I’ve been reading and following agent Kate McKean ever since she launched Agents & Books, a Substack-based publication for writers who want to better understand the industry and how agents work. One of her latest posts, Honest Answers to the Questions New Clients Ask on the First Call, is emblematic of her guidance: highly informed, direct, and likely to reduce writerly anxiety, which I particularly appreciate.

This year, McKean released a new book for writers, Write Through It: An Insider’s Guide to Publishing and the Creative Life, which delivers her sound guidance in book form. I took the opportunity to ask McKean a few questions that have been on my mind about agents and the current state of the industry.