🎧Landing an Agent and a Big-Five Book Deal: An Interview with Nancy Reddy

Hello, Writers at Work!

» Quickly: Many of you have asked how to book a meeting with me to boost your Substack and use it to have a successful career in traditional publishing and mainstream media; you can do so here.

Today, I bring you my interview with

Nancy Reddy

. Nancy is an example of what’s possible on Substack for those of us whose writing careers include traditional publishing.

Her wonderful Substack

Write More, Be Less Careful

, a newsletter about “why writing is hard and how to do it anyway,” was part of how she landed a book deal for her forthcoming nonfiction book The Good Mother Myth (St. Martin’s, 2025).

We talk about Nancy’s experience on Substack; how her book deal came about; a bit about her guest post “How My Newsletter Helped Me Land an Agent and a Big Five Book Deal” (which appeared on Jane Friedman’s website); and how to use Substack not only to create an author platform but also to become the best writers we can be, stretch ourselves, try new forms, and be part of traditional publishing and media as well.

Nancy is a writer and writing teacher. She’s the author of three books of poetry, most recently Pocket Universe, and the co-editor of The Long Devotion: Poets Writing Motherhood. She’s recently written pieces on the damaging mythology of the “golden hour” after birth for Slate and making mom friends for Romper, as well as review essays on the whiteness of the motherhood memoir and the political nature of motherhood at Electric Literature.

Enjoy my interview with Nancy Reddy!

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