Today we have a very special guest - our very own literary agent, Don Pape! In this episode, we talk to Don about his career in various roles in publishing, the job of an agent, and what he's learned about supporting Hungry Authors over the years.

Take a look at recently published and forthcoming books represented by Don:

• AVAILABLE NOW! Grieving Room by Leanne Friesen
• JUNE 25: The Artist’s Joy by Meredith Hite Estevez
• JULY 16: This is Gonna Hurt by Bekah McNeel
• JULY 30: Rebecoming by Dr. Merry Lin
• AUGUST 6: Hungry Authors by Liz Morrow & Ariel Curry

Pape Commons founder Don Pape brings more than thirty years of publishing experience from such houses as Doubleday, Tyndale House, and NavPress. Throughout his career, he has long championed the essence of the Commons: celebrating the individual and stewarding their resources in and through community. From warehouse packer to agent and publisher, Don has worked alongside countless sales and marketing experts, literary agents, and authors. He’s had the privilege of guiding fiction and non-fiction titles to bestselling status, serving such notable authors as Madeleine L’Engle, Louis Giglio, Eugene Peterson, and Liz Curtis Higgs. “My greatest pleasure is in seeing great content become reality on the page—in a physical or digital book,” he says.

If you're going to write a book for anyone - even just your family - to read, then you need to get to know the two forces that will be guiding your efforts: Creativity and Marketability. This episode is a "deleted scene" from our book, Hungry Authors: The Indispensable Guide to Planning, Writing, and Publishing a Nonfiction Book (coming August 6!). In it, we teach you about how to balance these two forces while you're writing.

But there's one more force at work as well - your nemesis in your creative work: Resistance. Listen in to learn about this master deceiver and how to avoid getting caught in its snares while you're writing.

Preorder Hungry Authors before August 6 to get access to the preorder bonuses.

Many thanks to our sponsor, Goldshlag Design! Learn more about working with Michelle on her website at https://www.goldshlagdesign.com/.

In this episode, Ariel & Liz chat with Emily P. Freeman, author of the New York Times bestselling How to Walk Into Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away (Harper One, 2024). Emily's entire book is framed around a metaphor - in this case, a unique way to frame a powerful idea and catch people's attention. We chat about the metaphor, how that impacted the title, and what it's like bringing your vulnerable stories into the world.

Emily P. Freeman is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of five books, including The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions. As a spiritual director, workshop leader, and host of The Next Right Thing podcast (more than 25 million downloads), her most important work is to help create soul space and offer spiritual companionship and discernment for anyone struggling with decision fatigue. Emily holds a master’s degree in spiritual formation and leadership from Friends University. She lives in North Carolina with her family.

Learn more about Emily and order How to Walk Into a Room at https://emilypfreeman.com/.

Thanks to our sponsor, Goldshlag Design! Learn more and work with Michelle Goldshlag at https://www.goldshlagdesign.com/.

Finally, be sure to preorder Hungry Authors: The Indispensable Guide to Planning, Writing, and Publishing a Nonfiction Book and fill out the form to get our preorder bonuses.