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Writer's Digest Presents

Writer's Digest

Writer’s Digest Presents is the official podcast of Writer’s Digest, where we’re writers helping writers since 1920. Hosted by the editors of Writer’s Digest, this monthly podcast features interviews with writing and publishing experts whose insights will help ignite your creative vision, hone your skills, build your platform, and get your work out into the world. Join us on the third Tuesday of each month for conversations, interviews, book recommendations, and a writing prompt connected to our episode theme.

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  • 20 episodes
  • monthly
  • Avg 42 min
  • English

Episodes 20

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  • S5 · E8
    August 18 · 35 min

    What Is Literary Criticism? (featuring Grace Byron)

    When you hear "literary critic," what comes to mind? Book reviews? Literary deep dives? Discourse? Hot takes? Literary criticism has evolved over our long history of storytelling, and the role of the literary critic is both more broad and more nuanced than ever before. In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," senior editor Michael Woodson chats with author and literary critic Grace Byron about defining literary criticism, if authors should pay attention to critics, how to break into literary criticism, and more.

  • S5 · E4
    April 21 · 1 hr 14 min

    Reading Like a Writer with Amy Jones

    In February, "Writer's Digest Presents" managing editor Moriah Richard and senior editor Michael Woodson discussed performing reading audits and what they can do for your reading life. In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents", editor-in-chief Amy Jones is talking about the importance of reading like a writer to benefit your writing life. But what does that mean—to read like a writer? For Amy and Michael, it means doing a deep dive into reading the kinds of books they'd like to be writing, what they can learn from them, how to incorporate a writing process that encourages failure, why writers should completely reject AI, and more.

  • S5 · E3
    March 17 · 48 min

    The Fight Against Amazon with Bookshop.org

    Amazon's rise in dominion over the publishing industry is largely connected to the idea that convenience outweighs community—and independent bookstores across the country were shuttering in their wake. With the prevalence and rise of online shopping, there seemed to be no way to fight Amazon's power. But publisher and writer Andy Hunter had a different take. What if you could fight the rise of Amazon while also helping support indie bookstores? That thought led to Bookshop.org, an online retailer that directly supports indie bookstores across the country. In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," editor Michael Woodson sits down with Bookshop.org's CEO to discuss the importance of indie bookstores in culture, how COVID-19 changed the game for Bookshop, and more.

  • S5 · E2
    February 17 · 54 min

    How (and Why) To Do a Reading Audit

    If you were to do a reading audit of the last year or two of reading, what would it look like? Do you spread your reading across various genres, or do you stick to just one or two? Conducting a reading audit can help notify which genres are missing from your TBR and which genres are surprise favorites for you—all of which helps with your writing. In this episode of the Writer's Digest Presents podcast, managing editor Moriah Richard is in conversation with editor Michael Woodson about what conducting a reading audit did for her—how it revealed to her a new favorite sub-genre, how it has helped her writing, and more.

  • S5 · E1
    January 20 · 41 min

    Writing the Perfect Ending (w/ Literary Agent Allegra Martschenko)

    We spend so much of our writing time perfecting the beginnings of our stories that we might be neglecting the endings—and literary agents can tell. While it's vital to have a strong start to your manuscript to get an agent's attention, if you aren't able to carry that momentum through to the end, it can be the difference between getting representation and being told, "Thank you, but no." In this episode of Writer's Digest Presents, editor Michael Woodson chats with literary agent Allegra Martschenko about how we can perfect our endings to help us land that book deal.

  • S4 · E10
    Dec 16, 2025 · 27 min

    Why You Should Consider Writing Retreats

    SEASON FINALE. With the new year right around the corner, it might be time to start thinking about your creativity in 2026. For writers, writing retreats offer uninterrupted time to focus on your craft, build your writerly community, and receive feedback from publishing experts. In the season finale of "Writer's Digest Presents," editor-in-chief Amy Jones and literary agent Jessica Berg talk about why writers should consider writing retreats, what you can expect from the Writer's Digest Writing Retreat in Tuscany this spring, and more. The Writer's Digest Writing Retreat in Tuscany is from April 7 – April 14, 2026. Escape to the peaceful Tuscan countryside to spend a week dedicated to making time for writing, improving your craft, and learning from publishing professionals, all while enjoying a taste of Italy! Learn more and register here: https://writersdigestshop.com/pages/tour/writingretreat-2026apr-italy

  • S4 · E8
    Oct 21, 2025 · 36 min

    The Craft of Writing Horror (with Carson Faust)

    If blood and violence aren't your thing, but you love a palpable atmosphere and aren't afraid of a few ghosts, gothic fiction is right for you. The gothic and southern gothic horror sub-genres exemplify the notion that no matter what kind of reader you are, you can always find a great book in any genre. In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," we're chatting with author Carson Faust about writing southern gothic fiction, his debut novel If The Dead Belong Here, how to perfect styles of writing you admire as a reader, and more. Buy the book here: https://bookshop.org/a/14625/9780593830895

  • S4 · E6
    Jul 15, 2025 · 39 min

    Meet Cutes, Miscommunication, and Queer Romance with Chip Pons

    The conversation around publishing journeys is often binary: You either try traditionally publishing or choose self-publishing. But the reality for many authors is a combination of both. Author Chips Pons self-published his debut novel, You & I, Rewritten, in 2022. Now, he returns to bookshelves with her second novel, and first traditionally published, Winging It with You. In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," we chat with Chip about all things romance, from writing the will-they-won't-they scenes to infusing genuine miscommunication that everyone can relate to.

  • S4 · E4
    May 20, 2025 · 33 min

    Writing Fiction Based On Your Life (with Jessica Berg)

    How do you write what you know? By writing fiction based on your life. This doesn't mean writing memoir or simply changing the names of the people in your life: It could be a passing comment you hear at the bus stop, or someone's missing shoe you notice in the street, or it could even just be a feeling from a time in your life..the list goes on and on! In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," editor Michael Woodson sits down with author and literary agent Jessica Berg about how to write fiction based on your life, how you can find inspiration everywhere, how to mine your life for story ideas in real time, and more.

  • S4 · E1
    Feb 18, 2025 · 40 min

    Getting Started In Screenwriting

    Learn the ins and outs of the screenwriting process with Script magazine's editor-in-chief Sadie Dean.

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes