The Prose Pros

Tali Shammas and Lauren Khan
  • 4.7 (10)
  • Books
  • Updated Weekly

The Prose Pros is a podcast where publishing insiders get real. We confess creative missteps, celebrate our triumphs, and spill trade secrets. Whether you’re a writer, editor, or book lover, join us as we explore the art, the craft, and the chaos of storytelling. talishammas.substack.com

  1. 1d ago

    How to Land a Literary Agent with Danya Kukafka of Trellis Literary Management

    Danya Kukafka is the author of the bestselling novels Notes on an Execution and Girl in Snow. She works as a literary agent, and is actively building her client list at Trellis Literary Management. Danya began her career as a student at New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where she created a major titled “The Art of the Novel.” After internships at various literary agencies, she followed that passion to Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, where she was privileged to work as an assistant editor for writers like Meg Wolitzer, Paula Hawkins, Lauren Groff, Brit Bennett, Emma Straub, Gabriel Tallent, Helen Oyeyemi, Maile Meloy, Sigrid Nunez, and many more. Danya’s most recent novel, Notes on an Execution, won the 2023 Edgar Award for Best Novel and was chosen as the New York Times Best Overall Crime Novel of the Year.  Her debut, Girl in Snow, was released in 2017—it was alsoa national bestseller, an IndieNext Pick, a B&N Discover pick, and received favorable reviews from The New York Times (Editor’s Choice) and The Wall Street Journal, among others. Her fiction has been translated into over a dozen languages worldwide, and Notes on an Execution is currently in development as a feature film. Danya is interested in representing literary fiction with particularly propulsive storylines. She is seeking literary suspense, sophisticated thrillers, book club fiction, speculative fiction, and experimental fiction. She also loves true crime that feels attuned to today's cultural conversations, and upmarket fiction you can read in one gulp. Her dream authors include: Megan Abbott, Angie Kim, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Rene Denfeld, Julia Phillips, Celeste Ng, Akwaeke Emezi, Susan Choi, Alex Marzano-Lesnevish, Jia Tolentino, Karen Thompson Walker, and Gabrielle Zevin.

    52 min

  2. May 26

    The Whirlwind of a Publishing Auction with Eli Raphael

    Eli Raphael grew up in Miami, Florida, and now lives in rural Washington State. NIGHT OBJECTS is her first novel. This suspenseful novel transports readers to the windswept coast of Washington State and a boarding school steeped in privilege and deadly secrets—a remarkable story of grief, power, and the dangerous price of belonging. “Eli Raphael announces herself in Night Objects as a writer to watch. Her prose is vivid and immersive; her storytelling is top-notch. Part mystery, part coming-of-age tale, Night Objects will keep readers guessing all the way through, but it’s the book’s emotional center—a daughter in deep mourning for her late mother—that elevates this novel into something truly memorable.” ―Liz Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The God of the Woods

    51 min

  3. May 19

    Mid-Year Review Pt 1: Lauren's 47 Full Requests and Signing with a New Agent

    In this episode, co-hosts Lauren Khan and Tali Shammas sit down for part 1 of their mid-year review. This episode focuses on Lauren's querying journey, which led her to sign with her dream agent. Covering topics ranging from craft to querying, we tackle the nitty-gritty of writing and marketing a standout manuscript. Join us next week for part 2 and Tali's path to becoming a literary agent!

    1h 14m

  4. May 12

    The Long Road to Publishing with Alex Finlay

    Alex Finlay is a bestselling novelist who has been hailed as “one of the genre’s most exciting voices” (E! News) having “earned a reputation for producing suspenseful, fast-paced thrillers” (Associated Press). His novels include the 2021 breakout, Every Last Fear, the 2022 Goodreads Choice nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller, The Night Shift, the 2023 LibraryReads Hall of Fame recipient, What Have We Done, the 2024 national bestseller, If Something Happens to Me, and the 2025 the instant national bestseller, Parents Weekend.  His work has been an Indie Next pick, a five-time LibraryReads selection, an Amazon Editor’s Best Thriller, a Barnes & Noble best mystery, as well as a Cosmopolitan, CNN, Newsweek, E!, BuzzFeed, Business Week, Goodreads, Parade, PopSugar, and Reader’s Digest best or most anticipated thrillers of the year. Hollywood has scooped up rights to his work for adaptation to the screen, including his May 2025 release, Parents Weekend. Finlay’s novels have been translated into twenty-seven languages and are sold in countries around the world, including Denmark, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, to name a few. He's a director of the thriller/mystery section of the Leopardi Writing Conference in Italy, and a board member of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation. Finlay, who writes under a pen name, is a magna cum laude graduate of Notre Dame Law School and a prominent Washington, D.C. lawyer who has represented clients in more than 40 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He lives in Washington, D.C.

    58 min

  5. May 5

    Becoming a Reese's Book Club Pick with Emily Everett

    Emily Everett is an editor and writer from western Massachusetts. Her debut novel All That Life Can Afford is the Reese’s Book Club pick for April 2025, out now from Putnam Books. She is managing editor at The Common literary magazine, and a Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellow in Fiction. Emily studied English and music at Smith College, and studied abroad for a year at University College London. After graduating, she returned to London to do an MA in literature at Queen Mary University of London. She lived and worked in the UK from 2009 to 2013. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Modern Love column, the Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, Tin House, and Mississippi Review. Her short story “Solitária” was selected as a runner-up for the Kenyon Review’s 2019 Short Fiction Contest. Her work has been selected for Best Small Fictions 2020, and supported by the Vermont Studio Center.

    59 min

  6. Apr 28

    On Writing for the Market and Voice with Sunyi Dean

    Sunyi Dean (sun-yee deen) is a multi-award-losing author of speculative fiction. She was born in Texas, raised in Hong Kong, and now resides in Yorkshire. Her debut novel, THE BOOK EATERS, was an instant #2 Sunday Times Bestseller. In her spare time, she likes buying whisky, collecting dumbbells, and dying in jiu-jitsu. She also founded the Hugo-nominated Publishing Rodeo Podcast with fellow Tor author, Scott Drakeford. Her highly-anticipated sophomore novel, THE GIRL WITH A THOUSAND FACES, will hit stores in May 2026.

    44 min

  7. Apr 21

    Advice from an Author and her Publisher: Isabelle Engel and Kelly Stone

    Isabelle Engel was raised in New England and now lives and works in Washington, D.C. She has a MA in English from George Washington University and a BA in English, Theatre, and Creative Writing from UMass Amherst. When she's not writing, she can be found reading, watching reality TV, going on hikes, petting other people's dogs, and listening to true crime podcasts. Kelly Stone is an associate editor at St. Martin’s Publishing Group, where she's worked since 2021. She graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Communication, where she researched the ways we interact with social media in the digital age and how to educate young adults to become more media literate. She is the Mentorship Chair of the Young Publishers Association, where she created a program to connect people across different levels of the publishing industry.

    56 min

  8. Apr 14

    Writing a Bestselling Debut with Joss Richard

    Joss Richard is an instant, international bestselling romance author based in Los Angeles. Her debut novel It’s Different This Time is out now.With over 12+ years of experience, she has been formally recognized with a Daytime Emmy Award and has produced for on-air broadcast, digital, and social media at some of the most notable shows and networks (Hello Sunshine and Reese’s Book Club , The Walt Disney Company, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Netflix, Red Table Talk, Paramount, CBS, The Grammy Awards, The Critics Choice Awards, The Academy Awards) and has interviewed some of Hollywood’s biggest A-List celebrities (Jennifer Aniston, Christopher Plummer, Sandra Bullock, and more). She has worked on the social marketing strategy for several films and TV series, including The Morning Show, Daisy Jones and The Six, The Last Thing He Told Me, Tiny Beautiful Things, and more. Her debut novel, IT’S DIFFERENT THIS TIME is an instant USA TODAY, Toronto Star, and Globe & Mail Bestseller. It was named on of Apple Books Best Debuts of 2025 and is shortlisted for Canada Reads. She is originally from Toronto, ON and currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and rescue Pittie, Annie.

    51 min
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About

The Prose Pros is a podcast where publishing insiders get real. We confess creative missteps, celebrate our triumphs, and spill trade secrets. Whether you’re a writer, editor, or book lover, join us as we explore the art, the craft, and the chaos of storytelling. talishammas.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Tali Shammas and Lauren Khan
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    44
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Tali Shammas and Lauren Khan
  • Show Website
    The Prose Pros

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