Writing It!

Episode 87: Not Waiting for Someday with Tilar Mazzeo

October 19th, 2026  |  55 mins 2 secs

bestseller, jill lepore, laurel thatcher ulrich, literary agent, tenured professor, trade press, trade writing

We talk with Tilar Mazzeo, writer and literary and cultural history scholar about her Yale University Press book, How to Write a Bestseller: An Insider’s Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction for General Audiences. Tilar is the author of more than eight books. Tilar’s 2008 bestselling book, The Widow Clicquot, was made into a film. We talk about Tilar’s path from holding an endowed chair in English at Colby College, to becoming a bestselling author. Other subjects include making the transition from academic writing to trade press writing; which tools of fiction are helpful; the value of media training; why a book tour is not what you think it is; what she actually misses about academia; and what ways of building an author’s platform are and are not worth the effort.