Collaborcast with Emily Krempholtz

Hi Collaborist! This week on Collaborcast we interview Emily Krempholtz. Emily is an esteemed editor, book coach, and hopefully, soon-to-be-published author! We dive into her new book and what got her, and America, into the booming cozy fantasy genre. We also discuss how to query agents, BookTok, Romantasy, and how the woman author is the major voice behind the Romantasy genre. Emily talks us through all the highs and lows of her current publishing journey, and how she persevered through it all. This is an episode you can’t miss!

Emily Krempholtz is a writer, editor, book coach, and storyteller. With a background that spans from journalism to fantasy, Emily is passionate about pulling at the threads of a narrative—be it memoir, self-help, or sci-fi—to unearth the powerful stories that lie beneath the fabric of the human experience. She prides herself on being an enthusiastic, supportive, and honest advocate for the authors she works with.Her reading interests are as varied and ever-changing as her hair color, but her specialties as an editor include memoir and personal development.On the fiction side, Emily loves to write, read, and edit works that fall under the genres of fantasy, sci-fi, contemporary, romance, women’s fiction, and YA. If it’s got themes of found family, realizing your own potential, or breaking free from the “shoulds” of the world, she’s in.Emily also has extensive experience working in spirituality/wellness, prescriptive nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, and business guides, as well as short-form nonfiction like blogs, articles, brochures, and social media, particularly for small businesses. She loves conceptualizing a book’s structure from the ground up, and works with many writers to create successful book proposals that speak to that book’s unique message and firm place in today’s publishing landscape.Above all else, Emily lives for a story that grabs her with a strong voice and captivates her with a compelling narrative. If you bring her a story that makes her laugh, she’ll be your new best friend for life.

Jason Buchholz’s acclaimed debut novel, A Paper Son, was published by Tyrus Books in 2016. He has ghostwritten books and book proposals for a variety of authors and as an editor he has fostered the development of dozens of manuscripts, both in fiction and nonfiction. He has also worked as a journalist and a travel writer. A current nonfiction project has him hiking and kayaking deep into the quiet landscapes of the many wilderness areas of Northern California, where he lives. When he’s not writing or reading he spends his time playing and traveling with his son and daughter. Jason graduated from UC Berkeley and holds an MFA from the University of San Francisco.

Ben LeRoy began his publishing career in the early 2000s as the publisher of Bleak House Books (2000-2009) and then Tyrus Books (2009-2017) until the latter was acquired by Simon & Schuster. During his time as publisher, Ben worked on a variety of critically acclaimed and award winning titles. He was also a regular panelist and speaker at writing conferences. Since 2017 he has continued to work with writers tohelp them understand and best tell their stories. He has extensive relationships within the publishing and bookselling community and is a mindful observer of current trends and artistic integrity. He is continually exploring new ways of approaching editing.

We provide editing, writing, coaching, and consulting services for writers in all genres. Whether you’re a first-time writer planning your first manuscript or an established author wondering why your latest draft isn’t quite working as well as it should, our bespoke services will help you attain your goals. If you feel like we can help you in your writing aspirations, please visit us at https://collaborist.org/
00:00 Opening Credits
01:10 Welcoming Emily!
02:03 Emily's New Book
04:54 Romantasy
14:55 Cozy Fantasy Romance
16:48 Queries
21:23 Aligning with Market
25:16 How to Track Your Queries
28:05 Being Ghosted
31:41 Emily's Agent
36:19 Researching How to Put a Query Letter Together
43:12 Emily's Biggest Takeaway
47:07 Controlling What You Can
47:51 Rise of Cozy Fantasy
55:40 Where to Find Emily