In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe kick it back old-school to review the same three query letters. During the segment, they discuss avoiding flowery language, especially in a query; avoiding "reviewing" your own work and letting the pages show what kind of work it is; pitching your story rather than your writing; making sure you have the right category/genre, so that the right people read it and judge it accordingly; and getting creative with your POV when you need to write a character that isn't a main character.After which, Bookstagrammer Femi Omotade joins us again to interview #1 NYT Bestselling Brit Bennett, author of The Vanishing Half. They discuss the writer’s responsibility to their reader; not giving yourself the burden of having to educate the reader; writing with an intelligent reader in mind; imagining that the reader is smarter than you; not trying to be universally appealing; writing as specifically as possible; how reviews are for readers, not writers; finding ways to protect your boundaries; how the book (rather than the author) is the product; and aiming for tonal fluctuations in a book. Find us on our socials: Twitter: @TSNOTYAW @BiancaM_author @carlywatters @ceciliaclyra Instagram: @biancamarais_author @carlywatters @cece_lyra_agent @ the_shit_about_writingFacebook: @tsnotyawWebsite: www.biancamarais.comBrit Bennett can be found at www.britbennett.com and on Instagram and Twitter at @britrbennettFemi Omotade can be found on Instagram at @thebookalertOur Sponsors:* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/tsnotyaw* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.com* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/tsnotyaw* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.