Writers, Ink Podcast: Mary Adkins Explains Why You Don’t Need an MFA

BookTrib is proud to present to our readers the Writers, Ink podcast, a show about the business of writing.

J.K. Rowling was nearly homeless when she wrote the first Harry Potter book. Stephen King penned Carrie on a small desk wedged between a washer and dryer. James Patterson worked in advertising and famously wrote the Toys “R” Us theme song long before becoming an author.

Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, writing a good book is only the first step in becoming a successful author. The days of just turning a manuscript in to your editor and walking away are gone. If you want to succeed in today’s publishing world, you need to understand every aspect of the business — editing, formatting, marketing, contracts. It all starts with a good book, then the real work begins.

Join international bestselling author J.D. Barker and indie powerhouses, J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon, as they gain unique insight and valuable advice from the most prolific and accomplished authors in the business.

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Join hosts J.D. Barker and Christine Daigle as they welcome back JP Rindfleisch IX and invite first-time guest host Kevin Tumlinson to the show. Then stick around as Christine chats with author and book coach Mary Adkins.

Mary Adkins is the author of When You Read This, Privilege, and Palm Beach, which was voted one of 2021’s Best Books by The New York Post. A native of the American South and a graduate of Duke University and Yale Law School, her writing has appeared in the New York Times and the Atlantic. She is also the founder of The Book Incubator, a 12-month, hands-on writing program for authors and memoirists, and the host of the podcast The First Draft Club.