Jane Friedman's Blog: Jane Friedman, page 15

The curious case of fabricated book blurbs

They are inevitably blamed on “marketing errors,” which are becoming a new, sad fact of AI-driven marketing.

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Court rules that library-book decisions are “government speech”

The court found that “a library’s collection decisions are government speech and therefore not subject to Free Speech challenge.”

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On the List: Any Dumb-Ass Can Do It by Garry Ridge and Martha Finney

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New Simon & Schuster children’s imprint: Sarah Barley Books

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers has announced a new imprint, Sarah Barley Books, which will publish YA and middle-grade fiction.

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Links of Interest: May 28, 2025

The latest in trends, AI, and culture & politics.

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5 Reasons a Literary Agent Isn’t Going to Steal Your Story, Make Millions, and Cut You Out

Photo by Luca Nardone

Today’s guest post is by author and freelance editor Sarah Chauncey.

Anxiety can arise for writers in many different ways across the span of a career. For those querying their debut, it often manifests as fear someone will steal their story idea or full manuscript. The anxiety and fear are real and painful emotions, yet it may be reassuring to know this is not an actual threat.

Every year, I see social posts by writers concerned about the following clause in some agencies’ submission terms and conditions agreement (TCA). This one is from United Talent Agency’s submission guidelines.

I recognize that you and your clients have access to and/or may create or have created literary materials and ideas which may be similar or identical to said material in theme, idea, plot, format or other respects. I agree that I will not be entitled to any compensation because of the use of any such similar or identical material which may have been independently created by you or any such client or may have come to you or such client from any other independent source.

The writers bristle because they think this sounds suspicious. It is important to be careful about agency scams, but those scams aren’t interested in your manuscript. They’re after your money.

When writers point to this clause, they’re typically afraid that an agent or agency will take their manuscript, publish it as their own and make millions, while cutting out the original author.

However, in the context of a TCA for agency submissions, this clause is not a red flag. Here’s why.

1. This is primarily a TV clause.

It’s typically seen in what Jane Friedman calls “mega-agencies,” massive conglomerates that represent not only book authors but also TV and film screenwriters, directors, podcasters and more. It’s not unusual for an agency to use the same boilerplate language across all departments.

Here’s why that clause exists: To find an agent, most TV writers write spec (speculative) scripts for an existing TV series—say, Hacks or Severance. One purpose of specs is to show an agent that the writer understands how to develop and execute a story within the confines of canonical character, voice, genre tone and audience expectations (among other things, like act structure and running time).

In the case of TV spec scripts, writers are dealing with established worlds and established characters who have established personalities, relationships and histories—which narrows the potential conflicts (stories) that can fit those constraints. In fact, TV writers are told not to write specs for the shows they want to work on, in part because there may well be a similar storyline in progress in the writers room.

I first encountered this clause twice as an aspiring sketch TV writer in the 1990s. The first was a standard release before I could share my work with a William Morris agent. (Before you get too impressed, I was a hip-pocket, aka informal, client and never actually signed with them.) A junior agent submitted me for numerous late-night sketch shows, and for each one, as is the norm, I created a different packet of sketches that fit the show.

For Saturday Night Live, which hires people to write with and for specific cast members, I was told to write possible sketches for Adam Sandler, Ellen Cleghorne and Rob Schneider. The idea was to show I understood their voices and senses of humor. I signed another release in order for my packet to be considered. These comedians had defined personas, so it was likely other writers would come up with similar ideas. Not surprisingly to anyone who knows me, I was rejected.

2. Agents aren’t looking for story ideas.

Agents receive several hundred queries a week. While every agent wants to find the next New York Times bestseller, if your story and execution are that exceptional, and if they see an established audience for your work, they’ll probably offer representation.

Story ideas are a dime a dozen (maybe even a penny). Just ask any writer whose drunken Uncle Arthur cornered them over the brussels sprouts one Thanksgiving to tell them a story “you have to write” before swearing it will make the author millions, and he won’t even ask for payment. (Explaining the financial realities of the writing life to oblivious relatives is an occupational hazard.)

All of us love having written. But the writing and revision process are fraught with frustrations. This is one reason it helps to have an editor in your corner to celebrate your wins, encourage you through challenges, and help you improve your manuscript.

Agents are looking for clients who have wrestled with that entire process, who have talked themselves out of giving up over a span of years or even decades, and who have surfaced with a unique story told in a fresh voice.

3. Copyright protection isn’t what you think.

Copyright protection is based on the unique way in which a story is expressed. Although everyone has a book idea, very few people sit down to write one. Even fewer complete their manuscript, and fewer still put in the work to revise until it’s strong enough to query. If you’re querying agents and your manuscript is truly ready, you’ve done more work than 99% of aspiring authors.

You don’t have to actually do anything to protect your manuscript. The U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 states:

Copyright protection subsists, in accordance with this title, in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.

Your laptop, tablet, desktop, phone or even voice recorder is “a machine or device.” Your manuscript is a particular expression of a particular idea and therefore your manuscript is protected by copyright as soon as you write it.

If an agent sees potential in your manuscript but thinks it would be stronger with a few tweaks, they’ll likely ask for an R&R (revise and resubmit). It’s far too much work for an agent to ask one of their existing clients to rewrite an unsold book on spec.

4. Even in the unlikely event your idea or story were stolen, another writer’s execution would be entirely different.

Back in the day, I wrote and produced a sketch comedy showcase at The Duplex in Greenwich Village. One of my sketches was about a family where the father was obsessed with standardized testing, in particular the SAT—a concept inspired by my own father’s obsession.

At the time, I had an office at Comedy Central, where I wrote promos for series like Kids in the Hall and Mystery Science Theater 3000. I also used the office to work on the Duplex sketches. As I wrote new drafts, I tossed old printouts in the trash.

I moved out of that office to make space for a writer from MTV’s short-lived but star-making sketch show The State. A year later, a friend contacted me and said, “The State stole your SAT sketch.”

Here’s what I understand now: Knowing the vibe of MTV—my full-time job was at its sister channel VH1—I know that my writing would have been a terrible fit for The State, just as it would have been for Adam Sandler or Rob Schneider. I’m confident the MTV sketches bore zero resemblance to my original, regardless of whether they stole my idea.

5. Different people do often write similar stories at the same time.

In Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert refers to ideas as living entities looking for a human through whom they can be expressed. In her work, and in my experience, if one person declines to pursue an idea, that idea will move on to another person.

Many others reiterate similar themes. Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way talks about the artist as a channel for divine creativity. Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art and Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act describe the same concept in secular terms.

Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung is the granddaddy of this theory, that ideas swirl in the collective unconscious and we all have access to them. Therefore, two or more people might independently explore similar ideas simultaneously. This phenomenon is part of a pattern he called synchronicity.

There is enough for all of us.

There are enough ideas to go around. I promise. There’s no scarcity of ideas or of ways to express those ideas creatively. Pay attention to your insights, and original ideas will surface. In the meantime, go ahead and hit send on that query.

3 Keys to a Successful Writing Accountability Partnership

Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash

Today’s post is by romance author and book coach Trisha Jenn Loehr (@trishajennreads).

The myth of the solo writer is persistent, yet we all crave community. Very few, if any, published books are written in isolation.

I’ve tried the solo writer route, and it didn’t work. It was too easy to deprioritize my writing because there were dishes that needed to be done, or I was tired from my workday and just wanted to veg on the couch, or the writing was hard and pushing through that frustrating plot problem to make my word count goal was too overwhelming. I wasn’t accountable to anyone but myself.

So I reached out to a writer friend who was also struggling to prioritize her writing and make progress toward her goals (both of our goals centered around that ever-elusive concept of actually finishing a writing project).

Over the past year I’ve met regularly with a writing buddy to update and encourage each other on our writing projects. And we’ve both made more progress than ever before.

In one year of having a writing accountability partner, or “writing buddy”, I’ve accomplished more on my creative writing than I have in nearly a decade:

Six short stories writtenTwo submissions to contests and four submissions to anthologies or literary magazinesMy first acceptance and publishing contractPlanned and drafted an entire romance novelMade progress on revisions on an old novel draftEmbraced my identity as an author

My writing buddy re-outlined a novel project and discovered which elements of her story fit in book one of her planned series and which elements needed to move to subsequent books, did a revision of the first novel, wrote eight short stories, got her first publication, and even read her story aloud at the launch event for the anthology she’s featured in.

So how did we do this? By scheduling a weekly writing update email (and messaging the other for their update if it wasn’t in our inbox on time), meeting bi-weekly over video chat (also in the calendar), and giving written feedback on each other’s projects.

Despite challenging life circumstances that make writing even more difficult, developing a structured partnership with a writing buddy can help you make progress on your writing goals.

Three things contributed to our success as writing buddies: trust, scheduling and guidelines, and micro-goals.

1. Build a writing partnership with someone you know and trust—someone as committed as you are.

Writing accountability groups or critique relationships often fall apart because the participants haven’t established a relationship built on trust and shared goals (rather than competition) or they just aren’t on the same page. They might have different ideas on what consistency looks like or on what level of feedback to provide. Some participants may get more than they give, which leads to resentment from other members of the group.

Talk about expectations, feedback styles, and weekly or monthly time commitments before agreeing to a partnership.

My writing buddy and I had been friends for 11 years and sporadically encouraging one another on our writing journeys before we started our formal partnership and developed a structure for it.

2. Set regular deadlines and guidelines for connecting with one another and sharing updates on your writing life. Put these in your calendar and treat them as important appointments.How often and in what method will you update each other on your writing progress? Will you email or text one another? Will you meet in person or virtually?Will you share your word count goals and achievements? Will you ask for help outlining or brainstorming? Will you share craft or research resources? Will you exchange pages for feedback?

My writing buddy and I send weekly email updates on Sunday evenings about what writing we accomplished (or didn’t) the previous week. We also meet bi-weekly over Google Meet to chat about our projects, what’s working or not working, brainstorm together about our respective WIPs, set goals, and debrief about the most recent episodes of Survivor (which totally isn’t writing-related but is an important part of our friendship).

When we exchange pages for feedback, we specify what kind of feedback we want and when we need it by—thoughts on character or structure or pacing, suggestions to fill a plot hole, or help trimming word count so the story will meet submission requirements for a contest.

We also regularly text each other encouragement (there’s a lot of GIFs) or random updates (“Hey look, I’m actually writing!”) or questions related to our writing (“Do you think my character would react this way or that way in X situation?”).

3. Focus on achievable micro-goals that will move you both toward your macro-goals.

Big goals like multi-book publishing deals (a girl can dream!) are achieved through the many, many micro-goals we accomplish on the way—things like developing a personal writing routine, completing a story or a novel draft, sharing your writing with another person (scary!) or by submitting to a submission call (even scarier!).

Take time by yourself and with your writing buddy to brainstorm a series of smaller, achievable goals that match or coordinate so you can walk alongside one another on your journeys. If you have completely disparate goals, you might not be best suited for a partnership.

Word count goals like writing 500 words a day or 5,000 words a week can be wonderful. But word count isn’t the only way of measuring writing progress. In fact, focusing only on word count can sometimes be detrimental to your writing progress, because when life inevitably happens and your day job requires a bunch of unplanned overtime or you or a family member gets sick, that word count is unlikely to be reached. Word count may also go down during revisions, which doesn’t accurately reflect the important progress you’re making on your manuscript.

Writing progress can also look like:

Making decisions about a story or project—which changes to make in the next revision or even the choice to shelve a projectSharing your writing by submitting to a contest or magazineScheduling regular writing time or attending a weekend writing retreatReading a book related to your project or doing other researchSetting a deadline to complete a first draft or revision

Last summer, my writing buddy and I set a goal to collect rejections. And that meant we needed to draft, complete, and submit short stories. We helped one another research opportunities, sent our drafts back and forth for feedback, and sent screenshots of our submission confirmations—followed by screenshots of lots of rejection emails and one acceptance email each.

A writing buddy makes this writing thing way less lonely.

The crucial thing I’ve discovered with a writing buddy is the necessity of blending encouragement and accountability. I know I have someone in my corner when I need a pep talk because I didn’t write as much as I’d hoped to or when my story got rejected or my character is veering off my mapped story path. Sometimes that pep talk is a reminder of all the things I did accomplish. But I also have someone to give me a necessary kick in the pants when I am letting fear win and am too scared to hit submit or when I’m lamenting for the fourth day in a row that I’m too tired to write.

Knowing that someone is waiting for my writing update (even if that update is that I didn’t meet whichever writing goal I set last week) and is available to help me brainstorm through a writing block has been a huge help for me.

Perhaps a writing buddy might help you achieve your writing goals too. Can you think of anyone in your circle of acquaintance who you could propose a partnership to?

AI-generated summer reading list distributed with some national newspapers

Social media exploded this week when readers posted pictures of a summer reading guide recommending nonexistent titles by real authors.

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Book Sales Update: May, 21, 2025

The latest sales report from the AAP shows a book sales increase of 1 percent for the first quarter of 2025 compared to last year.

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UK production company launches book division

Somesuch plans to publish six or seven titles per year starting this summer.

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