New Book Announcement!
Next January I have my first-ever non-fiction book coming out: THE HAPPY WRITER: GET MORE IDEAS, WRITE MORE WORDS, AND FIND MORE JOY FROM FIRST DRAFT TO PUBLICATION AND BEYOND!
This book is one that I started way back in 2019 (pre-podcast!), when I started to feel like the age-old stereotype of the cynical, grumpy, often-drunk author wasn’t applicable to me or so many writers that I knew – and trying to chase the idea that we must be suffering in order to create worthwhile art wasn’t serving us, our creativity, or our wellbeing. Now so much of what I’ve learned from personal experience and from interviewing other authors on how we can bring joy and personal satisfaction into our writing journey is going to be available in the pages of this book.
The official description:
If you aren’t suffering, you aren’t creating. Right?
Wrong!
Writing can and should be joyful, fulfilling… even fun! Applicable to writers in all genres and disciplines—from screenwriters to novelists, journalists to picture book authors, aspiring to many-times published—The Happy Writer is a heartfelt and optimistic guide that will show you the way to a happier writing journey.
Part craft guide, part writing coach, and part cheerleader, this book offers useful advice on a slew of common writing and publishing ailments, such as how to end procrastination, how to build a social media platform that reflects your personality, how to get your imagination to overflow with new ideas, how to listen to your intuition when receiving a critique on your work, how to overcome impostor syndrome, what to do when you’re stuck in the query trenches, and so much more.
No matter where a writer might be on their creative journey, Meyer encourages them to tap into their own personal sources of joy and to celebrate every milestone, all while confronting challenges (writer’s block! rejection! burnout!) with a reservoir of resources for every temperament, budget, and career.
Known in writers’ circles as a generous mentor, Meyer shares stories from her own writing path to help every writer discover the ultimate joys of living their best writing life.
I really hope this book will be useful to so many writers on their journey. It will officially hit shelves on January 28, 2025, but you can preorder today!
Preorder Links: Bookshop | Barnes and Noble | Indigo |
More purchase links at the Macmillan website.
Add to Goodreads.
Now that The Happy Writer Podcast has been on the air for over three years and has nearly 200 (!) episodes, we thought it was a good time to look back at some of our most popular episodes and also give you a sense of what’s to come.
The podcast has had over 418,000 downloads in the three plus years. That’s a lot of listens! Thank you to all listeners: those of you who have been around since the beginning and new listeners alike! We thought we’d highlight a few of our most popular and practical episodes.
Our top five most-listened-to episodes of all time:
Episode 1 – Using Improv’s “Yes, And” Technique to Co-Write Your Novel with Jessica Brody – Between Burning Worlds
Episode 60 – Loads of Craft Advice with Leigh Bardugo (+ Talk of Her Shadow and Bone/Six of Crows Netflix Adaptation!)
Episode 17 – Building a Writing Career with V.E. (Victoria) Schwab – The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Episode 13 – Persevering Through Rejection with Stephanie Garber – The Caraval Trilogy
Episode 80 – A Surplus of Writing Craft Advice from YA Fantasy Superstar Victoria Aveyard – Realm Breaker
We’ve been focusing on including more craft episodes, giving practical tips, advice, and insider info on everything from outlining, finding more time to write to querying, what happens after you sign with an agent, and beyond.
Our most popular craft and publishing tips episodes:
Episode 41 – An Editor Answers Your Writing and Publishing Questions – with Liz Szabla, Associate Publisher and Editor
Episode 91 – Tips for Landing a Literary Agent with Superstar Agent Jill Grinberg
Episode 125 – The Query Letter and Agent Search – with Joanne Levy
Episode 141 – Write More Words! Marissa and Joanne’s Top Productivity Tips
Episode 185 – Query Advice from Literary Agent Lucinda Halpern: Get Signed: Find an Agent, Land a Book Deal, and Become a Published Author
Episode 188 – Pro Book Marketing Tips for Amazon and Beyond with Franklin Goldberg of Amplify Marketers
Episode 191 – Answering Your Publishing Questions: From Query to Book Deal to Publication
And the brand-new episode that just dropped on that elusive life-work balance:
Episode 193 – 10 Tips for Better Writing-Life Balance with Marissa
“There’s not enough time in a single day to do it all. But most weeks, I can find that balance.” ~ Marissa from The Happy Writer Podcast, Episode 193
We’ve got many more authors and writing topics to come, along with a huge 200th episode giveaway. Make sure you subscribe to get the latest episodes when they drop on Mondays!
Need more writing inspiration? Now that my newsletter is on Substack, it’s easier to share informative newsletters from other writers, including past podcast guests, Amie Kaufman, Susan Dennard, and Grant Faulkner. Check out my recommendations (so far!) here.
Love retellings? And winning? So do we! Here’s a tease of a fun giveaway that will take place over on Instagram starting May 1st. Make sure you follow The Happy Writer Podcast Instagram account for info on how to enter!
Until next time, stay inspired, keep writing!
Marissa