Amy Bishop-Wycisk at Trellis Literary has been agenting for well over a decade, and she came ready to talk about your work–and how to make it better. She gave line-level feedback on queries and pages across memoir, YA historical, middle grade, upmarket fiction, legal thriller, wine mystery, women’s fiction, and literary fiction. Whether or not you’re writing in these genres, her advice can help you make your work stronger.
A few things she said that you will want to hear for yourself:
What she’s actively looking for right now (and the comp titles that are living in her head). Why a strong premise isn’t enough–and what she actually means when she says a manuscript needs more time “in the oven.” Her real, unfiltered take on AI in the query and writing process, and why she cares about it personally. The one thing that makes her stop reading even when she likes where a book is going. And her single most important piece of advice for surviving this industry emotionally, not just professionally.
This is the kind of panel that makes you want to go back to your manuscript the same night.
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About the Instructor
Amy Bishop-Wycisk View Faculty Page
Amy Bishop-Wycisk (why-zick) joined Trellis Literary Management in 2023 after eight years with Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. She’s cultivating a wide-ranging list in upmarket and book club fiction, historical fiction, light sci-fi and fantasy, speculative fiction, expert-driven narrative nonfiction, cultural criticism, history, and select YA, with a special interest in underrepresented voices, especially from the AAPI community.
Her list includes titles such as The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim (a Reese’s Book Club selection and NYT bestseller), The Red Palace by Edgar Award-winning author June Hur, and Girly Drinks by Mallory O’Meara (a James Beard Award winner). Before diving into the world of publishing, she graduated from SUNY Geneseo with a degree in Creative Writing. Though she grew up upstate, she currently resides in Woodside, Queens with her husband and cat. You can find her on Twitter at @abwycisk.
Photo Credit: Davey King