"Feeling hopeless and atomized is exactly what people with power want us to feel right now."

"We're throwing a party to celebrate books and literature and literacy and free expression of ideas for our community—that's the mindset with which we approach it."

I loved peppering Abra McAndrew [https://substack.com/profile/116315392-abra-mcandrew], who runs the excellent Substack The Booktender [https://thebooktender.substack.com/] and is executive director of the storied Tucson Festival of Books [https://substack.com/profile/306417005-tucson-festival-of-books], with all my burning questions about book festivals! We went deep on: * How Abra became the director of an event that draws more than 300 authors and 100,000 book-lovers * How planners decide which authors to invite * Where book festivals fit into the book-event ecosystem for writers * How authors can figure out which book fests might be a fit—and put themselves in the best possible position to be invited * The question you must ask before committing to a festival * The mistake some attending authors make days before the fest—and how authors can make organizers’ lives easy * Abra’s best advice for someone thinking about starting their own book fest …and more! Be sure to sign up for Abra’s newsletter, The Booktender [https://thebooktender.substack.com/], where she shares delightful monthly reading lists and commentary about what she’s reading. Thank you Kathleen Schmidt [https://substack.com/profile/1047126-kathleen-schmidt], Sally Ekus [https://substack.com/profile/11096863-sally-ekus], Travis Malone [https://substack.com/profile/3647235-travis-malone], Norma Cardenas [https://substack.com/profile/9076672-norma-cardenas], and many others for tuning into my live video with Abra McAndrew [https://substack.com/profile/116315392-abra-mcandrew]! You can check out my past Substack Lives here [https://andibartz.substack.com/t/live] and listen to any of them in your favorite podcast app (including Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/get-it-write/id1830507006], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2EAgDKV7dXo98JpNxQ8pme], and others linked to the right or using the “Listen via…” button). Get full access to Andrea Bartz: Get It Write at andibartz.substack.com/subscribe [https://andibartz.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

"Feeling hopeless and atomized is exactly what people with power want us to feel right now."

I learned so much from my chat with Saul Austerlitz [https://substack.com/profile/536858-saul-austerlitz], who wrote HOW TO ASSEMBLE AN ACTIVIST [https://www.unsungvoicesbooks.com/sausterlitz-activist], and AurelioAguirre [https://substack.com/profile/177950766-aurelioaguirre], software developer and cofounder of The Users Union [https://theusersunion.org/], about how people with concerns about AI can find the best and most impactful ways to join the fight. We discussed: * Why now is such a crucial time for us to be having these discussions—and taking action * The shockingly within-our-grasp environmental solutions we can push for (and how) * How to break down the overwhelming concept of AI into actionable arenas and causes * Why community is the backbone of effective activism—and how to find it (or build it) * The reason “call trains” and “co-hosts” are powerful grassroots tools * The exact bills you should be paying attention to, plus how to push for the right outcomes * The surprising reason even small fundraisers are effective against multi-billion-dollar companies * The most effective way to talk to someone who’s new to the topic of AI …and more! Be sure to follow both guests, sign up to follow Users Union [https://theusersunion.org/]’s progress, and order Saul’s book [https://www.unsungvoicesbooks.com/sausterlitz-activist] for more. (We didn’t discuss this in the call, but I’m also a fan of The AI Doc’ [https://www.focusfeatures.com/the-ai-doc-or-how-i-became-an-apocaloptimist]s cheat sheet [https://theaidocgetinvolved.com/global-ai-plan/] for ways to get involved. What other resources are y’all using to turn your anger into action?) Thank you Megan Cooley Peterson [https://substack.com/profile/1819435-megan-cooley-peterson], Alyson Wilbur [https://substack.com/profile/142088597-alyson-wilbur], Marla bronstein [https://substack.com/profile/260463664-marla-bronstein], and many others for tuning into my live video with Saul Austerlitz [https://substack.com/profile/536858-saul-austerlitz] and AurelioAguirre [https://substack.com/profile/177950766-aurelioaguirre]! You can check out my past Substack Lives here [https://andibartz.substack.com/t/live] and listen to any of them in your favorite podcast app. My next one will be on May 20 at noon ET, when I’ll be discussing everything authors need to know about book festivals with Abra McAndrew [https://substack.com/profile/116315392-abra-mcandrew], executive director of the Tucson Festival of Books and author of the excellent Substack The Booktender [https://thebooktender.substack.com/]. Here’s that link. [https://substack.com/@andibartz/note/p-196580214?r=1nyuc&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web] See you there! It takes labor (and love!) to bring you original, exclusive posts every week. If you dig what Get It Write is doing and find the content valuable, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Thanks for being here! Get full access to Andrea Bartz: Get It Write at andibartz.substack.com/subscribe [https://andibartz.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

"Why haven't scholars cared about agents? Why are writers so obsessed? And what is that mismatch telling us about what's going on in this industry?"

I had the best time chatting with author and academic Laura B. McGrath [https://substack.com/profile/934682-laura-b-mcgrath], whose new nonfiction book, Middlemen: Literary Agents and the Making of American Fiction [https://bookshop.org/a/97707/9780691256160], is on shelves now. We nerded out on: * When agents burst onto the scene (and why publishers loathed them at first) * Where the title comes from and why her book cover is giving midcentury glam * Why agents are so secretive about their day-to-day * The surprising reason her book research—and access to pros—took a big turn midway through her project * Why the introduction of paperbacks upended agents’ role * The questions you should ask an agent before signing—and the convo you must have with your agent after working together for a while * How she sees agenting changing in 5-10 years * Why you should pick up the book for “a whole lot of quantitative data about what contemporary literature is and what it’s turned into thanks to the agents’ influence.” …and more! Be sure to sign up for Laura’s newsletter, textCrunch [https://open.substack.com/pub/laurabmcgrath], where she shares fascinating, data-driven research about books, publishing, and culture—and order her book [https://bookshop.org/a/97707/9780691256160] for more. During the Live, we discussed agent calls, and I promised to share the link to this helpful post from Sally Ekus [https://open.substack.com/users/11096863-sally-ekus?utm_source=mentions]: Here’s another great one from author Leah Rowan [https://substack.com/profile/23375986-leah-rowan]: Finally, here’s my compendium of successful query letters, with additional resources at the end: Thank you Sally Ekus [https://substack.com/profile/11096863-sally-ekus], Shana Clarke [https://substack.com/profile/1099597-shana-clarke], Shanyn [https://substack.com/profile/22109776-shanyn], MJ Soni Author [https://substack.com/profile/322727392-mj-soni-author], Ariees Roman [https://substack.com/profile/81307870-ariees-roman], and many others for tuning into my live video with Laura B. McGrath [https://substack.com/profile/934682-laura-b-mcgrath]! You can check out my past Substack Lives here [https://andibartz.substack.com/t/live] and listen to any of them in your favorite podcast app. My next one will be on Wednesday, 5/8 at noon ET, when I’ll be discussing Activism 101: How to Hold Big AI Accountable with Saul Austerlitz [https://open.substack.com/users/536858-saul-austerlitz?utm_source=mentions] (author of How to Assemble an Activist [https://www.unsungvoicesbooks.com/sausterlitz-activist]) and Aurelio Aguirre (software developer and cofounder of Users Union [https://www.theusersunion.org/]). Here’s that link. [https://open.substack.com/live-stream/182046?utm_source=live-stream-scheduled-upsell] See you there! It takes labor (and love!) to bring you original, exclusive posts every week. If you dig what Get It Write is doing and find the content valuable, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Thanks for being here! Get full access to Andrea Bartz: Get It Write at andibartz.substack.com/subscribe [https://andibartz.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

"I really see newsletters like any extension of an author's work. And [Substack] is a place where a lot of agents are."

I LOVED going live with non-fiction agent Sally Ekus [https://substack.com/profile/11096863-sally-ekus], whose generous and candid approach to the industry is such a breath of fresh air! We went deep on: * How authors can use their newsletters to connect with readers * Whether author newsletters translate to sales—or event attendance * What makes up an author “ecosystem” * The nuts and bolts of pitching non-fiction * The surprising personality traits Sally looks for in new clients * How she scouts on Substack—and what happens after a writer catches her eyes * Why she loves it when an author turns her down (for now) …and more! If you aren’t already a Sally Ekus [https://substack.com/profile/11096863-sally-ekus] superfan (like me), go sign up for her newsletter, Not So Secret Agent [https://open.substack.com/pub/notsosecretagent], right now—there are so many fantastic posts and resources, all of ‘em free, and so much of it applying to novelists in addition to non-fiction writers. Thank me later! And thank you to Rebecca Blackwell [https://substack.com/profile/126756528-rebecca-blackwell], Caroline Madden [https://substack.com/profile/150012789-caroline-madden], Andrea 🌄 [https://substack.com/profile/420086120-andrea], Sandhya Jain-Patel [https://substack.com/profile/41892017-sandhya-jain-patel], Jennifer Houle [https://substack.com/profile/211851355-jennifer-houle], and many others for tuning in. You can check out my past Substack Lives here [https://andibartz.substack.com/t/live] and listen to any of them in your favorite podcast app. If you dig what Get It Write is doing and find the content valuable, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Thanks for being here! Get full access to Andrea Bartz: Get It Write at andibartz.substack.com/subscribe [https://andibartz.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

"My big theory about life is that we're all desperate to connect with each other and just need that nudge."

I loved my convo with Nancy Reddy [https://substack.com/profile/2402507-nancy-reddy], the author of THE GOOD MOTHER MYTH [https://bookshop.org/a/97707/9781250336644] and the Substack Be Less Careful [https://open.substack.com/pub/nancyreddy]. We discussed what people really want from book events, specific tricks to make a book launch interactive and memorable, where events fit into the author-brand ecosystem, the best book releases we ever attended, the pluses and pitfalls of planning a virtual event, and more. We even had an on-the-spot brainstorm about two viewers’ upcoming book parties! Huge thanks to Olivia Muenter [https://substack.com/profile/5935422-olivia-muenter], Miranda Beverly-Whittemore [https://substack.com/profile/1495087-miranda-beverly-whittemore], Fabio N.Biazetti [https://substack.com/profile/114526482-fabio-nbiazetti], Julie Zuckerman [https://substack.com/profile/1233354-julie-zuckerman], JENNIFER VAN DER KLEUT [https://substack.com/profile/329940-jennifer-van-der-kleut], and others for tuning in. After this, I’ll be taking a break from Substack Lives and returning to the Words With Author Friends [https://andibartz.substack.com/t/words-with-author-friends] interview format for a bit. Get full access to Andrea Bartz: Get It Write at andibartz.substack.com/subscribe [https://andibartz.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]