From Newsroom to Novel: How Your Career Experience Makes Your Book Stand Out with John DeDakis

Award-winning journalist and novelist John DeDakis joins host Allison Lane to show how your career, no matter the field, can power your book. From CNN’s breaking news desk to gripping thrillers, John shares how professional expertise makes stories believable, urgent, and unforgettable. Allison and John break down writing techniques for pacing, building suspense, tackling difficult truths, and navigating today’s publishing world.

With honesty and wit, they tackle harnessing personal stories, even life’s hardest moments, and blending hard-earned skills into bestselling pages. Allison shares her own real-life experiences to prove that every background can bring something bold to the table. Practical advice on pitching, overcoming imposter syndrome, publishing realities, and finding your writing community rounds out this insightful, encouraging episode.

Allison and John cover:

• (00:00:00) Turning career expertise into captivating stories 
• (00:02:07) Secrets for pacing, suspense, and urgency from a newsroom pro 
• (00:05:25) How to hook readers and agents from page one 
• (00:09:44) Busting through imposter syndrome and getting started 
• (00:12:05) Writing about hard life experiences with authenticity 
• (00:16:18) Why vulnerability and real emotion create a connection 
• (00:19:36) Understanding today’s book business and handling rejection 
• (00:23:44 Query and proposal tips that get attention 
• (00:26:20) How to find agents, writing communities, and expert feedback 
• (00:28:06) John’s best advice: just start, revise, get feedback, and believe in your story 

Resources Mentioned:

• John DeDakis website: https://johndedakis.com/ 
• John’s Book: Enemies Domestic: Book Six in the Lark Chadwick Mystery series: https://bookshop.org/a/55773/9798890221537 
• Publisher’s Lunch newsletter: PublishersMarketplace.com 
• Allison’s FREE Book Proposal Guide: lanelit.com/book-deal 

Listen in to learn how to use your background to make your book stand out, master story structure and pitching, and get honest advice from publishing insiders.

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Transcript

John: 0:00

You have to hook them on the first sentence, the first paragraph, and by the end of the first page. And all too often, what ends up happening to build on the point you're making is that a rookie reader is going to throw backstory in there. Giving you all kinds of context, and it takes you out of the story.

Allison: 0:20

Welcome back to the Author's Edge. I'm your host, Allison Lane, and I'm here for you because I know that you have a book that's simmering in your brain and you know that it has to be out there and it needs to be successful. In this episode, we're going to talk about how using your career experience can be fuel for this creative endeavor. And what and why your background might be the very thing that makes you and your book stand out. I'm so glad John DeDakis is with us. John, you were the editor on the CNN Show with Wolf Blitzer. And you are a White House correspondent, news so well that I'm sure nothing shocks you. Which is so funny that now you write thrillers with shockers around every bend. Can you talk a little bit about how to translate your expertise into compelling storytelling, whether you're writing fiction or nonfiction?

John: 1:26

Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Allison, for this opportunity. I was a journalist for 45 years. And any writing teacher will tell you, write what you know, because you know that best. And so, that's what I did. And at first, I was reluctant to do it because in journalism, it's a firing offense to make things right. And in fiction, it's what you should do, and yet you draw from personal experience. And there's what I call the spooky power of the subconscious. I define writing as dipping a straw into your subconscious. You ask the'what if' questions and then write. And the act of writing is like taking a sip, and the creativity comes through your fingers and onto the page. It's spooky because you're bypassing your critical scolding mother on your shoulder going, you can't say that, zip it, mom, this isn't about you. I'm just discovering what the story is.

Allison: 2:26

But because of your work in journalism and at the level, you were not just seeing surprises and twists, but also the urgency. Which is something that is hard to weave into any book. But particularly is so absolutely critical in suspense and thrillers. Can you give us a few must haves and maybe what not to do when you're trying to increase the urgency and the pace in any book?

John: 3:06

There are a lot of things that are in play when you write. When you're writing a thriller, the basic component is the ticking clock, the deadline. And that in and of itself builds in suspense and pacing is important. And being a journalist, I think prepared me for that because you can't wait for the muse to show up. You're on deadline. You got it right. And if I can get my characters talking to each other, then that's the secret. There are a couple of things that have nothing to do with writing and everything to do with the psychology of reading. And that means short paragraphs. That in and of itself is A, going to increase the pacing, but it's also going to add white space to the page. Which makes the page less daunting for the reader. It has nothing to do with the write the quality of the writing, but it makes the page more accessible. So, I think that's part of the process as well.

Allison: 3:59

When you know that there's a bomb that's coming toward you or something really juicy, but the author moonwalks into it by putting a big fat dependent clause in front of it. So, by the time I get to the juicy nugget, I'm bored.

John: 4:22

Right.

Allison: 4:22

Which perhaps in speaking, that makes total sense. Hey, before I get to this, let me tell you this other thing. But in a book, ah, you're telling me something that I don't need to know until I know the first thing. Please don't do that. It makes me put your book down.

John: 4:41

Exactly. Yep. There have been a couple of writers conferences I've gone to where agents have been in attendance. And they get an opportunity to hear the first page of a submitted manuscript and they raise their hand at the point where they're going to reject it. The first page, and that's really instructive when you hear the reasons. First they get about 150 queries a day. They don't have time to find out on page a hundred, it gets really interesting. You have to hook them on the first sentence, the first paragraph, and by the end of the first page. And all too often, what ends up happening to build on the point you're making is that a rookie reader is going to throw backstory in there. Giving you all kinds of context, and it takes you out of the story. Get the characters talking to each other, have the story, move forward in real time, and then sprinkle all that fairy dust in there and the context and the backstory as the story is moving forward.

Allison: 5:44

This is very applicable, perhaps surprisingly so in nonfiction. Please do not start chapter one with; let me bring you up to speed on how I got here. No one wants to know about how you got here or why you decided to write this book. Weave that in throughout the book. We want to know on page one, something juicy. Start with a story, an anecdote. Make a different name, make them a different gender, a different ethnicity, a different age, whatever. You can be the only one who knows where this problem may be originated. We won't know. But it's your job to protect yourself in that way and protect your patients.

John: 6:38

And I think you've just said the magic word in that story. What's the story? Who's involved? What do they want? What's standing in the way? Those are the important questions. That's what the substance is of the story. It's not an information dump, it's not you showing everybody how much it is allowing the reader to live vicariously through your characters.

Allison: 7:04

Yeah. Now, you've seen a lot of experts in your journalism career. I'm sure you've had expert contributors come in. And you've probably seen people stay, like in a box. Like they do the thing that they were trained to do and they're doing it. And then, you've probably seen people expand. What can you help us understand so that people could get excited about applying their skills, whether it's journalism, or money management, or leadership into writing the book that they know they want to write?

John: 7:44

I think the first thing is to recognize that there's a desire to say something, to write something. And often, you're going to get that hint when people say, oh, you should write a book, or you've got interesting stories. And then, the next thing is the imposter syndrome. The'oh, I don't have time. The I don't know what I'm doing thing.' And we can take ourselves out of the race before we even put on our shoes. And that's too bad because I think a lot of people who have a desire to tell a story become overwhelmed and demoralized because they don't think they know how to do it. Which is fine, understandable, very human. So, read books about it. Go to writer's, conferences, take classes, get better at your craft. Write, read. That's the way you do it. If the desire is there, then marry it up with the expertise.

Allison: 8:37

And when I first left my big time corporate comfy, wonderful health insurance role, and the final of my global roles. I ran PR and marketing for global brands that you know and love for 25 years from bur Burt Bees to Unilever media relations at Pepsi. This was back before caller id. The phone would ring and I would have to pick it up and sometimes it was the Wall Street Journal. Sometimes it was Food and Beverage magazine and I had to know the answers and be quotable every single time. Which is actually was a great training ground for what I do today. This is to say, you need to know your poo. You need to be prepared to apply what you know to the next thing. And not necessarily, do you need to leave what you're doing. In fact, please don't retire. Once you're not doing it anymore, no one cares about your lessons. And it'll be harder to get published because you're no longer in the mix. So, when you think about the people that you've seen weaving their real world experience into that expansion, what do you wish more people understood?

John: 10:03

I wish they understood the business. I wish they understood that you need to take the long view. It's going to take a long time. The first draft, they call it a first draft for a reason. It's not the last draft. Yeah. You are going to have to revise you're going to have to get feedback from beta readers. People who are now more objective about the story because they're not in the weeds like you are. And then, you need to listen to their suggestions and criticisms, and be responsive and discerning. You don't have to take everybody's suggestions, especially because they may be contradictory. Yeah. I wish people understood that they need to know that they're going to have to market their own book. Gone are the days where they're going to pay for your cross country book tour unless you're John Grisham and you don't need the publicity. And so, I just think, I wish people understood better about the process. How difficult it is. How rewarding it can be. But how much work is involved.

Allison: 11:05

And that you get to make the choices. Yes, it's your responsibility to be your book's very best marketer, but also you are the marketing director. Yeah. Which means you get to make all the decisions. Hurrah! That's the best part. Now, when I see people who want to write their book, but they also are weaving in really hard life experiences. Writing is such a powerful way to process life's hardest times and other people's hardest times. But you're doing the writing. So, you are carrying these stories. First of all, I want to encourage if you are writing about something hard you went through, good. Because writing is therapy. When you can talk about it without crying, then it could be published. That's really been my experience because you will have to talk about what happens in your book, or you will have to talk about why it matters that people talk about the issues that arise in your book. But if you can't do it without sobbing, then it's not ready or you're not ready. What else do people need to know about writing about hard things?

John: 12:24

I could talk about this for a long time. This goes all the way back to when I first started writing fiction 30 years ago. It took me 10 years to get my first book published because it took me that long to get an agent. But the very first chapter is my sister's suicide. I was on the scene that day and I wasn't planning to write a book about her and it's not about her. But I drew from personal experience. And looking back on it. At the time, someone suggested that I should move toward the pain. And I had no idea what that meant. So, I didn't go through a grief counseling session or anything like that. But instinctively, I knew that I needed to process it and I processed it onto the page. It was a catharsis. Fast forward by the time my third novel was coming out, my youngest son, Steven, 22 years old, went missing, was gone for a week off the grid. Out of character for him was found dead in my car of an accidental heroin overdose. Oh my. And I took that story and the collateral damage surrounding his loss and his death, and used it as a subplot for my fourth novel bullet in the chamber. And looking back now on 20 years of mystery, suspense, thriller novels, six novels so far. All of them have grief and loss as a subplot because that is part of my protagonist's psyche. And so, little did I know that when I started out writing that this would be therapy. You mentioned the word therapy. That's exactly what it is.

Allison: 14:07

Right? It does hurt though when you're writing it for the first time and then you're rereading it for the first time. I'm so sorry about your losses. And oftentimes, I think when people are just meeting me and they say, I want to write about this. And then, they say, I don't want to trigger you. And then, they actually whisper the trauma. And I want to share, you can't surprise me. I don't get triggered. I have read everything from a person's draft who had been sex trafficked. And the first page was a gang rape. Oh. And she did not warn me. So, I have seen everything. But if you are whispering it, practice saying it out loud. You are probably writing it, practicing it out loud. The thing that you think is shocking or shameful is actually, the more you say it, the less it simmers in secrecy. Right. The fact that people die by suicide, it's not a surprise. The people murder others not a surprise. So, someone this has happened too. It may have happened to you, in your life, you may have been touched by it. Nothing's a shock to anyone. You have to show the conflict or the lack so that you can move toward why there's a need for your method, your story, your thriller, your romance, whatever it is that you're writing. The protagonist is lacking something and needs something. Otherwise, your book will start and end on page one. A hero that doesn't need anything is like, well, I'll just stay at home on the couch.

John: 16:01

Right. exactly. Books that are about happiness that we certainly try to live lives that are risk averse. But when you're writing, you want to throw the kitchen sink at your character to see how they get out of it. And readers like to read vicariously to find out how they can put themselves at risk without really being at risk. It's that elevated tension that you've got going. But yeah, it's a matter of taking stuff that's real. It makes the story authentic and realistic because it's coming from a place of authenticity and realism.

Allison: 16:37

Exactly. When we were talking before we started recording about how I grew up in Maryland and you are in Baltimore. When I was a girl, my father who had taught at Johns Hopkins, pissed his career away because of pride, ridiculous. And ended up killing his girlfriend.

John: 17:01

Oh my goodness.

Allison: 17:02

And shooting himself in the head. He survived. And was convicted of murder and went to prison. Now, for years, I couldn't tell people about that because I was told it was a family secret. But many people grow up with incarcerated parents, and have to create a lie around like, can your dad come pick you up? Oh, my dad lives in Florida. That's what I used to tell people. No, my dad lived in a prison. I share this now because we have to talk about the things. You have to weave real life. You've seen so much in your career being on the edge of dropping news, breaking news. So, all of these ripped from the headlines thrillers, or ripped from your life. Those also we need in stories. And we need people to be able to talk about them. Otherwise, we're just sanitizing. And what you get is just like rice on a white plate. It's just boring.

John: 18:14

When a person is going through pain and loss, it's very isolating. You think you're the only one who feels like this. It's so isolating. And yet, once you find you know, it can be very much tunnel vision. And once you open up to the possibility that there are others out there, what you're doing is actually building a bridge. You are building a connection with other people and people are finding that they're not alone. That there is something that others can relate to. And I think that there's another situation too. There's a danger in keeping things inside. I think, without overgeneralizing, at least in my experience, the women in my life are much more adept at sharing their emotions. Crying is an emotional safety valve. They get it, and I think that they're much better for it. We guys, tend to hold it in it's weakness, it's shameful. And yet, when you think about it, I can't think of many exceptions to the rule that almost all mass shooters are guys. And if you think about it, my hunch is and I've got no data to back it up. That what's happened is they've kept the pain and the loss and the anger inside, and it doesn't go away. It festers and it's corrosive to the point where the tears. Become bullets. There's got to be a better way.

Allison: 19:40

Yeah. There has to be a better way. So, if you are thinking, I did want to write this, but I was afraid that it would upset people. The key is afraid. And I think John and I are saying be confident.

John: 19:55

Let me say something about fear. I actually teach a class on that. And the confidence is a byproduct of taking a risk and moving forward and facing your fears. Not waiting for the fear to go away, but moving toward the fear. Because you're basically harnessing your fear and going forward. Like the guys who stormed the beaches at Normand Dion, world War ii, were they afraid? They were terrified, but they went forward anyway. That's courage. Fear inaction.

Allison: 20:29

When you were getting your agent, you mentioned, it took years. Can you share a little bit about that experience and what you think turned the corner for you?

John: 20:41

It took 10 years. And part of it was just trial and error, emphasis on the error. It wasn't connecting. But it kept getting better because I started going to a writer's conference regularly in Georgia at the University of Georgia. And I went there every year. They had agents, they had authors, they had workshops on craft and the business. And there was a moment where I met an agent and we were just sitting, it wasn't a pitch situation. We were just, I think waiting for the doors to open up for the lunch. And we were just sitting talking about our kids. And it was at that moment that I realized. He's just a guy. He's just a guy. And that demystified it and it made it a little easier then. The other thing I learned in addition to just learning my craft and getting better is I decided to pitch the agents who were going to be at the conference, before the conference. I've written this book, this is who I am, this is what the book's about. I'm going to be at this conference. Looking forward to seeing you there. And that's how I got my agent. I went to a writer's conference and had already pitched.

Allison: 21:48

And over the course of that time, probably had honed your pitch.

John: 21:52

Yes. Oh yeah. I've been rejected 38 times by that time.

Allison: 21:57

Only 38 times in 10 years? Oh boy.

John: 22:01

I have procrastination nailed ma'am.

Allison: 22:03

If you're waiting for an agent to find you, they don't have time to go looking for you. To find you in an early morning when you write, they're not coming to your house and begging you to come out and write. They're inundated with bad pitches and not ready pitches all day long anyway. They don't have time to come and find you. If you actually want to know how to nail your pitch, you have to know about the process like John, you mentioned. To get a traditional book deal that includes an agent, you have to have a book proposal. For fiction, you need elements of a book proposal for nonfiction. That proposal better be tight and shiny because that is a business plan for your book. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I have a free guide. You can grab it. It's on my website, lane lit.com/book-deal. And it'll explain how to get a book deal, what goes into a book proposal, what makes it shine. It'll really get you started. The key here is that I think a good comparison is when you see people go on Shark Tank. And you think, that is a good idea. That should really be a product. And all the sharks say, you know what? I really like it, but it's too early. Or I'm not seeing the audience. The concept, I really love it. I think it should be in the world, but I'm not sure that this is a full business. And it's the same with your pitch. You don't want to go out and say, I'm pitching it because of your fervent belief in the book. Your fervent belief in the book is not a persuasive pitch. Because your agent is not your disciple. They want to know they can sell it.

John: 24:03

And here's the other thing. And that is that the traditional pitch is usually an email. One page, this is who I am, this is the book, blah, blah, blah. And if you get a rejection and sometimes you don't get any response at all. But most rejections aren't specific at all, it's like not a good fit for me. Good luck with your writing. It doesn't help you. If you go to a writer's conference, a lot of writer's conferences now feature agents who are actually looking for clients. And there are opportunities to actually pitch them face to face. You may only get a couple of minutes. But those couple of minutes are golden, because even if they don't ask for pages, you're going to get a sense of, why not? And so, that's the kind of feedback that it's frightening, it's terrifying, daunting. But it's so much more valuable than just sending emails out into the ether and hoping something lands.

Allison: 24:58

You really want to get that feedback. Of course, you don't have to travel to a writer's conference. Many writer's conferences are virtual. Many people who speak at writer's conferences like myself, and I'm assuming like you. I hold free workshops year round. I love giving rewrites of queries live because then it teaches the a hundred or so people who are on what to look for. I also give away my pitch formula because it is like Mad Libs. And it's very structured. It is a business email. You've got to know that nobody wants to know what the playlist was that you were listening to when you wrote the book. Irrelevant. That's maybe, that's a story you're going to tell other people. The agent does not care. That is not a way that they're going to sell the book. Go to a writer's conference or many times you can grab 10 or 15 minutes. Many professionals offer that on their websites. I of course, do lots of query rewrites. But all of my clients get agent interest in their first round of querying because the pitch has to be expert. And when I say all of them, 100%. You are a journalist and I've been on the other side of journalism of the pitching. You have to know what someone's looking for.

John: 26:32

Right.

Allison: 26:33

Not what you think they should be looking for.

John: 26:36

It's not selling. It's telling.

Allison: 26:39

Yeah. It's offering. Hey, I have this for you and here's why it matters. An agent wants to know immediately how they're going to sell this. So, customizing per agent, or even for publishers, many publishers, smaller publishers will now take un agented submissions. And they'll say, you don't need a full proposal, but it's baloney. They will then ask you all the questions that need to be answered with elements of the book proposal. Right. Here's my favorite question. They'll ask, describe your readers. Yeah. That's one of the eight sections of a book proposal.

John: 27:18

That's hard though.

Allison: 27:19

Reader segmentation. I want to open a door for folks so that they know that they can get the feedback they need. You don't have to take 10 years of classes. You can get expert input and guidance without traveling cross country. You really can. And a lot of people struggle. I don't even know where to find agents. publishersmarketplace.com It's an industry resource. They have this wonderful free newsletter. Free is good, but free and wonderful is freaking great. And it's called The Publisher's Lunch. I suggest that you subscribe to it and you will get the deals that are being announced that day. And you will see that inside of 20 words, every book is described with the premise, the plot, and the takeaway inside of 20 words. Just by reading that, you will get smarter about how to present your book.

John: 28:23

Good advice.

Allison: 28:24

John, before we call this podcast complete, what is one piece of advice you want to give to someone who's ready to write the book that's been living inside their noggin all this time?

John: 28:38

Write it. Just sit down and write. Get better at the craft. Write the first draft straight through. And then, go back and fix it. You've worked through all the initial questions, and then it's time to go back and make it better. Join a writing group. Get feedback from people. You will do it and you will get better and better to the point where you'll get published. It is now possible more than ever to get your book into print.

Allison: 29:07

Exactly. John, thank you so much. And thank you for listening and for believing in yourself because we believe in you. Your book needs to be in the world. If you need help doing that, John teaches classes. I help people get their book distilled and packaged to sell and then, launch. You do have to start with the belief that you can do this. We know you can'cause you're a big effing deal. We're just waiting for you to do it.

John: 29:39

There you go.

Allison: 29:40

Until next time, this is the Author's Edge. I'm Allison Lane, you're literary Sherpa and you're very biggest cheerleader because you are your best marketer. We know this. We know you can do it.