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Send us Fan Mail In this re-released conversation, developmental editor Joel Brigham returns to talk all things revision: how to approach your first editing pass, the most common pitfalls he sees in drafts, and how to know when a manuscript is truly ready to query. A great refresher as you set your summer writing goals. (Note: a recording glitch cut the original intro, which Beth explains at the top.) What you'll learn in this episode Joel revises in phases, and phase one is always structure....
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Send us Fan Mail In this re-released conversation, developmental editor Joel Brigham returns to talk all things revision: how to approach your first editing pass, the most common pitfalls he sees in drafts, and how to know when a manuscript is truly ready to query. A great refresher as you set your…
Send us Fan Mail Hosts Beth McMullen and Lisa Schmidt cut through the noise of book marketing advice to spotlight what genuinely moves books: word of mouth. Nearly half of readers (47–48%) choose books based on personal recommendations — outperforming social media, platforms, and AI discovery tools…
Send us Fan Mail Joel Brigham runs Brigham Editorial (developmental edits, manuscript critiques, query help), teaches high school English in Illinois, and is an editor for RevPit — a community that gives away free developmental edits each spring. REVPIT • Free developmental editing contest — editor…
Send us Fan Mail Beth and Lisa talk with literary agent Nikki Carrero, from The Rights Factory, to break down the querying process from the agent’s side — what gets you noticed, what gets a pass, and how to make the most of The Call. Highlights• Nikki runs monthly pitch parties on Threads — current…
Send us Fan Mail We tackle a publishing debate, draw writing wisdom from Taylor Swift, and dig into one of the most common craft problems in fiction — weak stakes and missing tension. Plus a community book shout-out. THE HARDBACK DEBATE Beth shares a Guardian article arguing hardbacks are outdated …
Send us Fan Mail First Page Feedback: Charlotte's Hunt for Glory Beth and Lisa critique the opening page of a middle grade fantasy submission and pull out craft lessons for any writer working on those critical first pages. The Submission Charlotte's Hunt for Glory follows 12-year-old Charlotte thro…
Drafting a novel is hard. Revising it well is harder, and it's where most manuscripts either come alive or fall apart. In this re-released episode of Writers With Wrinkles, developmental editor Joel Brigham returns to break down exactly how he …
WRITERS WITH WRINKLES • SEASON 5, EPISODE 16Stop Making Videos Nobody Watches — Here's How Authors Actually Sell Books If you've ever spent hours crafting the perfect Instagram reel, posted it to near-silence, a…
Joel Brigham runs Brigham Editorial (developmental edits, manuscript critiques, query help), teaches high school English in Illinois, and is an editor for RevPit — a community that gives away free developmental edits each spring.REVPIT…
Author
Beth McMullen is the author of the Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls series , the Lola Benko, Treasure Hunter series, and The Secret of the Storm series (Aladdin/S&S).
She is also the author of the Spy Mom series (Hyperion).
Beth lives in Northern California with her husband, kids, and very grumpy cats. She's obsessed with podcasts and might give up writing in order to have more time to listen. Could happen.
