The Moth
The Moth
Arts
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
by Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra
Today: #118 in Arts on our combined chart.
Chart positions today
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Ranking history
History builds daily. We started tracking this show on the Arts chart recently, so the trend line appears after a second day of data.
View as table
| Date | Apple Podcasts |
|---|---|
| Oct 1 | #86 |
About the show
This is a podcast for emerging writers who want to improve the quality of their work and learn more about the publishing industry. Your one host, Bianca Marais (the bestselling author of 'The Witches of Moonshyne Manor') interviews authors, agents, editors and just about anyone and everyone who's involved in bringing a book to market. She's joined by her cohosts, literary agents Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra from P.S. Literary Agency, who read and critique query letters as well as opening pages in their Books with Hooks segment. Expect good advice, honest insights, and a few laughs along the way.
Latest episodes
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Insights From Imbolo Mbue and Patrick Ryan
October 1, 2026 · 59 minOctober is starting with a BANG. And this episode delivers. In part one, Bianca sits down with award-winning author Imbolo Mbue, author of the New York Times bestseller Behold the Dreamers, winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and…
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September Bonus Episode
September 28, 2026 · 1 hr 24 minIn part one of this month’s bonus episode, Emily St. John Mandel joins Bianca Marais to talk about Exit Party, the interconnected Mandelverse, and her unconventional writing process. She shares why she writes without a plan, treats first…
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When Hell Freezes Over
September 24, 2026 · 42 minIn this extra-special Books with Hooks, Olivia Haberman joins Bianca, Carly, and CeCe to workshop her upmarket novel Nobody Panic—and earns some seriously rare praise. They dig into what makes a query impossible to stop reading, writing…
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Shooting The Shit About The AI Creativity Loop And Book Emergencies
September 21, 2026 · 29 minCarly and CeCe are back for another Shooting the Shit. This week they are talking about the unexpected work literary agents do behind the scenes—from tracking book availability and rights reversions to using sales data to advocate for…
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Writing Insights From the Greats: Isabelle Allende and Jodi Picoult
September 17, 2026 · 1 hr 21 minBestselling author Isabel Allende joins CeCe Lyra for an incredible interview that touches on storytelling, creativity, and the writing life. From the difference between writing and storytelling to the power of discipline, research…
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Shooting the Shit About The End of Nonfiction And Immersive Trends In Fiction
September 14, 2026 · 27 minCarly and CeCe are back! This week they tackle what’s shifting in the book world—from immersive audiobooks becoming a “movie between your ears” to bookstores proving that reading and community are very much alive. They also discuss the…
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An Acquiring Editor on Books With Hooks
September 10, 2026 · 46 minThis week's Books with Hooks welcomes special guest and acquiring editor Kirsiah Depp. Together with CeCe and Bianca, she critiques two fantasy queries, shares what makes a query stand out in today's crowded market, explains why…
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Shooting the Shit About Advance Sizes and E-Learning Economics
September 7, 2026 · 48 minCarly and CeCe are back to Shoot the Shit about the money behind publishing—and why getting published doesn’t mean the hard part is over. They dig into why an author’s second advance might be smaller than their first, the complicated…