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1 month ago | 
katemckean.substack.com | Kate McKean
Hi all, This week I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with students at Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA about publishing, writing, and the creative life. Oh, and my book. It was fantastic! I love talking to students—undergrad, grad, whatever—and it was fun to see a cute, little town I’d never been to before.
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1 month ago | 
katemckean.substack.com | Kate McKean
Hi friends, Yes, this is a click bait headline. What can I say? I was raised on BuzzFeed. But this came to me when I was reading some queries the other night, and I wanted to talk to you all about it. Lots of queries I read include information about why the writer wrote the book, and that’s great. As an agent, it can be interesting to hear what’s behind the plots and characters and word counts and other book related stuff. It gives me a sense of the author off the page.
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1 month ago | 
katemckean.substack.com | Kate McKean
Ahoy friends!It must be the hint of Spring in the air here in New York, but lately I’ve been feeling somewhat good about things. OK not <gestures at the whole world> things, but books. I’m reading good books! People are writing good books! I’m thinking of good books to come!I was in said good mood when this meme was going around Bluesky this week, wherein users were describing their favorite genres in the least Official Genre TM terms possible.
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1 month ago | 
katemckean.substack.com | Kate McKean
Hey friends,Every once in a while, I catch myself rattling off publishing jargon unsure if who I’m talking to knows what I mean—new clients, long-time clients, people who’ve accidentally asked me how’s work going? and I’m answering honestly. I even had this problem when writing my book. I frequently had to go back and search for a word just to make sure I’d made it’s meaning clear.
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1 month ago | 
katemckean.substack.com | Kate McKean
Hi friends!Let’s answer some questions!J asks: After submitting to 59 agents and receiving only 2 requests for a full, I did another round of feedback with beta readers on my submission package and have determined the main problem is my pitch. In hindsight, I see that it was composed from a defensive point of view, believing a story about grief with a protagonist with questionable morals— even with a happy ending— would be a hard sell.
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1 month ago | 
katemckean.substack.com | Kate McKean
Hey friendos, In the midst of all this book promo (t-minus three months until pub!) I’ve been tinkering with my website at katemckean.com. I’ve talked about author websites before, and tbh my previous advice of it doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive still holds true. But I realized the main purpose of my site—telling people about the work I do as an agent—didn’t leave room for telling people about the work I do as a writer.
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1 month ago | 
katemckean.substack.com | Kate McKean
Hey friends, My I don’t want to think activity is watching Instagram Reels, as I have said before on this newsletter 100 times, I’m sure. It’s not great. Reels are not great and yes, I could watch TikTok but I am denying myself that pleasure for reasons I’m still unpacking. Anyway, I went into this whole writing and promoting my own book thing saying I am not going to be on TikTok. I do not want to do video. No one balked at it or told me I had to. They said cool, ok, moving on.
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2 months ago | 
katemckean.substack.com | Kate McKean
Hi friends, We’ve got a twofer today, from the same person. I make the rules! There are no rules!J asks: I am a marketer at a Big 5 house. I've been in the industry for 11 years after a mid-life career switch and feel dreadfully ignorant of some of the ins and outs of the editorial/acquisition side of things. When querying, is it a selling point to mention my job and company? To be clear, I work for an imprint that specializes in genre fiction.
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2 months ago | 
katemckean.substack.com | Kate McKean
Friends!I’m very excited to share with you today an interview with Victoria Strauss, author and long-time blogger at Writer Beware, the essential watchdog website for writers. If I’m every suspicious about a writers contest, shiny new publisher, or writing “opportunity” going around, Writer Beware is the first place I look to see if it’s a scam or not. She’s never steered me wrong. So I asked Victoria some questions to make sure you know Writer Beware was there for you, too.
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2 months ago | 
katemckean.substack.com | Kate McKean
Hey friends!I’m partnering with The Strand to bring you SIGNED copies of WRITE THROUGH IT! Just pre-order from them, and I’ll sign it for you. Easy peasy! I’ll have a few in-person events for sure, but I won’t be able to come see all of you, as much as I’d like to. This is your chance for a signed copy, all without leaving the comfort of your home. Offer ends June 9th!Thank you!OXOXOXOX, Kate