Writers With Wrinkles

Your graphic novel isn't a novel. It's a screenplay, and editors can tell from page one whether you know the difference. First Second Books editor Ivan Taurisano explains how to write and submit a graphic novel script that gets read.
Kids ages 8 to 12 head straight for the graphic novel shelf, and prose writers are trying to follow them there. But Ivan says a submission that misses the format doesn't just earn a "not for me." It can earn a "don't send me your next one." Here's what he wants you to know before you write a single panel.
In this episode:
Why writing a graphic novel is closer to writing a screenplay than a prose novel
Revealing character through dialogue alone (no "she looked wistfully at the ocean")
Why editors talk page count, not word count, and the "70,000-word graphic novel" red flag
What to submit for a script-only project vs. an author and illustrator team: script, pitch, synopsis, and 20–30 sample pages
How much art direction is too much, and the one question to ask before you leave an art note
Why illustrators usually earn more than writers
The biggest mistake Ivan sees: art that doesn't match the audience you're pitching
Why kids who read "slightly above their level" become lifelong readers
Adult graphic novels and First Second's sister imprint, 23rd Street
Ivan's manuscript wishlist:
Middle grade graphic novels about girl friendship that capture how big those fights and bonds feel at 10, 11, and 12
Dragons
Early reader graphic novels for ages 4–7, 64–96 pages, any topic
Stories with fresh magic systems
A joyful, new take on the immigrant journey that shows the excitement, not only the hardship
Ivan's inbox (ivan.taurisano@firstsecondbooks.com) is open to agented and unagented creators, and he gives feedback when he passes. 
Books and resources mentioned:
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (Ivan's must-read before you write a graphic novel)
The Investigators by John Patrick Green
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey
Pizza and Taco
Narwhal and Jelly
Parachute Kids
Tuck Everlasting (graphic novel adaptation)
Clara and the Devil
How to Catch Santa Claus (How to Catch series)
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Hit play, then grab a graphic novel for the age group you want to write for. Follow Writers With Wrinkles so you don't miss our next Ask Beth and Lisa episode, and send us your questions!
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We just turned 150+ episodes of hard-won publishing wisdom into one book — and it's finally here. Write, Revise, Publish: Essential Lessons from the Writers With Wrinkles Podcast is up for pre-order now, and today Beth and Lisa are pulling back the curtain on why they wrote it, what's inside, and how it can save you from making the same missteps they did.
If you've ever finished a podcast episode thinking "that's such a good tip" — and then completely forgotten it by the next day — this book is the fix. Beth and Lisa gathered the best insight from over five years and 150+ conversations with agents, editors, and authors, organized it by where you are in your process (first draft through published book), and added end-of-chapter worksheets so you can actually use it, not just read it. Plus: they're launching a brand-new segment called the Confetti Club, where debut and new-release authors get the mic to pitch their own books — no interview pressure, just celebration.
In this episode:
The cover reveal for their new book, Write, Revise, Publish: Essential Lessons from the Writers With Wrinkles Podcast
Why they built the book around 150+ episodes of guest wisdom instead of just their own opinions
How the book is organized so there's a spot for you whether you're drafting, revising, querying, or publishing
The personal (and often embarrassing) asides from Beth and Lisa woven into every chapter
End-of-chapter worksheets designed to turn the book into a practical writing tool, not just a read
Introducing the Confetti Club — a new short-form segment spotlighting authors with books releasing within 30 days
Who's lined up for the first three Confetti Club episodes
A teaser for a third big announcement — coming next month
Release date, pre-order details, and (of course) a Taylor Swift tangent
Pre-order Write, Revise, Publish on Amazon now — it releases in ebook and paperback on October 6th. And if you've got a book coming out in the next 30 days, keep an eye out: the Confetti Club wants to celebrate you too.
Hit play, and let's dive in. And if you love the show, a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts takes two minutes and helps us keep ironing out the wrinkles every week.
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Harry Potter didn't just create a fantasy phenomenon — according to one Big Five editor, it quietly helped break middle grade publishing. Every book that tried to chase that success got longer, older, and harder for actual kids to read, and now imprints are shutting down because of it.
In this encore episode, literary agent, bestselling children's author, and founder of At-Home Author Vicki Weber breaks down what's really happening in publishing right now — the layoffs, the imprint closures, and why "everybody's throwing spaghetti at the wall." Then she gets tactical: her #1 piece of advice for authors in the query trenches (hint: it's not "wait for The One agent"), how to read between the lines of an agent's wishlist, and why chasing a "dream agent" is quietly sabotaging your confidence.
In this episode:
The real story behind Vicki's viral Substack post on the state of middle grade
The "Harry Potter theory" — how one runaway bestseller reshaped an entire category
Why editors loving your book is only the beginning, not the end, of acquisitions
Vicki's #1 tip for querying authors: write another book (and why the process isn't a straight line)
How to research an agent's actual taste, not just their stated genres
Why "my dream agent passed" is the wrong way to think about rejection
Self-publishing vs. traditional: how to decide which is right for your book
What to do about a "bad" sales track record (and how to reframe it)
Simple, low-cost ways to build an email list and audience before you're published
Vicki's current manuscript wishlist: horror-tinged, commercial, with social commentary
We had a new guest lined up for this week, but a family emergency meant we had to reschedule — so we're bringing back one of our favorite conversations instead.
Find Vicki's Substack and more show links in the notes at writerswithwrinkles.net.
Hit play and let's get to it!
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Most rejected picture book and middle grade manuscripts aren't turned down because they're bad — they're turned down because an editor has already seen five just like them. Susan Marston, the new editorial director of Albatros Books' US expansion (and former 25-year editorial director of the Junior Library Guild), joins us to lay out exactly what's landing on her acquisitions list right now — and what's already been done to death.
We talk about why Albatros — the largest publisher in the Czech Republic — is betting big on the American market, what makes a manuscript feel "irresistible" to an editor who's read literally thousands of submissions, and why she thinks the industry needs way more funny books, shorter word counts, and readers who aren't just "a boy and a girl who are best friends." Susan also gets specific about the exact gaps she's trying to fill: mysteries that go beyond the Sherlock-and-sidekick formula, horror-lite for middle grade, memoir, magical realism, and chapter books that actually try something new.
If you write for kids, this is the episode where an active acquiring editor tells you, out loud, what she wants to see land in her inbox.
In this episode:
Why Albatros Books chose now to expand into the US market
What "fun nonfiction" means as an acquisitions strategy
The gap in chapter books Susan is actively trying to fill
Why humor is one of the hardest — and most underrated — things to acquire
Her take on the "boy and girl best friends" trope in middle grade, and why it's fading
Why she'd take a great 200-page book over another 400-page epic any day
Where to send your submission (and what she's hoping lands in that inbox)
Submissions: Albatros Books is actively acquiring picture books and chapter books from North American authors. Submission guidelines are on their website — send yours to submissions@albatrosbooks.com.
Hit play, grab a pencil, and get ready to take notes — then head to writerswithwrinkles.net for the full breakdown and links mentioned in this episode.
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AI companies are shredding rare books to train their models—and now authors are the ones being told to prove they didn't use AI to write their own. Beth and Lisa unpack the double standard rocking publishing right now.
From a debut novelist's multi million dollar book deal getting pulled over AI suspicion, to writers being told to reinsert typos and kill their em dashes just to "prove" they're human, the burden of proof has landed on exactly the wrong people. Beth and Lisa dig into who gets accused (and who conveniently doesn't), why the "nudge theory" behind blue recycling bins explains what's really happening here, and why voting with your dollars might be the only leverage writers have left. Plus: the AI-sounding conference invite that had Lisa convinced she was being scammed — until it wasn't.
Here is the content Lisa references: 
1) Any AI use can never be completely “safe” but using for research, brainstorming, etc. can be acceptable. Usage for critiquing, improving prose or pacing, generating drafts is NOT. AI generated text is NOT copyrightable.
2) When using AI, stick to paid plans or walled gardens. Read the terms of use carefully re: training, storage of your prompts, input text, etc.
3) Avoid inputting your manuscript. Use prompts instead.
4) Cross-check all output for accuracy (false answers, hallucinations, poor nuance).
5) Keep all evidence of your process whether original or AI-involved. 
 Okay.  Now hit play, then tell us: has AI made you paranoid about your own writing voice?
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