How to Publish Nonfiction: Agent Alia Hanna Habib's Guide (summer encore series!)

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/1992165/fa...) Beth and Lisa welcome literary agent and debut author Alia Hanna Habib, whose book Take It From Me is a practical behind-the-scenes guide to getting a nonfiction book published. Alia represents acclaimed writers including Clint Smith and Nicole Hannah-Jones, was named one of New York Magazine's most powerful New Yorkers you've never heard of, and writes the Substack newsletter Delivery and Acceptance. WHAT IT'S REALLY LIKE TO BE A WRITER (WHEN YOU'RE ALSO AN AGENT) Alia shares what it was like to experience the writer's side of publishing for the first time — the anxiety of waiting for feedback, the obsessive inbox-checking, and the hard-won empathy for her own clients. Her takeaway: before you hit send on that panicked email to your agent, ask yourself — am I sending this because I need an answer, or to soothe my own anxiety? If it's the latter, wait. HOW THE BOOK CAME TO BE The idea came during an afternoon nap. Alia was expanding a writing workshop for Stanford academics and realized there was no practical guide specifically about nonfiction publishing. She texted her colleague and friend Meredith Pafel Simonoff two paragraphs — and had a proposal within weeks. Writing the book took two years, complicated by divorce, loss, and the realities of doing it alongside a full-time career. THE NONFICTION LANDSCAPE RIGHT NOW We're in an escapist moment. Romantasy, cozy mysteries, and rom-coms are dominating. In nonfiction, what's working is practical books that make your life better or give you hope. Alia also sees a coming wave of tech-critical books skeptical of our online lives. Her agenting philosophy: if something fascinates her, it'll fascinate readers. She doesn't chase headlines — nonfiction timelines are two-plus years, and you can't predict the news. CRAFT: WRITING A WINNING NONFICTION PROPOSAL The biggest mistake Alia sees is what she calls "death by PowerPoint" — leading with marketing bullet points instead of writing. Publishers are readers first. Her advice: • Open with a scene in the voice of the book, not a summary • Solve the "page 100 problem" — what's the engine that sustains 80,000 words? • Keep marketing sections grounded in what you actually bring to the table — platform, expertise, existing audience. Publishers decide budgets and tours. Skip the hypotheticals. • You're being judged on how you tell a story, not how great you are at bullet points WHAT ALIA IS LOOKING FOR RIGHT NOW Books that provide guidance or reframe someone's life, historical true crime, and narrative nonfiction with a strong storytelling engine. Current projects include a Regency-era true crime story and My Jane Austen Breakup Album — a literary memoir about a man who lost his partner and his home and spent a year couch-surfing with his collected Jane Austen, reading her for romantic advice while navigating the gay dating scene in Manhattan. FIND ALIA Substack: Delivery and Acceptance  Book: Take It From Me — available now wherever books are sold Support the show (https://www.buzzsprout.com/1992165/su...)  Visit the Website (https://www.writerswithwrinkles.net/) Find Full Episodes on YouTube! (   / @writerswithwrinkles  ) Writers with Wrinkles Link Tree (https://linktr.ee/writerswithwrinkles) for socials and more!