Path to Print

Sitting down to write an age gap romance can be a little intimidating, but the good news is that you don't have to go full throttle with your first AGR. Let's take a look at how you can approach the age gap component in a way that goes beyond the existence of the dynamic and really looks at the internal & external impact it has on your characters.

Come LOL and get all the food for thought in the first Marope Takeover, where my mother and aunt share their definition of "age gap" as well their complex feelings and concerns when it comes to age gap romance. Their initial thoughts? Hard pass. It's a trope that needs nuanced handling to avoid putting readers in all kinds of quandaries, so it gets interesting quick! I don't know if Mariana Zapata, Carian Cole & Akwaeke Emezi will change their minds...

Me and agent extraordinaire Latoya C. Smith answer your questions about sample pages, the submission or acquisition process, and give our best tips for writing and revising your setups! We also talk about trends and why comps are truly not your enemy. 

Wonder what an opening chapters assessment can do for you? In this blogisode, I delve into the five reasons I think it's worth paying a professional editor to take a look at the first 20k words of your manuscript! While it's not for everyone, a light edit/critique of your opening chapters can teach you a lot about your book, and you as a writer. It's an under-tapped tool for growth!

We all know that readers buy books based on 3 things—recommendations, covers, and that all-important back cover copy. Join me and Silvana Reyes (@thebookvoyagers) as we talk about Q1 books we bought based on BCC and whether they lived up to their hype. And if not, what other books are giving the right vibes, and living up to that marketing promise? 

A transcript of this episode will be available April 3, 2022.

The opening to Netflix's Vincenzo is a case study in hooky setup that pulls the viewer through that inciting incident with great character work. Join me as I breakdown how the show uses the elements we've been discussing all quarter long to develop the character and plot in a way that makes it hard to stop watching. Did you stop watching after the first 15 minutes?

Join me and RM Virtues as we talk about the lessons he's learned since he published his first book, Drag Me Up. We explore how important it is to understand your learning style, and to discover/create a self-editing process that empowers you. It's all about finding your voice (on and off-page) and seeing your losses as opportunities for learning and growth. Plus sneak peeks at what releases he's got in store for us this year!

If you've ever received feedback like "Your setup doesn't match what you're selling in your query letter" or "the opening chapters of your book were telling a different story" then this episode is for you. Join me as we look at what acquiring editors mean when they say things like that and what you can do to better create accurate expectations for your manuscript.

This episode, me and fellow editor Ali Williams take a look at trends in the industry and discuss books that not only have standout setups but also really showcase what we're looking for in specific subgenres—all from the editor perspective. If MSWL and book reviews had a baby, this is it, so join us as we rave about books that have stuck with us!

If you struggle with writing or revising those key character moments in your book, or you're not sure how to identify an opening character moment that really sets the tone for your protagonist's internal arc, then this episode is for you! Let's take a deeper look at how you can use a character sketch to create more three-dimensional characters with internal character arcs that make sense and feel real.

Nobody writes African characters like my friend, Jadesola James. In this episode, we dive into what experiences she brings to her characters, and redefine what HEAs look like when your characters are unapologetically them. It's all about creating those experiences that call to a specific intended reader—if you know, you know.

Don't know if and why your WIP's setup doesn't hook readers, editors, or agents? This episode is all about how you can use your readership, critique partners, and other submission materials to identify where your setup needs work and the things you should do more of going forward.

Join Path to Print host Kate Marope as she talks about the top ten books (plus some honorable mentions) she’s excited for in the first quarter of 2022.