Shooting The Shit About Author/AI Pain Points With NYT bestseller Andrea Bartz
episodePreviously titled “Shooting The Shit About Author/AI Pain Points With NYT bestseller Andi Bartz” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 2, 2026
Transcript
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
What's up, everyone? This is Cece. So I recently grabbed lunch with an acquiring editor from HarperCollins who told me that the number of submissions she's been getting has nearly doubled. And I wasn't surprised at all because every agent and editor I know has been talking about how the volume of submission keeps increasing. So personally, that is a wonderful thing, because it's more reading for me, but it also means I have more chances of matching with authors.
What are the current trends in book submissions and publishing?
I consider it a privilege to review queries on Books with Hooks, and of course, in my submissions inbox. But at the same time, I talk to writers who tell me that they wish agents would read more than a few pages because... And I quote, my story gets better in chapter two. I have to be honest, this kills me. It's like me wanting chocolate chip cookies to have the nutritional value of kale. It's just not realistic. Like it or not, no agent, no acquiring editor is going to stick around to see if a submission gets better. It's not because we're mean, it's because we get dozens and dozens every day. I know it's harsh, but ambitious writers embrace harsh realities. So here it goes. It's your job to make your opening pages irresistible, to make agents crave it, to make agents want to read more.
That's why I'm so excited about my upcoming course, Starting It Right. How to begin your story in the best place and in the best way. I created this course after studying hundreds of books. I've mapped out elements that are present in the beginning of all successful novels and memoirs. And I've designed checklists, actual checklists, that you can use to ensure that your story's beginning is seducing your reader. We'll cover how to write a great first line, different types of beginnings and how you can choose the best one, the best place to start and the best way to start, yes, these are totally different things, when it makes sense to add a prologue and when it doesn't, how to frame your inciting incident in an appealing way, how to balance exposition and mystery, how to include context but not weigh it down with too much backstory, and what to do if your story has more than one POV or timeline.
Most of all, I'm going to show you how to make readers want to turn to Chapter 2. Join me for this multi-day course designed to help you break through the noise. You'll leave with a clear, actionable breakdown of exactly what goes into a terrific beginning. If you've already signed up, come prepared to take lots of notes. We're talking hundreds of slides with real-world examples and specific techniques, plus a super fun surprise that I can't wait to share. I hope to see you there.
Welcome to another episode of Shooting the Shit with literary agents Carly Waters and Cece Lira, where we dissect publishing gossip, discuss book industry trends, and the overall state of the book business. If you've ever wanted to grab a coffee with two literary agents, grab your mug and pull up a chair.
welcome everyone to another shooting the i am cece i am here with carly of course but if you're watching us on youtube you already know we have a very special guest maybe you know her as a journalist maybe you know her as a new york times best-selling author maybe you know her as reese's book club pick maybe you know her from one of the many many pieces that she has published in fabulous mediums such as the new york times vogue psychology today Possibly you know her because I talk about her books all the time because I'm obsessed with her writing. And once upon a time, I was so curious about an ending to a specific novel of hers that I threatened to be in an elevator with her, find a way to stop the elevator just so I could ask a question.
Now I have her here on our show. So I didn't have to do that, and that was good. But... Most recently, she is most famous for being the lead plaintiff in the landmark class action lawsuit, Bart versus Anthropic, which was, of course, the first major win for creatives against an AI company, as well as the largest copyright recovery in history.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:03–0:31
2
What are the current trends in book submissions and publishing?
0:31–14:51
3
How is AI influencing the publishing industry?
14:51–25:19
4
What challenges do authors face with AI and authorship?
25:19–42:04
5
Why is storytelling more important now than ever?
42:04–51:51
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
Shooting The Shit About The AI Creativity Loop And Book Emergencies
Writing Insights From the Greats: Isabelle Allende and Jodi Picoult
Shooting the Shit About The End of Nonfiction And Immersive Trends In Fiction
An Acquiring Editor on Books With Hooks
Shooting the Shit About Advance Sizes and E-Learning Economics
In Conversation with Editor and Author