Thursdays on the Stoop is a series of free, virtual workshops. With topics ranging from generative prompts to editing strategies, these informal workshops are sure to shake up your Thursday routine. RSVP below to get the link.

So, you’ve written a fiction or poetry manuscript, or you’ve got a solid idea for a nonfiction book...

What does it mean to have a “platform” as a writer and why does it matter? What are literary agents and publishers looking for in terms of a “platform?” Here we will discuss what platform means in the world of book publishing—both fiction and nonfiction, and even poetry—and how writers should think about their own platform to best position themselves to sell and publish a book.

PANELISTS:

Matt Inman, VP and Editorial Director (Crown and Ten Speed Press, Entertainment and Special Projects), loves distinctive voices, immersive journeys, and books that entertain as they teach. He’s looking for narrative and illustrated nonfiction, including memoir, biography, cultural history, humor, pop culture, and pop reference, as well as select art/photography, how-to, and business books. Matt has acquired and edited New York Times bestsellers by Matthew McConaughey (Greenlights), Dolly Parton (Behind the Seams), Jimmy Chin (There and Back), The Moth (How to Tell a Story, Occasional Magic, and A Point of Beauty), Rhett & Link (Rhett & Link’s Book of Mythicality and The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek), Gracie Gold (Outofshapeworthlessloser), Conor Knighton (Leave Only Footprints), and The Onion (The Ecstasy of Defeat). His authors also include Shirley MacLaine, Eric Idle, John "MrBallen" Allen, Andrew Rannells, The Explorers Club, Dave Holmes, Mike Matheny, and Olivia de Havilland, as well as the creative teams of The Crown, Black Mirror, and Shark Tank.

Libby Burton, Executive Editor at Crown, publishes both practical and narrative nonfiction with an eye for stories and insight from traditionally underrepresented voices. She has edited a wide range of award-winning and bestselling authors including former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Stacey Abrams, Katie Porter, Mariah Carey, Melissa Broder, Jessica Valenti, Lyz Lenz, Aurora James, and Ai Weiwei. Previously she worked as an editor at Henry Holt & Company, Twelve Books, and Grand Central Publishing, and is the author of the poetry collection Soft Volcano.

Lori Kusatzky, Associate Editor, has been at Crown since October 2023, brought over by Amy Einhorn (from Henry Holt / Macmillan) to restart the fiction division. While at Holt, she published Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie and Kate Flannery’s Strip Tees, and worked with authors Alison Espach, Liane Moriarty, Andy Cohen, John Stamos, and Gary Janetti, amongst others. Prior to being on the editorial side, she worked at Abrams Artists Agency and Innovative Artists Agency. She is a PW Star Watch Honoree and graduated from UNC School of the Arts with a BFA in drama.