The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
This is a podcast for emerging writers who want to improve the quality of their work and learn more about the publishing industry. Your one host, Bianca Marais (the bestselling author of 'The Witches of Moonshyne Manor') interviews authors, agents, editors and just about anyone and everyone who's involved in bringing a book to market. She's joined by her cohosts, literary agents Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra from P.S. Literary Agency, who read and critique query letters as well as opening pages in their Books with Hooks segment. Expect good advice, honest insights, and a few laughs along the way.
Show episodes
Shooting the Shit: About agent burnout and the problems facing small publishers and booksellers
Carly and CeCe are back—one in snowy Canada, one in flower-crown Hawaii—and they’re diving into burnout, the business of books, and the spicy gossip that only happens at publishing conferences. The dynamic duo cover everything from agent burnout, the power of booksellers and more conference chaos. You don’t want to mis
In this Books with Hooks episode, Bianca, Carly, and CeCe dig into two submissions—a YA fantasy query and a memoir/nonfiction hybrid. They unpack why centering a protagonist matters, how to sharpen specificity in quests, what makes prologues succeed (or fail), and why memoir queries need a clear narrative arc. Expect c
In part one of November’s bonus episode, bestselling author Patricia Sands joins Bianca to share how she started writing at 65, indie-pubbed her way to being approached by Amazon’s Lake Union, and built a devoted readership along the way. They chat about writing for joy, setting publishing goals for yourself, the pros
In part one of this week’s author interview, CeCe Lyra connects with clinical psychologist, couples therapist, and bestselling author Dr. Tracy Dalgleish to talk about her new book ‘You, Your Husband and His Mother’—a candid look at one of the biggest sources of relationship tension: in-laws. It’s a conversation about
Shooting the Shit...Live from Hawaii! About turning down offers and how best to work with your literary agent.
CeCe’s in island mode, Carly’s snowed in—and the publishing chat is heating up. From lost luggage and red-eye flights to turning down book deals and navigating TV/film rights, this week’s episode covers it all. Plus: AI pitch letters (hard no!), why Harper Collins’ “bad quarter” matters, and a little optimism for the a
Carly and CeCe are back (with a little Blue Jays banter to start) to dive into two fresh query letters. In this episode, the hosts critique a historical novel featuring Shakespeare, conspiracies, and metafiction—but does the query overshare and under-pitch? Next up is a campus-set thriller with book clubs, murder, and
