Happy September!

Back-to-school season energy is my favorite. You're pretty much required to buy new notebooks, pens, stickers, and fresh new clothes. Luckily, I found a slew of new sparkly school supplies and while I'm still trying to figure out my lawyer-turned-literary look, I bought this Frank & Eileen button-down, Vuori joggers and Gap white barrel-leg jeans and olive green parachute pants. After two years straight in sweatpants, I am ready for a non-elastic waist (but only one day a week, obviously. I'm not an animal.)

And to really get into the back-to-school vibe, I signed up for two new writing classes this Fall (another novel writing class and my first essay class)! I can't wait to use my notebooks and pens, work on my second novel and hopefully make a new writer friend or two. All this learning will help mitigate my anxiety about sending my manuscript to agents. Because. . .

Novel Update: I'm in the Query Trenches!

The big news: I pitched two agents in August! Meeting real literary agents face-to-face (on Zoom) was incredible. Giving my three-minute pitch, fielding their questions, and discussing the publishing industry made this whole writer-endeavor seem very real, and I loved it.

Key insights from the trenches:

I really love my novel. Talking about it with industry professionals reinforced how much I actually like my novel, even though there have been many days over the past two years when I wanted to burn the manuscript (this is normal writer-behavior, I have been assured). And while no one's novel will be everyone's cup of tea (since everyone has their own taste in books), based on the initial reactions of the two agents I pitched, I am hopeful the novel will one day resonate with readers.
Platform building is part of the business. One agent shared that in today's market, novelists benefit from having at least 5K+ followers. While there's mixed advice on this (the other agent said a social media platform is unnecessary for fiction writers), the commercial reality totally makes sense. I've set a goal to post as consistently as possible on Instagram so if you follow me there @sarakeynaorr, you will see more behind-the-scenes glimpses of my creative process which includes shopping for books and school supplies, looking at pretty jewelry and walking my dog, but such is the life of an artist! :)

Festival Highlights: StoryStudio Chicago

Last month I also spent a glorious weekend at the StoryStudio Storyboard Festival, and I learned so much about publishing and pitching. Creative Director and Pulitizer nominee Rebecca Makkai (pictured below) continues to be my north star – funny, brilliant, and stylish (she inspired me to buy the aforementioned white jeans, tbh).

BigLaw to Books: A New Substack Adventure

Based on the panels at the two conferences I attended last month, it is clear the publishing world faces its own version of BigLaw burnout. Agents receive 1,000+ queries monthly, many have other jobs (a day job and many write books, too), and competition is beyond steep.

I'm fascinated by the parallels and differences between BigLaw and the Big 5, the work of a writer versus a lawyer, and the mind-bending identity shift required to pivot from partner to aspiring novelist. I'll be writing about it on my new BigLaw to Books Substack. Sign up if you'd like!

(In case you haven't heard of it, Substack is a website/app positioned as a place for writers to post their blog/newsletters mixed with social media features like commenting and posting photos and videos, etc. I subscribe to tons of writers on the platform so hoping it will be a nice place to build a community, but I'll keep posting on my own website too.)

Three Things That Sparked Joy This Month

1. Living in David Wroblewski's Universe: I've spent six weeks re-reading Familiaris and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle – over 1,000 pages of gorgeous, dog-centered storytelling. Both Oprah Book Club picks, both absolutely devastating and beautiful and magical and tragic and all the things. Read my full book review here. I'm also planning a Wisconsin literary pilgrimage to see the central WI farm where he grew up and many of the settings in the first half of Familiaris - and will probably read both novels one more time before turning back to my regularly-scheduled reading program of recent book club picks.

2. Family Vacation: Gracie and I went on our first overnight vacation last weekend! While her predecessor Charlie was a seasoned traveler who visited (and lived in) countless destinations, I was a little nervous to travel with Gracie since she's still learning how to dog after her early years at a puppy mill, but she did great and my family was very gracious to include her. Shout-out to my brother-in-law for taking this pic during a magical sunset!

3. August Binge-Watching Wins: When not reading my beloved dog novels, I watched Hunting Wives, Friends & Neighbors, Stick, and rewatched Broad City and Reboot. Stick made me cry twice and somehow inspired dreams about Marc Maron editing my manuscript (he was surprisingly helpful). Top TV recommendation of the month, thanks to my writer friend Cath W.!

What Made You Happy This Month?

I'd love to hear what is currently bringing you joy -books, TV, movies, podcasts, trips, etc. Your recommendations help me discover new things and in a future newsletter, I can do a round-up of all the joyful things we've shared!

That’s all from me this month! I am so lucky to have you!

xo,

Sara

The Orr Report | September 2025