“Why do you spend so much time writing?”

“You’re never going to get published.”

“You want to spend HOW MUCH on a writer’s conference?!”

If these complaints sound familiar, then you might be facing an unsupportive spouse (or parent, loved one, etc). Last week, we covered the different kinds of unsupportive spouses—some are afraid of change, some don’t have all the info they need to become supportive, and some are controlling.

One of the best things you can do is to have a heart-to-heart conversation with your spouse. This discussion should help to clarify information that is fuzzy (to them) while also alleviating any fears they may have that their day-to-day will drastically change. From this conversation, they should be able to slowly move from unsupportive to supportive.

But how do you prepare for such a conversation? We discuss that and more on this week’s episode of The Gatecrashers Podcast.

“My spouse doesn’t support my writing career!”

This is a common complaint among writers. Parents, family, friends, partners—it can sometimes seem as though the people we love the most are the least supportive of our writing dreams and goals.

In the recent episode of The Gatecrashers Podcast, literary agent Amanda Luedeke and novelist Charis Crowe discuss how to tell if your spouse is truly unsupportive or if they are acting from a place of fear or lack of information.

Listen to the episode here.

I live in Indiana.

I had no previous book publishing experience.

In fact, when I first started working with Chip MacGregor, I wasn’t fully sure what an agent did.

So how did I get to become a book agent? We discuss my journey in this week’s episode of the Gatecrashers Podcast.

Authors are told to write what they’re passionate about, but many times this leaves them confused. “I have so many book ideas!” many of my authors have told me. “How do I determine which one to write?”

I’ve known authors to struggle with questions like should I write mystery or fantasy? Romance or women’s fiction? A book on parenting teenagers or parenting toddlers? Should I do a cookbook or a fitness book? A Bible devotional or a trade book?

Sometimes the answers to these questions can be found in the author’s online analytics.

This week’s podcast episode tells the story of one author who is using social media analytics to inform his writing—and how it allows him to connect with his readers even more. Listen here.

It continues to be an interesting time for book publishing.

In this update we share information that was provided by Penguin Random House, looking at at the book categories that have taken the biggest hits along with the ones that have done well.

We also discuss why the “free ebook” movement at the beginning of the pandemic turned out to be a bad idea, and we offer a bit of good news as bookstores begin to reopen and the Big 5 Publishers put in place initiatives to help keep independent retailers afloat.

Listen to the May 25 update on how COVID-19 is affecting book publishing.

Every writer has doubts about his or her book idea. Is this marketable? Is this unique enough? Is this engaging? Does it hold attention?

These doubts are normal! They’re part of the process.

But sometimes those doubts point to more than a healthy (or not-so-healthy) lack of self confidence. Sometimes they point to real trouble areas with your idea or writing.

So how do you know when the doubts are more than just doubts? How do you know when it might be time to trash your working manuscript or idea and move on to something new?

This week’s episode of The Gatecrashers Podcast offers insight and clarity on when it might be time to walk out on your WIP.

I’ve worked with many authors who have said that the whole “publishing thing” didn’t feel real until they received their cover art. Maybe it was finally being able to visualize the book as it would be in stores. Maybe it was seeing their name in specialized fonts. Whatever it was, receiving covert art is a turning point for many authors. It’s when the process goes from dream to reality.

While the cover art process is an important one, few authors know what to expect, how to navigate it, and, if they’re self-publishing, how much they should expect to pay. In this week’s episode of The Gatecrashers Podcast, we discuss all that and more. Listen in on our conversation on book cover art.

Most authors dream of getting a movie deal for their book. For years, that dream was near-impossible. Sure, the project may get picked up by a production company, but the chances of it making it to screen were small.

And then things changed.

With the rise of streaming services has come a greater need for visual content. Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Video are buying up projects left and right, employing small production companies to do most of the work for them.

Sure, the big deals with big Hollywood companies are still hard to come by, but as Tiger King showed us, selling a project to a streaming service can be just as much of a success as landing a feature film.

So what does the book-to-film process look like? What should authors know?

Listen in as we offer a big-picture look at books, Hollywood, and how to navigate that space.

Some publishers are laying people off.

Some bookstores are launching GoFundMe campaigns to stay afloat.

And many authors have seen massive income hits.

In this week’s episode of our Gatecrasher’s Podcast, Amanda Luedeke and her cohost Charis Crowe discuss a number of publishing headlines as they relate to the current worldwide pandemic.

Listen here for a quick look into how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting book publishing.

For quite awhile on this blog I had a weekly column entitled Thursdays with Amanda. I’d talk primarily about marketing, since that was my background, and try to help authors navigate what can oftentimes seem like a mystery. It led to a book and countless conversations with authors who wanted to better understand how to be smart about book marketing.

Then, some years ago we decided to take a break from blogging. It was taking up a lot of time and Chip and I were both busy pursuing career growth.

But last fall, I got the itch to once again share what I know with authors.

And so The Gatecrashers Podcast was born.

This isn’t your typical podcast of author interviews or happy talk. This is an industry-focused weekly show in which we “storm the gates of publishing and dare to talk about the realities of the industry.”

Some of the topics we’ve covered include:

• How do publishers determine marketing budgets?
• What agents aren’t telling you …
• The biggest mistakes you’re likely to make …
• How will COVID-19 affect book publishing?
• And more.

My cohost, Charis Crowe, brings insight from the self-publishing world while I offer ten years of experience in the industry as a book agent and now V-P of MacGregor & Luedeke.

I hope you’ll give us a listen. And if you’re on Facebook, find me at Facebook.com/AgentAmandaLuedeke. There, I post my deals, share info, and interact with my followers.