Award-Winning Novelist Kern Carter on Landing the Book Deal…and What Comes Next

You may have noticed that this video with Kern Carter was one of our top 10 most-read Narratively Academy posts of the year, and it’s not hard to see why. We really appreciate it when a successful author can be wholly honest and transparent about all of the ups and downs of the industry, and Kern is nothing if not that. Kern has landed six separate book deals (yes, we said five when we promoted this chat; and yes, as he revealed in our live video, he landed yet another one since then!)Next week at Narratively Academy, Kern will teach Telling Your Story: The 90-Minute Seminar for Kickstarting Your Memoir. He’s also one of the mentors for our 2026 Narratively Book Incubator. Kern is such a generous, kind and knowledgable writer, and we’re very lucky to have him as such an active member of this community. For our last post of the year, we decided to make this full video free to all.Kern chatted with us about why he felt self-publishing was the perfect way for him to “practice in public,” how he crafted a pitch that got the attention of an agent, what happens after you sign a deal with a major publisher, and how he made the agonizing decision to walk away from one of his deals. Kern’s candor about how it all goes down is helpful advice for writers at any stage of their publishing journey. Click play above to watch the full conversation. Ready to start writing your own memoir? Join Kern on Tuesday, January 6 for Telling Your Story: The 90-Minute Seminar for Kickstarting Your Memoir. He’ll talk through how to find your voice, identify the parts of your life worth sharing, and ensure that your memoir connects emotionally with readers. This fun, fast-paced 90-minute seminar will get your memoir juices flowing first thing in the new year.And if you’re thinking about going all in and finally writing that book in 2026, don’t miss your chance to meet Kern and our other 2026 Narratively Book Incubator mentors on Wednesday, January 6.All the info about the 2026 Narratively Book Incubator can be found here.Happy New Year! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.narrativelyacademy.com/subscribe