The First Draft Club

S08 E04 My Top 5 Books of 2024 as a Writer

Mary shares the novels and memoirs that came out in 2024 that left her with the memorable reading experiences from a craft and writing perspective—ones that taught her something about writing or showed her something new about what literature can do. The books are (in no particular order):

- The Wedding People by Alison Espach

- Molly by Blake Butler

- Old Enough by Haley Jakobson

- Grief is for People by Sloane Crosley

- Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker

She wants you to know that Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe (a Kirkus Prize finalist this year) was recused because Rufi teaches with Mary in The Book Incubator, but it's an incredibly instructional novel from a craft perspective (and just a fantastic book).

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Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins

S08 E03 How to Fix an 80% Good Book Getting Rejections

In the last episode, Mary talked about how a 90% great book will get rejections 100% of the time. How do you make up the difference? Whether it's a 40% gap you need to close or a 5% gap, Mary shares her recommendations.

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Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins

S08 E02 Why You Can Write an Amazing Book That Doesn't Get Published

Mary talks about why a 90% great book will get rejected 100% of the time...and how to tell if that's what's happening from the rejections you're getting. She:

- Shares a sample (real) rejection letter

- Discusses examples of a 10% gap between good and great

- Talks about why this means you shouldn't give up, you should revise

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Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins

S08 E01 The Black List: The new publishing shortcut for aspiring novelists

We're back for Season 8! Mary talks about a newcomer to publishing—The Black List—and shares costs, benefits, and how it could potentially save you months (or even years) in your publishing journey. If you dream of publication but dread the long, uncertain querying process, this episode is for you.

 

Show Notes:

In this episode, I cover:· What is The Black List? Learn how this groundbreaking platform, originally created for Hollywood screenwriters, works—and why it’s now disrupting the world of fiction publishing.
· How it works for novelists: I’ll break down how you can use The Black List to host your manuscript, receive professional evaluations, and get noticed by literary agents and publishers.
· Is it worth the investment? I’ll share costs, benefits, and why I think it could save you months (or even years!) in your publishing journey.

Why I was skeptical—and why I changed my mind: My honest take on whether publishing needed a tool like this and why it might be a game-changer for early adopters. If you’ve ever felt stuck in the slow query process or wondered how to get professional feedback on your manuscript without waiting months, this episode has the answers you’ve been looking for.

Resources Mentioned:

The Black List Fiction Submissions: https://blcklst.com/fiction
The Author’s Guild Membership: https://authorsguild.org/membership/

 

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Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins

S07 E12 3 Things to Know about Copyright & a Scam to Avoid if You’re Self-Publishing

Don't fall for anyone offering you "global copyright" for a bunch of money. Here's what you need to know about copyright as an author and how to file.

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Alessandra Torre Ink: https://ati.mykajabi.com/fearlessly-publish

S07 E11 Should You Hire a Book Publicist?

Authors are hiring their own publicists—but how do you know if a publicist is worth the cost? Mary shares the questions she'd ask.

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PublicityxChristina: https://www.publicityxchristina.com/

 

S07 E10 How Much I Was Paid for My First Novel & Why I Don't Think Big Publishing is Dead

Mary takes on the recent buzz around "Big 5" publishing being a waste of time for authors by sharing her own story and how she views authorial success.

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Mary's Blog: https://maryadkinswriter.com/blog/in-defense-of-big-publishing

The Elysian Article: https://www.elysian.press/p/no-one-buys-books

S07 E09 The #1 Resource for When You're Querying

How do you find the right literary agents or publishers to query? There's one resource that's worth every penny (and this isn't sponsored content): Publisher's Marketplace. Here's why, and how to use it.

S07 E08 The Lean-In Method for Assessing Feedback

How do you get feedback without letting it derail you? The risk is real. Mary shares the single criterion she uses in deciding whether or not to take a piece of feedback.

S07 E07 The Real Secret to Writing Your Best Possible Book

In this short and sweet episode, Mary shares the secret to writing a book that's smarter than you (with some helpful words from George Saunders and Rufi Thorpe).