The Prose Pros

Tali Shammas and Lauren Khan
  • 5.0 (9)
  • 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. 4D AGO

    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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. APR 7

    Leaving Your Agent and Work-Life Balance with AJ Van Belle

    A.J. Van Belle is a Rhysling finalist and Best of the Net nominated author, scientist, and literary agent. Their work appears in the latest volume of Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction. With a PhD in biology, they have a blast drawing on their science background to inform the world building in their fiction. As Alexandra Vivelo, A.J. has three nonfiction books coming in 2027 and 2028: From Mushrooms to the Moon on how fungi influence technology and A Dozen Dystopias and How to Dodge Them on the science behind fictional dystopias, both from Bloomsbury; and Hot Cities, from Orca Books. They can be found across social platforms @ajvanbelle and at www.ajvanbelle.com.

    48 min

  6. MAR 31

    Writing a Killer Retelling with Katie Bernet

    In this episode, we sit down with New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Indie bestselling author of BETH IS DEAD, Katie Bernet. We break down what it takes to write a killer retelling and come up with a high-concept hook, plus we get real about the long and (sometimes) uncertain path to getting published.

    50 min

  7. MAR 24

    How to Succeed in Publishing with Jenna Satterthwaite

    In this episode, literary agent Jenna Satterthwaite joins us to discuss her journey from grief to becoming a successful author and literary agent. She discusses the challenges she faced, including numerous rejections, and how her experience shaped her approach to agenting. We cover the importance of internships, mentorship, and balancing multiple roles in the publishing industry. Jenna shares her process for selecting manuscripts and her strategies for ensuring her clients' success. Jenna reached agenting sideways, as many do. She didn’t know agenting existed until she wrote her first novel back in 2014 and learned she had to do this thing called “querying.” Fast forward many years during which she wrote many novels and became agented herself, and she had an aha moment. Agenting was the nexus where her two decades of business experience in sales, pitching, project management and contract negotiation met her decade of bookish experience. After completing internships with Liza Dawson Associates and Rees Literary, Jenna joined Storm as an agent in 2024. She’s looking to represent authors over the course of their careers who are passionate about their work and willing to arm themselves with the tenacity that it takes to succeed in the world of publishing. She is an editorial agent who wants to help make your manuscript the best and most sellable version of itself, and then pitch the heck out of it to the right editors. Jenna is here to help you navigate this career that can unfold in so many different ways, advocate for you, and seek your best interests. She’s not afraid of multi-genre writers, (she’s one herself!) and she is ready to try and break your name into as many genres and age groups as you want to write. YOU are your brand! Omnivorous in her taste, Jenna is seeking to represent adult, Young Adult and Middle Grade commercial fiction in most genres, graphic novels from middle grade to young adult, adult non-fiction, and very select picture books. (See submission guidelines for more details.) Jenna is also fully bilingual English/Spanish, so dual language projects are most welcome! Jenna lives in Chicago with her family, and when she's not agenting, reading or writing, you can find her trying a Milk Street recipe, making music in living rooms with friends, or plotting when she can get sushi next.

    1h 22m

  8. MAR 18

    Writing a Marketable Premise with Layne Fargo

    Layne Fargo has a background in theater, women’s studies, and library science, so it’s only fitting that she now writes deliciously dramatic, unapologetically feminist stories for a living. She’s the bestselling author of the novels The Favorites, They Never Learn, and Temper, as well as co-author on the Widows Series, and her work has been translated into more than twenty languages. Layne lives in Chicago with her partner, their pets, and an ever-expanding collection of books she’s definitely going to read before she dies.

    48 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
    40
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Tali Shammas and Lauren Khan
  • Show Website
    The Prose Pros

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