. Now just 37 back catalogue episodes left to catch up on :)

Sort of like stumbling into a masterclass for writers who already have that MFA, that agent, that first few rejection letters. While listening to a few podcasts I lost all hope of becoming a writer. They make the whole process sound so difficult! Who knew that a simple query letter could be so riddled with errors.

If you are a querying author, this podcast is a MUST! So drop what you’re doing and listen to these amazing women and their guests break down the literary world! 🙏🏻 I promise it will be worth your time!

I’ve been listening to this great podcast for about a month now, starting from the beginning and working my way through the 200 episodes and I just have to say that I LOVE it! I’m soon to publish my first trad novel and had previously self-published, so not “new” to writing or publishing, but I am learning so much from the Books with Hooks segments and, especially the interviews with industry folks. Bianca is a great host because she’s one of us - a writer in the trenches and so often it feels like she is learning right along with us. Highly recommend for any and all writers!

I absolutely love this podcast. I took creative writing course throughout my academic career. I found myself sitting down quite often having ideas for novels and short stories in my head, but not putting them on paper. This podcast has given me the courage to pursue writing. Ironically my parents found a sheet of paper “About Me” from elementary school and my dream job was to be an author. Now at 24 that goal is resurfacing. I will one day be on this podcast!

I’m glad the TSNOTYAW team went back to the regular books with hooks segment. The interweaving of query critiques and author interviews felt choppy and not as helpful. I think CeCe is the most skilled interviewer on the team, and kind of wish Bianca let authors do more talking when she leads the interviews. It often feels like she’s talking as much as and sometimes more than her guest. I miss the rapid fire questions of the early days. I know guests can’t necessarily be expected to have top notch sound equipment like the hosts, but occasionally there’s such a discrepancy in the sound quality (like today’s episode released 10/12/23) that I’m constantly having to adjust the volume to hear the guest and it kinda ruins the experience for me. I had a lot of trouble actually understanding the guest today because of the poor sound quality and I feel like I missed the benefit of her expertise. Overall, it’s generally a helpful, informative, and enjoyable podcast, but some of the format changes and interview styles have led to this being only 4/5 for me.

This is my favorite podcast dealing with the craft of writing. I learn something new every episode. Seeing how they break down opening pages and offer advice is an invaluable insight into how an agent may look at your work. The guests they get are amazing! Go back and listen to the episode with Emily Henry and Carley Fortune, it’s a banger!

I have to say I really miss the Books With Hooks segment that used to start every podcast. Still love all of you and think you’re amazing. The episodes are just missing a certain “oomph” for me now and sometimes I miss the transitions to critiques- it all seems to blend together. You ladies provide valuable guidance, opportunities, and resources and contribute tremendously to the writing community. Love you guys.

This podcast is truly a roadmap for aspiring authors on their path to publication! I love listening to the generous and helpful advice of Bianca, CeCe, and Carly but agree with others I find the new format jarring. I much prefer Books with Hooks with agents and guest agents (and occasionally including the writer). However, it seems awkward with the guest authors (unless they happen to be agents) participating. The separate interviews were more compelling and interesting. I enjoy all the bonus episodes and author interviews and will continue to listen with hope that it returns to the old format.

I only learned about this podcast in June of 2023, two months later and it has totally changed how I write. Between the Pod, the courses CeCe, Carly and Bianca teach, their endless knowledge on the craft and business of writing, and their uplifting passion for the written word… I feel as though I’ve stumbled upon my own DIY MFA. I only wish I knew about this podcast sooner!

I had to stop listening because the book was being spoiled and resume after I read the book. Ann was amazing, as always, but the host was hellbent on spoiling the book.

I loved this show and the hosts and am grateful for all I’ve learned from older episodes. But I can’t finish newer episodes because the new format of the show feels like whiplash going back and forth from queries to author interviews. I’ll probably take a break from the Pod and come back later. Hopefully there will be a return to the old structure by then! 🤞

I love all the advice that the hosts give and have enjoyed the author interviews as well. However, integrating the author interviews into the critiques have made it awkward and ruined the flow of the podcast for me.

I have loved this podcast for so long but this new format is not working. Please, please, please consider another change (or return to the old one). All the respect to the authors, we all hope to be them one day, but they should not be involved in critiquing the queries. If the hope is to seamlessly transition between (or merge) the two sections, perhaps going from the critiques into the guest author sharing their successful query and opening page summary (before further interview questions) could be a solution. Hearing what has worked in actual practice is a hugely beneficial tool. Also, it could be a great way to intrigue the listener to want to hear the interview even more. Kudos to the amazing hosts for being willing to make a change, that is not easy, but please make another one soon!

I mostly love this podcast. I love the Books With Hooks segment and really anything with Carly and CeCe— I really appreciate their perspective on the industry and their genuine support for writers. The guests are incredible and knowledgeable. I have loved the guest interviewers and the newer segments where bookstagrammers and booksellers recommend comps. Most of all, I love the supportive and encouraging space you create. It’s the one podcast I reliably listen to each week. My constructive feedback is that the new format doesn’t seem to be working. It’s gotten to where I, once a loyal listener who looked forward to every episode, am now skipping episodes because they aren’t as compelling. The new format doesn’t showcase everyone’s gifts to the best of their abilities. Carly and Cece are professional literary agents who critique queries as part of their job. They are much more skilled at this than the guest authors, and their feedback reflects it. Meanwhile guest authors, who are likely on the podcast to promote their work, end up saddled between all these queries plus having to do the work of critiquing a query themselves, and they aren’t positioned best to discuss themselves, their books, or their process. The transitions are also strange because the queries often don’t really have a clear connection to the authors’ work, so the conversations with the guest authors feels much more stilted and superficial. It feels almost disrespectful to a visiting author to ask them to do a query critique, be silent while 2 other people do a query critique, and every now and then get asked a random question about your work. If I was a visiting author I’d be like “why did they invite me to this?” I’m wondering if this change occurred because so many people stop listening to episodes halfway through after the Books With Hooks segment, which one of you alluded to a while back. If this actually does happen, I suspect the reason isn’t because people don’t want to listen to author interviews— it’s because the interviews could be done more skillfully. If the new format change was indeed a response to this dynamic, I would offer that this could be an excellent chance for the hosts to build interview skills. This is a skill that can be learned and you all have the empathy and enthusiasm to be wonderful interviewers, but currently this is not coming across— especially with the new format.

The information you share with writers is so useful. The service you offer can’t be found anywhere else!! Books with Hooks and the shows on Comps is invaluable!! Thank you for all the work you put into making this podcast.

As an aspiring author, I find this to be so informative. As a lover of podcasts, it’s just a good podcast that leaves you feeling smarter than before you lifted. An added Bonus is list meaning to all the great story’s.

I love this podcast and think it’s so insightful and helpful. However, the new format is not working. Switching back and forth between the author and the query letters is confusing and makes it really hard to follow what they’re talking about. It does not flow well and is not cohesive. I really hope they go back to the old way!

I’ve learned so much by listening to this podcast about writing, what is expected of writing, and how to improve. So grateful for the guidance provided!

I’ve loved this podcast for a long time, but the new format isn’t working for me at all. It’s jarring to jump back and forth between the query letter and the author’s book—it feels like head-hopping in a novel, which is exactly what the podcast hosts tell listeners not to do! Plus, it can be difficult trying to remember details about the query letter versus the author’s book when they jump back and forth between the two. Overall, this new format feels much less organized and professional than the old format, and I’m much less interested in both the query reviews and the author interviews. I agree with another commenter’s review that the podcast feels more like an infomercial for the authors’ books now. It feels disingenuous, which is really disappointing from a podcast that I loved so much :(

I was shocked to learn all the things I struggle with, all the fears, insecurities, doubts and frustration that everyone else (even professional published authors) are struggling with the same thing! I so appreciate all the honest conversation and the very helpful industry information in each episode! I’m anxiously awaiting the new episodes and constantly replaying the old ones!

I stumbled onto this podcast and boy am I glad I did!! This is absolutely one of the best writing podcasts I've found. The advice Bianca, Cecelia and Karly share mixed with the incredible interviews with authors and editors is FANTASTIC!! Love it!

TLDR: The expertise offered from the hosts is absolutely outstanding. I’ve learned a lot from their on air manuscript critiques and their interviews with other authors and publishing professionals. I think this a great podcast for a very particular demographic of writers: authors interested in traditional publishing and have a manuscript that is about ready for querying. More details: It’s a podcast geared very much toward traditional publishing. There’s a heavy focus on querying, which is definitely helpful for querying authors but not so much for writers who are taking a different publishing path or writing as a hobby. There’s very little content related to alternative publishing options, like self publishing or hybrid publishing. Or even submitting to literary magazines. The episode descriptions seem to over promise and under deliver. I’ve chosen old episodes based on the descriptions only to find that the hosts will spend a minute or two on the topic before moving on. The episodes are long so they’re great for long commutes or a road trip but take a while to finish if you listen is shorter chunks.

Thanks to the ladies for their generosity in sharing all sorts of tips, tricks and valuable information and feedback on all things writing, querying and publishing!

If I wasn’t an agent in the industry (which I am) I would assume that on average, 35-40% of manuscripts submitted via the slush pile get accepted and published according to this podcast. Unfortunately, the average percentage of manuscripts that are submitted and accepted are about 1.2% at best, at least in all of the American literary agencies. While its great these ladies are so giving of their time, giving false hope isn’t cool either. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than getting a manuscript traditionally published.