Ask the Author: Emily Gould

“I will happily answer questions about how to get an agent, what is "fiction," etc but I will EVEN MORE HAPPILY answer questions about yoga, food, cats, perfume and the future of publishing :) ” Emily Gould

Answered Questions (8)

Sort By:
Loading big
An error occurred while sorting questions for author Emily Gould.
Hi Emily, I've just returned from Maryland, I loved it and like you, I love yoga, cats, dogs, horses, food and travel. So where in your opinion lies the future of the publishing industry and how can I get a top lit. agent? Best wishes, Christine E. Mackenzie
Emily Gould Lol! Well, the agent question is easy -- look at the acknowledgments sections of books you love and pursue representation via those authors' agents. But whither publishing ... I try to figure it out every day. I'm hopeful that curated subscription models like www.emilybooks.com are part of the answer.
flag
Have you ever visited Madison, WI ? That's where I'm from (and where I am right now!) and I just read the little blurb in the NY Times book review that says one of the main characters follows a cad to Madison, WI. So I was just curious why Madison, WI.
Emily Gould Excellent question. I let my friend who some aspects of this character are loosely based on make that decision for me; in an earlier draft of the book it was St. Louis. She's been to Madison and provided all the details about it, though IRL she followed a cad much further afield. I'm not going to lie to you, it was pretty random. I've never been to Madison. I'm sure I would like it. I'm sorry if I got it completely wrong!
flag
Will Friendship become an Audible book? I've gotten so addicted to listening to books that I've pretty much forgotten how to read. If not, though, will order on paper or kindle and make do.
Emily Gould I wish! None that I know of. Maybe someday!
flag
You're one of my very favorite writers, but I worry that we wouldn't get along in real life due to incompatible astrological signs. How do you get over/deal with your issues with people of seemingly opposing star charts?
Emily Gould LOL. Are you a Cancer? (Seriously, are you?)

I mean, I love my Mom and she's a Virgo and I'm a Libra with Aries moon and Aries rising. So really anything is possible. There's hope for us.
flag
Emily, I just finished reading the piece on you in this month's Elle. I admire your work and even more, your honesty and strength. What advice could you offer for an unpublished fiction writer like myself who is eager to find an agent? Thank you for your time!
Emily Gould My #1 tip is to look at the acknowledgments section of books you like or books that are like yours. Everyone thanks their agent, but you can usually tell when people are SINCERELY thanking their agents. Then contact those agents and say how much you loved [book x]!
flag
Friendship was one of the first books I've read that really got how people communicate and relate to one another through technology (but didn't simultaneously make a big thing about it). Did you find it challenging to write a book that was so steeped in technology? Did you worry that, like, there should have been Snapchat in it or something?
Emily Gould I'm so steeped in technology, for better or for worse, that I didn't consciously work to accomplish this (thank you!) but I did have to work at keeping technological details consistent during the revision process. I worked on the book over the period of 4 years, during which time technology changed a lot. In the first few drafts the characters didn't have iPhones yet (because their creator didn't) but by the final draft they had to have iPhones, not only because I did but because it was INCONCEIVABLE that those people would not have and use iPhones. I did worry about those details drawing attention to themselves and dating the book, and also about cultural details dating the book (as when the characters watch Teen Mom and Keeping Up With The Kardashians.) But it's rare to read a book that's so chockablock with cultural references that the passage of time has rendered it incomprehensible, right? Maybe like two Bret Easton Ellis books but that's it. Anyway, Keeping Up With The Kardashians will probably be the one thing from our society that remains after humans become extinct, so I probably shouldn't worry too hard about that.
flag
Sometimes I think about how Will Leitch refused to eat the vegan hot dog on Cooking the Books and I get so angry. Is it OK for me to still be this angry or should I try to move past it?
Emily Gould It's ok to still be angry about it. I'm still angry about it too. I feel so cheated that I ate that hot dog. It was one of the most disgusting things we ever made on Cooking the Books, but not the most disgusting. The burgers I made with Jami Attenberg were the worst (dramatically undercooked, gross sauce.) The power bars I made with Chad weren't gross but I definitely ate a gross amount of them. Ditto the Jon-Jon rugelach. The best thing we made was the Cinnabons in the first episode.

The drink Doogie Horner and I made with the cheap beer, vodka and lemonade was amazing. You wouldn't think it would be, but it was just spectacular.
flag
What role will yoga play in the future of publishing?
Emily Gould Thank you for humoring me, Patrick. I should probably pretend to take this joke question extremely seriously for humor purposes. Instead I will just say that, as the ground beneath us shifts, it helps to learn to be extremely FLEXIBLE. Ha ha!
flag
Emily Gould
637 followers
To ask Emily Gould a question, please sign up.

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more