A new month, a new writing challenge, and a new lack of daylight. Did anyone else completely forget the clocks in (most of) the U.S. rolled back today? Instead of seeing any news outlet post a reminder, I saw a Boston influencer post an “in memorium” video commemorating our last post-5 pm sunset until March.

As always, thanks for signing up and scrolling through. I hope your pitches and/or queries land and the words flow this week.

Without further ado.

Libraries are struggling to stock new releases. As the largest book wholesaler distributor begins to close down, many libraries are reporting that they are not receiving new releases. According to the Cuyahoga Falls Library, they were missing 20% of their orders — about 1,500 books — before they cancelled their outstanding orders with Baker & Taylor. Many libraries are turning to Ingram or even Amazon, which recently created its own hub for libraries. No one supplier is equipped to handle the number of libraries that will need to make a change before the end of the year. (404 Media)

1,667. The number of words a day you need to write to hit 50k by the end of the month. In case you missed last week’s newsletter, Chill Subs has created a replacement for NaNoWriMo. Writing officially kicks off on November 3, and they’ve created a First Draft November Starter Kit to help you out. ProWritingAid also has its own NaNoWriMo alternative.

The gap between high schoolers and college students continues to widen. The Common Core’s definition of close reading — reading for metaphor, themes, symbols — should (or maybe used to) help students prepare for the college definition. However, when it comes to arguing what a text means and citing evidence to support their claims, students often fail. One solution might be to have students read whole books, rather than excerpts, in school. (Slate)

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Stop chasing trends. Seriously. By the time you see a trend taking over your social media feeds, chances are it’s too late for you to capitalize on this (if you want to publish traditionally). Publishing moves at a glacial pace, but it also plans way ahead; advance copies of books are available for request on NetGalley next summer. Instead, chase big ideas and a strong, fresh voice. (Erin’s Third Act)

Even romance sometimes needs suspense. Whether you’re writing horror or romance, every book needs a little suspense to keep a reader hooked. Suspense thrives on atmosphere and partial information — and always pays off. (Writers in the Storm)

Prologues can work under the right conditions. Most caution writers on using prologues because, more often than not, they’re poorly executed. When done right, prologues build suspense and intrigue, getting the reader hooked on the story to come. Award-winning novelist Maryka Biaggio breaks down why some prologues actually work. (Jane Friedman Blog)

13 little tricks to get some words on the page from Andrea Bartz. (Get It Write)

Horror Writing 101. Lincoln Michel has a new horror book coming out and, to celebrate, he’s unlocked his entire archive of horror writing advice. A great rundown to read through if anyone is planning on writing a horror novel this month. (Counter Craft)

So your agent is ghosting you. While ghosting is common, especially in publishing, literary agents should not be going a month (let alone months) without responding to their clients. Jenna Satterthwaite, literary agent and author, breaks down when and how to handle what happens when your agent disappears. (Author + Agent + Human)

SEO = visibility through page ranking. GEO = visibility through people talking about you. This is why things like earned media — organic mentions in news articles versus paid advertising — are more important than ever. (Captain Hook)

Photobooths, crafts, and media tie-ins: how book parties are setting themselves apart these days. If you want to have a book event go viral, publicists are learning that there are a few key ingredients a party must have. Often, this means trying to pitch sponsors to bridge the gap between what a publisher is willing to pay and the actual cost. Whether these parties deliver an ROI is another story. (Book Gossip)

Reminder:
I have openings + quick turnarounds on query letter edits.

Sera Rivers, literary agent at Speilburg Literary, will be open to queries from November 1 - 7. She is looking for “subversive horror, magical realism, grounded science fiction, grounded fantasy, speculative, and contemporary fiction that comments on social injustice. Please submit queries through QueryTracker.

Mark O’Brien, associate literary agent at Azantian Literary, is looking for “YA speculative fiction that comes to Welcome to Night Vale and/or A.S. King.” Please submit queries through QueryTracker.

Daniel Niv, literary agent at Oslwanger Literary Agency, is looking for more nonfiction queries. Specifically, she’s drawn to stories in the “Body, Mind, & Spirit space (witchcraft, occult, tarot and oracle decks, astrology, mindfulness, etc)”, plus “lifestyle, pop culture, self-help, and cozy, whimsical books that blend worlds.” Please submit queries through QueryTracker.

Natascha Morris, senior literary agent at The Tobias Agency, is looking for a “whimsical sentient house book” as well as “whimsical romantasy.” Please submit queries through QueryTracker.

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Reminder: Vet each opportunity before submitting.
Inclusion does not equal endorsement.

Culture: Sophia Murguia, deputy managing editor at Mother Jones, is always looking for pitches for Mixed Media, the print magazine’s culture section. “These are ~2,000-word essays that combine reporting, cultural criticism, historical research, and/or personal narrative. These are reported essays that make a clear argument using multiple sources.” She is especially interested in pitches “that have a strong time peg for our first few issues of 2026.” Rate: $1.75/word. Send pitches: [email protected].

Gaming Trends: Shannon Liao, deputy gaming editor at Inverse, is looking for “end-of-year pitches for trends you noticed gaming and/or reported features.” Rate: $500. Send pitches: [email protected].

Health + Medicine: Olivia Goldhill, new features editor at New Scientist, is taking pitches in health and medicine stories with “big ideas that change our understanding of a condition.” E-mail inquiries and pitches to [email protected].

Lifestyle: Alana Pockros, Associate Editor at The Nation, is always looking for pitches for their Sunday Substack essay series, The Weekend Read. These are “memoir, first-person narratives, and dispatches with a political throughline. These pieces cover just about anything as long as it is in some way personal.” Some examples are “getting an abortion, gender transitioning in Trump’s America, interacting with cops at a protest, getting pulled over at a border, etc.” Rate: $0.25/word. Email pitches to [email protected].

Lifestyle (Food, Moving, Travel): Mykenna Maniece, Associate Editor of Lifestyle & Entertainment at Business Insider, is seeking pitches for first-person essays “across lifestyle verticles like travel, food, fashion, and interior design.” She’s especially interested in: “moving/unique situations; life after graduation, retirement, layoffs; celebrity chef recipe reviews; winter travel recommendations.” Rate: starts at $200 for 600 words. Submit pitches through the pitch form.

Literary Analysis + Criticism: Typebar Magazine is always looking for pitches of “literary analysis, cultural criticism, and stories about typewriters.” They are especially interested in essays on “the mid-late aughts internet, critical reevaluations of cultural artifacts (ephemera or mainstains) from the 90s and aughts, and television, and less in earnest discussion of contemporary mega IPS.” Rate: $75/essay. Send pitches: [email protected] with “PITCH” in the subject.

Reported Features: Grant Rindner, a new editor at Playboy, is seeking pitches for “reported, narrative-driven stories with a unique approach to politics, pop culture, sex, health and wellness, and entertainment” geared toward men aged 18-45. Rate: $1/word. Send pitches: [email protected].

Open Secrets Magazine is accepting “original, unpublished, non-AI-generated” personal essays on your “current personal experience with food insecurity” to be published in their Finances section. “Priority will be given to those writing about their current experience of food insecurity and SNAP benefits in the United States,” but they are open to stories about/from elsewhere. Rate: $200 for 1,000 - 2,500-word essay. Please see submission guidelines.

PLAY, a queer food and culture magazine, is looking for pitches of stories that “explore queerness and being outside in all forms,” for the second edition. These stories can take the form of essays, reported features, poetry, short fiction, visual art, and recipes that reside at the intersection of queerness, food, and the outdoors. Rate: $300 - $500. Deadline: Oct 31. Please pitch through the submission form.

The Rumpus is accepting submissions of essays, criticism, interviews, and comics. Pay is $100 for prose submissions and $50 for poetry. Please submit through the pitch form.

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Blavity is hiring a temporary, part-time (up to 29 hours) Politics, Public Health, and Economics Writer to produce “compelling, timely, and thoughtful articles focused on politics, public health, and related topics that impact Black and multicultural Millennial and Gen Z audiences” for 3 months. You will be responsible for writing up to 5 stories per week (news, longform features, interviews, and reported pieces), curating questions for interview sources, flagging and filing stories, and pitching longform content and additional story ideas weekly. Ideal candidates have 2 - 3 years of digital news experience plus 1 - 2 years of experience working on environmental, sustainability, and climate issues at a digital news production. Rate: $30/hr.

Cella is hiring a part-time Copy Editor to be their “final line of defense” in “ensuring all published content is flawless.” This includes editing a wide range of content, including social media posts, titles, descriptions, and editorial pieces, as well as “coordinating copy flow and deadlines with editors and fact-checkers.” Ideal candidates have 2 years of copy editor experience and a “mastery” of Chicago and AP styles. Rate: $33 - $38/hr.

One of the best ways I learn is by researching and reading. Before, during, and after my MFA, I’ve read books on book writing, marketing, magazine writing, travel writing, and more. Here are the books that I still re-read after all of these years.

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As always, here are the podcasts I listen — and re-listen — to.