Mary invited two fellow novelists and colleagues in The Book Incubator, Harison and Autumn, to join her for a game she made up! Meet The Feedback Game: What would you do with X feedback? Revise? Move on? Freak out?

In this post, Mary breaks down her two best tips for making the revision process as fun as the writing process.

Have you wondered why you have trouble making revisions even when you know it's necessary? Mary explores this phenomenon and shares her own struggles with loss aversion.

In this post, Mary reveals that the best way to write a timeless book is to not try to make it timeless. 

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: