"You can't really pick what you're going to represent or what you're going to pitch based on what people are excited about today. You need to be thinking about what's going to be happening three years from now or four years from now.” – Emmy Nordstrom Higdon, Westwood Creative Artists Abigail K. Perry sits down with Emmy Nordstrom Higdon to discuss their career shift from a bookseller to a literary agent—and why both taught them how to predict the market. They also share their love for books by ...
Apr 27, 2022•49 min
"I think it's really just grounding your reader in the story, making sure that they are right up front aware of who this character is or what they want and what their goal is, you want to make sure you're grounded in the character and even a little bit of the world, too, so you know where your character is coming from, and then obviously use that to make a reader laugh or cry or pull at their heartstrings.” – Tara Gilbert, Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency Abigail K. Perry sits down with Tara G...
Apr 20, 2022•36 min
"Stories are what get us through, stories are how humans have encouraged one another to survive the dark times and given pointers about how to survive the dark times.” – Paula Munier, Talcott Notch Literary Abigail K. Perry sits down with Paula Munier to discuss her manuscript wishlist and valuable publishing insights, some including: what’s selling in the 2022 market, why there’s no such thing as an original story (and how to make your story unique), how to identify and capitalize on the sellin...
Apr 13, 2022•44 min
Abigail K. Perry takes an in-depth look at READ UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND by F arah Jasmine Griffin . In this special BONUS episode, Abigail uses the five commandments to analyze the structure in the first scene, and seven key questions every reader can use to determine if the first chapter will hook its readers. READ UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND is a great example of how to start a memoir that blends other elements of nonfiction books like history and art. The goal of these bonus episodes is to provide writ...
Apr 11, 2022•31 min
"If you don't know how to write characters that have problems and issues and you're actually not writing any human that's realistic, cause we're all at fault at some point, and you should always take that into consideration.” – Katie Shea Boutillier, Donald Maass Literary Agency Abigail K. Perry sits down with Katie Shea Boutillier to discuss her manuscript wishlist and other publishing insights, like: the importance of audio rights and how, as Rights Director, she sells them for clients, when a...
Apr 04, 2022•37 min
"Every time you pick up a good book, you enter someone else's mind, you see the world through their lens. And that's deeply exciting for me. I also think it allows for empathy, and empathy and kindness are the core components of a successful civilization.” – Tanya McKinnon, McKinnon Literary Agency Abigail K. Perry sits down with Tanya McKinnon to discuss her career and expertise with serious nonfiction, literary fiction, children’s books, and graphic novels. They discuss how books work as vehic...
Apr 01, 2022•38 min
“I'm rooting for Beth, as she prepares to submit her essay for consideration...There's this sense of, I may be insecure, but at the same time reminding yourself that you have value and you have worth…and can stand up for yourself.” – Abigail K. Perry on the first chapter in THE CHANDLER LEGACIES by Abdi Nazemian Abigail K. Perry takes an in-depth look at THE CHANDLER LEGACIES by Abdi Nazemian , a YA book and author represented by literary agent John Cusick . In this special BONUS episode, Abigai...
Mar 28, 2022•36 min
“Without any kind of moralizing or didacticism, I think that what kidlit provides is a space for young people to grow their own sense of themselves and their role in their community and their role in the world.” – John Cusick, Folio Literary Management Abigail K. Perry sits down with John Cusick to discuss his love for kidlit. John shares how he got into agenting and why his role differs from an editor’s role. He also discusses what makes a manuscript stand out at the query and commercial level,...
Mar 23, 2022•40 min
“Regardless of what POV you choose, a strong voice is necessary for great books, and it’s not uncommon for an agent or editor to pass on a story that lacks a defining voice, or embrace one that is exceptional. ” – Abigail K. Perry on the first chapter in TAKE IT BACK by Kia Abdullah Abigail K. Perry takes an in-depth look at TAKE IT BACK by Kia Abdullah , a book and author represented by literary agent Jessica Faust . Next to a query letter, the most important pages a writer needs to master in o...
Mar 21, 2022•44 min
“Authors who are marginalized are writing to a marginalized audience. And I think it's time that they be given the voice to write to all audiences. I'm really making it a mission to do that.” – Jessica Faust, Principal Literary Agent and Founder of BookEnds Literary Abigail K. Perry sits down with Jessica Faust to talk about her mission to bring more marginalized voices into publishing. She also shares her goals as a leader, including how she mentors the team at BookEnds so that they can continu...
Mar 16, 2022•47 min
“I think the reason to start here was because this is the inciting incident that led to all the madness that is going to unfold.” – Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman, Authors of GIRLS WITH BRIGHT FUTURES Abigail K. Perry sits down with co-authors Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman to discuss the first chapter of their debut novel, GIRLS WITH BRIGHT FUTURES. Abigail considers their book one of the most chilling and stunning debuts she’s read in the last few years, and particularly marvels at Tracy a...
Mar 16, 2022•29 min
“I think it's really important to be working with creators that have a really strong point of view, and they know how to communicate that point of view.” – Carly Watters, Senior Literary Agent and SVP at P.S. Literary Agency Abigail K. Perry sits down with Carly Watters to talk about her manuscript wishlist (#MSWL) and the role she plays in the agent-author relationship. From there, Carly shares her insights on the publishing industry and expertise that come from her eleven years working at P.S....
Mar 16, 2022•37 min
Welcome to Lit Match! This is a podcast made to help writers find the best literary agent and business partner for their writing and publishing career. Each week, Lit Match host, Abigail K. Perry, talks to a literary agent about their manuscript wishlist (MSWL), how they like to agent, and anything else related to publishing. Abigail also shares bonus episodes where she analyzes the first chapter of a book that the literary agent represents—written by an author and client who emulates strong wri...
Mar 09, 2022•8 min
