Hey there! Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet!
I’ve been blogging since 2006, and in 2011 I launched the Women’s Fiction Writers blog, named a Best Website For Writers by Writer’s Digest in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and now again in 2019!
THE LAST BATHING BEAUTY will be published by Lake Union in 2020. My first three novels were published by St. Martin’s Griffin and include Left to Chance (2017), The Good Neighbor (2015), and The Glass Wives (2013). All fall under the women’s fiction umbrella (which shouldn’t surprise anyone).
I’m a freelance fiction editor and writing coach helping writers make their books the best they can be. If you’re looking for help with your writing, just click in the sidebar for more information. I’ve published articles and essays in dozens of magazines and newspapers in print and online, taught workshops on writing, social media, and editing.
I was born and raised in Philadelphia and am a graduate of Temple University with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. I’ve lived in Hershey, PA, Maplewood, NJ, Cleveland, OH, Tucson, AZ, and Chicago, IL (twice). After leaving Philadelphia in 1990, I moved back at the end of 2016, and now, with my fifteen-year-old shepherd mix, Mitzi, I live fifteen minutes from where I grew up. My son and daughter are in their twenties, and the most amazing adults I know.
If you want to email me about book clubs, books, this blog, or just to say hi, you can do so at amysuenathan at gmail dot com.
Amy xo
Am thrilled to find this blog! Talk Before Sleep by Elizabeth Berg is one of my all-time favorites. I would add Anna Quindlen, Cathy Holton and Ann Patchett, and can’t wait to read your list of Authors to Consider. Thanks!!
Ferris!!! Welcome! I can’t wait to read the authors everyone is mentioning. How am I ever going to have time for more writing?? 😉
Amy
Great first comment up there! Berg is my most favorite author, and I’m *currently* reading Talk Before Sleep. Love that little nudge of coincidence.
Anna Quindlen is also a favorite of mine, and I’m inspired by how she has her hand in women’s fiction, essays, narrative non-fiction, and columns.
How great to find this informative blog! Because I read and am also published in the women’s fiction genre. It is also timely because next month I’ll be doing a workshop at the Write on the River conference in Washington state that I’ve titled “The Mystique of Women’s Fiction.” It is indeed confusing to readers and writers alike and I feel you did a super job with your explanation and definition of this genre, Amy. Look forward to your future posts.
Terri, welcome! How exciting to know there’s a workshop on women’s fiction — I only wish it was in Chicago! I’m scheduling published women’s fiction authors for Q&As and guest posts and would LOVE to include you. Let me know if you’re interested! And…I just visited your website and added Spinning Forward to my TBR list. With all the new-to-me authors I’m learning about, I’m not sure how I’m going to finish these revisions on my book — but my agent is waiting (and hopefully so are readers)!
🙂
Amy
Absolutely, Amy! Thank you for the invite…I’d be very interested in doing Q&A’s and also a guest post. If it’s okay with you, I plan to mention you and your blog at my workshop and I’ll put your URL on my hand-outs.
Terri,
Wonderful – and thank you! Email me anytime at womensfictionwriters@gmail.com and we can figure out the details and get you on the schedule. Would love to learn more about your workshop too — and I bet so would the readers here.
Amy
I’m so glad I found your blog! I write Women’s Fiction and I’ve been finding a ton of blogs with YA writers, but not a lot of Women’s Fiction. Looking forward to reading more! 🙂
I agree, Katie — and that’s why I started this site! Glad you found us. Come back soon!!
🙂
Amy
I am working on my novel, Park Slope, which is women’s fiction, and am happy to have found your site! It will be done in October, then time to polish my query letter and find an agent!
Congrats, Karoline. Getting to the point of querying is so exciting. After so many months (or years) of writing and revising and rewriting and revising again — it’s the next step!!!
Hope you’ll visit us again! 🙂
Amy
A bit suresirpd it seems to simple and yet useful.
I heard the author of Into the Fire, the story of the Battle of Ganjgal, Bing West say that General Ham was scheduled to retire. I also read somewhere that Stevens was there because of an opening of a school. I don't think that we will know the truth for weeks. Not before the election.
Is that really all there is to it because that’d be flabbergasting.
Really enjoy receiving your blogs Jim and then passing them on even though I suspect the people who receive them are subscribed to you too! You are a great resource and you really make blogging seem like a good thing to do, not with a hidden agenda to get ripped off.
Yay google is my sovereign aided me to judge this famous website ! . “Don’t administer external busy accompanying your signatures. It does nay prevent using your poll.†by Freaky Rooney.
Thanks, Amy! I’m sure I’ll visit again – your site looks really interesting!
I am so glad I found this! Thank you so much!
Passed on 3 blog awards to you today – Kreativ, Inspiring & 7×7. I know you’re busy and already successful, so I don’t expect you to deal with them, just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your blog!!!
Lisa Ann,
Thank you so much! I’d love to know more so I can acknowledge these in a future blog post. You’re a dear — and I am so glad you are enjoying WFW!!
xo
Amy
Not a comment but a quest. Ready to sub an 80k WF to Agents/ Publishers, but am finding the list of those accepting Women’s Fiction slim. And to make things more difficult, of those that are interested in WF, most are refusing unsolicited queries. My list gets smaller each time I sub.
The most shocking is Greyhouse, which last October listed its e-mail address & requirements, but no longer does.
So far I’ve subbed to Inkwell and BookEnds
Anyone care to comment?
Chloe Blaire
Hi Chloe,
Do you have a list of agents? Try querytracker.net to search. Things change, but I sent 116 queries so I know that there are agents out there who want WF! Good luck! Keep us posted!
Amy 🙂
Thanks, Amy!
Hi Chloe. I am also shopping for an agent for my WF. I have one agent with a partial ms. and one with the full ms. right now. I have a list of 121 agents that all took unsolicited WF queries, including Scott Eagan at Greyhaus. He started accepting queries as of March 1, unless he is closed again. I would be happy to email you my list of agents if you like. My email is karolineb@ymail.com.
Karoline-
Hi Amy Sue, I’ve nominated Women’s Fiction Writers for the Sunshine Award: http://missyfrye.wordpress.com/2012/06/09/the-sunshine-award-thanks-for-noticing-me/ Your blog is awesome! Congratulations!
Missy, thank you!!!
Hello!
I stumbled across your blog after finding you on Andrea Hurst’s site — I just sent her the first 50 pp of my novel – fingers crossed! : )
You’ve got some good stuff here- informative posts (my 17-year-old daughter also gave me pointers on my book, using her Honors and AP English-based insights just like yours – ha!), and terrific interviews.
I’m in!
: )
I’m glad you’re in!!!
Congratulations!!!!!!
And many thanks for your wonderful women’s writer blog…!
Best Wishes,
Linda
Hi! I’m new to the site and love it! I have queried my first novel with one request for a partial. Very excited to see what happens!
Hi! I am new, too! I sent about 70 queries for my first novel, and have listed the agencies on my blog. They are all places that accepted unsolicited queries. Not positive about whether they take WF, I thought that my work was literary fiction until I read Amy’s blog today. Thanks, Amy!
Hi Susan! You’re listing the agencies you’re querying and the rejections on your blog? I’m curious why you would do that in such full disclosure mode. Do you think if an agent who falls in love with your manuscript might look at that list and wonder why all the others said no, or why he or she was #78 and not the 12th choice? There is no right or wrong of course. You have to do what works for you.
I sent well over 100 queries from January to October 2010. Found my agent around March or April through a contest, but didn’t sign til October so of course, kept querying until it was a done deal. I totally understand the drive to continue. And remember, just because your women’s fiction manuscript is WF doesn’t mean it’s not literary. There’s a lot of overlap in genres, so don’t pigeonhole yourself! I am starting to prefer the term book club fiction for my own work, along with WF.
Happy Holidays!
Amy 🙂
Hi, Amy. That’s an interesting question. If I were looking for a mate, I would certainly not list the men who rejected me. This feels completely different.
Oh, no, wait. It seems exactly the same. I went on over one hundred blind dates when I was single. People do not do that so much anymore, but dating was different then. Almost every man in the world was the wrong guy for me. Then I met the right guy.
I think that the same is true for agents. Most will not be right for me.
I appreciate the input. I thought that having the list would make the page a resource for other people. If I take it down, will it mess up the internet universe? Should I not worry about it?
I tend to agree with Amy. I definitely wouldn’t put that information on my blog. The only thing I put on my blog was signing with my agent last October. The ones who turned me down don’t matter.
Thanks, again. I decided not to worry. I thought that it was a pain to find the names of agents that seemed right. I hope that someone will find my list and save themselves the trouble and time. I am so happy to be writing again. After a few months of marketing and reading about the industry I am back where I want to be. Now, though, I have found a community of writers. This is lovely. Thank you for the encouragement.
That was the wrong link If someone wants to find the easy list of agents, it is at the site I will link to here. Sorry about that.
I found your blog while reading Writer Unboxed. I read Ms. Nash’s article and fell in love with her and your site. I’m always interested in finding sites that can help my writing skills. I’m in the process of writing those dreaded (for me) query letters to find an agent. I self-pulbished my first book, but I don’t want to do that again.
Welcome!!! 🙂
Amy, so happy to find your blog & have added it to my Feedly list! It was mentioned today on this Writers’ Cafe thread about Women’s Fic.
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,157844.0.html
Hello Amy! My name is Karin Brown and I am the Public Relations Manager for an online women’s magazine called Miss Millennia Magazine, For the Woman Who Wants It All, located at MissMillMag.com. Our theme for the month of October is Literature and we would love to have a published and accomplished female author as our Cover Girl! Email me if you are interested in being involved in our mission!
Oh blog, where have you been all my life! Finally, I’ve found a sisterhood of women who love the books I love: well-written fiction about REAL women. Ahhhh. It feels good to be home.
AH! Welcome home, Mary! 🙂
I have to say, the tag: “no heroes. no zombies. no high heels. well, maybe high heels.” bothers me a bit. I am a woman, I am a fiction writer and I write about heroes and zombies at times. It kind of sends the message that only men write about those subjects. Sorry, I don’t mean to stir anything, I just don’t see how or why women and zombies and heroes don’t mix.
They don’t mix for me, on this blog, Shannon. Women can and do write many things. This is a WOMEN’S FICTION WRITERS blog. Not a women writers blog. I’ve had men on here who write women’s fiction.
Make sense now? 😉
(And the beauty of having your own blog or website–which you likely know–is that the rules are yours and yours alone!)
Hi Amy-
Would you be interested in being a feature writer for my blog series How I Got Published?
http://carolbalawyder.com/category/how-i-got-published/
Carol
Just what I’ve been searching for! A group of writers who write WF! I kept thinking I was the only one. 🙂
Welcome, Terri! You’ve found your tribe!
Amy xo
Hi Amy
Great resource for women’s fiction writers here, thank you. We’ve included your blog in our uber-list ‘151 must-visit writing websites’. Do have a look and let us know your thoughts, and share it too if you like. You can find it via our blog.
Happy Writing 🙂
Jordan Kantey
Now Novel
I could spend all day here, Amy. What a beautiful site. Delighted to be “bound” in writing with you. My first WF is set for release next February and the second is on sub as we speak. Can’t wait to read The Good Neighbor- congratulations!
Thank you for your kind words, Julie! Congratulations!!!
I enjoyed your recent article in Writer’s Digest – Making More Room for Writing. Thanks for some good reminders and suggestions. I think that I might have to follow Cathy Lamb’s approach and stay up a little later at night!
Thank you so much, Lauren! 🙂 Good luck staying up late! I’m an early to bed, early to rise kinda gal! Nice to *meet* you.
Amy
I’m with you on the early to bed early to rise thing, so it’ll be a challenge!
Hi Amy! I just finished another article in the October issue of Writer’s Digest. When I finished it and saw who wrote it (backwards, I know), I thought – ‘Hey! I know her!’ Well, in an online, wordpress kind of way. 🙂 Once again I appreciate your advice as I’m getting close to having my finished product. Thank you for your advice, and good luck with your new novel. I’ll make sure to put it on my reading list this fall.
Hi Amy
My Temple alumni magazine just arrived today and I checked the ’80’s section to see if they listed a note that I’d published my first novel. They did but that’s when I noticed a note about Amy Sue Nathan and her new novel The Good Neighbor, plus her interesting blog. So I’ve signed up for your blog – it looks so fun! I want to read your book. And I just learned about the women writing association through your interview here! What a great discovery on a cold, snowy Sunday!
Janet Roberts
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I enjoyed your recent article in Writer’s Digest – Making More Room for Writing. Thanks for some good reminders and suggestions.
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Best regards,
David
Hi Amy, thanks for the graphic from your friend on the difference (according to one definition anyway) between upmarket, commercial and literary fiction. I have been grappling with these terms as I send off queries for my own novel to various agents (it looks like my work is squarely in the commercial camp). You helped your writing colleagues!
Best wishes to you in 2019.