{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Behind the Book Cover","title":"Hannah Sward on Whether or Not It's Worth It to Chase a Book Deal","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2060,"description":"Hannah Sward’s publishing journey reads like a masterclass in persistence meets divine intervention.\nAfter years of writing short stories for underground literary journals, she stumbled into a free writer’s group at a library—complete with homeless people sleeping on the sidelines.\n\nThat’s where she met Jill Sherry Robinson, an 80-year-old bestselling author who essentially kidnapped her and mentored her until she finished her book.\n\nThrough a comedy of errors involving three different agents (one retired three months after signing her), Sward eventually sold her book for a whopping $500 advance.\n\nBut here's the kicker: by the time her book Strip came out in 2022, Sward had built such authentic relationships in the recovery community that the book found its audience organically. No Instagram strategy needed—just good old-fashioned showing up. Now she's chronicling her sexual adventures after 50 on Substack, where she’s learned that—guess what?—vulnerability pays off when book deals may not.\nEpisode Highlights:\nHow Hannah's 14-year friendship with Anna led to confessing literary jealousy at an AA meeting\nThe serendipitous connection with 80-year-old mentor Jill Sherry Robinson at a free library writers group\nHannah's unconventional memoir structure: 75 short chapters designed for non-readers\nThe grueling agent search: 100 rejections and three failed agent relationships before going solo\nPublishing with a small press for a $500 advance while her father was dying in hospice\nHow building authentic community relationships over years created organic publicity opportunities\nThe launch of \"Summer of Men\" Substack about sex after 50 that had readers paying to find out what happens next\nWhy Hannah refuses to repeat the traditional publishing process for her next book\nKey Takeaways:\nJealousy among writers is normal and can be processed healthily through honest conversation\nMentorship can appear unexpectedly - stay open to guidance from unlikely sources\nPersistence pays off:...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/UCEB2n_nvgUQzlnfTs-39SC2dlssng3NDLqkGEuUaBM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8xYjhj/ZDM5N2VjMzUxZmQ4/NWE5NDQ1ODEwZGI0/YWE5Ny5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}