Ep 74: First comes publisher, then comes agent, with Julie Chavez

In the latest episode of  Write the Damn Book Already, I spoke with Julie Chavez, author of the incredibly well-received memoir, Everyone But Myself   (January 2024, Zibby Books).

After Julie's life experience turned into a book idea,  she wrote 30,000 words and thought that surely it was a complete, publishable book. Newsflash: It wasn’t. But she stuck with it, and within a few weeks of launch, it became a USA Today Bestseller.

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

• Why being naive is the greatest gift for authors sharing vulnerable stories 

• Thoughts on why aspiring authors don’t understand the challenges involved in book writing (it's one of the things this podcast hopes to rectify!)

• Metrics authors use to determine “success” (including Julie's) + an exploration of the “machine” side versus the human side of writing

• How to trust when you've healed "enough” to write about challenges

• The lesser-known benefits of having an agent (beyond getting a book deal)

ABOUT JULIE

Julie Chavez is an elementary school librarian in Northern California. Her writing has been featured in Real Simple, the New York Post, and Zibby Mag, and she is the author of the USA TODAY bestselling memoir, Everyone But Myself. Julie lives with her husband and two tall teenagers in a house where she arranges her books by color.

CONNECT WITH JULIE

Website: juliewriteswords.com

Instagram: @juliewriteswords

Buy Everyone But Myself while supporting indie bookstores!  

WHAT JULIE’S READING NOW

The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

You’d Look Better as a Ghost by Joanna Wallace

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Podcast episode with Kristen McGuiness
• Lemme Focus Concentration Gummies
• Julie’s episode on The Shit No One Tells You About Writing podcast