Okay, one thing I'm particularly excited for is the #YourQueries event next Wednesday with agent @agentkellyvansant.bsky.social! Kelly will go through member queries at inbox speed--and (kindly!) narrate her thoughts and honest impressions as she goes. Can't want to see what she thinks! ☕️

Just realized something cool: We completely, admittedly, overuse leaves and books and coffees and orange this time of year. Amazingly, it's been nine years, and no one's complained about our graphic design yet!

This class on finding the hook of a novel taught by editor Raqayyah Daud @borahaze91.bsky.social was gold! So many concrete examples of great hooks from well known novels and interactive exercises to work on our own pitches. #writingworkshop

After last night's class with @manuscriptacademy.bsky.social and editor Raqayyah Daud @borahaze91.bsky.social , I woke up this morning with a whole new idea for the hook for my book. I'm feeling excited and ready to face the query trenches again! Thanks so much!!

friendly reminder that i’m open to critiques!

Yay Bri! So happy to see you there cheering on and helping your fellow writers. 🥰

What a wonderful class! Many thanks to @borahaze91.bsky.social for making it fun and practical to learn about The Hook of Your Book. Replay up tomorrow! Congratulations to the winners of our consultation giveaway, and do be in touch to claim your prizes!

It's almost here! The class we've been looking forward to for MONTHS! Join us tonight at 8:30pm ET with Ruqayyah Daud at Hachette Book Group to learn how the worst part of pitching ("So, what's your book about?") can turn into your creative superpower. hook-of-your-book-class.manuscriptacademy.com

We've been looking forward to this for months! Join Ruqayyah Daud's class, The Hook of Your Book, to learn not just how to pitch your work--but how to emphasize elements in your pages that help your book stand out. Learn more here: hook-of-your-book-class.manuscriptacademy.com

@norriswrites.bsky.social Thank you Norris! Nice to see you. :)

I think we can all agree that pitching is stressful, difficult, & a totally different skill than writing your beautiful story. But what if you could pitch better - AND use that knowledge to enhance your work ✨creatively✨? Join us Tuesday! hook-of-your-book-class.manuscriptacademy.com

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood! And we get to start our September 🍁🍂 events with our Minister of Writing Happiness, Mary! Meet your new favorite critique partners + friends. After that, Ruqayyah’s class, The Hook of Your Book, next week! hook-of-your-book-class.manuscriptacademy.com

We have such fun events this month! 🍁🍂 I can't wait! More info here: manuscriptacademy.com/calendar

You can book a meeting with yours truly!

Meetings are now live for everyone, member and non-member alike! If you have your heart set on a specific agent or editor to meet this month, now's the time to book! Agent + Editor consultations here: manuscriptacademy.com/consultations Here if you need us!

Every month I realize it’s time for the monthly dispatch and panic edit some clips for our YouTube, and for you! This edition will be great! Pending faculty approval, we’ll have clips on why agents say yes, how to get out of the maybe pile, and more. Stay tuned! 🍿

We have a super exciting month at The Manuscript Academy! We're debuting a new event format, #YourQueries, which is like #10Queries for members--watch agent Kelly Van Sant read member queries at a submission reading pace! Optimize for speed and comprehension BEFORE sending out your work. And...

Wikipedia editors trying to fend off the onslaught of AI crap have crowdsourced some telltale signs of LLM-generated writing; it might be handy for editors and proofreaders generally. Thanks to @ellenrykers.com for pointing me to it. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...

if you think your writing isn't important, just remember that writing is a radical act of self-expression and emotion in a world that wants you to assimilate, actively tries to break up attempts at community, and wants you to stop questioning the status quo.

@mohayeswriter.bsky.social Your orange cat in your header is so cute!

My weekly roundup of #publishing news #writing craft tips and #Bookmarketing links is up. This Crazy Thing We Do #writingcommunity

We're getting so many pitches for "Tell your writers about our AI writing software" and I can't quite come up with a polite way of saying that A) We brag about our writers all the time--they're already amazing, B) There's no way your bot can do better, and C) Go away

We’re working on new members-only meeting types for September. If you need help with agent research, you can book a “Help me build my submission strategy” call. If you need help with your submission packet, you can do query + first 10 pages + synopsis. Members, look for more info next week!

@chrispage.bsky.social Chris!! It’s nice to see you!

Members, have you tried our Prompt-o-Matic? Login and hit the button for a new summer writing prompt, good for any genre or age group! All prompts written by a human and writer, our co-founder, Julie Kingsley. Try it here! manuscriptacademy.com/prompts

Tomorrow! Join us for Publishing Help Desk, where you can ask YOUR un-Google-able Publishing questions. (We love your questions! You always come up with such great things to ask.) Tomorrow, August 20, 4pm ET / 1pm PT - link in your member email!

What a wonderful panel! Tamara Kawar spoke about how to balance all of the elements of a good query summary - the hardest part! Clip coming soon. :)

One of the lessons I think we all have to learn over and over (myself included) is that even if you pack in really wonderful details, if your writing can't be skimmed quickly and make sense, you're going to lose readers--whether that's in a query, a first page, or an email.

So grateful for @manuscriptwishlist.bsky.social's Summer Academy: Insightful & interactive writing workshops. Line edit reviews of queries & pages by agents @ericsmithrocks.bsky.social & @alicespeilburg.bsky.social. Best of all, great critiques by new writing friends! #writingcommunity

@susanbjames.bsky.social Thank you Susan!

Tomorrow! Our members-only feedback panel with agent Tamara Kawer. We can't wait! All genres and age groups welcome. As usual, work is chosen at random, by genre. Members, login and view (and send your work!) here: manuscriptacademy.com/live-events

Currently completely entranced by this wax seal art - the detail! The colors! Oh my gosh. www.instagram.com/reel/DNEdjs9...

We had such a wonderful week at our Summer Academy! Thank you so much to our brilliant writers, our kind and thoughtful faculty, and all of you for making it a joy to come to work.

@dtdelosh.bsky.social Thank you Diana!

Just received written feedback ahead of my @manuscriptacademy.bsky.social session next week and it was so helpful and has gotten me so hyped for editing! #writingcommunity

If "Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth" (thank you, Camus), then how good a liar are YOU? See highlights from our Writing Believable Worlds class with editor Amy Paradysz here! youtu.be/NIlRyOCA1rM

It's last call for Early Bird! Tickets for our four-day workshop go from $39 to $49 TONIGHT at midnight ET. Join us for an agent feedback panel, daily sessions with agents + editors, a private workshop forum and inspiration, fun, and friends. Learn more here: events.manuscriptacademy.com

When one of your friends mentions a cool supernatural detail in her story and you keep thinking about it (and the physics of it) for 24 hours, you know she’s onto something. Ideas with enough energy that they stick, that you want to tell your friends about? That is the vibe we’re going for.

@nourhasbooks.bsky.social Thank you Nour!

Today! Meetings go live for members. Thursday, for non-members! And next week is our much-anticipated Summer Academy! 4 agents, 3 editors, one agent panel, daily workshops! events.manuscriptacademy.com

Our Publishing Help Desk is quickly becoming my favorite event! Your questions are thoughtful and nuanced and kind, and I love seeing your support for each other and suggestions and appreciation and creativity. I was shocked when I saw nearly two hours went by!

Camus wrote, "Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth." How do you make your reader feel secure in the world - secure enough to stay longer? With consistency, clarity, style - and character, description, speech, time, location, and connection. We'll discuss Thursday @ 2 ET--join us!

We're so happy you feel this way! This is exactly what we wanted: the creative community (in our computer) that used to only be possible in, say, New York coffee shops. Creativity for everyone! 💗

Check out this awesome schedule! Monday, Ivan Taurisano, Abrams Books. Tuesday, Kelly Van Sant, KT Literary. Wednesday, Ruqayyah Daud, Hachette Book Group. Thursday, Alice Speilburg (Speilburg Literary) and John Cusick (Folio Literary) for our live feedback panel! 📚🎉

Coming soon (early!): our online coffee shop where you can start to say hello to your fellow workshop attendees! And yes, we serve iced coffee (and my favorite, iced lattes) to beat the heat. Happy to see everyone here! ☀️⛱️

It seems to happen every summer like clockwork: we have a great time camping and swimming and then, by August, we miss you. If you also love campfire-toasted marshmallows but miss your writing friends, join us (and our agent + editor friends) for Summer Academy! events.manuscriptacademy.com

Are you looking for the perfect agent for your work? Wondering who’d love a project just like yours? Try our #MSWL search tips for Bluesky and find a fit without leaving the platform! youtu.be/LnZt1MCjKZE?...

We heard of another member getting a book deal offer today! Congratulation, team! Can't wait to celebrate with you in more detail soon. 😃

ICYMI: Our live panel podcast with author Julie Soto was so much fun! If you've ever wondered how to write a bestseller, I love her behind-the-scenes view--plus her tips, tricks and advice. And humor. This was a lot of fun. Check it out! youtu.be/-e1mcFNKnkQ?...