The Business of Publishing

The Business of Publishing, Part Five: Ask the Agents!

Deesha and Dawnie sit down with their own agents, Danielle Chiotti [https://www.upstartcrowliterary.com/agents/danielle-chiotti] and PJ Mark [https://www.janklowandnesbit.com/people/pj-mark], to chat about the publishing industry. What does it mean to be a white agent representing authors of color? What are the gold standards for blurbing? Where are the best places to find an agent and what are some common red flags with scammy “agents”? They discuss the significance of the agent-author connection, the questions that an author should ask of a potential agent, as well as what makes an agent say “hell yes” to a pitched book.  Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned * Brian Broome [https://www.brianbroome.com/] * Nicole D. Collier [https://nicoledcollier.com/] * Tyriek White [https://tyriekwhite.com/] * Joseph Earl Thomas [https://josephearlthomas.com/] * Eileen Myles [https://www.eileenmyles.com/] * In West Mills [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781635575286] (De’Shawn Charles Winslow) * Decent People [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781635575323] (De’Shawn Charles Winslow) * Co-Parenting 101 [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781608824632] (Deesha Philyaw and Michael D. Thomas) * The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9780593133415] (Maurice Carlos Ruffin) More from Deesha and Dawnie: * The Secret Lives of Church Ladies [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781949199734] (Deesha Philyaw) * The Final Revival of Opal & Nev [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781982140175] (Dawnie Walton) Produced by Ursa Story Company [https://ursastory.com/]  Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton Executive Producers: Dawnie Walton, Deesha Philyaw, and Mark Armstrong Associate Producer: Marina Leigh Episode Editor: Kelly Araja

The Business of Publishing, Part Four: Inside Deesha's Book Deal

Thank you Ursa Members for your support!  This week we’re excited to share a very special episode of Ursa Short Fiction — a Member Exclusive where Dawnie Walton chats with Deesha Philyaw about this week’s big news: Deesha has just signed a seven-figure book deal with Mariner Books for a new novel, THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF FIRST LADY FREEMAN, and short story collection, GIRL, LOOK. The novel is due out in 2025.  Links * Author Deesha Philyaw has a 7-figure deal for her next two books [https://apnews.com/article/deesha-philyaw-book-deal-church-ladies-d9457b536c5a69eaeb72368e20b1e498] (Associated Press)  * “Back Then” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1ERvlxgCD8] (Mike Jones) * Peach Pit: Sixteen Stories of Unsavory Women [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781950539871] (anthology edited by Molly Llewellyn and Kristel Buckley) * Mariner Books [https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/marinerbooks] * Rakia Clark [https://rakiaclark.com/] * Punch Me Up to the Gods [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9780358695257] (Brian Broome)  More from Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton: * The Secret Lives of Church Ladies [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781949199734] (Deesha Philyaw) * The Final Revival of Opal & Nev [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781982140175] (Dawnie Walton) Produced & edited by Mark Armstrong [https://markarms.com/] Associate producer: Marina Leigh

The Business of Publishing, Part Three: After Publication

Thank you for supporting Ursa! We're excited to share a special exclusive episode for our Members: Part Two in our ongoing conversation about the business of publishing. In Part One of our series last season [https://ursastory.com/episode-8-business-publishing/], Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton discussed all the aspects of building a career as a writer and artist. And now, in Part Two, they talk honestly and openly about what happens *after* you publish your first book. Following the publication of Deesha's debut collection The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, and Dawnie's debut novel The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, they reflected on the roller coaster ride of publicity and promotion, film and TV deals, and the questions about "what's next?"  Read more from Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton:  * The Secret Lives of Church Ladies [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781949199734] (Deesha Philyaw) * The Final Revival of Opal & Nev [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781982140175] (Dawnie Walton) *** Episode editor: Kelly Araja Associate producer: Marina Leigh Producer: Mark Armstrong

The Business of Publishing, Part Two: Reader & Writer AMA

Thank you Ursa Members [https://ursastory.com/join/] for your support! As a special bonus episode for our subscribers, co-hosts Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton answer your burning questions about the craft of writing and storytelling, and finding that creative spark.  Full episode transcript. [https://ursastory.com/episode-13-member-bonus-ask-us-anything/] Got a question for Deesha and Dawnie? Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/ursa [https://www.speakpipe.com/ursa] Or send us an email at hello@ursastory.com. READING LIST AND RECOMMENDED LINKS * “Adams” [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/08/09/adams] by George Saunders * “Anything Could Disappear” [https://electricliterature.com/anything-could-disappear-danielle-evans/] (from The Office of Historical Corrections [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9780593189450], by Danielle Evans) * “The Site of Memory” [https://blogs.umass.edu/brusert/files/2013/03/Morrison_Site-of-Memory.pdf] by Toni Morrison * Bird by Bird [https://bookshop.org/books/bird-by-bird-some-instructions-on-writing-and-life/9780385480017] by Anne Lamott  * On Writing [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781982159375] by Stephen King  * Craft in The Real World [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781948226806] by Matthew Salesses * The Getaway Car [https://www.amazon.com/Getaway-Car-Practical-Memoir-Writing-ebook/dp/B005JEXTBO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8], by Ann Patchett * The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide to Creative Writing [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9780393337082], by Alice LaPlante * “Sonny’s Blues,” [https://uwm.edu/cultures-communities/wp-content/uploads/sites/219/2018/01/SonnysBlues.Baldwin.pdf] by James Baldwin * Refuse to Be Done [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781641293419] by Matt Bell * “Fog,” [https://ursastory.com/fog/] by Cleyvis Natera WORKSHOPS & CLASSES * Catapult classes [https://catapult.co/classes] * StoryStudio Chicago [https://www.storystudiochicago.org/]  * The Porch Tennessee [https://www.porchtn.org/]  * The Shipman Agency [https://www.theshipmanagency.com/classes]  * A Public Space [https://apublicspace.org/] * Roots. Wounds. Words. [https://www.rootswoundswords.org/]  * Midnight & Indigo [https://www.midnightandindigo.com/]  * White Whale Bookstore [https://whitewhalebookstore.com/] NEWSLETTERS * Maurice Carlos Ruffin [https://mauricecarlosruffin.substack.com/]  * Sarah Thankam Mathews [https://smathewss.substack.com/] * Robert Jones, Jr. [https://robertjonesjr.substack.com/] * Carmen Maria Machado [https://carmenmariamachado.substack.com/] * Jami Attenberg [https://1000wordsofsummer.substack.com/] (#1000WordsofSummer) MORE FROM DEESHA PHILYAW AND DAWNIE WALTON:  * The Secret Lives of Church Ladies [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781949199734], by Deesha Philyaw * The Final Revival of Opal & Nev [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781982140168], by Dawnie Walton

The Business of Publishing, Part One: Submitting Stories

Ursa Members, thank you for supporting our show! On this special Member Exclusive episode of Ursa Short Fiction, Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton offer a comprehensive guide to the business of publishing – from submitting short stories to literary magazines, to navigating rejection, and finding an agent.  Deesha and Dawnie also share their own personal stories about the process, including working with editors and ultimately getting their books published. But before any of that, there’s the question of how a writer should think about the creative process vs. the business side of selling your work.  Episode transcript [https://ursastory.com/episode-8-business-publishing/]. ASK US ANYTHING Send Deesha and Dawnie your questions! Email us at hello@ursastory.com [hello@ursastory.com] or leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/ursa [https://www.speakpipe.com/ursa] EPISODE LINKS AND READING LIST:  * Poets & Writers: Literary Magazines Database [https://www.pw.org/literary_magazines?gclid=Cj0KCQjw0JiXBhCFARIsAOSAKqBMf-GynBIqUxrEWD3D7_IZ-C-EZO1XxIDbeWCH9PsWjluwSl0shVYaAij3EALw_wcB] * Chill Subs [https://chillsubs.com/] (another great magazine database) * “The High Shelf,” [https://lithub.com/the-high-shelf/] by Dawnie Walton (Oxford American, 2021) * “Dr. Sandman,” [https://oxfordamerican.org/magazine/issue-114-fall-2021/dr-sandman] by Deesha Philyaw (Oxford American, 2021) * Other People’s Rejection Letters [https://www.amazon.com/Other-Peoples-Rejection-Letters-Relationship/dp/0307459640], by Bill Shapiro (2010) * We Need New Names [https://bookshop.org/books/we-need-new-names/9780316230841], by NoViolet Bulawayo (2014) * Author Debra Dickerson [http://www.debradickerson.com/about.html] * In West Mills [https://bookshop.org/books/in-west-mills/9781635575286], De’Shawn Charles Winslow (2020) MORE FROM DEESHA PHILYAW AND DAWNIE WALTON:  * The Secret Lives of Church Ladies [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781949199734], by Deesha Philyaw * The Final Revival of Opal & Nev [https://bookshop.org/a/84405/9781982140168], by Dawnie Walton