In the rest of this message you'll read: a plea from an incarcerated WriteByNighter; a question about bookstores & bowel movements; an announcement about an exciting seminar; some even more exciting news & success stories of your fellow WriteByNighters; a cool promotion available only to our email message recipients; and much more.

Enjoy!

A Plea From a Fellow WriteByNighter

One of our most dedicated and surpringly optimistic writers is serving a life sentence in a Virginia prison and needs some assistance.

Kyle Hulbert, with the help of his coach, Jules Vasquez, has recently placed work in two prominent magazines dedicated to mental health, Mad in America and Asylum. Now he's asking for some help to get attention on his work and some funds toward his clemency petition:

"My name is Kyle Hulbert. I am an aspiring writer currently serving a life sentence, and I desperately need your help. I have a Clemency Petition that has a very good chance of getting me home one day, but I have to draw attention to my case and I can't do that on my own. I don't have direct access to the internet; I rely on people like you to spread the word. Please, go read my profile. Please share it with anyone and everyone. The more people that see it the better my chances.

"My creative writing can be found on Vocal.Media. If I attract enough subscribers to that, I can start generating income that I can use to fund my legal defense.
 

"Please, I'm not a monster. I did something horrible 20 years ago, but I'm not a monster. Please help me."

If you've got a few extra bucks lying around, considering pitching in. Kyle's doing good things with his time, both for himself and for others.

Your Turn: Mariko Aoki

A few months ago I was in a bookstore when a person went into the bathroom. I happened to be browsing nearby. It's not like I was standing there taking note of fellow browsers' bathroom visits.

The shopper was in there a while. Is all I'll say.

The only reason I even noticed is because that after about ten minutes, the toilet flushed, and then I heard a shriek. The shopper banged the door open and then leapt (leaped?) out, which revealed, in the doorway, one of the biggest cockroaches I've ever seen.

One of the booksellers walked over, casually stomped on the thing with her heel, and then went back to whatever she was doing.

Here's the point: I won't assign any particular activity to the person who used the bathroom. But cockroach aside, it put me in mind of Mariko Aoki. Who, in 1985, explained to a Japanese magazine that being in a bookstore always makes her have to poop.

Science hasn't been able to identify an official cause, or even the existence of, what is now called the Mariko Aoki phenomenon. But there's plenty of anecdotal evidence. I've, uh, heard some of it myself.

I'm eager for more! So:

This week's question: Do you, upon entering a bookstore or library, feel the urge to poop? If so, every time? Is it a particular layout, or smell, or lighting, or sounds? And not to get too graphic, but... does it go away, or do you have to take care of it at the story/library?

Reply to answer. I'll run a favorite response or two in my next message.

"The Ins & Outs of Book Publishing" is Here!

Limited seating is available for "The Ins & Outs of Book Publishing," WBN coach John Sibley Williams's upcoming presentation. Among the topics John will cover in this 90-minute (or so) Zoom seminar are:

• Should you approach agents, publishers, or both?
• What are the differences between traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing?
• What are some publisher red flags?
• How do you find agents and publishers to query?

We're still working on some specifics, but we do know that the seminar will take place in early to mid-January, there will be a Q&A session and a detailed handout for future reference, and the cost will be only $119.

John knows more about the publishing industry than I can even imagine knowing. Aside from being an incredibly award-winning poet and poetry editor, John has worked as a literary agent and a publicist, and for five years was the marketing director at an indie press. For me he's been a more valuable resource than any publishing website.

Seats will be available on a first-come-first-served basis. Clicking the button below will ensure that you're one of the first comers!

WriteByNighters of the Month

We've got a lot of exciting WriteByNighter news to catch up on, so... deep breath!

Bridget Farr's The Truth About Everything (Flux) won the 2023 IPPY for Best YA fiction of the year! This is a huge award, and hugely awesome. Bridget wrote the book in coaching with David (i.e., me). Congrats, Bridget!

Tracy Coker won the 2022 Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award for her novel, White Yams. The win (out of nearly 1,000 entries!) netted Tracy a £1,000 prize and represenation from a SoHo Agency literary agent. Tracy worked with WBN on a full critique of the novel. Congrats, Tracy!

Bryan Miles's The Crescent Vampire is now available on Kindle Vella. And check out this awesome trailer for it. Bryan has worked on a variety of projects with us, getting some fresh eyes from Arielle K. Jones and Tariq Shah, among others. Congrats, Bryan!

Mark Goodman's It's Like Talking to a Wall is available over at Blurb. Do yourself a favor and click "Preview." Mark has worked with WBN on a variety of cool projects over the years. Congrats, Mark!

Ben Pick's Falling Through and Expanding Cracks, books 1 and 2 of his Into the Void series, have been racking up the stars. Ben worked on the series in coaching for several years with Resa Alboher. Congrats, Ben!

Deb Staunton's collection of poetry and short prose, Untethered, is now out from V Press LC. Deb worked on an earlier project with former WBN coaches Lydia Conklin and Justine. Congrats, Deb!

Sticky's Fantastical Adventures, Rene Cournoyer's series for children, particularly children dealing with ADD, ADHD, or autism, is available now on Kindle or in paperback. Rene worked with John Sibley Williams with some publication assistance.

Christy Bailey's short story "The Sharpening of a Knife" was published in Adelaide Magazine. Christy worked in coaching with Michael Bible. Congrats, Christy!

November Promotion: Two-Pronged Attack

It's almost impossible to get even a form rejection from an agent, much less a detailed response with feedback on your materials. So how are you supposed to know if you're on the right track?

These are the kinds of holes we're here to fill.

All through November, get targeted feedback on your submission materials from two WriteByNight coaches... for the price of one!

First, our staff literary agent will provide detailed margin notes on your query and synopsis and meet with you for an hour to discuss. Then, a reader chosen specifically to match you and your manuscript will offer feedback on your first 10 pages in a 30-minute consultation.

You get all of this -- a nearly $500 value -- for only $325.

Reply or click the button below to let me know you're interested. Offer runs until November 30.

Writerly Quote of the Week

"When someone is mean to me, I just make them a victim in my next book."

-- Mary Higgins Clark