Susan Scarf Merrell on what she looks for in a BookEnds applicant

Applications for BookEnds 2021-2022 are now open! As would-be BookEnds fellows around the world prepare their manuscripts for submission, we thought it would be fun to interview Susan Scarf Merrellco-founder of the program and author of Shirley: A Novel, now a major motion picture—on what she looks for as she reads through stacks of manuscripts.

Read on below to find out the qualities that make an application to BookEnds successful, and see how YOU can make your application stand out.

Applicants to the program should have a completed, full-length manuscript. What makes a manuscript right for BookEnds?

I think It’s a feeling of internal energy—a sense of a book that knows what it is, even if it hasn’t gotten all the way there yet—that excites us most. Because if a book has some internal energy and presence, we can certainly get to its core and help it to become its better self.

BookEnds fellows are placed in “pods” of three writers. What qualities or attributes should a writer have to be a successful pod mate?

In essence, members of a pod take ownership not simply of one another’s books, but of the purpose of the books. To help an author’s book become its best self, the pod mates need to understand the author’s purpose and belief systems, the why of the manuscript. We work very hard on this aspect of pod-matching and pod-building. These relationships are critical, not simply to the BookEnds fellowship year, but also to the ongoing relationships built during that time.

I’ve heard you say that not every writer–regardless of the quality of their work–is a good fit for BookEnds. What’s the “X-factor” you look for when reviewing applicants?

Our writers want success, yes, but of course they are also committed to excellence. They’re willing to give the time, to make the time, to put in the time. And they have big hearts and generosity—you can’t do BookEnds only for yourself. You do BookEnds and become a citizen of a community, a member of an ongoing group. We look for smart, kind, brilliant, motivated writers. And then we do everything we can do to help them succeed.

What do you love about working with budding novelists?

Everything. Start to finish. I love seeing what matters to other people and helping them to become more themselves, to communicate what they believe in and what matters to them most.

 

Thanks, Susan! We hope these answers help you decide whether BookEnds is the right program for you. If you think you’d be a good fit, don’t forget—applications are open now through March 1, 2021

Apply to be a BookEnds 2021-2022 fellow here: https://bookends.submittable.com/submit

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