Rachelle Gardner
Literary agent and founder of Gardner Literary; discusses representation, platform, and celebrates client milestones.
African Elephants Inspire Awe, Not Exploitation.
I’ve been obsessed with African elephants for years. They got me to Kenya twice – because I wanted to admire them, not hurt them. They’re brilliant animals and I trust they know what they’re doing.  *Pic from the elephant nursery at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi National Park.
Questioning Gender Reveal Parties when Preferences Exist
Just a quick question inspired by other posts I’ve seen on here. Why would anyone have a filmed gender reveal & party if they have any preference whatsoever about the sex of their child? I mean, if you’re going to...
Choose POV
An author on TikTok asked me which POV in fiction is more marketable. I responded that the POV needs to fit the book, and it needs to be done well no matter which one you choose. This whole question of...
AI Churning Books Fast; Human Craft Still Matters
I was talking to one of my clients, a successful multi-published novelist, about the fact that people are creating entire novels in just a few hours using AI, and putting them up for sale. She was feeling discouraged, wondering how...
Publishing Paths Vary: No One Method Is Superior
Why is everyone constantly pitting traditional publishing and self-publishing against each other? One is not objectively better than the other – everyone’s path is different and each author’s experience is their own. You’re never going to get a satisfactory answer...
Estate Planning Relieves Anxiety and Brings Peace
Nobody told me how much anxiety would leave me once we got our estate plan in order and our wills signed. This might be a temporary feeling, but I’ll take it! Knowing things are in order in the event of...
Millions of Books Flood Market, Self‑Publishing Dominates
Anyone who's wondering why it's so hard to get your book noticed... @janefriedman reported in her newsletter today that according to Bowker (which reports on titles published with ISBNs), more than 4 million books are now published each year, with...
Unwritten Stories Will Break Your Heart, Says Lamott
“It’s going to break your heart if you’ve always wanted to write a memoir or novel but never got around to it.” -Anne Lamott on her Substack, 3/12/26.
Finish Draft, Then Revise—Don’t Submit Immediately
One of the biggest mistakes I see writers making is submitting their projects too soon. Typing THE END feels so good. Finishing the first draft of a book is an accomplishment – and worth celebrating But it’s not time to dash...