Kate McKean
@katemckean.bsky.social
Literary Agent at Morhaim Literary 📚 Newsletter: Agents & Books at agentsandbooks.com. 📚 WRITE THROUGH IT out June ‘25 📚📚 picture book called PAY ATTENTION TO ME out in ‘26!
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Write-Through-It/Kate-McKean/97816
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Write-Through-It/Kate-McKean/97816
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Kate McKean
@katemckean.bsky.social
· Sep 12
I wrote a book to help you navigate the strange and wonderful world of writing and publishing books. It covers everything from how to write a query letter to how to write your next book. Get it wherever books are sold! bookshop.org/p/books/writ...
Questions I tackled in today's Q&A on Agents & Books:
1. If my #3 agent offers me representation, can I use that to get my #1 and #2 agents to respond quicker?
2. How many "not for me" responses should I wait to get before I pull and revise my query letter?
www.agentsandbooks.com/q-a-wednesda...
1. If my #3 agent offers me representation, can I use that to get my #1 and #2 agents to respond quicker?
2. How many "not for me" responses should I wait to get before I pull and revise my query letter?
www.agentsandbooks.com/q-a-wednesda...
Q&A Wednesday: Make Up Edition
Hi Friends!
I'm having a VERY productive week, mostly because no one is emailing me. I love it! I also wanted to make up for not sending a Q&A last week. I know most of you don't particularly care bu...
www.agentsandbooks.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Questions I tackled in today's Q&A on Agents & Books:
1. If my #3 agent offers me representation, can I use that to get my #1 and #2 agents to respond quicker?
2. How many "not for me" responses should I wait to get before I pull and revise my query letter?
www.agentsandbooks.com/q-a-wednesda...
1. If my #3 agent offers me representation, can I use that to get my #1 and #2 agents to respond quicker?
2. How many "not for me" responses should I wait to get before I pull and revise my query letter?
www.agentsandbooks.com/q-a-wednesda...
Has anyone read A Life Of One’s Own by Marion Milner? Shout out to that @nplusonemag.com fundraiser quiz that said I would like this book. I very much did!! Very mindfulness and Julia Cameron-y but from the 1920s & with a true science/psychology framework. Recommend!
bookshop.org/p/books/a-li...
bookshop.org/p/books/a-li...
A Life of One's Own
Check out A Life of One's Own - <p>A pioneering work that anticipated the contemporary phenomenon of mindfulness, A <i>Life of One's Own</i> is a great adventure in thinking and living whose insights ...
bookshop.org
November 26, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Has anyone read A Life Of One’s Own by Marion Milner? Shout out to that @nplusonemag.com fundraiser quiz that said I would like this book. I very much did!! Very mindfulness and Julia Cameron-y but from the 1920s & with a true science/psychology framework. Recommend!
bookshop.org/p/books/a-li...
bookshop.org/p/books/a-li...
Reposted by Kate McKean
Ever wanted to know what goes through my head when I think about saying YES to a new client?
www.agentsandbooks.com/what-i-think...
www.agentsandbooks.com/what-i-think...
What I Think About When I Think About Saying Yes
Hello friends,
Sorry to miss a Thursday newsletter last week. I'll be making it up to paid subscribers this week, don't you worry. But for everyone, I want to talk about some stuff that's been going ...
www.agentsandbooks.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Ever wanted to know what goes through my head when I think about saying YES to a new client?
www.agentsandbooks.com/what-i-think...
www.agentsandbooks.com/what-i-think...
Reposted by Kate McKean
Just read @katemckean.bsky.social Kate McKean's Agents & Books e-newsletter and she describes so perfectly the emotions she experiences re: a manuscript that might be a perfect fit for her to rep.
From the author side it can seem like a cold, indifferent business but most agents are in it for love.
From the author side it can seem like a cold, indifferent business but most agents are in it for love.
November 25, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Just read @katemckean.bsky.social Kate McKean's Agents & Books e-newsletter and she describes so perfectly the emotions she experiences re: a manuscript that might be a perfect fit for her to rep.
From the author side it can seem like a cold, indifferent business but most agents are in it for love.
From the author side it can seem like a cold, indifferent business but most agents are in it for love.
Ever wanted to know what goes through my head when I think about saying YES to a new client?
www.agentsandbooks.com/what-i-think...
www.agentsandbooks.com/what-i-think...
What I Think About When I Think About Saying Yes
Hello friends,
Sorry to miss a Thursday newsletter last week. I'll be making it up to paid subscribers this week, don't you worry. But for everyone, I want to talk about some stuff that's been going ...
www.agentsandbooks.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Ever wanted to know what goes through my head when I think about saying YES to a new client?
www.agentsandbooks.com/what-i-think...
www.agentsandbooks.com/what-i-think...
I think I figured out why all the publishing questions posed on Threads are so unhinged. It's because google sucks now.
November 25, 2025 at 4:09 PM
I think I figured out why all the publishing questions posed on Threads are so unhinged. It's because google sucks now.
Live near Frenchtown, NJ? Come have lunch with me and the Frenchtown Bookshop! January 25th!
frenchtownbookshop.com/events/33316...
frenchtownbookshop.com/events/33316...
Lit Lunch: Literary Agent Kate McKean, "An Insider's Guide to Publishing" | Frenchtown Bookshop
Family-owned independent bookstore located in Frenchtown, New Jersey.
frenchtownbookshop.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Live near Frenchtown, NJ? Come have lunch with me and the Frenchtown Bookshop! January 25th!
frenchtownbookshop.com/events/33316...
frenchtownbookshop.com/events/33316...
Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that
November 25, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that
Boy did I get a lot less confused when I realized Welcome to Derry is not a spinoff of Derry Girls.
November 25, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Boy did I get a lot less confused when I realized Welcome to Derry is not a spinoff of Derry Girls.
Transgender care saves lives.
1. A landmark study was just published in The Journal of Pediatrics.
It found a 68% reduction in suicidality for trans youth getting HRT.
It also found only 7 of more than 400 stopped taking HRT... and of those that did, 4 still identified as gender-diverse.
Transgender care saves lives.
It found a 68% reduction in suicidality for trans youth getting HRT.
It also found only 7 of more than 400 stopped taking HRT... and of those that did, 4 still identified as gender-diverse.
Transgender care saves lives.
Study In The Journal Of Pediatrics Finds Trans Youth Care Lowers Suicidality, Few Detransition
The groundbreaking study found that suicidality dropped for transgender youth receiving hormone therapy by nearly 70%, with only 7 patients of 432 discontinuing treatment.
www.erininthemorning.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Transgender care saves lives.
I have been very productive today and it is 100% because I went ahead and turned on the Christmas music and NOT because it's a holiday week and no one is emailing me.
November 24, 2025 at 9:24 PM
I have been very productive today and it is 100% because I went ahead and turned on the Christmas music and NOT because it's a holiday week and no one is emailing me.
I have no beef with James Patterson. Millions read his books. He gives money away to booksellers and writers. Let him cook. www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/ar...
James Patterson Is Pretty Sure Marilyn Monroe Was Murdered
The acclaimed author, whose 250 books sold half a billion copies, casts an eye on the actress’s still-mysterious death.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:04 PM
I have no beef with James Patterson. Millions read his books. He gives money away to booksellers and writers. Let him cook. www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/ar...
Fuck you, pay me, Charlie Brown
We all float down here, Charlie Brown
Second prize is a set of steak knives, Charlie Brown
November 24, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Fuck you, pay me, Charlie Brown
Reposted by Kate McKean
Here's another XTwitter scammer account outed by geolocation--this one refers writers to a (real) literary agent with a fake address, then impersonates the agent to recommend "professional editor" services
November 23, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Here's another XTwitter scammer account outed by geolocation--this one refers writers to a (real) literary agent with a fake address, then impersonates the agent to recommend "professional editor" services
Reposted by Kate McKean
So our latest “making publishing less scary” event was standing room only by the end, and @katemckean.bsky.social was just so wildly brilliant. What a great afternoon.
My lil’ agency will be back with more events like this in the New Year. Thanks for supporting this! ❤️
My lil’ agency will be back with more events like this in the New Year. Thanks for supporting this! ❤️
November 23, 2025 at 2:22 AM
So our latest “making publishing less scary” event was standing room only by the end, and @katemckean.bsky.social was just so wildly brilliant. What a great afternoon.
My lil’ agency will be back with more events like this in the New Year. Thanks for supporting this! ❤️
My lil’ agency will be back with more events like this in the New Year. Thanks for supporting this! ❤️
I went to an MFA program and kept saying “who’s gonna buy this? Why are you writing this?” In workshop and then realized oh I can go do that for a living, so I packed my car and drove to NYC.
November 22, 2025 at 11:26 PM
I went to an MFA program and kept saying “who’s gonna buy this? Why are you writing this?” In workshop and then realized oh I can go do that for a living, so I packed my car and drove to NYC.
Reposted by Kate McKean
Zohran’s got the dang juice
November 21, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Zohran’s got the dang juice
Reposted by Kate McKean
Writers: If you've been working on a piece for a while and you aren't sure if it still needs more tweaks, or if you've entered the anxiety-editing phase, Monday's Patreon class is for you. To attend with a free 7-day trial, choose the Livestreaming Classes tier or above. patreon.com/maryrobinette
November 21, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Writers: If you've been working on a piece for a while and you aren't sure if it still needs more tweaks, or if you've entered the anxiety-editing phase, Monday's Patreon class is for you. To attend with a free 7-day trial, choose the Livestreaming Classes tier or above. patreon.com/maryrobinette
I subscribed to Wired to read this piece. You should too!
I wrote this piece because I only learned about pelvic floors a few years ago, despite having had one all my life. And then it turned out to be where I store all my issues. And then that turned out to be true for a lot of people www.wired.com/story/the-pe...
The Pelvic Floor Is a Problem
Everyone’s suddenly obsessed with the pelvic floor—physical therapists, MAHA influencers, me. Could this deeply misunderstood body part really be the seat of so much modern dysfunction?
www.wired.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:43 PM
I subscribed to Wired to read this piece. You should too!
Celebration, FL
what's the most exotic place you've ever puked? mine's not exactly exotic but i did once have a hangover at the nyc facebook office and barfed in their very nice bathroom
Got food poisoning from Fogo De Chao. Puked out the side of a moving cab along beautiful Copacabana Beach. The most exotic place I'll probably ever puke!
November 21, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Celebration, FL
Clearly this is my ignorance, but I saw this pic and thought why is this baseball player getting hit with an apple?
From @theathletic.com: One ball was so fast and brutal, it almost knocked the near two-metre-tall Cameron Green off his feet and into his stumps.
An astonishing day in Perth saw 19 wickets fall as batters crumpled on the quickest track in world cricket.
An astonishing day in Perth saw 19 wickets fall as batters crumpled on the quickest track in world cricket.
The Ashes, Day One: The fast and the furious – how brute pace sparked opening Test
An astonishing day in Perth saw 19 wickets fall as batters crumpled in the face of breathless pace on the quickest track in world cricket
nyti.ms
November 21, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Clearly this is my ignorance, but I saw this pic and thought why is this baseball player getting hit with an apple?
I keep seeing Piggy Statement in the trending topics and think Yes I do want to hear Miss Piggy's statement on what the president said.
November 19, 2025 at 8:01 PM
I keep seeing Piggy Statement in the trending topics and think Yes I do want to hear Miss Piggy's statement on what the president said.
Reposted by Kate McKean
Hey writers: how do you decide what your next book will be about?
www.agentsandbooks.com/how-to-be-an...
www.agentsandbooks.com/how-to-be-an...
How To Be An Author: What's Your Next Book About?
Hi friends!
In our continuing series on How To Be An Author, today I want to talk about IDEAS and how to make them into books. Sort of. Writers have tricky relationship with ideas–whether that means ...
www.agentsandbooks.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Hey writers: how do you decide what your next book will be about?
www.agentsandbooks.com/how-to-be-an...
www.agentsandbooks.com/how-to-be-an...
Me at 3pm: I've found the secret! The 3pm coffee! Why didn't anyone tell me!!!
Me at midnight: oh
Me at midnight: oh
November 19, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Me at 3pm: I've found the secret! The 3pm coffee! Why didn't anyone tell me!!!
Me at midnight: oh
Me at midnight: oh
Reposted by Kate McKean
