 ABOUT THE AGENT:
J.D. Myall is an agent with The Tobias Agency and the author of the YA fantasy Heart’s Gambit and its sequel, Pawn’s Fate. Having navigated querying, submission, revisions, and publication herself, she brings an author’s perspective to her work with clients. J.D. welcomes writers from every background, including those whose voices and experiences have been underrepresented in publishing. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Drexel University, where she teaches, and a BS in Criminal Justice from West Chester University. She has worked as a sensitivity reader, judged Writer’s Digest competitions, and written for Writer’s Digest, Ms. Magazine, and HuffPost. She also hosts the Craft Chat Chronicles podcast. Her criminal justice background informs her interest in crime, motive, and the reasons people do what they do. End 2026 on a high note or get a running start on your 2027 writing goals by attending one of our upcoming Writing Day Workshops. We have many around the country and online (where anyone can join from anywhere). See the graphic in this post for our official list of events for 2026. Our events have over 170 success stories of writers who signed with agents following meeting them at an event. That's the best proof we can offer. Go to writingdayworkshops.com to sign up now, and keep reading for details on conferences in October and November.   Let’s say you have a book out and want to promote it. So you contact a website and offer to write a free guest post (or several) for them. (The example below follows blogging, but you can also use these patterns for video, podcast, etc.)
In exchange for providing the free content, you have some requests:
 ABOUT THE AGENT:
Sahar Kashi of Heirloom Literary has spent over a decade bridging literary voices to the screen as a development executive and producer, She previously served as Head of Development and Production at Three Things Productions under an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television, and as a Creative Executive at Anonymous Content, working on series including Shadow & Bone, On My Block, and 13 Reasons Why. Sahar is drawn to daring work that finds laughter alongside grief, explores mental health and emotional healing, and pushes narrative boundaries. She loves romance woven through immersive worldbuilding and stories that subvert genre expectations. She champions visionary storytellers who pair commercial insight with an authentic connection to their material.  What is a beat sheet, and what is it used for?
In his screenwriting book Save the Cat, Blake Snyder lays out fifteen essential plot points and images that appear in (almost) all three-act movies. These plot points, or beats, are major events that build the setting, push the plot forward, and force the characters to change or take action. They can apply to any genre and can be used for middle grade and YA novels as well as adult fiction. Can you use a beat sheet if you're a pantser rather than a plotter? Definitely. The beat sheet lays out the major plot points. It doesn't mean you have to fill in all the details of what happens in every scene. Think of your book as a road trip. The beat sheet is a map that shows the start, finish, and the major points of interest along the way. You can label one, two, or more of those beats depending on how much of your novel you like to plan before you start writing. When you're ready to query, your beat sheet can also be a great reference for writing your synopsis.  ABOUT THE AGENT:
Miles Temel joined Trident Media Group in 2022 as an assistant. He is now open to submissions and eager to work with both fiction and nonfiction authors. Across genres, Miles is drawn to engaging voices, well-crafted sentences, and a witty sense of humor. He lives in Brooklyn and enjoys live music, baseball, and time spent by bodies of water.  So you've finished your draft. Congratulations! Now take a deep breath—here's where the fun begins.
Before you send your story into the world, make sure it's as polished as it can be. To help you, authors from different genres have shared their insight and wisdom gained over the years. Read below to learn what not to do during revisions as well as what you absolutely should do, and you may even come across a few tips you never thought to consider. 1. Read your work aloud. "You may sound full of yourself, but this is the best way to listen for rhythm—or lack of it, to zone in on klutzy spots and to hear words you may overuse: all, always, just, so, usually, very, perhaps, really… If you repeat words, be intentional about it." - Sally Koslow  ABOUT THE AGENT:
Krista White is building her list as an Assistant Literary Agent, having completed her internship under the CEO of The Rights Factory. Before pursuing publishing, Krista had a career in sales, culminating in co-founding a small executive recruitment firm. She’s a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, having proudly served as its Vice President of Membership. Krista is also a member of PACLA, the Professional Association of Canadian Literary Agents. She lives north of Toronto in a quiet hamlet with her husband, sons, and vegetable garden.  There are different ways to get your work published, but the two biggest options in today’s marketplace are still traditional publishing and self-publishing
Traditional publishing: You sell your work to a publishing house, like Simon & Schuster or Penguin Random House. The publisher typically pays you money up front in the deal, then distributes the book in print and e-book forms. Self-publishing: This method allows you to publish your work independently, without anyone judging your work. You’re in charge of everything. A common website people use to do this is Amazon’s CreateSpace. I could talk about all the nitty-gritty elements to both publishing options — the pros and cons, the ins and outs — but that would take you hours to read. So instead, I’ll just focus this post on one simple question: If you’re unsure what path to take concerning these two major publishing options, what should you do?  ABOUT THE AGENT:
Mara Hollander joined Azantian Literary Agency in 2025. Prior to working in publishing, Mara earned a bachelor's degree at Georgetown University and a PhD at Pitt Public Health, and was a professor researching US health care policy. Mara is actively seeking to represent authors from communities traditionally underrepresented in publishing, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and disabled and/or chronically ill writers. In her free time, she writes fantasy novels, watches a shocking amount of figure skating, roots for the Washington Nationals and Georgetown Hoyas, and daydreams about petting dogs. MARA IS SEEKING: |