#AmWriting
Episodes
An Invitation to the January Blueprint!
14 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s on again!The Blueprint is one of our most popular offerings—Our 10 step plan to help you define the book you want to write before you write 1...
How to Write the Book Only You Can Write
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachael Herron’s latest: The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland, is, truly and in so many ways, the book only she can write. It pulls from every part...
Pulitzer Winner Jennifer Senior on Knowing Your Voice (Ep 8)
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Write Big session of the #amwriting podcast, host Jennie Nash welcomes Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Jennifer Senior for a powerful conv...
Playing Big Means Treating Your Writing Like a Business (Ep 7)
29 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Write Big session, Jenny Nash shares a story from her business mastermind about what it looks like to “play big.” From asking for help to ...
Thanksgiving Gratitude
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hi all! In honor of Thanksgiving, we decided to share what we’re doing to get MORE of what we’re grateful for in our writing lives—as in, try no...
How to Write What You Love and What Readers Want (Ep 6)
22 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jenny Nash builds on her conversation with Mary Laura Philpott to highlight a crucial truth: writing for yourself and writing for readers are two very...
Trusting Your Gut with Mary Laura Phillpot (Ep 5)
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this #amwriting podcast Write Big session, Jennie Nash talks with author Mary Laura Philpott about the surprising choice she made after her acclaim...
Ep 475 Publishing Nerd Corner: How Audiobooks are Made
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jess here. Sarina and I discuss audiobook narration this week and explain how narrators get hired, paid, and dish some inside baseball on audiobook pr...
Ep 474: How to Make a Big Move When You’re Stuck in the Muddy Middle
08 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Write Big Session, Jennie and KJ dive into what it really means to “write big” when you’re deep in the messy middle of a novel. KJ share...
How Writing Big Shows Up on the Page
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this #amwriting podcast episode, Jennie Nash talks about what it means to “play big” on the page. Using Ian McEwan’s choice to write his late...
Ep 472 Publishing Nerd Corner: Earning Out
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hey all, Jess here. Sarina and I both love these episodes where we, two certified nerds, get to hang out with likeminded individuals and dish. This we...
How to Make a Quiet Novel Roar
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You kids I can’t even with Catherine Newman right now because I am a Wreck and a Sandwich myself at the moment but wow, she’s a good writer, so ho...
How Writers Play Small Without Even Realizing It (Ep 2)
19 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Jennie digs into the sneaky ways writers “play small”—circling endlessly around an idea, polishing the same chapters, getting l...
The Bold Shift That Changes Everything (Ep 1)
18 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Write Big series, Jennie unpacks what it really means to “write big”—not chasing bestseller lists or movie deals, but mak...
Write Big: Welcome to the Write Big Sessions (Ep 0)
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jennie kicks off the new Write Big series with a conversation about what it really means to stop playing small in your writing life. If you’ve ever ...
On Interviewing Kids
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kate Rope’s new book, Strong as a Girl is not only well-written and thoroughly researched, it includes the voices of so many girls and young women. ...
The Scammer's Guide to Writers
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
THE SCAMS. They’re getting wilder and wilder, and harder and harder to spot up front or even before you hand over the cash, if the scammer is faking...
When You’ve Written the Right Scene in the Wrong Place
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here’s this week’s episode, which we accidentally tucked behind the paywall in the first send. Friday #AmWriting is always free—but if you’re ...
Publishing Nerd Corner: Your Copyright and the Anthropic Settlement
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hey ho, welcome to the Publishing Nerd Corner, where we dive into the more technical aspects of authorship.Jess here. I love it when Sarina schools me...
Interviewing with Jeff Selingo
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jess here. My guest this week is Jeff Selingo, an author and speaker I’ve admired for a long time. His work on college, college admissions and the t...
The Beauty in Writing About Tragedy
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Guests:* Rossana D’Antonio – Author of 26 Seconds: Grief and Blame in the Aftermath of Losing My Brother in a Plane Crash* Marty Ross-Dolen – Au...
Find Your Voice, Write Your Genius
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s episode explores how to tap into your unique creative genius and align it with your values to become the writer you were meant to be. Je...
Writing Thrilling People & Places: Jess and Sarina talk with Tess Gerritsen
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jess here! A while back, Sarina and KJ talked about how much they enjoyed Tess Gerritsen’s novel, The Spy Coast, and Sarina reassured KJ she’d enj...
Karin Slaughter Does it Again
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hey writers! Sarina here! I have never been quiet about how much I enjoy Karin Slaughter’s work. So when the opportunity arose for me to read her br...
How to Deliver Both Feels and Fun
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How dare you? That’s the first question KJ asked Ally Carter, whose name is “synonymous with hilarious action and heart-pounding romance” (TRUE)...
A Deep Dive Into Genre
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sarina’s second thriller is now out. It’s a twisty thriller with a single-mom protagonist and some deep, dark secrets. It’s called Dying to Meet...
How to Take a Break
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jess, Sarina, Jennie and Jess are all here to talk about taking a break from various angles: the mechanics angle, the guilt angle, the fear angle, the...
Stephanie Pao has the job we all want. She owns a romance bookstore on wheels.
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Sarina found Stephanie Pao on social media, she knew she had to interview her. Stephanie has the job we all want—she owns a bookstore on wheels...
How to Capture Emotion on the Page
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of the writing skills I am asked about the most is, “How do I get emotion on the page?” People ask this no matter what genre they are writing,...
In Search of the Beast in the Clouds with author Nathalia Holt
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I’m a big fan of Nathalia (Nat) Holt’s books, and am so excited to have the opportunity to talk to her about her new book, The Beast in the Clouds...
Ep 454 Mid-Year Check-In
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our goal words, as a reminderSarina: presenceJess: growthJennie: Teflon™KJ: inner compass#AmReadingJess: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins ReidKJ: The Sp...
The Ultimate How To: Write, Pitch, Maybe Publish with Kate McKean from Agents+Books
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is the how-to book you need right now, the one with “am I ready to query” and “what does my platform need to look like” and “what if no...
The Gift of Failure: Author Version
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Karen Dukess’s first book, The Last Book Party, was wildly successful by any measure—sold at auction, Indie Next pick, Discover New Writers pick…...
New Series: From Soup to Nuts
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hi! Jess here. As an author and host of this podcast, I hear “I have a great idea for a book!” a lot, and while I believe everyone has a story to ...
Should there be a body? Writing is Revising with Meg Mitchell Moore
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Meg Mitchell Moore is the author of Mansion Beach, a page-turner-y multi POV summer saga with everything you could ask for: a beach, a body, rich peop...
Sticking it to the Book Banners: A Glorious Tale of Victory
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Greetings writers! Sarina here. Earlier in May I was surfing social media, as one does, when I came across a story about children’s author Erica Per...
How to Focus on Work in a Chaotic World
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hi all, Jess here. This episode was Sarina’s idea, and when you listen you will understand why. It can be hard to focus on the work, whether it’s ...
Imagining the Life of Jo Van Gogh
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Joan Fernandez is a former senior marketing executive and general partner of the financial powerhouse Edward Jones. In 2018, she retired from a 30+ ye...
Reading a Book Contract
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jess here with Sarina Bowen to help simplify and demystify author contracts. Let’s start off with a wonderful resource called The Authors Guild. The...
Novel Writing for Journalists with the NYT's Elizabeth Harris
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When a former NYT journo who now writes novels (that would be me, hi) gets together with a current NYT journo now writing novels, they—we!—cannot ...
The Business of Being a Writer
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hi #AmWriting listeners, Jennie here! Today, I'm talking to Jane Friedman, who is one of the most trusted voices in the world of publishing.She has ad...
Booklab: First Pages (a bite of sci-fi/fantasy action-adventure and Conditioned, a memoir)
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hey listeners: This week, everyone gets a taste of what paid supporters will get more regularly—a special Booklab: First Pages episode. Each month (...
A.I. Training and Piracy: What You Need to Know
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Social media is all aflutter over an article by Alex Reisner in The Atlantic: The Unbelievable Scale of A.I.’s Pirated Books Problem. In this episod...
Creativity, Compromise, and Commercial Viability
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Dante DiMartino graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Film and Animation. His directing credits include the primetime...
How (and Why) to Submit to Literary Mags and Small Presses
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let me start with this: if you have any interest at all in literary magazines or small presses, you want this book: How to Submit: Getting Your Writin...
A Peek Inside a Hybrid Publisher
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There are many misconceptions about what a hybrid publisher does or doesn’t do, and why it may or may not be a good choice for a writer. I thought h...
The Outer World of Publishing
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hey ho, Jess here. This week, all four of us discuss some of the happenings out there in the publishing world. First up: Super Bowl Sunday is apparent...
How to Have a Thick Skin, with Lauren Blakely
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hi listeners! Sarina here, with a topic that has been on my mind for years. When I began my career, everyone told me I had to develop a “thick skin”...
Writing Partnerships with Rebecca Winthrop and Jenny Anderson
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“If the language isn’t there, I have difficulty showing up for the idea” - Jenny AndersonJess here. Rebecca Winthrop, Director of the Center for...
Wrangling the Doubt Monster with Amy Bernstein
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Do you have a Doubt Monster? (Doesn’t everyone?) Amy Bernstein is an Author Accelerator certified writing coach, an #AmWriting Blueprint Challenge c...
Consider the Sweep of Your Whole Writing Career
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of the things I think we do well with on this podcast is addressing the long game of writing. It’s not just about writing a good book or pitchin...
Social Media: What Happens Now?
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“I put my effort into building trust, showing up, and being present for people who have opted into my universe.” A slight paraphrase of Jennie Nas...
Treat your writing like a business in 2025
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I’m Sarina, and I’m a business nerd.Hi, my name is Sarina, and I’m a business nerd. I was born this way. I can’t help it. I realize that not e...
The Making of a Workbook
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hi #AmWriters, Jess here. I’ve been wanting to do an episode on workbooks forever - on any form of companion text that pairs with nonfiction books, ...
A People Pleaser Learns to Write the Book She Wants to Write
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Essay collections—readers love them, but publishers and editors are often unconvinced. Jennie and KJ talk to Amy Wilson about getting that contract,...
#AmWriting podcast bonus episode with Jess
05 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hi #AmWriters and subscribers to Jess’ content, Jess here, looking out my office window over a beautiful, snowy Vermont Sunday and thinking of you. ...
Using the Blueprint for Revision
03 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is about a #amwriting win! Meghan P. Browne wrote to us a while ago to share her happy news: her debut middle-grade novel that she revise...
What's your word for 2025? We review 2024 goals and set up 2025 in Episode 428
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We cover last years’ goals, and which of us feel great and which feel… less great. (And the audio is also less great, because 3 of us gathered in ...
From #FamilyStory to Fiction
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, I'm so excited to talk to my friend, Rosa Kwon Easton, about her debut novel, White Mulberry.Rosa holds a very special place in my heart and my...
Introducing the Winter Blueprint Challenge Coaches
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do The Blueprint With Us This Winter!Starting January 5, we’ll be walking you through the 14 steps of the Blueprint over 10 weeks. Some of the step...
Ep 424: How a Blueprint Can Keep Your Book on Course
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Regular listeners will recognize the Blueprint for a Book—a method of inquiry Jennie Nash developed to lay a strong foundation for books in any genr...
#Writer Gift Extravaganza
29 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jess here, hosting my entire extended family for the holiday weekend and sending love to you and yours. Enjoy this #WriterGift flashback!It’s the gi...
From Substack Serial to Trad Novel with...
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It is of course the inimitable, the unconquerable, the inexhaustible Jo Piazza, all of whose adjectives require me to use spell check. I am a long tim...
#AnxietyInducing. A Candid Discussion on A.I.
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Anxiety is RealYou can’t swing a Blackwing pencil without hearing another creator worrying about generative A.I. And we get it—the ubiquity of...
#Resilience Over the Long Haul
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re talking about the need for a writer to be resilient over the long haul of a career and my guest is A.S. KingA.S. King has been called “...
The Longest, Most Public MFA Ever
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I couldn’t resist the subtitle, kids, sorry. It’s not that shocking—but Tim’s journey was definitely only for the bold.I’ve known Tim Grahl—...
Ep. 419 What's a "Comp?"
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hi all! Jess here. When I wrote my first book proposal (for The Gift of Failure), I had a foggy idea of what a “comp” was. A book just like the bo...
Bonus Episode: Jess on Constructive Criticism and Pulling Out of an On-Stage Death Spiral
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
About once a season, I have a speaking experience that doesn’t go exactly the way I want it to, but I’ve learned how to keep these experiences (an...
"I knew you COULD revise it. I wasn't sure you WOULD."
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit amwriting.substack.com“As I said in my earlier email, you have so much to work with he...
When Your Book Becomes a TV Show
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
KJ here, team. In this episode, Jennie asks the questions, and I walk us through the whole thing from start to finish—the options, the renewals, the...
The Art of Helping Writers Do Their Best Work
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hey #AmWriters, Jennie here. I'm excited to welcome editor and publishing strategist, AJ Harper to the show to talk about the art of helping writers d...
Lyndsay Rush's Poetry is A Bit Much
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sarina here! There was a scramble over who got to interview Lyndsay Rush about her poetry, but I raised my hand first. I’ve always thought of poetry...
Episode 414: Your Questions, Answered
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hello #AmWriters! This week, I’m answering a bunch of questions we received via [email protected] and our #AmWriting Facebook group. Here’...
How to Start a Novel from Scratch
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is it time for me (this is KJ) to start a new novel? Not quite-quite-quite, but that time is coming. There’s a decent chance that the novel I’m wo...
Raising Your Voice, Claiming Your Story
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hey writers! I’m Jennie Nash — and this is the #amwriting podcast, the place where we talk about writing all the things: short things, long things...
Congrats, You're Publishing During the Election Cycle - Episode 410
23 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It all Started on the ‘BookSarina, here! This episode began in a Facebook thread. In a writers’ group, author Dena Moes R.N. expressed some concer...
Ep 409: Tag Along on a Speaking Trip with Jess!
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hello #AmWriters! Jess here at the beginning of a very busy fall speaking season, coming to you from the northwest corner of Indiana. I’ve talked to...
#FlashbackFriday: Very Serious About Fun Reads with Emily Henry
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The title of this episode comes from a great George Michael quote that Sarina reminded us of and one that I now think about all the time: People thoug...
How an Inside-Outline Can Save Your Revision (and maybe your book)
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hey writers! Maybe I say this all the time, but this episode is GREAT. Remember how in Episode 402 I asked the question for the ages: How Bad Can a Go...
From Women’s Fiction to Romance in 30 Days
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Writing BFFs Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey were thirty days away from a publisher deadline for their third book when the news came down: change t...
Flashback: Being Genre Flexible with Catherine Newman
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hi! Jess here. I just finished Catherine Newman’s new novel Sandwich, and I’m feeling a lot of feelings. I expected Sandwich to be great because I...
Escaping the Lure of Attention and Approval with Kathleen Smith
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s SO SO EASY for creatives to get caught up in chasing after praise and approval to boost their own mood and productivity. How can we spend less ...
Why you don't have to do it like that one writer in the NYT
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We only meant to dissect the success of the writer from this NYT piece briefly, but it turned out we had a lot to say. No, we can’t all imitate her ...
Stop! Don't Write that Book (Yet)
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Blueprint is a process of inquiry that ideally happens before you start to write a book, but is also incredibly effective before you start to revi...
An #AmWriting Success Story!
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The #AmWriting team is so excited to present this interview with Dr. Barb Mayes Boustead – because it’s an #AmWriting success story! Barb was the ...
Tiny Worlds: How a nature illustrator and author built a fanbase for her work.
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hello #AmWriters, Jess here. When Rosalie Haizlett emailed to introduce me to her work, I was intrigued. At the time, I was working on the marketing s...
How Bad Can a Good First Draft Be?
31 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let me start by answering the question posed in the title: very bad. Very very bad. Terrible, even. Plotless meandering senseless drivel involving two...
Nothing Sells Books. But Books Still Sell.
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s EPISODE 401! That’s a lot of episodes. We’re proud. We’re also not done—and a couple weeks ago, a fellow writer decreed, in an email po...
Trusting Your Gut on a Complicated Plot
17 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, I (Jennie) am excited to welcome novelist Caroline Leavitt to the show. She's a very prolific author who's novels have landed on the New York...
5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Self Publishing
10 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As a hybrid author with a long history of both self-publishing and traditional contracts, I’m often asked about this choice. How I decided to self-p...
His Years of Writing Eloquently: The Return of A.J. Jacobs
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
He’s back! He’s back! One of my favorite writers, an early and generous mentor, the fantabulous A.J. Jacobs. We interviewed him last when his book...
Starting Energy v. Finishing Energy: How the work gets done, start to finish.
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve been talking a lot lately about the how hard it is to finish a project and how different that energy is from the wonderful, euphoric, sometime...
Daring to Kickstarter with Rachael Herron
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you do not already know Rachael Herron, host of the Ink In Your Veins Podcast (formerly known as How Do You Write) and author of 13-ish novels (inc...
Episode: 395 Who Owns an Idea?
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The idea for Sarina Bowen’s thriller, The Five Year Lie, is an incredible and suspenseful hook for a story – and she first heard it from a writer ...
Flashback Friday: Writing While #Broken
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hey #AmWriters! It’s been almost three years since our interview with Jenny Lawson first aired, but we know the struggle is REAL - so we thought thi...
Things Jess Learned This Month, Ep. 394
22 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hey hey Jess here! I had a couple of great learning opportunities this month, so in the interest of flattening learning curves, I took notes for all o...
I want to sell books. But I'm also writing what I want to write. Episode 393 with Jo Piazza
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You KIDS. If you’re not already following Jo Piazza, queen of the highly suspicious influencer side-eye, what even are you DOING on Substack and Ins...
How to Be a Good Literary Citizen: Volunteer at a Writing Conference
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Whenever I see a writer on social media incessantly talking about their own work, their own book, and their own launch, the thing that comes to mind i...
Flashback Friday: How Do You Write a Non-Fiction Book in less than a Year?
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hey #AmWriters, Jess here! There's a very specific reason I wanted to re-up this coaching call with Emily Edlynn. I did an interview with AJ Jacobs da...
Why You Should Take a Plot-walk
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
✍️ Writers: when you’re stuck on a plot, go outside and take a walk with a friend. You’ll still be stuck, but you will get your steps in for t...