Publisher Marissa Moss gives, in these trying times, some writing tips without trying.

How are you all doing? Who would have thought we’d experience such times — well, apart from the epidemiologists, virologists, infectious disease experts, and the authors of The Coming Plague, which I read more than ten years ago, so what’s my excuse? (An excellent book, even if it hadn’t predicted our current crisis.)

I know many of you out there have been trying to use this time to write, or to learn to write better, or to improve your chances of publication. Online workshops abound, some of them even free, and there are plenty of Zoom silent-writing groups. Heck, I’m involved with five of them myself. Last week, though, I was having a casual chat with my friend, Marissa Moss. Marissa is a bit of an A-lister in children’s literature, with more than 70 titles under her belt. (No, she’s not a nonagenarian!) What’s more, she’s now got her own press and is an A-lister among micro publishers too. Creston Books has picked up over 20 major awards and starred reviews in the past few years. But the best news (for you!) is, Marissa is a shoot-from-the-hip, ex-New Yorker who is HILARIOUS. We started talking about how she handles her slush pile and were soon laughing our butts off (Marissa would have said asses). The gems kept dropping out of her mouth.

At a certain point, I said: My writers should really hear this. How often do we — did I in the days before I became a publisher myself — ever hear the candid truth about the publishing game? We writers are, if successful, but one part of a publishing team, all bent on winning, but nobody ever really tells us the rules! And doesn’t it stand to reason that if you understood the game, you’d have a higher chance of being picked for the team in the first place?

Marissa Moss, Publisher at Creston Books; Author of Amelia’s Notebook and 70+ other titles.

So I asked Marissa if she’d come talk to you via Zoom — 20 of you — at 5pm on Thursday, April 16th. We’d keep it small and intimate, just the two of us yakking about the writing and publishing life for the first half an hour to 40 minutes or so. I have things I’d like to ask on your behalf. And then we’d open it up to Q&A and I’d hand the mic around.

She said yes! At the end of the first hour, sadly Marissa will have to jump off, but the rest of us can stay on for some relaxed social time and keep discussing what we’ve heard. BYOB — or non-booze, as the case might be.

And if this goes well, we’ll do more free fireside chats and touch base with some of the many, many talented individuals it’s been my good fortune to befriend; writers, publishers, booksellers, editors, agents, the gamut.

But as I said, small and well behaved is what we’re aiming for, so first-come, first-served.

Sign up using the form below. I’ll either send you a link and password or a “I’m sorry, you’re too late. Be quicker next time.”

Regardless, happy writing!
Stay well.

Shirin

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