Daring to Eat a Peach + Podcasts, Acquisitions, & Industry Updates

The life cycle of books and trees; workshops; cultural appropriation; what makes a good fight scene; acquisitions insight; contentious industry buyouts and policies; literary obits; a lemony tea.

Greetings readers & writers,

For those of you who have been following along, you know that two years ago we planted a peach tree in our yard. I can see it from my office window. This had been a long time dream of mine, to have a fruit tree of my very own.

first year, spreading leaves, full of hope

That first year it struggled; stress of the transplantation, probably not quite enough water. But it still managed, against the odds, to produce two big, beautiful delicious peaches.

Last spring, I watched in anticipation as the tree flowered and lots of tiny fruits emerged. But then the leaves came in discolored and distorted; a fungus that can only be treated in the tree’s dormant stage. The recommendation was to take extra care; thin the fruit, water and fertilize plentifully. I did so, thinking I might save some of the harvest. But the tree knew better. I came out a day or two later to find it had shed all its hopeful little fruits. It would eventually push out the damaged leaves for healthy ones, focusing all its energy on new growth. But it didn’t produce a single peach.

Around the same time we planted the peach tree to begin with, I acquired an agent for my fantasy novel, another dream of mine. The book’s about ghosts and grief and complicated moral choices and self-discovery. Also steampunk machines and explosions and haunted birds… you know, the usual.

That first year, freshly agented, we tried subbing to young adult editors. After six months on sub and no takers (though kind feedback), we decided to pivot to the adult market after some revisions.

Then the pandemic hit. Needless to say, my creative life wasn’t very fruitful last year either.

But earlier this year, I finished my revisions and sent them to my agent. I also went to the garden store and bought fungicide to spray down the sleeping peach tree, to kill any lingering fungus buried in its bark. To give it a fighting chance.

This month my agent has sent my revised manuscript out to adult SFF editors. And my peach tree, just this past week, unfurled its first baby-pink blossoms.

I’m trusting that, as the earth warms with spring, that there is promise in those blooms for both of us, writer and tree. The the leaves will come in green and strong. That the next big thing could be around the corner, just out of sight. Maybe this will be the year I’ll get to taste another small victory and bite into a big, fat, juicy peach.

I hope the same for you.

(If you’re coming out of a dormant period too, or entering one, treat yourself with care. Lots of water and sunshine. There’s growth going on, even if the fruits are a ways off.)

What are you hoping blooms for you this spring? What seeds have you planted? (creative, floral, or vegetal, I’m interested in them all!)

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• Interview with Namina Forna, author of The Gilded Ones, now a NYT Bestseller!

• Interview with Tara Sullivan, author of the multi-starred Treasure of the World

• Interview with Andrea Wang, author of Watercress, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!

• Coming soon! An interview with The Writer’s Loft founder, author, indie publisher, and mentor Heather Kelly on thinking like a reader, Kickstarting books, and building community.

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Upcoming (Virtual!) Seminars

• April 17 (10:30 AM): Marketing for Writers Series: Personal Marketing

• May 13th (10AM): Speculative Fiction Variety Hour* - FREE! (email me for link)
  *actually 90 minutes—discussion group on topics of spec fic, genre, writing, & fandom

• May 15th (10:30 AM):Marketing for Writers Series: Launches & Events

Not available these dates? Connect with me for one-on-one coaching that fits your schedule!

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Writing/Marketing Resources:

• How Do Writers Without Access to Books Develop a Craft? {LitHub}

• Learn How to Write a Fight Scene from authors Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders (with guest author Fonda Lee!) on one of my new favorite podcasts, Our Opinions are Correct.

• Book Friends Forever Podcast’s 101st episode features a dynamic conversation about cultural appropriation, the “scarcity” myth, and the power of culture and language from hosts author/editor Grace Lin and editor Alvina Ling along with powerhouse kidlit author, Linda Sue Park.

• Yahdon Israel, educator, writer, entrepreneur, and brand new Senior Editor at Simon & Schuster, breaks down the kinds of books he hopes to acquire, the critical roles of passion and knowing your audience, and his plans to shake up the traditional barriers of entry.

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“If you don't see the book you want on the shelf, write it.”― Beverly Cleary

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Industry News

• News Corps, which owns Harper Collins and The Wall Street Journal, is buying major publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. {Publisher’s Weekly}

• The Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021 (PRO Act) passed in the House of Representatives last week. While this act gives collective bargaining power to independent contractors, its “ABC test” could have significant ramifications for freelance writers and journalists. {Authors’ Guild}

• McGraw-Hill is receiving harsh blowback for a recently adopted mandatory fee to process freelancers’ invoices. {In These Times} The Author’s Guild encourages writers to sign this petition insisting McGraw-Hill cease this practice.

• Beverly Cleary, author of the Ramona Quimby books and over 40 other impactful novels for young readers, passed away at age 104. {The Washington Post}

• Larry McMurtry, famed author, essayist, and screenwriter known for Lonesome Dove, among others, passed away at age 84. {The New York Times}

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Tea

David’s Tea had a deal on “sleepy” blends recently, so I took a chance on some new herbals. I usually avoid lemon teas because the “lemon” is typically just citric acid. However, this Organic Lemon Lullaby is a winner. The lemon flavor comes from lemon oil and peel, which, combined with green rooibos, apple, lemongrass, vervain, and valerian, smells like lemon shortbread and has warm and calming citrus notes.

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Take care of yourselves. Get vaccinated when you can! {Wall Street Journal state-by-state guide} Take daily anti-racist action.

Let me know about upcoming events, marketing campaigns, and projects so I can help signal boost!

Happy writing!
~Allison

Writer & Marketing Coach
Keep Writing, Keep Connecting! Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter | Website

Allison Pottern Hoch has happily made books her life’s work. She spent four years marketing and publicizing academic titles at The MIT Press before she went to work for Wellesley Books as a children’s bookseller and event coordinator. She is now living her dream: putting her B.A. in Creative Writing to good use as a novelist and as a writing/marketing coach for authors. She enjoys science fiction, cupcakes, and a hot cup of tea. For workshops & consults: pottern.com

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