The Bleeders: about book writing & publishing

The Bleeders: about book writing & publishing

Courtney Kocak

The Bleeders is a podcast (and support group!) about book writing and publishing. Transparent conversations with authors, agents, and people in the publishing industry about how to write and sell books. The title is a nod to the famous (potentially misattributed) Hemingway quote: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Sign up for The Bleeders companion Substack! https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome

From Query Hell to Big Five Book Deal: Emily J. Smith on Her Path to Publication with "Nothing Serious"

From Query Hell to Big Five Book Deal: Emily J. Smith on Her Path to Publication with "Nothing Serious"

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcomeToday's guest is Emily J. Smith, author of Nothing Serious. Follow Emily on Instagram @emjsmith and Bluesky @emjsmith.bsky.social.The Bleeders is hosted by Courtney Kocak. Follow her on Instagram @courtneykocak and Bluesky @courtneykocak.bsky.social. For more, check out her website courtneykocak.com.Courtney is t

Feb 17, • 19:12

Writing a Revealing Book About Your Day Job: Andrew Bomback on "Doctor"

Writing a Revealing Book About Your Day Job: Andrew Bomback on "Doctor"

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcomeToday's guest is Andrew Bomback, author Doctor and Long Days, Short Years: A Cultural History of Modern Parenting. Follow Andrew on Instagram @andrewbomback and Twitter @asbomback.>>> Watch the full interview with Andrew on YouTube: https://youtu.be/boHDw5bhBYE?si=iBmDPjhWsPSFF8c4The Bleeders is hosted by Courtne

Feb 10, • 7:14

Writing LA’s Juicy History & Publishing Without an Agent with Paul Haddad

Writing LA’s Juicy History & Publishing Without an Agent with Paul Haddad

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcomeToday's guest is Paul Haddad, generously sharing the research, writing, and publishing process for his latest book Inventing Paradise, which explores the history of early Los Angeles and the power brokers who shaped the city's growth. Follow Paul on Instagram and X/Twitter @la_dorkout.The Bleeders is hosted by Co

Feb 3, • 1:17:56

Frances Badalamenti on Her Freeing Evolution from Memoir to Autofiction

Frances Badalamenti on Her Freeing Evolution from Memoir to Autofiction

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcomeToday's guest is Frances Badalamenti, author of Many Seasons, I Don't Blame You, and Salad Days. Follow Frances on Instagram @franbad and connect via her website francesbadalamenti.com.The Bleeder

Jan 27, • 7:26

How to Write a Novel with Author Matt Bell & His Craft Book "Refuse to Be Done"

How to Write a Novel with Author Matt Bell & His Craft Book "Refuse to Be Done"

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcomeToday's guest is Matt Bell, who wrote his novel-writing craft book Refuse to Be Done between drafts of his latest novel Appleseed, and perhaps both books were the better for it. Matt has an exhausting yet enviably productive novel-writing process, and he's taking us to church today with this sermon and many other

Jan 20, • 44:43

Samantha Mann on How the Beloved "Putting Out" Prologue Came to Be

Samantha Mann on How the Beloved "Putting Out" Prologue Came to Be

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcomeToday's guest is Samantha Mann, author of Putting Out: Essays on Otherness and editor of the anthology I Feel Love: Notes on Queer Joy. Follow Samantha on Instagram @samantha.mann05 and Twitter @Sdmann0502.The Bleeders is hosted by Courtney Kocak. Follow her on

Jan 13, • 7:05

From Podcast to Book: Cara McGoogan on Adapting "Bed of Lies" into "Blood Farm"

From Podcast to Book: Cara McGoogan on Adapting "Bed of Lies" into "Blood Farm"

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcomeToday's guest is Cara McGoogan, host of Bed of Lies and author of Blood Farm. Follow Cara on Instagram and X/Twitter @cjmcgoogan.The Bleeders is hosted by Courtney Kocak. Follow her on X/Twitter and Instagram @courtneykocak. For more, check out her website courtneykocak.com.Courtney is teaching some upcoming work

Jan 6, • 1:03:33

How to Make 2025 Your Best Writing Year

How to Make 2025 Your Best Writing Year

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcomeToday's episode features advice from Halley Sutton, Hannah Howard, Bridgette Bianca, Shelby Hinte, Chelsea Martin, Emmy Olea, and Elle Nash.The Bleeders is hosted by Courtney Kocak. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @courtneykocak. For more, check out her website courtneykocak.com.Courtney is teaching some upco

Dec 30, 2024 • 9:36

The Best Rejection I Ever Got with Laura Cathcart Robbins

The Best Rejection I Ever Got with Laura Cathcart Robbins

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcomeToday's guest is Laura Cathcart Robbins, author of Stash: My Life in Hiding. Follow Laura on Instagram @lauracathcartrobbins and Twitter @TheOnlyOnePodc1.>>> Watch the full interview with Laura on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ultBqNG5PkA?si=nxxCwn22ezJF4KOOThe Bleeders is hosted by Courtney Kocak. Follow he

Dec 23, 2024 • 5:20

How to Write Erotica with Rachel Kramer Bussel

How to Write Erotica with Rachel Kramer Bussel

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcomeToday's guest is Rachel Kramer Bussell, author of How to Write Erotica and editor of over 70 anthologies of erotica. Follow Rachel on Instagram @rachelkramerbussel and Twitter @raquelita.>>> Watch the full interview with Rachel on YouTube: https://youtu.be/b7jf092QHFg?si=4HaQegucDPuIS936

Dec 16, 2024 • 13:32

Zachary Zane on the Book Proposal for "Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto" & How He Built His Writer Platform

Zachary Zane on the Book Proposal for "Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto" & How He Built His Writer Platform

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcomeToday's guest is Zachary Zane, author of Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto. Follow Zachary on Instagram @zacharyzane_ and Twitter @ZacharyZane_.>>> Watch the full interview with Zach on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7_qeIcK1N7g?si=j7EN2zy3y6dnxCxa The Bleeders is hosted by Courtney Kocak. F

Dec 9, 2024 • 8:13

How to Promote Your Book with Eleanor C. Whitney

How to Promote Your Book with Eleanor C. Whitney

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcomeToday's guest is Eleanor C. Whitney, author of Promote Your Book, Riot Woman, and Quit Your Day Job. Follow Eleanor on Instagram and X/Twitter @killerfemme and check out her website

Dec 2, 2024 • 20:24

The Five-Year Revision: Lexi Kent-Monning on Writing & Publishing Her Debut Novel "The Burden of Joy"

The Five-Year Revision: Lexi Kent-Monning on Writing & Publishing Her Debut Novel "The Burden of Joy"

Today’s guest is Lexi Kent-Monning, who details the five-year journey of revising and submitting her debut novel, The Burden of Joy, which found its home at the small press Rejection Letters. In this episode, Lexi shares how she rediscovered her love of writing at age 33 and took her writing career into her own hands without an MFA. She also explains how her manuscript evolved from memoir to autofiction, giving her more creative freedom, and discusses her DIY approach to book promotion. Follow L

Sep 19, 2024 • 37:58

The Origin Story of Jon Small's Debut & What He's Learned About Indie Publishing

The Origin Story of Jon Small's Debut & What He's Learned About Indie Publishing

This is Jon Small's second interview for The Bleeders podcast. In this episode, Jon delves into the creative process behind his debut book, Write About Now, which is based on his podcast features inspiring origin stories from his podcast guests. He shares the challenges of obtaining permissions, the decision to self-publish, and the common themes that emerged from these stories. Jon also discusses how this book marks the beginning of his new journey as an indie author and his goals for the futur

Aug 30, 2024 • 40:16

The Agony & Ecstasy of Going on Submission with Chloe Caldwell

The Agony & Ecstasy of Going on Submission with Chloe Caldwell

This is four-time author Chloe Caldwell's second interview for The Bleeders podcast. In this episode, Chloe shares two submission stories — one a nightmare and one a dream — along with advice for other writers on submission. Follow Chloe on Instagram @chloeeeecaldwell and buy the re-release of her cult classic novella Women. If you missed Chloe's first interview, listen here.Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe

Jun 2, 2024 • 23:32

Manifest Your 2024 Writing Goals Through Daily Practice with Kellianne Benson of 750words.com

Manifest Your 2024 Writing Goals Through Daily Practice with Kellianne Benson of 750words.com

The new year is upon us, which has got me thinking about my writing-related resolutions, and how to accomplish them. So today’s episode is all about writing practice — the daily grind of it, the unsexy truth about how we manifest our writing goals by showing up and allowing ourselves to get words on the page, however messy they might be at first. I'm bringing back last year's conversation with the perfect guest on this topic: Kellianne Benson, community manager and director of 750words.com. Foll

Jan 2, 2024 • 34:33

How Chelsea Martin Strikes the Balance Between Prolific & Perfectionist

How Chelsea Martin Strikes the Balance Between Prolific & Perfectionist

Today's guest is Chelsea Martin. I adore indie queens like Chelsea. She has been incredibly prolific thus far in her literary career, and I love her "just do it" approach to publishing. We talk about how to balance perfectionist tendencies with being productive and putting out a lot of work, how to deal with a shitty publisher, the joys of having a good agent, and more. Follow Chelsea on Instagram @chelsea_martin_.Order Chelsea's new novel Tell Me I'm an Artist and one of my favorite essay colle

Oct 9, 2023 • 41:58

Indie Lit Queen Chloe Caldwell's DIY Approach to Becoming an Author of Four

Indie Lit Queen Chloe Caldwell's DIY Approach to Becoming an Author of Four

Today's guest Chloe Caldwell has forged her own unique path in the literary scene, and it’s one that I really admire. In this throwback episode, she gives us the play by play for how she became the author of four books — Legs Get Led Astray, Women, I’ll Tell You in Person, and The Red Zone. We cover everything from cold queries to agents to small presses to trusting your vision. Follow Chloe on Instagram @chloeeeecaldwell.Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book

Sep 25, 2023 • 1:01:24

Feminist Noir Author Halley Sutton on Her Novels “The Lady Upstairs” & "The Hurricane Blonde"

Feminist Noir Author Halley Sutton on Her Novels “The Lady Upstairs” & "The Hurricane Blonde"

Today’s guest is feminist noir crime writer Halley Sutton. She wrote the first draft of her debut novel, The Lady Upstairs, while getting her MFA at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. So we got into the pros and cons of MFAs for writers. And we also talk book #2 and how that's different since Halley’s currently in the home stretch with her second novel, The Hurricane Blonde. Halley shared how Pitch Wars helped her first book find its footing, how she turned a rejection letter into an

Sep 11, 2023 • 38:09

Elle Nash on Her New Novel "Deliver Me"

Elle Nash on Her New Novel "Deliver Me"

Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Elle Nash, Glasgow-based author of the novels Gag Reflex and Animals Eat Each Other and the short story collection Nudes. Follow Elle Nash on Instagram and Twitter @saderotica.Preorder Elle's new novel Deliver Me!SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS. https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcastWelcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Ma

Aug 28, 2023 • 9:12

Trusting Your Book to the Art of Translation with Victoria Kielland

Trusting Your Book to the Art of Translation with Victoria Kielland

Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Victoria Kielland, Norwegian author of My Men, which was translated to English by Damion Searls. Follow Victoria on Instagram @vkielland and find out more via Astra Publishing House's website.SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS. https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcastWelcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe

Aug 21, 2023 • 9:35

Frances Badalamenti on Her Freeing Evolution from Memoir to Autofiction

Frances Badalamenti on Her Freeing Evolution from Memoir to Autofiction

Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Frances Badalamenti, author of I Don't Blame You and Salad Days. Follow Frances on Instagram @franbad and connect via her website francesbadalamenti.com.SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS. https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcastWelcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://the

Aug 14, 2023 • 8:52

My Former Life as Glamour's "Jake": What It's Like to Write a Famous Advice Column with Jon Small

My Former Life as Glamour's "Jake": What It's Like to Write a Famous Advice Column with Jon Small

Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Jon Small, host of the Write About Now podcast, editor-at-large for Entrepreneur.com, and, in a past life, Glamour’s “Jake.” Follow Jon on Instagram @thejonsmall and Twitter @kidfinesse. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS. https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcastWelcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to t

Aug 7, 2023 • 10:04

The Best Rejection I Ever Got with Laura Cathcart Robbins

The Best Rejection I Ever Got with Laura Cathcart Robbins

Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Laura Cathcart Robbins, author of Stash: My Life in Hiding. Follow Laura on Instagram @lauracathcartrobbins and Twitter @TheOnlyOnePodc1. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS. https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcastWelcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substa

Jul 31, 2023 • 5:43

Antonia Crane on Her Sex Work Memoir "Spent" & the Stories Writers Keep Retelling

Antonia Crane on Her Sex Work Memoir "Spent" & the Stories Writers Keep Retelling

Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Antonia Crane, author of Spent. Follow Antonia on Instagram @antoniacrane and Twitter @antoniacrane. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS. https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcastWelcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcomeThe Bleeders is hosted

Jul 24, 2023 • 7:11

How to Write Erotica with Rachel Kramer Bussel

How to Write Erotica with Rachel Kramer Bussel

Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Rachel Kramer Bussell, author of How to Write Erotica and editor of over 70 anthologies of erotica. Follow Rachel on Instagram @rachelkramerbussel and Twitter @raquelita. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS. https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcastWelcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Sub

Jul 17, 2023 • 14:47

Writing a Revealing Book About Your Day Job: Andrew Bomback on "Doctor"

Writing a Revealing Book About Your Day Job: Andrew Bomback on "Doctor"

Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Andrew Bomback, author Doctor and Long Days, Short Years: A Cultural History of Modern Parenting. Follow Andrew on Instagram @andrewbomback and Twitter @asbomback. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS. https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcastWelcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack:

Jul 10, 2023 • 8:45

Samantha Mann on How the Beloved "Putting Out" Prologue Came to Be

Samantha Mann on How the Beloved "Putting Out" Prologue Came to Be

Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Samantha Mann, author of Putting Out: Essays on Otherness and editor of the anthology I Feel Love: Notes on Queer Joy. Follow Samantha on Instagram @samantha.mann05 and Twitter @Sdmann0502. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS. https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcastWelcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe t

Jul 3, 2023 • 9:01

Zachary Zane on the Book Proposal for "Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto" & How He Built His Writer Platform

Zachary Zane on the Book Proposal for "Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto" & How He Built His Writer Platform

Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Zachary Zane, author of Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto. Follow Zachary on Instagram @zacharyzane_ and Twitter @ZacharyZane_.SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS. https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcastWelcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcom

Jun 26, 2023 • 9:59

How to Successfully Pitch Editors for Freelance Writers with Sonia Weiser of Opportunities of the Week

How to Successfully Pitch Editors for Freelance Writers with Sonia Weiser of Opportunities of the Week

Opportunities of the Week is the brilliant brainchild of our guest today, Sonia Weiser. It’s the type of newsletter that I’ve seen gets recommended a lot in the writing scene because it’s a compilation of all the current pitch calls available on social media. If you are trying to build up your bylines or find a home for some writing work on the internet, I highly recommend you subscribe. In today’s episode, Sonia shares why she started the newsletter and her big takeaways from running it. We als

Jun 19, 2023 • 30:26

Carmen Rita Wong on Writing Her Memoir "Why Didn't You Tell Me?" as a Mystery

Carmen Rita Wong on Writing Her Memoir "Why Didn't You Tell Me?" as a Mystery

Today’s guest is Carmen Rita Wong, and she has a doozy of a story — it’s memoir meets family mystery, and it’s so freaking good! In this episode, Carmen shares how her magnum opus finally came together after decades in the making, plus writing and publishing wisdom she's gleaned through publishing FIVE books. She also introduces us to the concept of flashbulb memories... There are so many gems in this episode, so grab a pen and some paper because you’re gonna want to take notes! Follow Carmen on

Jun 8, 2023 • 1:05:27

Work in Progress: How to Query Your Novel to Get an Agent (Without Losing Your Mind) with Marina Stevenson

Work in Progress: How to Query Your Novel to Get an Agent (Without Losing Your Mind) with Marina Stevenson

I found Marina through a Twitter thread she wrote about querying, so today, I’m bringing you the first Work in Progress, with an emphasis on publishing. Marina shares how she landed her agent, her top querying tips, how her fantasy novel Beheaded is doing out on submission, the importance of protecting your mental health, and more in today’s episode. This episode is very apropos for me at the moment because I’m about to start querying my book proposal—I hope you get as much out of this as I did!

Feb 14, 2023 • 24:30

Allie Rowbottom Deep Dives the Writing & Publishing Processes for "Jello Girls" and "Aesthetica"

Allie Rowbottom Deep Dives the Writing & Publishing Processes for "Jello Girls" and "Aesthetica"

I’m so excited to have Allie Rowbottom on the show today! Allie is the author of the memoir/family history/cultural commentary Jello Girls, which I love, and the new novel Aesthetica, which is incredibly zeitgeisty in its subject matter and has been getting rave reviews. Not only is Allie Rowbottom a super hot lit queen who can string together a hell of a sentence, but she’s also really nice and generous with information in this interview. She shares a top-secret tip for writing good fiction, ho

Jan 11, 2023 • 1:09:10

Manifesting Your Writing Goals Through Daily Practice with Kellianne Benson of 750words.com

Manifesting Your Writing Goals Through Daily Practice with Kellianne Benson of 750words.com

The new year is upon us, which has got me thinking about my writing-related resolutions, and how to accomplish them. So today’s episode is all about writing practice — the daily grind of it, the unsexy truth about how we manifest our writing goals by showing up and allowing ourselves to get words on the page, however messy they might be at first. And we’re diving into this topic with the perfect guest: Kellianne Benson, community manager and director of 750words.com. Follow Kellianne on Twitter

Dec 26, 2022 • 40:59

Alissa Wilkinson Throws a Dinner Party for Her Food Writing Inspiration with Her Latest Book "Salty"

Alissa Wilkinson Throws a Dinner Party for Her Food Writing Inspiration with Her Latest Book "Salty"

Alissa Wilkinson wrote her book Salty during the first year of the pandemic, which left its mark on both the process and the content. Alissa tells us about how "Salty: Lessons on Eating, Drinking, and Living from Revolutionary Women" and her first book came to be and a little bit about her current Joan Didion-related project. We also talked about how book writing fits in amid her daily journalism grind, her unique publishing path from academic to more traditional, and more in today’s episode. Fo

Dec 12, 2022 • 49:02

How to Write a Novel with Author Matt Bell & His Craft Book "Refuse to Be Done"

How to Write a Novel with Author Matt Bell & His Craft Book "Refuse to Be Done"

Today's guest is Matt Bell, who wrote his novel-writing craft book Refuse to Be Done between drafts of his latest novel Appleseed, and perhaps both books were the better for it. Matt has an exhausting yet enviably productive novel-writing process, and he's taking us to church today with this sermon and many others. He's a writer's writer and knows all about creating the best writing and publishing life for him, as we all should! Matt's process is truly inspiring—we'll get into that, his tips for

Nov 27, 2022 • 45:01

You Don't Need a Publisher: How Elle Griffin is Serializing Her Novels on Substack

You Don't Need a Publisher: How Elle Griffin is Serializing Her Novels on Substack

Elle Griffin set out to query her gothic novel and, in the process, made some disappointing discoveries about the publishing industry that led her to serialize it on Substack. Today she's going to share her journey down this unconventional path that definitely has some upsides, like making $19K her first year on Substack and retaining the rights to her work. Elle also shares why Anne Lamott's shitty first draft advice does not work for her, what it's been like writing her second serialized novel

Nov 7, 2022 • 28:15

Work in Progress: Write or Die Tribe's Kailey Brennan DelloRusso on Her Novel-in-Progress + Prompt Me, Daddy

Work in Progress: Write or Die Tribe's Kailey Brennan DelloRusso on Her Novel-in-Progress + Prompt Me, Daddy

In today's episode, Write or Die Tribe founder Kailey Brennan DelloRusso explains what she's learned while writing her untitled novel-in-progress (which got its start during NaNoWriMo!). We discuss the benefits of having a writing accountability buddy, the thought (and plot)-provoking questions she gleaned from "The 90-Day Novel'' by Alan Watt, as well as the sublime Zen of "holding it loosely." Kailey shares her inspiration for Write or Die Tribe and how to get involved in the community. Plus,

Oct 27, 2022 • 29:15

Bassey Ikpi on How She Did the Magic with “I’m Telling the Truth, but I’m Lying”

Bassey Ikpi on How She Did the Magic with “I’m Telling the Truth, but I’m Lying”

Bassey Ikpi’s “I’m Telling the Truth, but I’m Lying” is one of my all-time favorite books. She grew up thinking authors were magicians, but it turns out she knows how to cast the spell too! In this episode, Bassey shares how the book proposal was a totally different book but working on it amid a mental health crisis led her down a more authentic path. Bassey talks about having an emotional memory, emotional accuracy vs. chronological accuracy, how she found her agent, the importance of a good ed

Oct 7, 2022 • 1:03:48

Anthology No. 1: The Best Writing & Publishing Advice from Summer 2022

Anthology No. 1: The Best Writing & Publishing Advice from Summer 2022

If you love writing and publishing advice as much as I do, this episode is going to make you horny, baby! To celebrate our 13 amazing guests from this summer, I'm dropping the first Bleeders anthology — chock-full of sage wisdom on building community, establishing a daily practice, editing yourself, and all kinds of helpful writing and publishing mindset tips. Big thanks to the following authors for sharing their experience:Samantha AllenHalley SuttonChloe CaldwellAmanda McNeil Hannah HowardBrid

Sep 27, 2022 • 31:10

Work in Progress: Shelby Hinte on "Howling Women" + Prompt Me, Daddy

Work in Progress: Shelby Hinte on "Howling Women" + Prompt Me, Daddy

Today's guest is Shelby Hinte. I know Shelby because we took a Chloe Caldwell workshop together this spring (all roads lead back to Chloe on this podcast, lol). In this episode, Shelby explains her writing process and query experience for her work-in-progress, Howling Women. There are so many priceless little takeaways from this interview — like the importance of interpreting notes through your own voice and, oh yeah, writing is supposed to be fun! Plus, we end the episode with a new edition of

Sep 8, 2022 • 35:09

Omar Mouallem on Crafting Historical Travelogue Memoir "Praying to the West: How Muslims Shaped the Americas"

Omar Mouallem on Crafting Historical Travelogue Memoir "Praying to the West: How Muslims Shaped the Americas"

Omar Mouallem wrote the historical travel memoir "Praying to the West: How Muslims Shaped the Americas." However, he struggled to tackle that subject matter without finding a new relationship with the religion he'd grown up with and apart from. Omar dives into the whole book writing process, from getting his start as a ghostwriter to how he landed his book deal, how he found extra funding to cover the many trips he had to take around the world, and the editing process with Simon & Schuster. Foll

Aug 25, 2022 • 57:37

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah on Writing "The Sex Lives of African Women" from Blog to Book

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah on Writing "The Sex Lives of African Women" from Blog to Book

Today’s guest comes all the way from Africa! Ghanaian author Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah has such a cool story about how she used her blog as a launch pad for publishing her first book. Nana shares the whole process, including conducting the interviews, writing a book proposal, how she landed her agent, and more. Plus, her best tip for writers trying to get published and how listening back to her interviews and transcribing them actually helped her craft each narrative. Follow Nana on Twitter @nas009.

Aug 11, 2022 • 37:10

Work in Progress: Caroline Shannon-Karasik on "Mother-Eaten" + Prompt Me, Daddy

Work in Progress: Caroline Shannon-Karasik on "Mother-Eaten" + Prompt Me, Daddy

Today's guest is Caroline Shannon-Karasik. I know Caroline because we took Catapult’s 12-Month Essay Generator together, led by Chloe Caldwell. In this episode, she fills me in on what she’s done with the manuscript since then. Caroline drops some serious wisdom on her writing process, how to approach a rewrite, and giving yourself guilt-free time to research. She also reads an excerpt from her Work in Progress, a hybrid memoir entitled "Mother-Eaten." Plus, we end the episode with the first-eve

Jul 28, 2022 • 38:46

Elle Nash on the North Star of Writing to Her Taste

Elle Nash on the North Star of Writing to Her Taste

Today's guest is Elle Nash, author of Animals Eat Each Other, Nudes, Gag Reflex, and the upcoming novel Deliver Me. This episode is an interesting peek into Elle's creative process as we talk through her body of work, the North star of writing to your taste, developing her voice alongside her editing chops, how she landed the coolest agent ever, and more. Follow Elle on Instagram and Twitter @saderotic.Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publish

Jul 21, 2022 • 43:51

Work in Progress: Emmy Olea on "Emmy, Like the Award"

Work in Progress: Emmy Olea on "Emmy, Like the Award"

Today's guest is Emmy Olea. I first discovered Emmy's writing through her podcast Crumbs about Emmy's dating experiences as a trans woman recovering from alcoholism whose mom was a coyote and whose grandma ran drugs for the Tijuana cartel. It's a wild story so well-written and poignantly told. When I learned that Crumbs was actually just a sliver of her larger memoir, I knew I had to have her on Work in Progress. So today, we're digging into "Emmy, Like the Award," which even has an endorsement

Jul 14, 2022 • 23:28

Chelsea Martin on Striking the Balance Between Prolific & Perfectionist

Chelsea Martin on Striking the Balance Between Prolific & Perfectionist

Today's guest is Chelsea Martin. I adore indie queens like Chelsea. She has been incredibly prolific thus far in her literary career, and I love her "just do it" approach to publishing. We talk about how to balance perfectionist tendencies with being productive and putting out a lot of work, how to deal with a shitty publisher, the joys of having a good agent, and more. Follow Chelsea on Instagram @chelsea_martin_.Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing

Jul 7, 2022 • 38:02

The Book I Had to Write: The Memoir as Detective Story with Lilly Dancyger

The Book I Had to Write: The Memoir as Detective Story with Lilly Dancyger

Today's episode is a great interview about book writing and publishing from another show. The Book I Had to Write is hosted by book coach Paul Zakrzewski. He interviews memoir writers, journalists, and other coaches about writing their most compelling books. In this episode, he interviews Lilly Dancyger, author of the memoir Negative Space and the editor of the anthology Burn It Down: Women Writing About Anger. Follow Lilly on Twitter @lillydancyger and follow @bookihadtowrite to stay up-to-date

Jul 1, 2022 • 38:52

Chapped: Bridgette Bianca on be/trouble & the Legacy of Black Poetry

Chapped: Bridgette Bianca on be/trouble & the Legacy of Black Poetry

Today’s guest Bridgette Bianca is a fantastic spoken word poet with a Grammy nomination on her bucket list, and it was so interesting to hear her describe the interplay between performance and her writing process. She also shared a valuable lesson she learned in grad school. Plus, she took us to Howard for an education on the legacy of Black poetry, explained how essential community was to her publishing experience, and more. Follow Bridgette on Instagram @bridgettebianca.Welcome, writers and bo

Jun 28, 2022 • 49:02

Hannah Howard on How Her Food Memoirs Became So Much More

Hannah Howard on How Her Food Memoirs Became So Much More

Today's guest is Hannah Howard, author of two food memoirs, Feast: True Love in and Out of the Kitchen and Plenty: A Memoir of Food and Family, that transcend the genre and are also about relationships, motherhood, and finding your tribe. We discuss how an MFA application process helped her crystallize her vision for what became her first book, the difference between first and second books, her experience in a low-residency MFA program, reactions she’s gotten to writing about ED, how her niche i

Jun 23, 2022 • 53:46

Work in Progress: Amanda McNeil on "Thank You, I Still Hate Myself"

Work in Progress: Amanda McNeil on "Thank You, I Still Hate Myself"

Amanda McNeil wrote a draft of an essay collection during the first year of the pandemic.... and then sat on it. Now she’s gearing up to write another draft and wondering if maybe it’s a memoir, or at least she’s wondering if that will help sell the book. We talk about all this and the necessary evil of querying in the first edition of Work in Progress featuring Amanda McNeil and her essay collection-turned-maybe-memoir “Thank You, I Still Hate Myself.” Plus, at the end, you’ll hear Amanda read

Jun 20, 2022 • 22:46

Chloe Caldwell Does It Her Way: How She Became an Author of Four

Chloe Caldwell Does It Her Way: How She Became an Author of Four

Chloe Caldwell has forged her own unique path in the literary scene, and it’s one that I really admire. She gives us the play by play for how she became the author of four books — Legs Get Led Astray, Women, I’ll Tell You in Person, and The Red Zone — in today’s episode. We cover everything from cold queries to agents to small presses to trusting your vision. Follow Chloe on Instagram @chloeeeecaldwell.Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publish

Jun 16, 2022 • 57:48

Halley Sutton on “The Lady Upstairs” & Feminist Noir Book #2

Halley Sutton on “The Lady Upstairs” & Feminist Noir Book #2

Today’s guest is feminist noir crime writer Halley Sutton. She wrote the first draft of her debut novel, The Lady Upstairs, while getting her MFA at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. So we got into the pros and cons of MFAs for writers. And we also talk book #2 since Halley’s currently in the home stretch with her second novel. Halley shared how Pitch Wars helped her first book find its footing, how she turned a rejection letter into an agent, the importance of a midpoint, and other

Jun 13, 2022 • 37:07

Samantha Allen on Her Debut Novel & the Nonfiction That Came Before It

Samantha Allen on Her Debut Novel & the Nonfiction That Came Before It

Samantha Allen is the author of Real Queer America: LGBT Stories From Red States and the upcoming novel Patricia Wants to Cuddle (pub date June 28th). Samantha shared so many nuggets of wisdom for writers. We talked shop about writing and publishing start to finish, book advances, audiobooks and her Audible Original, her foray from nonfiction to fiction, and more. Follow Samantha on Twitter @SLAwrites. And preorder her damn book!Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast abo

Jun 9, 2022 • 58:47

Trailer

Trailer

Introducing... The Bleeders!Welcome, writers and book lovers. Thanks for tuning in to the trailer for my new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcomeAbout the host:Courtney Kocak is a Los Angeles-based writer, podcaster, and comedian. She graduated from UCLA's Professional Program in Screenwriting and wrote for Amazon's Emmy-winning animated series Danger & Eggs. Courtney's been an Executive Producer on

May 25, 2022 • 1:03

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