Write Through It

An Insider's Guide to Publishing and the Creative Life

Kate McKean

• Publisher: S&S/Simon Element
• Year: 2025
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• eBook ISBN:
  9781668055557
• Subtopic: Publishing
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Discover what every new and aspiring author needs to know about the publishing industry and how to navigate all the complicated feelings that come with writing a book in this no-nonsense guide from literary agent, author, and creator of the popular newsletter Agents & Books Kate McKean.

Writers all want the secret to getting published: the magic formula for a query letter, the list of agents who will instantly say yes, and the perfect marketing campaign to hit “The List.” But writing is about so much more than the intellectual act of putting pen to paper—writers also deserve reassurance that the emotional highs and lows of writing is a normal, valid part of the process. And it might seem easier to focus on the nuts and bolts of writing books—word counts, query letters, and author platforms—than the messy feelings that accompany writing like doubt, fear, and hope, but the two things are inextricably linked.

Write Through It is a candid, actionable guide to navigating the rollercoaster ride of writing and publishing, both on and off the page. Literary agent and author Kate McKean has been educating authors and demystifying publishing for years in her popular newsletter Agents & Books, and now, in these pages, she walks writers of all genres through every stage of the writing and publishing process and its accompanying emotional moments. From the uncertainty of knowing when you should stop fiddling with your book and start pitching to agents to how to deal with the sting of rejection and the elation (and fear) of getting a book deal, Write Through It covers it all.

Drawing from her own extensive experience, McKean goes beyond the practicalities of writing and publishing to address the less-talked-about emotional side of the journey. This book is a must-read for any writer looking to understand the full spectrum of the writing life.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Introduction
• Chapter One: Are You Ready to Go?
• Chapter Two: How to Edit Your Manuscript
• Chapter Three: All About Literary Agents
• Chapter Four: Book Proposals and Who Should Write Them
• Chapter Five: Life Before and After Query Letters
• Chapter Six: Submissions, Editors, and How Books Are Sold
• Chapter Seven: How to Read a Book Deal
• Chapter Eight: It’s a Real Book!
• Chapter Nine: I Will Teach You to Love Self-Promotion
• Chapter Ten: Failure Is the Best Way to Learn
• Chapter Eleven: How to Write Another Book
• Appendix 1: Query Letter Examples
• Appendix 2: One Complete Nonfiction Book Proposal Example
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Notes
• Index
• Image Descriptions
• Copyright