Shooting the Shit About Trends—And Why You Do (And Don't) Need Them—Solo With Carly

Shooting the Shit About Trends—And Why You Do (And Don't) Need Them—Solo With Carly

From The Shit No One Tells You About Writing by Bianca Marais, Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra

July 6, 2026 · 26 min

About this episode

Carly Watters discusses the importance of understanding publishing trends and answers listener questions about the role of literary agents.

What are publishing trends really, and should writers chase them? In this solo episode, Carly Watters pulls back the curtain on how literary agents think about trends, explaining the difference between market, pop culture, technology, and social trends—and why understanding them matters more than trying to write the next big thing. Carly also answers listener questions about a literary agent's day-to-day, managing submission anxiety, and whether agents scout writers through literary journals. Plus, Carly shares an exclusive lesson from ‘ The Author's Publishing Playbook’ on how trends rise, peak, and fade—and why staying in your own creative lane is still the smartest career strategy. Note: CeCe Lyra is a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. If you’d like to query CeCe, please refer to the submission guidelines at www.wsherman.com. Carly Watters is a literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency, but her work on this podcast is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly on this podcast are solely that of her as a podcast co-host ​and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency. Find us on our socials…

People in this episode

Host: Carly Watters

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Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: P.S. Literary Agency, Wendy Sherman Associates

Books & works: The Author's Publishing Playbook

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