Kelli Russell Agodon and Susan Rich: Demystifying the Manuscript

Season 5, Episode 56, May 15, 2024, 10:37 PM

Please enjoy our interview with Kelli and Susan on their new book! Here are the key take aways I got from our discussion.

You don’t necessarily need to go in chronological order. Start with the juciest parts or the most vulnerable poems.
Get an outside perspective. It’s the best way to be objective.
If you can you identify more than one theme, try organizing and titling your book after one sub-topic so that it becomes a main topic. Can you use the same poems to tell alternative stories?
Take writing advice from a ghost, not a muse. Make your book talk to another book by an author who has passed away, even if they have nothing to do with you.
When you get a rejection letter, it doesn’t mean your book isn’t publishable. Kelli rejects up to 75 publishable books each year. Small presses can only publish so much.
The book you send to the publisher doesn't need to be the finished project. You will edit it even after it is accepted.
Your title needs to make people want to read it. Use images that pull people in. Find a title that opens possibilities rather than shutting them down.
Don’t assume you know what the judges want or don’t want.
There are no direct rules. Experiment.
The more you say something, the less power it has. Avoid repetition.