Writer's Digest Presents

If you were to do a reading audit of the last year or two of reading, what would it look like? Do you spread your reading across various genres, or do you stick to just one or two? Conducting a reading audit can help notify which genres are missing from your TBR and which genres are surprise favorites for you—all of which helps with your writing.

In this episode of the Writer's Digest Presents podcast, managing editor Moriah Richard is in conversation with editor Michael Woodson about what conducting a reading audit did for her—how it revealed to her a new favorite sub-genre, how it has helped her writing, and more.

We spend so much of our writing time perfecting the beginnings of our stories that we might be neglecting the endings—and literary agents can tell. While it's vital to have a strong start to your manuscript to get an agent's attention, if you aren't able to carry that momentum through to the end, it can be the difference between getting representation and being told, "Thank you, but no."

In this episode of Writer's Digest Presents, editor Michael Woodson chats with literary agent Allegra Martschenko about how we can perfect our endings to help us land that book deal.

SEASON FINALE. With the new year right around the corner, it might be time to start thinking about your creativity in 2026. For writers, writing retreats offer uninterrupted time to focus on your craft, build your writerly community, and receive feedback from publishing experts.

In the season finale of "Writer's Digest Presents," editor-in-chief Amy Jones and literary agent Jessica Berg talk about why writers should consider writing retreats, what you can expect from the Writer's Digest Writing Retreat in Tuscany this spring, and more.

The Writer's Digest Writing Retreat in Tuscany is from April 7 – April 14, 2026. Escape to the peaceful Tuscan countryside to spend a week dedicated to making time for writing, improving your craft, and learning from publishing professionals, all while enjoying a taste of Italy!

Learn more and register here: https://writersdigestshop.com/pages/tour/writingretreat-2026apr-italy

Say you want to learn more about woodworking, but you're not quite ready to follow a how-to video on YouTube and just want to learn as much as you can about the craft. So, you turn to your local bookstore for the best how-to book on woodworking. Publishing has long been the answer to the "how" question of our hobbies, but writing about what you do for a living is a very different task than doing what you do for a living.

In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," Michael Woodson chats with interior designer and author Alexandra Gater about the process of writing her how-to book, Own Your Space, where she offers advice for other professionals looking to write their own books, the importance of the outline in nonfiction writing, her literary agent experience, and more.

If blood and violence aren't your thing, but you love a palpable atmosphere and aren't afraid of a few ghosts, gothic fiction is right for you. The gothic and southern gothic horror sub-genres exemplify the notion that no matter what kind of reader you are, you can always find a great book in any genre.

In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," we're chatting with author Carson Faust about writing southern gothic fiction, his debut novel If The Dead Belong Here, how to perfect styles of writing you admire as a reader, and more.

Buy the book here:
https://bookshop.org/a/14625/9780593830895