Let's settle this once and for all: Can novelists use AI ethically? In this episode, 3x HarperCollins novelist Mary Adkins shares exactly how she's integrating AI into her writing process WITHOUT letting it do the actual writing. Mary breaks down three specific applications that genuinely enhance her productivity while maintaining complete creative control. From multi-dimensional research queries to cleaning up dictated manuscripts, she shows how AI can handle the tedious tasks so writers can fo...
Jul 02, 2025•16 min•Season 9Ep. 133
Ever wondered if you could write your novel while taking a walk? In this episode, Mary shares her honest experiment with dictation writing—how she wrote nearly half of her latest manuscript (around 50,000 words) using nothing but her iPhone and daily neighborhood walks. Mary breaks down her journey from being "dictation curious" to discovering a writing method that increased her productivity without sacrificing quality. She shares the exact tools she tested, the surprising learning curve, and wh...
Jun 25, 2025•16 min•Season 9Ep. 132
In this episode of The First Draft Club, Mary shares the best advice she’s ever heard about balancing writing with parenting, courtesy of Nora Ephron. If you've ever felt like you're constantly dropping the ball—on your book, your job, or your family—this episode will speak directly to you. Mary breaks down the concept of “glass balls vs. plastic balls,” how it changed her perspective, and how it can help you make space for your writing without guilt. Spoiler: creativity gets to be a glass ball ...
Jun 18, 2025•14 min•Ep. 131
In this episode of The First Draft Club, Mary Adkins dismantles the elitist myth that plot is somehow “lowbrow” or optional in literary fiction. Drawing from her own experience and actual Big 5 rejection letters, she explains why plot is essential—not just for publication, but for reader satisfaction. Plus, she shares her favorite low-pressure, free method for making sure your story works, no matter where you are in your writing journey. Whether you’ve been told your prose is beautiful but “the ...
Jun 11, 2025•14 min•Ep. 130
There’s one mistake I see writers make over and over again—and it’s the reason so many great books never get finished. It’s called premature optimization, and while it’s a term from computer science, it applies perfectly to writing a novel. In this episode, I break down what premature optimization looks like for writers, why it’s so dangerous in a first draft, and how it’s connected to the failure of a now-forgotten Google product (RIP Google Wave). I also share real rejection letters from Big 5...
Jun 04, 2025•13 min•Ep. 129
BIG NEWS! ---------- Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thirdrailpress/third-rail-press-for-the-untold-stories-of-womens-lives Third Rail Press: https://www.thirdrailpress.org/
Mar 12, 2025•11 min•Ep. 128
How much can you actually make from your book? Should you consider foreign rights or just stick to the US? What can you expect to make after your advance? In the season finale, Mary gets personal and answers your questions. ---- Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins
Feb 12, 2025•18 min•Season 8Ep. 127
Mary invited two fellow novelists and colleagues in The Book Incubator, Harrison and Autumn, to join her for a game she made up! Meet The Feedback Game: What would you do with X feedback? Revise? Move on? Freak out? ---- Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 8Ep. 126
In this episode, Mary breaks down her two best tips for making the revision process as fun as the writing process. ---- Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins
Jan 29, 2025•15 min•Season 8Ep. 125
Have you wondered why you have trouble making revisions even when you know it's necessary? Mary explores this phenomenon and shares her own struggles with loss aversion. --- S08 E03 How to Fix an 80% Good Book Getting Rejections: https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-xqce2-1750a3c ---- Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins
Jan 22, 2025•13 min•Season 8Ep. 124
In the first episode of 2025, Mary reveals that the best way to write a timeless book is to not try to make it timeless. ---- Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins
Jan 15, 2025•19 min•Season 8Ep. 123
What are the actual sales numbers for authors who get book deals versus authors who self-publish? Mary gets into the data—yep, hardcore math—to help you weigh the pros and cons (financially) of the two major publishing paths. -Free training on how much you can make on your book: https://www.thebookincubator.com/free-training -Blog post summary: https://maryadkinswriter.com/blog/how-much-do-authors-make ---- Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins...
Dec 18, 2024•26 min•Season 8Ep. 122
Mary shares the novels and memoirs that came out in 2024 that left her with the memorable reading experiences from a craft and writing perspective—ones that taught her something about writing or showed her something new about what literature can do. The books are (in no particular order): - The Wedding People by Alison Espach - Molly by Blake Butler - Old Enough by Haley Jakobson - Grief is for People by Sloane Crosley - Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker She wants you to know that Margo's Got Money Tro...
Dec 11, 2024•28 min•Season 8Ep. 121
In the last episode, Mary talked about how a 90% great book will get rejections 100% of the time. How do you make up the difference? Whether it's a 40% gap you need to close or a 5% gap, Mary shares her recommendations. ---- Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins
Dec 04, 2024•16 min•Season 8Ep. 120
Mary talks about why a 90% great book will get rejected 100% of the time...and how to tell if that's what's happening from the rejections you're getting. She: - Shares a sample (real) rejection letter - Discusses examples of a 10% gap between good and great - Talks about why this means you shouldn't give up, you should revise ---- Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@maryadkins
Nov 27, 2024•16 min•Season 8Ep. 119
We're back for Season 8! Mary talks about a newcomer to publishing—The Black List—and shares costs, benefits, and how it could potentially save you months (or even years) in your publishing journey. If you dream of publication but dread the long, uncertain querying process, this episode is for you. Show Notes: In this episode, I cover:· What is The Black List? Learn how this groundbreaking platform, originally created for Hollywood screenwriters, works—and why it’s now disrupting the world of fi...
Nov 20, 2024•21 min•Season 8Ep. 118
Don't fall for anyone offering you "global copyright" for a bunch of money. Here's what you need to know about copyright as an author and how to file. ------ Alessandra Torre Ink: https://ati.mykajabi.com/fearlessly-publish
Jun 13, 2024•15 min•Season 7Ep. 117
Authors are hiring their own publicists—but how do you know if a publicist is worth the cost? Mary shares the questions she'd ask. --- PublicityxChristina: https://www.publicityxchristina.com/
May 30, 2024•20 min•Season 7Ep. 116
Mary takes on the recent buzz around "Big 5" publishing being a waste of time for authors by sharing her own story and how she views authorial success. --- Mary's Blog: https://maryadkinswriter.com/blog/in-defense-of-big-publishing The Elysian Article: https://www.elysian.press/p/no-one-buys-books
May 16, 2024•24 min•Season 7Ep. 115
How do you find the right literary agents or publishers to query? There's one resource that's worth every penny (and this isn't sponsored content): Publisher's Marketplace . Here's why, and how to use it.
May 02, 2024•16 min•Season 7Ep. 114
How do you get feedback without letting it derail you? The risk is real. Mary shares the single criterion she uses in deciding whether or not to take a piece of feedback.
Apr 18, 2024•12 min•Season 7Ep. 113
In this short and sweet episode, Mary shares the secret to writing a book that's smarter than you (with some helpful words from George Saunders and Rufi Thorpe).
Apr 04, 2024•10 min•Season 7Ep. 112
In this sneak peek into the private podcast inside The Book Incubator, Mary and Rufi discuss what they label "Newtonian Narratology" (you think we're kidding!), a.k.a. why it's better for your characters to try not to cry than to cry, and why you might not need to learn how to write that one emotion you struggle to write, after all.
Mar 28, 2024•40 min•Season 7Ep. 111
Author of Thursday is the New Friday, Joe Sanok speaks with Mary about the neuroscience findings that can help aspiring authors finally finish their drafts.
Mar 21, 2024•41 min•Season 7Ep. 110
There are people online selling solutions you don't need to problems that don't exist. As a writer aspiring to be published, it pays to be savvy. Mary unpacks 3 of these myths so you can avoid traps.
Mar 14, 2024•15 min•Season 7Ep. 109
In this episode, Mary shares the origin story of her newest tool "A Novel in 52 Prompts" and shares the first 3 prompts so you can knock out your first 5,000 words.
Mar 07, 2024•20 min•Season 7Ep. 108
Mary shares two stories about what Tom Stoppard the playwright taught her about life and creativity.
Feb 29, 2024•13 min•Season 7Ep. 107
We're back for Season 7! In this first episode of the season, Mary walks us through her current daily writing routine as she balances a new novel, work, and parenting.
Feb 22, 2024•20 min•Season 7Ep. 106
We interrupt this post-season break to bring you a chat between Mary and Gayle Brown, an alum of The Book Incubator whose debut novel that she wrote in the program is out this week. Learn about her writing journey, what pub day feels like, and what advice she has for getting a literary agent. You can buy A Deadly Game at Amazon ( https://shorturl.at/gsvE3 ) or Barnes and Noble ( https://shorturl.at/nyF18 ), or leave a review on Goodreads ( https://shorturl.at/eopsG )....
Dec 14, 2023•27 min•Ep. 105
In this episode, Mary builds on the 5 tips for writing stronger dialogue she shared back in the first episode of Season 5. These 3 strategies will help improve your dialogue further. ----- Season 5, Episode 1: https://thefirstdraftclub.podbean.com/e/how-to-write-compelling-diagloue/
Nov 09, 2023•11 min•Season 6Ep. 104
