FAQs

Is there going to be a Beach Read or people we meet on vacation sequel?

Right now, I have no plans to write sequels for any of my books. If the right story occurred to me, I’d love to revisit any of those characters, but I think it would be doing them and readers a disservice to dive into additional books without a good reason.

Will there be film or television adaptations for any of your books?

Yes! Beach Read, People We Meet on Vacation, and Book Lovers are all in development to be films. Things tend to move very slowly on this front, and even once they are moving, there are specific guidelines for when you’re able to share that information. To be the first to hear any news, I recommend subscribing to my Grocery List.

Beach Read takes place on a lake, not at the beach!

Not a question, but I see this comment often enough that I figured I’d include it because a lot of you are really missing out. Please take this opportunity to google image search Lake Michigan!

Is North Bear Shores, Michigan a real place? what about sunshine falls, north carolina and Knotts harbor, maine?

No. The setting of Beach Read is very much an amalgam of my favorite western Michigan beach towns. There are elements of Saugatuck, Holland, Grand Haven, and others incorporated into North Bear Shores. The same goes for Sunshine Falls and Knotts Harbor: they’re fictional places based on several little towns I love.

What are you working on now?

My next romantic comedy, Funny Story, comes out in the U.S. on April 23, 2024! I’m hard at work on another book to follow that.

Can you give me some writing tips?

There are three tips that are my mainstays. As far as how to develop your writing, there really is no shortcut. To be a good writer, you should read as much as possible. Read things you like, read things you hate, and try to figure out what makes the difference. After that, you write. Even if you hate what you’re making, even if you doubt yourself, you write as much as you can, and you watch the gap between your taste and your ability shrink.

At first, a lot of us are prone to imitating the writers we admire, but as you write more, you’ll discover your own voice. Give yourself that time.

I’m a huge believer in finishing things. For many writers, starting a project is the fun, exciting part, but as we get further along, plots come undone, threads tangle, and fear sets in. There is no right way to write a book, but I’ve learned that for myself, committing to finishing a draft—even if a very bad one—is key. It is always easier for me to fix a book than it is to create one out of nothing. I recommend finishing the things you start, if for no other reason than to show yourself that you can.

The third piece of advice I have is a bit more amorphous, but in my opinion, the most important of all: Write what only you can write. Write what you want, regardless of whether you see anyone else doing the same thing. Don’t let yourself be caught up in trends (or frightened off by them, for that matter). Write what you are excited about and over time, learn to trust yourself and your vision. This is not, necessarily, a recipe for success in a traditional sense, but for the sake of your work, I believe it is vitally important that you disregard what other people say a book “should be” and make instead what you want.

I often think about my favorite television shows, many of which were canceled prematurely. Yes, if you make something exceptional or strange or unique to you, there is a chance it won’t find quite as wide an audience, but that doesn’t mean that thing doesn’t deserve to be made. Success in publishing is entirely separate from success in writing itself. Keep that in mind as you continue on your journey. No one else can tell you the value of your work, least of all someone who doesn’t understand it. Trust yourself.

Can you read my book?

Unfortunately, I’m not able to read any unpublished work at this time. If you’re a publishing author looking for a blurb, feel free to contact my agent. Please know that though I’m always honored to be asked, I often can’t deliver blurbs within the given time constraints.

How do I get published?

If you want to traditionally publish a novel (as opposed to self-publishing, which I have no expertise in), your first step is to sign with an agent. This can be a long, challenging process, so try not to be discouraged.

Start by researching agents who might be a good fit for your (finished) novel. You can do this by looking up comparable authors and finding out who their agents are. Once you have a long list of potential agents, research each of them and their respective agencies. Verify that the agent in question is, in fact, accepting new clients. Look for interviews with the agents or read their social media posts to see if they might be looking for a book like yours. Check their websites as well to see what they would like to see included in your pitch email. (Some agents prefer only a short query letter; some would like you to paste the first five or ten pages into the body of the email; some may ask for a one or ten-page synopsis; etc.)

Next, you write a query letter to pitch your novel. Jane Friedman offers a great resource on that here.

From there, you will send the query (plus any other content the agent in question has requested) through their preferred email address or contact form. Be sure to personalize each query to the agent in question, and let them know why you think your book might be a good fit for them. Do not mass email agents. Every message should be sent individually and addressed to the correct person. It’s also wise to only send out a handful of queries at a time, because if you receive no requests to read the full manuscript, you’ll likely want to rework the query before sending it to anyone else.

Querying takes time and patience. Some agents’ websites will let you know how long their response times tend to be. Others will inform you that no response within a set amount of time means they have chosen to pass. Try not to get too discouraged. Querying is a challenging part of the journey, but we’ve all been there, and the faster you dust yourself off and try again, the closer you are to reaching your goal.

Once you have signed with an agency, your agent will essentially repeat the process but with the editors she thinks will be a good fit for your book. Agents work on a standard commission (15-20%) and they only get paid once you do. No respectable agent will charge you a reading fee or for anything else, for that matter. If one tries to, you are likely dealing with a scam artist.

You can find more helpful information at Nathan Bransford's website.