A publishing podcast for every writer, illuminating the publishing industry with episodes focused on craft, marketing, business, and mental health for writers of all experience levels. <br/><br/><a href="https://waywordwriters.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">waywordwriters.substack.com</a>
Way-Word Writers Podcast
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4.8(17 reviews)
115 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸
58
Podcast Authority
BetaFairBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality86
Social0
YouTube0
Engagement77
Podcast Overview
A publishing podcast for every writer, illuminating the publishing industry with episodes focused on craft, marketing, business, and mental health for writers of all experience levels. <br/><br/><a href="https://waywordwriters.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">waywordwriters.substack.com</a>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
11/9/2023
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Podcast Authority
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Recent Episodes
April 28, 2026
EPISODE 110: Inside Today’s Cookbook Market with Agent Sally Ekus
<p></p><p>Way-Word Writers cohosts (Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer) welcome senior literary agent Sally Ekus of the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency’s Ekus Group to discuss the current cookbook market and how cookbooks remain viable alongside online recipes. Ekus explains how food culture has expanded opportunities for niche, concept- and technique-driven cookbooks, and why success still depends on exceptional, tested, clearly written recipes plus voice, concept, and platform. She addresses myths such as “everyone loves my family recipes” and “it will be easy,” emphasizes choosing the right medium, and suggests beginners study bookstore shelves, acknowledgments, and agents’ query preferences. Ekus outlines a portfolio approach to platform building and shares resources from her free Substack, including proposal guidelines and where-to-begin posts, plus advice on “coffee table cookbook” positioning.</p><p>00:00 Welcome to Way-Word</p><p>00:32 Why Cookbooks Now</p><p>01:08 Meet Agent Sally Ekus</p><p>03:07 Cookbook Market Snapshot</p><p>05:07 Online Recipes vs Books</p><p>06:22 Why We Buy Cookbooks</p><p>07:15 Only Three Recipes</p><p>09:28 What Makes Success</p><p>11:11 Cookbook Myths Busted</p><p>12:56 Should You Write One</p><p>14:16 Getting Started Research</p><p>15:29 Self Publishing Options</p><p>16:27 Platform and Pitch Strategy</p><p>19:11 Publishing Is A Long Game</p><p>19:28 Fiction Platforms And Publisher Risk</p><p>20:17 AI Disruption And Human Trust</p><p>21:32 Why She Built The Newsletter</p><p>23:02 Hyper Mentorship And Skill Sessions</p><p>26:12 Cookbook Structure As Story Craft</p><p>27:49 Proposal Guidelines And Where To Begin</p><p>29:38 Coffee Table Cookbook Myth</p><p>31:39 Books That Changed Her Cooking</p><p>34:12 Lightning Round And Farewell</p><p>Find Sally at JVNLA <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jvnla.com/sallyekus">HERE</a> and on Substack at <a target="_blank" href="https://notsosecretagent.substack.com/">Not So Secret Agent</a>!</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://waywordwriters.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">waywordwriters.substack.com</a>
April 7, 2026
EPISODE 109: Grammar as a Craft Choice with Patty McGee
<p>Hosts Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer welcome nationally recognized grammar expert Patty McGee, author of “Feedback That Moves Writers Forward” and “Not Your Granny’s Grammar,” to discuss grammar as a tool for clarity, intention, and voice rather than rigid rules. McGee explains why grammar feels scary due to shame-based schooling and “grammar police” culture, and emphasizes learning key sentence structures (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex) to shape rhythm and meaning. She advises that grammar focus during drafting depends on a writer’s fluency, highlights comma splices as a common issue, downplays strict comma-before-conjunction rules, and encourages intentional rule-breaking—especially in dialogue—based on audience and purpose. The group discusses distractions like repetitive punctuation errors, AI’s conflicting guidance, knowing oneself before critique, and trusting candid readers and copy editors, then closes with a lightning round on Oxford commas, fragments, adverbs, and starting sentences with conjunctions.</p><p>00:00 Welcome to Way-Word</p><p>00:32 Meet Patty McGee</p><p>01:38 Why Grammar Feels Scary</p><p>03:58 Rules vs Voice</p><p>06:22 Four Sentence Types08:30 Drafting or Revising</p><p>09:48 Comma Splices and Commas</p><p>15:00 Grammar as Paintbrush</p><p>16:38 Authors vs Copy Editors</p><p>18:41 Grammar Distractions in Queries</p><p>21:50 Where Rules Came From</p><p>23:52 AI Grammar Anxiety</p><p>25:00 Know the Basics</p><p>26:00 Writing Voice Choices</p><p>26:57 Audience and Genre Rules</p><p>29:01 When to Let Go</p><p>31:04 Lightning Round Grammar</p><p>36:08 Professional vs Personal</p><p>36:55 Where to Find Patty</p><p>37:22 Final Thanks and Outro</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://pattymcgee.org/services/grammar-instruction/">Go to Patty McGee’s website here!</a></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://waywordwriters.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2">waywordwriters.substack.com/subscribe</a>
March 24, 2026
EPISODE 108: The Art of Line Editing: Elevating Character and Plot with Author Jennifer Gennari
<p>In this episode of Wayward Writers, hosts Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer welcome author Jennifer Gennari to discuss the intricacies of line editing and its importance in the writing process. Jennifer talks about her journey as a writer and editor, shares her approach to character-driven dialogue, and offers practical advice for strengthening sentences. The conversation also delves into common issues faced by writers and teaching strategies to improve one’s manuscript. Guest recommendations for craft books and personal anecdotes round out this educational and inspirational episode.</p><p>If you’d like to read Heather’s deep dive article on this episode, you can find it here:</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://waywordwriters.substack.com/p/3ac9174f-13d1-462c-b555-ce89e15e386e?postPreview=free&updated=2026-01-26T23%3A46%3A24.888Z&audience=only_paid&free_preview=true&freemail=true">EPISODE 104 DEEP DIVE: The Art of Line Editing, A Guide to Polishing Your Prose</a></p><p>00:00 Introduction to Wayward Writers</p><p>00:32 Meet Jennifer Gennari</p><p>01:33 Jennifer’s Writing Journey</p><p>02:48 Books Jennifer Recommends</p><p>04:23 The Importance of Line Editing</p><p>06:27 Line Editing Techniques</p><p>08:18 Character Development Through Line Editing</p><p>12:35 Character-Driven Analogies</p><p>17:17 Avoiding Over-Polishing in Writing</p><p>18:06 The Power of Reading Aloud</p><p>19:31 Using Beta Readers Effectively</p><p>21:20 Common Issues in Student Manuscripts</p><p>23:04 Recognizing Generic Sentences</p><p>25:11 Polishing Dialogue for Emotional Resonance</p><p>27:23 Advice for Middle Grade Authors</p><p>28:54 Recommended Craft Books</p><p>30:20 Conclusion and Final Thoughts</p><p>Find Out MORE:</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.jengennari.com/">Jennifer Gennari’s Website</a> and Links to<a target="_blank" href="https://www.jengennari.com/books.html"> </a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.jengennari.com/books.html">Muffled </a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.jengennari.com/books.html">and </a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.jengennari.com/books.html">Stifled.</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/art-description">The Art of Description: World Into Word</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/art-description"> by Mark Doty</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://soontornvat.com/books/the-last-mapmaker/">The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://keklamagoon.com/">Kekla Magoon, Author</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.mattbell.com/refuse-to-be-done">Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts by Matt Bell</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/self-editing-for-fiction-writers-second-edition-renni-brownedave-king?variant=32116614889506">Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print</a> by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/renni-browne-1229">Renni Browne</a> &<a target="_blank" href="https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/dave-king-25968"> Dave King</a></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://waywordwriters.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2">waywordwriters.substack.com/subscribe</a>
115 total episodes available
Recent guests on Way-Word Writers Podcast
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Wendy Dale
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Gretchen Schafer
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Nicole Meyer
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Victoria Strauss
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Leslie J Wyatt
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Jamie Dalton
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