# 18.21: The Empathy Gap: How to Understand What Your Publisher is Telling You

An episode of [Writing Excuses](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/990871441), 21 May 2023, 29 min.

Audio: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/audio3.redcircle.com/episodes/a80075f2-5c5e-488e-93f0-f0a41b58f26a/stream.mp3

The relationship between a writer and a publisher is… one that isn’t talked about enough. So we made an episode about rejection letters, email etiquette, and empathy. As a writer, how do you talk with a publisher? Well, luckily we have someone who knows all about the publishing world because they’re an agent at a large publishing house. DongWon offers advice on how to interact with publishers from the perspective of someone on the industry side. (If you’re new here: DongWon Song is an agent at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency.) Then, we hear about our hosts’ experiences with rejection (spoiler alert: there’s been a lot.) Homework: Write a professional and kind rejection letter for a piece you like. Thing of the Week: Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen Mentioned Links: “The Empathy Gap” by DongWon Song Munchkin Starfinder Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson. Join Our Writing Community! Patreon Instagram Twitter Facebook Sign up for our newsletter Our Sponsors: * Check out Talkiatry and use my code talkiatry.com/WX for a great deal: https://www.talkiatry.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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