Episode Overview

Podcast: The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
Episode: Shooting The Shit: About book blurb culture, how to sell a book in a “tough category” and the Anthropic Settlement
Hosts: Carly Watters, CeCe Lyra, Bianca Marais
Air Date: September 15, 2025

This episode, one of the hosts’ “Shooting the Shit” candid roundtables, dives into three major topics in the contemporary writing and publishing landscape: the evolving culture of book blurbs, navigating how to sell books in so-called “tough categories” (like memoir and essay collections), and the latest on the legal settlement between authors and the AI company Anthropic. The hosts blend industry gossip, actionable advice, and frank discussions about working conditions for both writers and publishing professionals.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Agent Offer Windows: The Anxiety of Rapid-Fire Representation

Timestamps: [07:59] – [12:43]

• Short Windows for Agent Offers: The hosts reflect on growing reports that some literary agents are giving prospective clients only 24 hours—or even less—to decide whether to accept representation. This is well outside the industry standard (usually 10-14 days).
  • CeCe shares DMs and anecdotes about authors feeling pressured and anxious, and notes reports coming in about multiple agents, not just one, behaving this way.
  • Quote: “There’s one agent who offered on the phone and said that the person had to decide on the spot.” (CeCe, [09:30])
  • Both agree: This is predatory and not industry standard. Authors should be wary, trust their gut, and expect at least 2 weeks to decide.
  • “If something feels wrong, listen to those gut feelings.” (Carly, [12:16])

2. Book Blurb Culture: Purpose, Pitfalls, and Realities

Timestamps: [12:43] – [27:20]

a. Pre-Written Blurbs & Marketing Manipulation

• Nonfiction: It’s common for publicists or editors to send busy authors pre-written blurb options to speed up the process.
  • “99% of the time, nonfiction… Prewritten blurbs on the fiction side, haven’t seen it.” (CeCe, [13:59])
• Fiction: Pre-written blurbs are less common, as literary authors care deeply about their word choice.

b. Soliciting Blurbs: Awkwardness and Economy

• Cold-calling admired authors can be awkward but is a normal part of publishing; etiquette is to involve your agent and publisher in the process.
• “This is all done generally in conversation with your publisher and your agent.” (Carly, [15:20])
• Blurbs are often transactional—authors give a blurb now, knowing a favor will be returned later.
  • “It’s an economy on both sides.” (CeCe, [19:17])

c. Blurbs’ Actual Value

• Huge names on a blurb don’t guarantee sales; sometimes, even a “hot” blurb can’t move a book.
  • “Having a really big blurb doesn’t actually guarantee anything.” (CeCe, [17:23])
• Nonfiction blurbs are about credibility; fiction blurbs can be more about social signaling.
• “Fiction blurbs, like sucking up to each other. Nonfiction blurbs are about credibility.” (Paraphrased from listener feedback, [18:42])

d. The Blurb “Game”: Who or What Matters?

• The who generally trumps the what: “Who blurbs it or what they say?” “Who, because the what is always positive. No one prints a bad blurb.” (CeCe, [23:41])
• Clever work-arounds include securing a blurb that uses a viral comp (e.g., “for fans of Lessons in Chemistry”), as publishers can print blurbs with book comparisons even if they can’t make that claim themselves.

e. Author Fatigue & Industry Attitudes

• Even bestselling authors are weary of blurb requests.
  • “Make it go away,” reports one big-name author via Carly, [23:09].
• Blurbs are necessary but low on the scale of publishing’s injustices:
  • “Blurbs are annoying, guys, we get it, but you need them… On the list, it’s actually quite benign.” (CeCe, [25:54])

3. Anthropic Settlement: The Latest AI vs. Authors Case

Timestamps: [27:21] – [33:54]

• Overview: Anthropic, an AI company, used books (sometimes pirated) to train its large language models. Authors sued, leading to a proposed $1.5 billion settlement.
• Court’s Decision: Using books for model training is generally fair use; using pirated books is not.
• Hurdles to Settlement: The court has yet to approve the agreement, with the judge expressing concerns over logistical complexity (“how are we going to disseminate this money to all these authors?” – Carly, [30:19]).
• Lingering Concerns: Even if it goes through, the principles allowing AI to use books for training remain.
  • “AI can use books, at least as of right now, to train their LLMs. This is just giving Anthropic a clean bill of health.” (Carly and CeCe, [32:11])
  • “The genie can’t go back in the bottle.” (CeCe, [33:28])
• Action Item: Stay informed (“We really encourage everybody to look at where they’re getting their knowledge from, subscribe to newsletters…” Carly, [33:32])

4. What Sells (and Doesn’t) in “Tough Categories”: Insights from Industry Leaders

Timestamps: [33:56] – [53:33]

a. Know What’s Selling

• “If you want to be a student of this, go to the bestseller list. There’s no shortcut.” (Carly, [33:56])
• Major successes break out everywhere — from commercial fiction to mind/body/spirit to platform-driven nonfiction.

b. Shooting Straight about Memoir & Essay Collections

• Based on Aaliyah Hannah Habib’s Substack Delivery and Acceptance (“Tough categories: Five top Book editors on Publishing Memoir and Essay Collection”), the hosts highlight key industry truths:
  • Voice Is Everything: “A writer’s voice should leave a mark, just like an honest conversation does.” (Hillary Redmond, quoted by Carly, [38:16])
  • Experience ≠ Storytelling: Extraordinary experience is not enough; narrative craft is what matters. “Everyone probably has a story inside of them. Not everyone is a storyteller, though.” (CeCe, [41:04])
  • Editor “Electric Shock” Response: Great manuscripts cause a physical jolt. “There’s like a sizzling in the veins.” (Carly, [42:43])

c. Commerce vs. Art

• Editors are in the “business of trying to convince people they should spend $30 of their hard-earned dollars...” (Maria Goldberg, [42:50])
• Genre fatigue is real: “There are more people trying to write memoir than actually read it.”

d. Reader Attention & Competition

• “Our industry... is finding it increasingly challenging to captivate readers.” (Kate Napolitano, [45:26])
• With endless digital distraction, books require unmatched attention and a reason for people to pay for deeper engagement.

e. Don’t Count on Fandoms for Sales

• “If you write an essay collection about Survivor, it needs to tell me something about Survivor that I don’t already know.” (Maria Goldberg, [47:39])
• Just because people love a show, topic, or influencer, doesn’t mean they’ll buy a related book.

f. Nonfiction Platforms: Bring Your Own Audience

• Editors expect authors to help with discoverability; you need to already have some platform or ‘asset’ for discovery.
  • “You have to bring the audience. You have to bring the readers.” (CeCe, [49:26])
  • “What do [publishers] actually do then?” — a common (if exasperated) author refrain.

g. The Harshest Reality for Memoirists

• “Most writers aren’t creating work that’s as distinctive as they think it is... I don’t expect the theme or subjects to be revelatory, but I do expect the writer’s approach to be.” (Rekia Clark, quoted by Carly, [50:30])
• CeCe: “All the applause for your healing journey, but that’s not unique. Format it in a way that is curiosity inducing, or it just won’t stand out.” ([51:18])

h. Overarching Theme: It’s On the Writer

• “It’s the writer that makes the book… It’s on you to write it.” (Carly, [52:30])
• CeCe encourages positivity: “I hope… this feels empowering to you. You hold the power… invest in your craft…” ([53:06])

Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• On Agent Offers:
  • “Authors who shared the anxiety… could see their rational brains competing with their emotional brains… 'What if that’s my only offer?' [That] is just so, again, so predatory and not okay.”
    (CeCe, [10:00])
• On Blurb Culture:
  • “It's an economy... I'm going to [blurb] because I need them to blurb my book next fall.”
    (CeCe, [19:17])
  • “Even if people say [blurbs] don’t matter, you need at least one on the Amazon page.”
    (Carly, [25:33])
• On Memoir Expectations:
  • “Just because you lived it doesn’t mean it’s a compelling book.”
    (CeCe, [41:04])
  • “Most writers aren’t creating work that’s as distinctive as they think it is… I do expect the writer’s approach to be.”
    (Rekia Clark, [50:30])
• On the AI Settlement:
  • “AI can use books, at least as of right now, to train their LLMs… The genie can’t go back in the bottle.”
    (CeCe, [33:28])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Agent Offer Practices: [07:59] – [12:43]
• Book Blurb Culture Deep Dive: [12:43] – [27:20]
• Anthropic Settlement (AI vs. Authors): [27:21] – [33:54]
• Book Sales, Categories, and Memoir Insights: [33:56] – [53:33]

Final Thoughts

The hosts maintain their signature blend of candor, warmth, and tough love, making this a must-listen for writers who want an honest look at what it takes to stand out—whether you’re querying an agent, pitching your memoir, or grappling with technology’s impact on authorship. They remind listeners: invest in your craft, build your network, and stay savvy—because in today’s climate, no one will champion your work if you don’t learn how to champion it yourself.

For writers: Stay curious, stay connected, and remember—publishing’s only certainty is change. The rest is up to you.