Content warning: We discuss the alleged sexual assault incidents at the Sinners and Stardust conference.

In this episode of Bad Lit Friends, Kirk and Meagan dive into the messy, beautiful realities of the writing life. They reflect on their own journeys as authors, sharing candid stories of jealousy, comparison, and imposter syndrome, as well as the pressure that comes with reader expectations.

We also talk about the role of conferences and writing contests, and the responsibilities writers carry toward their readers.

Welcome to Bad Lit Friends. We’re glad you’re here, even if none of us know what we’re doing.

Bad Lit Friends was created and is hosted by Meagan Thompson-Mann and Kirk Rafferty. Our Producer is Rylan Rafferty.

Show email: badlitfriends@gmail.com

Bluesky: @badlitfriends.bsky.social‬

Threads: @badlitfriends

Instagram: @badlitfriends

Show notes:

MSLexia can be found at https://mslexia.co.uk

Meagan's audio was a little funky--because we are, after all, the podcast that barely knows (and at times, doesn't know) what it's doing. We'll get that fixed before the next show.

Meagan and Kirk dive into the Reddit community r/PubTips, unpacking both the helpful advice and the more problematic trends they’ve seen circulating in the subreddit.

They also explore some of the recurring debates that dominate r/PubTips, including the infamous word-count rules, comparative titles, and the murky territory of query personalization.

For the Hot Goss segment, Meagan and Kirk turn to the ongoing debate about editors. Must every writer hire a professional editor before querying, or is this just another form of gatekeeping?

Welcome to Bad Lit Friends. We’re glad you’re here, even if none of us know what we’re doing.

Bad Lit Friends was created and is hosted by Meagan Thompson-Mann and Kirk Rafferty. Our Producer is Rylan Rafferty.

Show email: badlitfriends@gmail.com

Bluesky: @badlitfriends.bsky.social‬

Threads: @badlitfriends

Instagram: @badlitfriends

Show notes:

You can find typical editorial rates at: https://www.the-efa.org/rates/

Typical word counts:

Short story: under 7,500 words

Novelette: 7,500 to 17,500 words

Novella: 17,500 to 40,000 words

Fantasy & Sci-Fi: 100,000 to 115,000 words

Mystery & Thriller - 80,000 to 100,000 words

Literary Fiction - 80,000 - 100,000 words

Romance - 80,000 to 100,000 words

Horror - 70,000 to 100,000 words

Memoir - 80,000 to 90,000 words

Young Adult - 55,000 to 80.000 words

Nonfiction - 50,000 to 80,000 words

Middle Grade - 20,000 to 55,000 words

(Source: https://reedsy.com/studio/resources/how-many-words-in-a-novel)

Meagan and Kirk pull back the curtain on an inevitable part of writing life: writing your next book when your first one’s fate is still hanging in the balance. Kirk has just completed the manuscript for his second novel while his debut is out on submission, and Meagan is halfway through drafting her follow-up while actively querying her first. Together, they explore the strange mental limbo of wondering, "What if all this is for nothing?" and how that uncertainty shapes their choices at the keyboard.

Also: a detour into recent book-world drama, and oh hey, it's about AI again!

Whether you’re a debut author, an aspiring novelist, or just curious about the unglamorous, emotional middle of a writing career, this episode has more messy Thoughts and Hottakes™ than you can shake a stick at.

Welcome to Bad Lit Friends. We’re glad you’re here, even if none of us know what we’re doing.

Bad Lit Friends was created and is hosted by Meagan Thompson-Mann and Kirk Rafferty. Our Producer is Rylan Rafferty.

Show email: badlitfriends@gmail.com

Bluesky: @badlitfriends.bsky.social‬

Threads: @badlitfriends

Instagram: @badlitfriends

In our chaotic debut, we ask the big (and terrifying) question: Are you still a writer if you're not actually writing? We discuss writing routines (or lack thereof), the myth of writing every day, perfectionism paralysis, the distinction between writing and writing-adjacent procrastination, and why having a cheering section might be the key to finishing anything.

Also: research rabbit holes, book-world drama, Paris Hilton(?), and a spicy BookTok controversy that has us questioning whether vibes alone are enough to sell a novel.

Welcome to Bad Lit Friends. We’re glad you’re here, even if none of us know what we’re doing.

Bad Lit Friends was created and is hosted by Meagan Thompson-Mann and Kirk Rafferty. Our Producer is Rylan Rafferty.

Show email: badlitfriends@gmail.com

Bluesky: @badlitfriends.bsky.social‬

Threads: @badlitfriends