Today is December 15 but mentally I’m Billy Crystal sprinting toward Meg Ryan before the clock strikes midnight. I’m ready for a kiss and for the credits to roll. I have four more days of client work to power through and then I get to turn on my out-of-office and focus on the final 10,000 words of my novel revision.
To answer the question, “Why am I so tired?” I’m looking back on everything I produced and accomplished this year—in my own writing career and alongside my clients. In the comments section, I would love to know what your 2024 writing highlights were! Don’t be shy to shout them out. I will read them.
My highlights
I appeared on Sarah’s Bookshelves podcast to talk about the power of BookTok. I wrote about Tavi Gevinson’s Taylor Swift fanzine for LitHub. I did a marketing stunt on Instagram for my novel Self Care that was viewed one million times. I sold my sixth book to Ballantine and was the first writer on Substack to announce a book deal and a paid membership tier simultaneously. Nick Hornby highlighted my post for Substack Reads.
I grew my Substack audience 340% from 2,500 (October 2023) to 8,500 (today). I launched my Chat Room conversation series for my diamond medallion members.1
invited me to make my literary predictions for 2025 (and the commenters whined “where are the novelists? where are the poets?” Guys, it’s me. I’m the novelist. I’m the poet. People don’t understand the difference between writing and content.)I was the keynote speaker at the Westport Writers’ Pitch and Publish conference, which Liz and Julie do a fabulous job of organizing every year and they get all my affection and gratitude (I also got to meet
in person!)I taught eighty-eight students this year, including twelve in Collioure, France, as the guest instructor for
, who was my teacher at Tin House in 2013.
This month,
wrote about my pitch deck in the Hot Sheet.Client highlights
A few of my clients are hard at work on projects that haven’t yet been announced, so I’ve limited this list to clients who have given me permission to talk about working with them, and who have book or Substack news in 2024.
Jessica Saunders launched her debut novel, Love, Me, about a woman who reconnects with her first boyfriend, now a movie star, after their old love letters are leaked to the press, to glowing mentions from Good Morning America, theSkimm, and Zibby Owens.
launched her hilarious and heartbreaking memoir Nearly Departed about narrowly escaping her genetic destiny. Comedian Iliza Shlesinger warns, “Only read this book if you are okay with both crying and laughing out loud in public." grew her Substack audience from 1,000 to 3,500 this year and shared some great tips on how she did that.The New York Times called Betsy Lerner a 64-year-old “TikTok Star”; I helped her with her content strategy. This month, she hit 500,000 likes on TikTok!
Erin Van Der Meer sold her satirical workplace novel to Grand Central at auction!
Psychoanalyst
explored procrastination, why we unravel our progress and revert back to old habits, and group ambivalence (new concept to me) in her monthly column. became a Substack bestseller this year! If you want to have an engaged audience on this platform, follow and learn. celebrated a year on Substack, posting a monthly column on the art of breaking down and beginning again. performed her song “Someday We’ll Linger in the Sun” at the Media Access Awards and I know how hard she’s been working on her memoir Linger in the Sun (which you’ll hear more about from me in 2025). launched a new Substack and podcast for moms in recovery (or moms who are recovery-curious) called Be Honest or Don’t Knock, about all the stuff you’re too ashamed to talk about in the group chat. Subscribe today and you’ll get the first podcast episode this week!I got to see my inspiring client Sarah Vogel present an excerpt from her current work-in-progress to students and faculty at Yale University, which was fascinating!
Raz Tal Schenirer launched her debut novel Where Love Lies, a Jewish Tell Me Lies and appeared on
’s podcast to talk about toxic relationships.’s book It Begins with You: The 9 Hard Truths About Love That Will Change Your Life comes out January 14 and you can preorder it now. I’ve worked on this book for two years and I have to say: if next year is the year you do something about your love life, this is the book.
Save the Date
My next Chat Room will be with Jackson Howard, Senior Editor at FSG, where he acquires literary fiction and nonfiction, on January 23rd at 1pm EST.
Leave me a comment with your highlight of 2024—whether that’s a professional accomplishment, a celebration of progress, a decision you’re happy with, or a breakthrough moment.
You have until Tuesday to watch my conversation with Justina Batchelor.
I published a book that i liked. I know that sounds kind of basic, but that's all I ever wanted to do, so it felt good. I'm so grateful to you for bringing writers together to look at things a little differently. (Good luck with those last 10k)
I published my debut memoir and I’m actually proud of every single word- I labored over each one. I love my book cover which I know is not to be taken for granted. I’m proud that every one of my book blurbs came from an author/artist I forged a meaningful connection with. Reader feedback has shown that my book is landing exactly as I’d hoped it would, making my f*cked up back worth it. I (finally) launched a Substack, and 2024 saw my New Yorker debut in Daily Shouts (a collab with Dana Jeri Maier who I met through Leigh). I’ve improved my public speaking skills by giving talks at cancer and literary events and my 2024 draws to a close with a shout in my favorite and most read newsletter of all time (your newsletter, Leigh). Oh and I finally met Brian