Writers With Wrinkles

Whether you're an aspiring author, indie publisher, or career writer, Writers with Wrinkles is your essential guide to writing craft, book marketing, and the publishing industry. Hosted by authors Beth McMullen and Lisa Schmid, we iron out the wrinkles of the business — from mastering novel writing and story structure to navigating literary agents, query letters, and KDP self-publishing. Each week, we bring you expert interviews with editors, publishers, and bestselling authors, plus practical advice on building your author platform and marketing your book. Whether you're drafting your first manuscript or preparing for a book launch, we have the guidance you need to thrive in today's competitive publishing landscape. Visit www.WritersWithWrinkles.net for resources. Follow us on TikTok: @writerswithwrinkles

Writers With Wrinkles is a arts podcast hosted by Beth McMullen and Lisa Schmid, with 168 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Beth McMullen and Lisa Schmid hosts Writers With Wrinkles, a arts show with 168 episodes published.

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  Writers With Wrinkles

  The 4 First-Page Mistakes That Get You Rejected Fast, with editor Joel Brigham

  Aug 17, 202654 min

  Your opening pages have about 30 seconds to keep a literary agent reading — and most manuscripts lose that fight before the first paragraph ends. Developmental editor Joel Brigham returns to unpack exactly what makes an agent stop reading (and what makes them keep going): the four ingredients — tension, suspense, mystery, and unfairness — that hook a reader in the first few pages. He breaks down why agents almost universally reject prologues, the two-highlighter trick for catching your own info-dumps before an agent does, and where your inciting incident actually needs to land depending on your genre — it's earlier than most writers think. If you've ever gotten a same-day rejection and wondered why, or you're prepping pages for a conference critique or your next query batch, this is the fix-it guide for those first ten pages. Hit play — then check the chapter markers below to jump straight to the section you need. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Visit the Website Find Full Episodes on YouTube! Writers with Wrinkles Link Tree for socials and more!

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  Episode #23

  10 Years of Rejection, 40 Books Later

  Aug 3, 202641 minS5

  Wendelin Van Draanen spent 10 years collecting rejections before anyone said yes to her Sammy Keyes mystery series — she just kept writing the next one anyway. Now, 40 books and 30 years later, she's still with the same editor who finally did. If you've ever wondered whether to keep pitching a project nobody wants yet, or whether staying loyal to one editor for decades is a mistake in an industry that rewards jumping ship — this conversation is the counter-argument. Wendelin also gets candid about the moment Rob Reiner called to option Flipped, what it actually takes to hand your book to Hollywood without losing your mind, and the book-festival disaster that had two authors comparing notes on the exact same nightmare bookstore. Hit play — and if you've got your own "I sent it anyway" story, we want to hear it. Ghosted , Wendelin's new romantasy, is up for pre-order now ahead of its October 6th release. Support the show Visit the Website Find Full Episodes on YouTube! Writers with Wrinkles Link Tree for socials and more!

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  Episode #22

  Tired of Waiting 2 Years to Publish? Go Hybrid

  Jul 26, 202624 minS5

  You could finish four books this year and only ever get to publish one of them. That's the traditional publishing timeline in a nutshell — and it's why more authors are quietly going hybrid: keeping one foot in a trad deal and self-publishing everything else on their own schedule, without waiting on anyone's calendar. In this episode, Beth and Lisa break down what a hybrid author actually is (not to be confused with a hybrid publisher — totally different thing), why it's suddenly everywhere in publishing conversations, and the different ways real authors are structuring it: splitting genres between trad and self-pub, keeping e-book/audio rights on a trad print deal, reissuing backlist titles that reverted back to them. They also get into the real tradeoffs — creative control and faster cash flow vs. running two jobs at once (author and small business owner) — plus a few authors doing it well right now, like Rebecca Thorne. Also in this episode: a shoutout to listener and author Kate McCarrell Moore's new release, Walter and Benny: Good Guys, Nature Spies , and a preview of next episode's guest, bestselling author Wendelin Van Draanen. Hit play, and if you're new here, follow the show — new episodes every week. Find more at writerswithwrinkles.net. Support the show Visit the Website Find Full Episodes on YouTube! Writers with Wrinkles Link Tree for socials and more!

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  Episode #21

  Why Bestselling Author Jason June Shares Every Book Advance He's Ever Gotten

  Jul 20, 202654 minS5

  Send us Fan Mail New York Times bestselling author Jason June (Out of the Blue, Jay's Gay Agenda) returns to Writers With Wrinkles for a wide-ranging conversation covering his growing acting career, the current state of the publishing industry, and his upcoming adult rom-com Santa and Krampus' Cozy Killer Christmas, out fall 2027. Jason is refreshingly candid — about book advances, about the anxiety running through publishing right now, and about finding joy in the work when the business side gets hard. Guest Jason June — NYT bestselling author, actor, screenwriter, and self-described "Laura Dern stan" based in Dallas, TX. Known for YA rom-coms Out of the Blue and Jay's Gay Agenda, and publisher of The Ventorship, a newsletter on author finances and transparency. Highlights • Auditioning post-COVID: why self-tapes democratize acting, and what's lost without an in-person redirect from a casting director • How years of writing fiction sharpened Jason's instincts for character and story on set • The "greater sense of unease" in publishing right now — AI concerns, slow timelines, and authors questioning why traditional publishing can't move faster • Self-publishing's rising role, the discovery gap it still faces, and why hybrid careers are becoming more common • The Dungeon Crawler Carl story as a case study in trusting your own artistic vision • Why Jason publicly shares his advances and royalties through The Ventorship — and the argument that most of that "secrecy" is self-imposed • Publishing as a side hustle: debut culture, shrinking advances, and the myth of the "cushy" author life • The MER Principle (Beth's term): find the niche community obsessed with your book's specific hook, not a general audience • The premise behind Santa and Krampus' Cozy Killer Christmas — a "dark cozy" where Krampus only kills the people who'd otherwise doom humanity • Jason's advice to aspiring authors: chase the joy, and aim to be "prolific, not perfect" Key Takeaway Whether you're navigating traditional publishing, weighing a hybrid career, or just trying to market your next book, the throughline is the same: get specific. Specific about your niche audience, specific about your finances, and specific about what actually brings you joy in the work. Have a marketing tip that's worked for you? Beth and Lisa want to hear it. • Beth: beth@writerswithwrinkles.net • Lisa: lisa@writerswithwrinkles.net • Join The Waiting Room, our Facebook community for writers • Website: writerswithwrinkles.net Support the show Visit the Website Find Full Episodes on YouTube! Writers with Wrinkles Link Tree for socials and more!

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  Episode #19

  Back in the Query Trenches: Author Lisa Frenkel Riddiough on Losing an Agent and Starting Over

  Jul 6, 202638 minS5

  Send us Fan Mail Episode Summary In this episode of Writers With Wrinkles, hosts Beth McMullen and Lisa Schmid welcome back returning guest Lisa Frenkel Riddiough to discuss her brand-new picture book, Furious Turtle (Disney Hyperion), book two in the Forest School of Big Feelings series. The conversation quickly moves into the heart of the episode: Lisa's experience losing her longtime literary agent to retirement and having to re-enter the query trenches after years of being represented. Lisa walks through how her second querying experience differed from her first — a small, curated list built mostly on personal referrals, a calmer and more strategic mindset, and the ability to separate emotional attachment from business decision-making. She also shares the exact query letter that landed her new agent, breaking down why it worked so well, including her formula for picture book pitches (title + word count + comps, story gist, and the twist/ending). The episode wraps with candid advice for writers who've lost an agent — take stock of the career you've already built — and Lisa's biggest publishing lesson: it's okay to make mistakes. Key Topics Discussed New release: Furious Turtle , a rhyming picture book about managing big emotions, releasing the day after this episode airs Book launch event at Old Haunts Bookstore in Granite Bay, CA Losing an agent to retirement and starting the query process over Building a small, referral-based query list instead of mass-querying Using leverage (an editor offer) without abandoning the goal of finding an agent who loves the full body of work Reading her actual query letter aloud, line by line Picture book pitch formula: title, word count, comps → story gist → the twist/ending Keeping old manuscripts organized — shelved drafts can resurface as the right opportunity later Pitching picture books vs. middle grade novels Reframing job loss (agent loss) as not career loss — taking stock of everything already built Embracing mistakes as part of the growth process in publishing Notable Quotes On what a great query needs: the title should convey nearly the entire premise of a picture book. On business vs. heart: writers need to separate emotional attachment from evaluating what's genuinely a good match professionally. On losing an agent: the fact that someone once represented you is proof a career already exists — that career doesn't disappear with the agent. On mistakes: mistakes are simply how writers learn, and grace matters more than perfection. Guest Info Lisa Frenkel Riddiough writes board books, picture books, and middle grade novels using wordplay, humor, rhyme, and whimsy. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. More at lisariddiough.com. Support the show Visit the Website Find Full Episodes on YouTube! Writers with Wrinkles Link Tree for socials and more!

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