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The Shit No One Tells You About Writing: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra
This is a podcast for emerging writers who want to improve the quality of their work and learn more about the publishing industry. Your one host, Bianca Marais (the bestselling author of 'The Witches of Moonshyne Manor') interviews authors, agents, editors and just about anyone and everyone who's involved in bringing a book to market. She's joined by her cohosts, literary agents Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra from P.S. Literary Agency, who read and critique query letters as well as opening pages in their Books with Hooks segment. Expect good advice, honest insights, and a few laughs along the way.
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- 2 days ago33 min
July Bonus Episode
In this month’s bonus episode, Rachel Hochhauser joins CeCe Lyra to discuss her debut, Lady Tremaine, an untelling of Cinderella from the infamous stepmother's perspective. Rachel shares how personal tragedy reignited her writing career, why she believes there are no hard rules in storytelling, and how she blended pantsing with plotting to create a layered, emotionally resonant novel. She also dives into the craft behind her unforgettable opening and ending, the surprising inspiration for the book's falconry, and the lessons she learned on the long road to publication—including why critiquing other writers' work may be the best writing education of all.Note: CeCe Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. If you’d like to query CeCe, please refer to the submission guidelines at www.wsherman.com. Carly Watters is a literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency, but her work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly on this podcast are solely that of her as a podcast co-host and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.Find us on our socials:Threads: https://www.threads.net/@the_shit_about_writinghttps://www.threads.net/@biancamarais_authorhttps://www.threads.net/@carlywatters https://www.threads.net/@cece_lyra_agentInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAWWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comBookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwritingTo sign up for our Substack newsletter, head to https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.comOur Sponsors:* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/tsnotyaw for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.com* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
- 6 days ago27 min
The Writing Trick That Landed Five Agent Offers
In this week’s episode, Bianca Marais interviews, bestselling author Molly Fader, to discuss her latest novel, ‘Lady X’, and shares the surprising publishing journey behind it—including parting ways with a longtime agent, refining the perfect logline, and finding representation with a new agent who championed the book. Molly talks about dual timelines, ensemble casts, prologues, and the challenge of balancing multiple storylines. The interview also explores themes of female rage, generational change, activism, and how real-world events inspired a story about women refusing to stay silent.Note: CeCe Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. If you’d like to query CeCe, please refer to the submission guidelines at www.wsherman.com. Carly Watters is a literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency, but her work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly on this podcast are solely that of her as a podcast co-host and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.Find us on our socials:Threads: https://www.threads.net/@the_shit_about_writinghttps://www.threads.net/@biancamarais_authorhttps://www.threads.net/@carlywatters https://www.threads.net/@cece_lyra_agentInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAWWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comBookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwritingTo sign up for our Substack newsletter, head to https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.comOur Sponsors:* Check out Chime and use my code chime.com/TSNOTYAW for a great deal: https://www.chime.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/tsnotyaw for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
- 1 weeks ago27 min
Shooting the Shit About The Life and Death of Critical Thinking
In this week’s episode of Shooting the Shit, Carly and CeCe are back and here to unpack a thought-provoking article on the future of reading, discussing how declining literacy, AI, and changing media habits are reshaping the publishing world. They talk about the surprising economics of cookbook publishing, why big advances don't always mean big profits, and what authors should know about production costs. Finally, they explore why publishers prize debut novels, how publishing really makes decisions, and why understanding the industry's business model can help writers build longer, more resilient careers.As mentioned on the podcast:https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/08/reading-crisis-postliterate-age/687618/?gift=c3F7u4yogXDKCnni45_cPcJXaj52vcfsaRfC0PpnbrE&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharehttps://open.substack.com/pub/amychan/p/i-spent-44000-launching-my-book-three?r=h5j0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=webhttps://open.substack.com/pub/devonhalliday/p/why-publishers-prefer-debut-novels?r=h5j0&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewerNote: CeCe Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. If you’d like to query CeCe, please refer to the submission guidelines at www.wsherman.com. Carly Watters is a literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency, but her work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly on this podcast are solely that of her as a podcast co-host and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.Find us on our socials:Threads: https://www.threads.net/@the_shit_about_writinghttps://www.threads.net/@biancamarais_authorhttps://www.threads.net/@carlywatters https://www.threads.net/@cece_lyra_agentInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAWWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comBookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwritingTo sign up for our Substack newsletter, head to https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.comOur Sponsors:* Check out Chime and use my code chime.com/TSNOTYAW for a great deal: https://www.chime.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/tsnotyaw for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
- 1 weeks ago39 min
Beginning With The Three Cs
This week’s Books with Hooks features two very different manuscripts. Carly, CeCe and Bianca discuss a dual-timeline second-chance romance that struggles with stakes, emotional depth, and page-one vulnerability, before diving into an upmarket novel about an adopted Nigerian woman searching for her identity. Along the way, they unpack query structure, interiority, curiosity, and why readers need to feel a character’s messy emotions from the very first page.Note: CeCe Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. If you’d like to query CeCe, please refer to the submission guidelines at www.wsherman.com. Carly Watters is a literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency, but her work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly on this podcast are solely that of her as a podcast co-host and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.Find us on our socials:Threads: https://www.threads.net/@the_shit_about_writinghttps://www.threads.net/@biancamarais_authorhttps://www.threads.net/@carlywatters https://www.threads.net/@cece_lyra_agentInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAWWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comBookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwritingTo sign up for our Substack newsletter, head to https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.comOur Sponsors:* Check out Chime and use my code chime.com/TSNOTYAW for a great deal: https://www.chime.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/tsnotyaw for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
- 2 weeks ago42 min
Shooting the Shit With Special Guest Alia Hanna Habib
This week on Shooting the Shit, CeCe Lyra welcomes literary agent and author Alia Hanna Habib to discuss her new book, ‘Take It From Me: An Agent’s Guide to Building a Nonfiction Writing Career from Scratch.’ CeCe and Alia talk about her journey from agent to author, the surprising realities of writing a book, and why you don’t have to draft in order to finish a manuscript. They also unpack the latest publishing news, including a new romance imprint, shifting acquisition trends, and what AI may mean for nonfiction publishing. Plus, they answer listener questions on co-authoring, ghostwriters, and whether having multiple literary agents can impact your publishing career.As mentioned on the episode:Atria Gallery Group Relaunches Pocket Books Imprint‘Attacked behind the scenes’: Children of Blood & Bone author Tomi Adeyemi distances herself from film adaptationNote: CeCe Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. If you’d like to query CeCe, please refer to the submission guidelines at www.wsherman.com. Carly Watters is a literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency, but her work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly on this podcast are solely that of her as a podcast co-host and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.Find us on our socials:Threads: https://www.threads.net/@the_shit_about_writinghttps://www.threads.net/@biancamarais_authorhttps://www.threads.net/@carlywatters https://www.threads.net/@cece_lyra_agentInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAWWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comBookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwritingTo sign up for our Substack newsletter, head to https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.comOur Sponsors:* Check out Chime and use my code chime.com/TSNOTYAW for a great deal: https://www.chime.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/tsnotyaw for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/tsnotyaw for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
- 2 weeks ago52 min
The First Guest on Books With Hooks is Publishing! & The Protagonist as an Outsider
In part one of this week’s episode, Bianca Marais chats with debut author Ruth Newton about the journey from being the very first Books with Hooks guest to publishing her novel, ‘The Carrier’. Ruth shares how a chance glimpse of a truck sparked the book’s high-concept premise, why speculative fiction gave her the freedom to explore complex emotional themes, and how competitions, deadlines, and feedback helped shape her path to publication. They discuss worldbuilding, working through major editorial revisions, balancing concept with character, and the fascinating real-world science behind the novel’s exploration of emotion, trauma, and the gut microbiome. In part two of this week’s episode, Jackie McMahon joins Bianca Marais to discuss her debut historical mystery, ‘The Cloak and Dagger Club’. Jackie shares the surprising path that led from a Books with Hooks critique and an unpublished manuscript to a two-book deal with Berkeley, proving that every project can open unexpected doors. The conversation explores the real-life detection club that inspired the novel, the appeal of setting mysteries in the golden age of crime fiction, and the craft behind managing multiple POVs, a large ensemble cast, and a murder mystery packed with twists, romance, and literary history.Note: CeCe Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. If you’d like to query CeCe, please refer to the submission guidelines at www.wsherman.com. Carly Watters is a literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency, but her work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly on this podcast are solely that of her as a podcast co-host and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.Find us on our socials:Threads: https://www.threads.net/@the_shit_about_writinghttps://www.threads.net/@biancamarais_authorhttps://www.threads.net/@carlywatters https://www.threads.net/@cece_lyra_agentInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAWWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comBookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwritingTo sign up for our Substack newsletter, head to https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.comOur Sponsors:* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/tsnotyaw for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/tsnotyaw for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.com* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
- 3 weeks ago25 min
Shooting the Shit About Trends—And Why You Do (And Don't) Need Them—Solo With Carly
What are publishing trends really, and should writers chase them? In this solo episode, Carly Watters pulls back the curtain on how literary agents think about trends, explaining the difference between market, pop culture, technology, and social trends—and why understanding them matters more than trying to write the next big thing. Carly also answers listener questions about a literary agent's day-to-day, managing submission anxiety, and whether agents scout writers through literary journals. Plus, Carly shares an exclusive lesson from ‘The Author's Publishing Playbook’ on how trends rise, peak, and fade—and why staying in your own creative lane is still the smartest career strategy.Note: CeCe Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. If you’d like to query CeCe, please refer to the submission guidelines at www.wsherman.com. Carly Watters is a literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency, but her work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly on this podcast are solely that of her as a podcast co-host and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.Find us on our socials:Threads: https://www.threads.net/@the_shit_about_writinghttps://www.threads.net/@biancamarais_authorhttps://www.threads.net/@carlywatters https://www.threads.net/@cece_lyra_agentInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAWWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comBookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwritingTo sign up for our Substack newsletter, head to https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.comOur Sponsors:* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/tsnotyaw for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/tsnotyaw for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.com* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
- 3 weeks ago47 min
Leveraging Surprise and Disruption
In this week’s Books with Hooks episode, Carly and CeCe critique two speculative fiction submissions—one a chilling Appalachian horror and the other a YA romantic fantasy. They discuss the importance of giving protagonists compelling reasons for their choices, balancing atmosphere with plot, and ensuring readers understand what’s at stake from the very beginning. The conversation explores how curiosity, motivation, and surprise drive strong openings, while also highlighting the power of distinctive voice, memorable imagery, and emotionally resonant stakes. Note: CeCe Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. If you’d like to query CeCe, please refer to the submission guidelines at www.wsherman.com. Carly Watters is a literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency, but her work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly on this podcast are solely that of her as a podcast co-host and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.Find us on our socials:Threads: https://www.threads.net/@the_shit_about_writinghttps://www.threads.net/@biancamarais_authorhttps://www.threads.net/@carlywatters https://www.threads.net/@cece_lyra_agentInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_shit_about_writing/https://www.instagram.com/biancamarais_author/ https://www.instagram.com/carlywatters/ https://www.instagram.com/cece_lyra_agent/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSNOTYAWWebsites: www.theshitaboutwriting.com, www.biancamarais.com, www.carlywatters.com and www.cecilialyra.comBookshop.org affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/theshitnoonetellsyouaboutwritingTo sign up for our Substack newsletter, head to https://theshitaboutwriting.substack.comOur Sponsors:* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/tsnotyaw for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out Quince and use my code quince.com/tsnotyaw for a great deal: https://www.quince.com* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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About The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
This is a podcast for emerging writers who want to improve the quality of their work and learn more about the publishing industry. Your one host, Bianca Marais (the bestselling author of 'The Witches of Moonshyne Manor') interviews authors, agents, editors and just about anyone and everyone who's involved in bringing a book to market. She's joined by her cohosts, literary agents Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra from P.S. Literary Agency, who read and critique query letters as well as opening pages in their Books with Hooks segment. Expect good advice, honest insights, and a few laughs along the way.
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