When Agents Say No: Overcoming Setbacks with Jessica Yen

Send us Fan Mail When you get negative feedback from an agent on your writing you can do two things: adapt and improve your writing, or quit. In this episode, I am speaking with Jessica Yen, a Camp Structure graduate, about the recent challenges she faced while dealing with discouraging feedback from a literary agent. Join us as we explore how agents think, what the market may–or may not–be looking for, and how to regain your power when difficult feedback knocks you down. Episode Highlights 5:41: The Agent Mindset 10:55: Are We Ready for COVID Stories? 13:12: The Demand for Parenting Books 15:10: Finding Your Book’s Essential Question 24:10: Taking Your Power Back 27:15: A New Take on Writer’s Block Resources for this Episode: Categorically So by Jessica Yen Beauty by Jessica Yen (nominated for a Pushcart Prize) How I Went From “Big 5 or Die!” to Ecstatic Self-Published Author by Denise Massar Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops by Allison Hong-Merrill What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates The True Meaning of Success and The Multiple Paths to Publish Your Book with Courtney Maum Recovering from Cults and Religious Trauma Through Writing with Tia Levings How to Stop Gaslighting Yourself with Ingrid Clayton Jessica’s Bio: Jessica Yen is a Chinese American author who explores the intersection of memory, family, culture, language, identity, and history. Her work has been supported by an Oregon Literary Fellowship, Regional Arts and Culture Council, Caldera Arts, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center, and Voices of Our Nations Arts. She is a twice-Pushcart Prize nominated essayist whose work has appeared or is forthcoming in Fourth Genre, The Masters Review, Oregon Humanities, and Best American Travel Writing, among others. She is currently working on a memoir. By day, she writes grants and edits academic manuscripts for non-profits, university departments and scholars, and clinics who seek to address health inequities. You can find her online at www.jessicayen.com. Connect with Jessica: Website: www.jessicayen.com Building Better Memoir Scenes: https://janefriedman.com/building-better-memoir-scenes-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/ Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/ Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production