You send that query and then patiently wait for a response. And wait. And wait.

Or maybe you meet an agent at a conference, hit it off, start emailing back and forth. And then they go dark. You just can’t get them to respond, let alone make a decision on your project.

Why do agents go dark? Why do they ghost potential clients? Isn’t it in their best interest to respond? We tackle all these questions and more on this episode of The Gatecrashers Podcast.

Most self-published authors rely on paid advertising and release strategies to sell their books. But not bestselling author Will Wight!

Will has built his career with a focus on the writing craft instead of marketing strategies. It’s a breath of fresh air in an area of the industry that is so marketing-driven.

Listen in on our interview with Will Wight as we discuss his journey and how he became a bestselling self-published success story.

A few years ago, Wesley Chu answered an open submission call from a small publisher. His book was chosen for publication and quickly became a steady seller.

In the years following, Wes has grown a successful career, book by book, opportunity by opportunity. His most recent deal with Del Rey was listed in Publisher’s Marketplace as a “Major Deal,” which is the top tier of their deal categories.

Listen to Wes talk about his writing journey and the importance of being willing to learn as you go.

For years, Heather Thompson Day‘s author platform hovered around 5,000 followers. Despite numerous book releases with a small denominational press and a steady speaking schedule, she just couldn’t seem to grow her tribe. She felt stuck.

And then all of a sudden, things changed.

Within two years, she hit 150,000 followers.

What changed? What did she do differently?

Listen to our conversation with Heather on the latest episode of Gatecrashers Podcast.

It’s hard to get that first book deal. Really hard.

Yet every year, numerous debut novels get publishing deals—and some for big advance amounts.

So what causes a publisher to say “yes” to one debut novel and “no” to another?

We sat down with former Tor Executive Editor Diana Gill and asked that very question. Listen to the chat here.

If you or someone you love suffers from writer’s block, then this is the podcast episode for you!

Writer’s block can take on many forms. It can be a lack of motivation, a sudden disinterest in your book, an issue with plot or character or scene, and more.

When faced with writer’s block, many writers simply give up. The task of working through it seems so difficult, that it’s easier to begin a new writing project or take a year off. But it doesn’t have to be that way!

Listen to this episode of The Gatecrashers Podcast for our best advice to move through writer’s block and move on with your story!

What’s your idea for a children’s book? Most authors have one. Whether you typically write adult romance or business nonfiction, chances are you have an idea for a picture book, chapter reader, or kids novel. Chances are, you’ve even written some of it down!

But is it worth an author’s time to pursue a career in kids publishing—especially if writing for children isn’t their true “calling”?

On this week’s episode, we talk about children’s literature, how it’s so very hard to break in, and how almost every author tries (or so it seems!).

“Why do you spend so much time writing?”

“You’re never going to get published.”

“You want to spend HOW MUCH on a writer’s conference?!”

If these complaints sound familiar, then you might be facing an unsupportive spouse (or parent, loved one, etc). Last week, we covered the different kinds of unsupportive spouses—some are afraid of change, some don’t have all the info they need to become supportive, and some are controlling.

One of the best things you can do is to have a heart-to-heart conversation with your spouse. This discussion should help to clarify information that is fuzzy (to them) while also alleviating any fears they may have that their day-to-day will drastically change. From this conversation, they should be able to slowly move from unsupportive to supportive.

But how do you prepare for such a conversation? We discuss that and more on this week’s episode of The Gatecrashers Podcast.

“My spouse doesn’t support my writing career!”

This is a common complaint among writers. Parents, family, friends, partners—it can sometimes seem as though the people we love the most are the least supportive of our writing dreams and goals.

In the recent episode of The Gatecrashers Podcast, literary agent Amanda Luedeke and novelist Charis Crowe discuss how to tell if your spouse is truly unsupportive or if they are acting from a place of fear or lack of information.

Listen to the episode here.

I live in Indiana.

I had no previous book publishing experience.

In fact, when I first started working with Chip MacGregor, I wasn’t fully sure what an agent did.

So how did I get to become a book agent? We discuss my journey in this week’s episode of the Gatecrashers Podcast.