Podcast Summary: “Shooting the Shit About Sending The Elevator Back Down And Paying It Forward With Blurbs” The Shit No One Tells You About Writing – March 9, 2026 Hosts: Bianca Marais (not present in this segment), Carly Watters, CeCe Lyra

Episode Overview

In this lively, candid episode, literary agents Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra engage in their signature “shooting the shit” conversation, unpacking publishing trends, author etiquette, and the expectations surrounding blurbs—the endorsements writers give each other’s books. They share honest industry anecdotes, reflect on the etiquette of “sending the elevator back down” for newer writers, and offer practical, empathetic career advice for writers and agents alike. The episode blends practical insights with humor and warmth, making it a must-listen for anyone interested in the realities and relationships of the publishing industry.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Personal Updates & Listener Interaction (01:09–04:31)

• Carly and CeCe banter about watching themselves on YouTube versus listening to the audio, and joke about who gets the best “good side” for photos.
• CeCe poses a “mystery question” for the next episode: If you could sign any deceased author, who would it be? (03:13)
  • Invitation for listeners to comment with their own picks on YouTube.

2. Recent Reads and Reading for Pleasure as Agents (05:05–06:56)

• CeCe shares her delight in reading Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaughey, explaining she tried the audiobook but preferred the ebook to “highlight beautiful writing.” (05:35–06:55)
  • Quote: "The writing is just at such a beautiful writing that I was like, I can't. I have to highlight this." – CeCe (05:42)
• Commentary on how agents struggle to find time to read for fun, but it serves as market research as well.

3. Behind-The-Scenes: Offers and Industry Anecdotes (07:17–12:28)

• Carly describes the changing nature of book offers (call vs. email), noting editors now more often email, whereas in-person/phone used to be the norm pre-COVID. (08:20)
• Memorable Story: Carly recounts receiving a formal offer where the author's name was misspelled twice—once in the subject line and once in the body of the email (10:20–11:49).
  • She gently corrected the editor, prompting laughter and commiseration over name misspellings.

4. The Role and Etiquette of Blurbs (12:36–19:35)

• Blurbs defined: endorsements from other authors to help convince booksellers and the sales team of a book’s merit.
• CeCe shares her perspective as a former reader: blurbs matter, often influencing her book purchases (13:56–14:13).
  • Stresses the importance of returning the favor: "It's not cool to not reciprocate. Once again, yes, there are always situations where it's okay, but generally speaking, you return the favor. I think, you know, it is an economy. It is. People know this." – CeCe (15:15)
  • Shares a story of a famous writer refusing to blurb another after receiving one early in her career, only to later (after “talking to her publicist or agent”) reverse her decision. (16:01)
• Carly emphasizes the importance of established authors sending “the elevator back down,” i.e., supporting debut and less-established authors with blurbs (17:17).
  • Quote: “You never know when you're gonna need a favor from somebody else.” – Carly (17:55)
• Discussion of logistical challenges: tight timelines, digital/physical ARCs, and balancing many requests for busy, prolific authors.

5. Querying with Comps: Industry Trends (19:35–21:47)

• CeCe and Carly discuss trending “comp” titles (similar books writers use to describe their books in queries).
  • Wedding People and The God of the Woods are cited as current popular comps.
• High-profile comp titles raise the bar for sample pages; agents find themselves both excited and highly expectant.

6. Emojis, Audiobooks, and Listener Comments (24:06–28:38)

• The agents share highlights from YouTube listener comments, including favorite emojis and audiobook habits.
• Discussion about audiobooks: one listener speeds up slow narration, while CeCe “would never” speed up; considers it “blasphemy” (27:04–27:24).
• Lighthearted banter about Reddit threads mentioning the hosts—CeCe admits she looked when a friend sent one, but both agree they don’t want to regularly read online talk about themselves.

7. Self-Care for Agents and Writers (28:38–34:44)

• CeCe asks about agent self-care during tough personal or professional weeks (28:49).
• Carly distinguishes between compartmentalizing bad work weeks (trying to “ride the wave closer to the middle”) and personal struggles; her foundational answer is, “sleep and exercise” (31:29–31:46).
  • Quote: “The way that I think about this job is, you know, it's a career, it's a lifestyle. It's like, it's not something you dip your toe in... I need to know that I can do this for the next dozens of years.” – Carly (31:31)
• CeCe shares personal strategies: journaling, music (“transcendent”), and a technique she learned from Dr. Courtney Tracy — “confusing your brain” to reset spiraling thoughts (e.g., jumping in a pool with clothes on) (32:54–33:28).
• Both agree aging brings perspective: you’ve survived tough times before, you can do it again.

8. Print Media, Magazines, and Guilty Pleasures (34:48–38:20)

• CeCe shares love for magazines, both literary (Harper’s, Vanity Fair, The Walrus, Psychology Today) and guilty pleasures (Town & Country) (35:29–37:41).
  • She relishes “living in a world where people have private planes” through articles.
• Carly prefers design and lifestyle magazines: Architectural Digest, Dwell, Home & Garden (UK edition), seeking inspiration that doesn’t feel like Pinterest.

9. Listener Question: Why Beta Readers Love My Manuscript, But Agents Don’t (38:30–41:56)

• Paraphrased question from a listener: Why do beta readers love my work, but agents aren’t requesting it?
• Carly: “An agent doesn’t think they can sell it... I have to think, how am I going to sell this?... I’m not the right agent for it if I can’t” (39:14–39:49).
• CeCe: Beta readers aren’t salespeople—they give feedback on your work in isolation, “not really putting this work side by side against other works and deciding who wins a prize… it's not a competitive situation” (39:51–40:41).
  • Many beta readers are also not fully honest, tending towards sugar coating and cheerleading.
• Both stress that even the best manuscript might not become a book—most manuscripts don’t—and while this is hard, it’s the reality of the industry.

10. Lighthearted Close: Daylight Savings and Optimism (42:06–44:19)

• CeCe and Carly discuss loving daylight saving time for longer evenings, with CeCe joking, “Morning people always win, but this is the one thing that night owls get.” (43:43–44:19)
• They end on a warmly optimistic note, encouraging listeners to enjoy spring and keep writing.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Blurb Etiquette:
  "It's not cool to not reciprocate. Once again, yes, there are always situations where it's okay, but generally speaking, you return the favor. I think, you know, it is an economy." – CeCe (15:15)

• On Publishing Realities:
  “Something can still be the best version of itself and still not be able to crack through. And... you might have written your story to the best of your ability... and it's still not going to become a book. That's a really hard thing for people to hear.” – Carly (41:36)

• On Self Care:
  “The version that you've prepared for the future is everything that you've built... You're allowed to put the weight down because the future you has already dealt with this and they're ready to catch you in the future.” – Carly (34:22)

• On Daylight Saving Time:
  “Morning people always win. Everything is built for them. This is the one thing that night owls get. I love walking after dinner. Walking in the dark is horrible. It is dangerous... Love daylight savings. I love longer evenings.” – CeCe (43:59–44:19)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Start Time | |---------------------------------------------|------------| | YouTube & Good Side Banter | 01:09 | | “Mystery Question” (Sign Any Dead Author) | 03:13 | | Book Talk: Wild Dark Shore | 05:05 | | Behind Scenes: Offers & Misspellings | 07:17 | | Blurb Etiquette & Reciprocity | 12:36 | | Comp Titles in Queries | 19:35 | | Listener Comments & Emojis | 24:06 | | Audiobooks: Speeding Up | 27:04 | | Reddit & Self-Care Discussion | 28:38 | | Agent Self-Care Practices | 29:20 | | Print Magazines & Guilty Pleasures | 34:57 | | Listener: Beta Readers v. Agents | 38:30 | | Lighthearted Close: Daylight Savings | 42:06 |

Tone and Final Thoughts

Candid, supportive, and practical, Carly and CeCe mix humor and heart as they demystify the publishing industry. They never flinch from hard truths (“most manuscripts don’t become books”) but always keep community and encouragement front and center: send the elevator back down, be an honest beta reader, and remember that building a writing career—like being a good agent—is as much about relationships as it is about the work itself.

A must-listen for both aspiring and established writers, and anyone curious about the real, emotional, and sometimes messy business of bringing books to market.