Write the Book, Play the Game

Hello, authors! Welcome to Episode 6 of Write the Book, Play the Game, a podcast about the business of being an author. In the final installment of Season 1, we’re again sharing ground-tested insights and strategies from our years in the midlist trenches.This week, we’re sharing the strategies and hacks that make our lives as professional authors manageable. We’ll discuss…* How we juggle writing and admin in an average workday* Gretchen’s signature “crockpot method” * The exact apps and digital tools we use to harness ideas, stay focused, and get words on the page* Why you need a “boneyard doc”* The delicate balance of maintaining a public author persona and connecting with readers while setting boundaries…and maintaining privacy* The most jaw-dropping daily wordcount total you’ve ever heard* Strategies for managing requests and avoiding burnout* Can podcasts tank your creativity?* An uber-important but rarely discussed step every working writer must take* Our tips and tricks for quickly dropping into Drafting Mode…and more. You can listen to or watch the convo in a browser or the Substack app, or listen via your favorite podcast player (instructions here). Thanks so much for listening! Please let us know which advice you’re taking away and trying and what you’d like to hear more about in Season 2. Happy publishing! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writethebookplaythegame.substack.com

Hello, friends! Welcome to episode 5 of Write the Book, Play the Game, a podcast about the business of being an author. We’re once again revealing everything we wish we knew when we started out as tiny baby authors at Big 5 publishers and have learned along the way.In the penultimate episode of Season 1, we’re discussing the author-agent relationship—one of the most important partnerships in your writing career.We aren’t talking about query letters or manuscript wish lists—there are tons of great resources on that process already. But we will dive into…* How to assess an agent’s fit during the querying and offer stages* Exactly what an agent does (and doesn’t) do and how the agent’s role has changed* The surprising truth about the agent-author power dynamic* The crucial (yet often overlooked) questions to ask your agent * Stress-tested tips for building a productive working relationship * The first thing to try if you’re unhappy with your agent* Tricks for assuaging authorly anxiety without annoying your agent* How querying works when you’re already published …and more. You can listen to or watch the convo in a browser or the Substack app, or listen via your favorite podcast player (instructions here). Next week, in our final episode of the season, we’ll delve into the strategies and hacks that make our lives as midlist authors manageable. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writethebookplaythegame.substack.com

Welcome to Episode 4 of Write the Book, Play the Game, a podcast about the business of being an author! We’re once again revealing everything we wish we knew when we started out as tiny baby authors at Big 5 publishers and have learned along the way.This week, we’re chatting about finding and leveraging your author community (aka your group chat). We’ll discuss…* The #1 mistake authors make in group chats* Where to find fellow writers and how to make them your friends* How to evaluate your current authorly crew and identify any gaps in support or intel* The power dynamics and challenges in working with agents, editors, and other publishing professionals (and your secret weapon for tricky situations)* Strategies for building meaningful relationships with booksellers* The pros and cons of debut authors groups (and what went down in ours)* Why it’s so important to have friends in different spots in their writing careers * The age-old question: Does my agent like me?* The right (and wrong) ways to support other authors’ work…and more. You can listen to or watch the convo in a browser or the Substack app, or listen via your favorite podcast player (instructions here). Hit subscribe and you’ll never miss an episode! Next week, we’ll focus on everything you need to know about the agent-author relationship. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writethebookplaythegame.substack.com

Welcome to Episode 3 of Write the Book, Play the Game, a podcast about the business of being an author! We’re once again spilling everything we’ve learned in our cumulative decades as professional trad-published authors.This week, in what’s sort of a Part 2 to last week’s episode (about how our zany industry survives and thrives), we’re delving deeper into the data you can (and should!) obtain about your book and brand, plus how to parse and leverage it. We’ll discuss…* The industry trends and external factors that influence sales—so you can right-size your expectations* How to set up systems to consistently collect and analyze engagement data* Making sense of—dun dun DUN—reader feedback* How long you need to commit to a marketing experiment to get meaningful data from it* A simple rule for connecting your social media, newsletters, and events back to your books * When (and how much) market trends and publisher feedback should influence what you write* Figuring out how your marketing plan and performance metrics stack up against your peers’…and more. You can listen to or watch the convo in a browser or the Substack app, or listen via your favorite podcast player (instructions here). Hit subscribe and you’ll never miss an episode! Next week, we’ll focus on finding and leveraging your author community. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writethebookplaythegame.substack.com

Welcome to Episode 2 of Write the Book, Play the Game, a podcast about the business of being an author! We’re once again getting candid (some might say: too candid) about the business savvy we’ve picked up in our cumulative decades as professional authors. This week, we’re diving headfirst into (what sometimes feels like) this dumpster-fire of an industry. We’ll discuss…* What publishers really think when your book “fails”* The data Amazon and Goodreads don’t share with publishers* Why, how, and when to request key metrics from your editor and agent* The disconnect between author expectations and publisher priorities* The litmus test we use before investing in marketing efforts* Why your publisher’s being dodgy about bad news…and more. You can listen to or watch the convo in a browser or the Substack app, or listen via your favorite podcast player (instructions here). Hit subscribe and you’ll never miss an episode!Next week, we’ll leap from this admittedly overwhelming (and potentially demoralizing) info dump to: WTF you can do about it. We’ll get specific and actionable about the data you can (and should!) obtain about your book and career, plus how to parse and leverage it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writethebookplaythegame.substack.com

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Write the Book, Play the Game, a podcast about the business of being an author! We’re authors Andrea Bartz & Gretchen Schreiber, and over the next few weeks, we’ll be pulling back the curtain on our own experiences in decades of trad publishing, sharing everything we’ve learned about building sustainable careers. There are plenty of great podcasts out there addressing writing craft and sharing book recs and author interviews, but we’re here to do something different: provide candid insights and actionable advice for authors navigating a career with the Big 5. In this episode, we discuss…* Why the business side of the industry feels so murky and opaque* One of the most important factors publishers consider when deciding whether or not to publish your next book (hint: It’s not your sales!)* True or false: publishers can “make” a bestseller if they really want to* Why publishing a “dud” doesn’t mean your career is over* The biggest question you must ask yourself before investing in self-promo* What “success” means to your publisher (and why that can’t be your only metric)* The mistake so many authors make on social media (and in group chats!)* The hurtful feedback that forever lives rent-free in our brains—and what we’ve learned from it…and more. You can listen to or watch the convo in a browser or the Substack app, or listen via your favorite podcast player (instructions here). Hit subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!Next week, we’ll dive into the surprising way the C-suite views publishing, with strategies for understanding and navigating this black box of a field. Thanks for listening, and use the comments to let us know what you think. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit writethebookplaythegame.substack.com