In Conversation with Kate McKean

You’re invited to a free Zoom event about navigating the twisty, turny world of publishing. Sandia Starforgers Writing Retreats (starforgers.com) is hosting Kate McKean, Vice President and Literary Agent at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency, to speak in conversation with Mary Robinette Kowal about her new book, Write Through It: An Insider’s Guide to Publishing and the Creative Life. Kate will also take audience questions!

The conversation will take place on Zoom on Tuesday, August 19 at 8 PM ET / 7 PM CT / 6 PM MT / 5 PM PT.

The event is free but registration is required. Register here. 

Pre-order the book here. 

About the book: Writers all want the secret to getting published: the magic formula for a query letter, the list of agents who will instantly say yes, and the perfect marketing campaign to hit “The List.” But writing is about so much more than the intellectual act of putting pen to paper—writers also deserve reassurance that the emotional highs and lows of writing is a normal, valid part of the process. And it might seem easier to focus on the nuts and bolts of writing books—word counts, query letters, and author platforms—than the messy feelings that accompany writing like doubt, fear, and hope, but the two things are inextricably linked.Write Through It is a candid, actionable guide to navigating the rollercoaster ride of writing and publishing, both on and off the page. Literary agent and author Kate McKean has been educating authors and demystifying publishing for years in her popular newsletter Agents & Books, and now, in these pages, she walks writers of all genres through every stage of the writing and publishing process and its accompanying emotional moments. From the uncertainty of knowing when you should stop fiddling with your book and start pitching to agents to how to deal with the sting of rejection and the elation (and fear) of getting a book deal, Write Through It covers it all.Drawing from her own extensive experience, McKean goes beyond the practicalities of writing and publishing to address the less-talked-about emotional side of the journey. This book is a must-read for any writer looking to understand the full spectrum of the writing life.

About Kate:
Kate McKean (she/her) is a literary agent at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency in Brooklyn, New York. She earned her MA in fiction writing at the University of Southern Mississippi. Her work has appeared in Poets & Writers, Electric Literature, Catapult, and elsewhere. Her first book, Write Through It: An Insider’s Guide to Publishing and the Creative Life was published by Simon Acumen in 2025, followed by a picture book to be published by Sourcebooks in 2026. Visit her website at http://katemckean.com .