Deesha and Dawnie sit down with their own agents, Danielle Chiotti and PJ Mark, to chat about the publishing industry. What does it mean to be a white agent representing authors of color? What are the gold standards for blurbing? Where are the best places to find an agent and what are some common red flags with scammy “agents”? They discuss the significance of the agent-author connection, the questions that an author should ask of a potential agent, as well as what makes an agent say “hell yes” to a pitched book.

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Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned

Brian Broome
Nicole D. Collier
Tyriek White
Joseph Earl Thomas
Eileen Myles
In West Mills (De’Shawn Charles Winslow)
Decent People (De’Shawn Charles Winslow)
Co-Parenting 101 (Deesha Philyaw and Michael D. Thomas)
The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You (Maurice Carlos Ruffin)

More from Deesha and Dawnie:

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw)
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton)

Produced by Ursa Story Company

Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton

Executive Producers: Dawnie Walton, Deesha Philyaw, and Mark Armstrong

Associate Producer: Marina Leigh

Episode Editor: Kelly Araja

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[Free Teaser] Member Exclusive: Ask the Agents! PJ Mark and Danielle Chiotti on Getting Published