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Miranda Cowley Heller's father was a book editor; her grandfather edited Jack Kerouac and was friends with Hemingway. That legacy, while inspiring, left her frozen when it came to pursuing her own writing. 

Instead, she built a thriving career in publishing and TV, eventually heading up drama series at HBO. Then, in her 50s, she wrote the novel she’d been carrying around for years, The Paper Palace, which became a New York Times #1 bestseller and a Reese’s Book Club pick. 

Now, she's returned to her first creative love—poetry—with a stunning new collection: The Deep Water Knows. “Poetry is almost like putting snapshots of your soul into the world,” she tells me. 

In this episode, Miranda gets real about the myth of getting wiser with age, the vulnerability of releasing creative work into the world, and why your voice is never too late to matter.

🧭 BACK COVER BLUEPRINT

Get back cover templates for nonfiction, memoir, and fiction; real-world examples; a polishing checklist; and a guide for turning it into an optimized online description that attracts the right readers. 

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🔑 BOOK FORMATTING SOFTWARE FOR SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHORS

This episode is sponsored by Atticus, the all-in-one writing and book formatting software for self-publishing authors. From drafting to professional ebook and print layout, Atticus makes it easy to format your manuscript for KDP, IngramSpark, and beyond. Learn more at Atticus.io.

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The Author Visibility Bundle gives you 200+ done-for-you email templates, social media graphics, and other book promo tools designed to help authors build buzz and drive sales, without feeling pushy. 

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You've Been Thinking About This Book Forever. So let's get it written (for real this time). 

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Write the Damn Book Already is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with authors as well as updates and insights on writing craft and the publishing industry. 

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Email the show: elizabeth [at] elizabethlyons [dot] com

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