What are the actual sales numbers for authors who get book deals versus authors who self-publish? Mary gets into the data—yep, hardcore math—to help you weigh the pros and cons (financially) of the two major publishing paths. 

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).

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.

If you’re querying agents for your novel or memoir and finding yourself stuck in a cycle of rejection, you’re not alone. In this article, I’ll explain why even a strong book might get rejected and how you can turn rejection into a positive.

No. Not everyone can write a book. Sorry. But can you write a book? Probably. I’d call it a really good bet—if I had money to throw at bets, I’d throw money at the likelihood that you, person reading this, can write a book.
Writing a book comes down to 3 things:

I can’t tell you how many times I googled “how much money does an author make per book” before getting a book deal, myself. It’s such a black hole. It also varies tremendously... So while I can’t give you a specific answer for how much money you will make per book, let me start with the basics.

What if there was a way to skip months of waiting, rejection, and uncertainty in the traditional publishing process? The Black List, a game-changing platform that’s revolutionized Hollywood, is now open to novelists—and it could be your publishing shortcut.

Discover how hosting your manuscript and receiving professional feedback can fast-track your journey to landing an agent or publisher. Ready to learn more? Dive into the full article for everything you need to know about this exciting opportunity.

Dreaming of publishing your first book? Becoming a debut author is an incredible milestone, but it often comes with questions about what to expect, how to prepare, and how to navigate the journey. This guide offers insights into the debut process, from traditional and self-publishing routes to overcoming common challenges like imposter syndrome and learning the business side of writing—helping you set yourself up for success as you share your story with the world.

Today I'm sharing three things that no one tells you about getting a literary agent. First, I'll cut to the chase. Yes, you need a literary agent, probably.

There are two exceptions. One, if you're self-publishing, you don't need a literary agent. And two, if you're only pursuing small publishers that accept submissions directly from writers. And these smaller publishers will say on their website if they accept what they will call unrepresented submissions, or they'll just say, we accept submissions directly from authors, but there aren't too many of these and you're going to need to seek them out.