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“The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine,” out now!

By Brendan O’Meara

“Elegant biography… O’Meara’s loving portrait also celebrates Prefontaine’s legacy off the field, most notably his campaign against the Amateur Athletic Union’s rules disqualifying athletes who attempted to monetize their success. Nimble and comprehensive, this is a stirring tribute to a generational runner gone too soon.” — Publisher’s Weekly [FULL REVIEW]

“Surging prose,” from LitHub.

We got a nice review in the Wall Street Journal, you can check that out here.

Hey, CNFers, The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine, is officially out. I’m experiencing all the feels, and I can’t wait for you to read it.

This is the link: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-front-runner-brendan-omeara?variant=43044900962338

Episode 477: David Howard and the Search for Stories He Believes In

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Personal News and/or Shoutouts for Pals

Hey CNFers, The Front Runner is officially out. I like to think I don’t ask for much, but now is the time buy a copy or three and, if you read it, you know the drill, need ratings and reviews. I won’t read them because I don’t want to be driven insane, but that’s the world we live in: ratings and reviews. Your call to action to support the book, me, and ye ol’ CNF Pod. If you’re still on the fence, and why would you be, there’s an excerpt of the book over at Lit Hub. Dig it.

Next two events are July 17 at Elliott Bay Books in Seattle at 7:30 and July 27 at Gratitude Brewing for a live taping of the podcast, 1 p.m.

I also started what’s proving to be a pretty popular venture called Pitch Club. It’s at welcometopitchclub.substack.com and I have a writer audio annotate a pitch. It’s tactical and it’s practical. It’s going to help you get where you want to go.

“If nothing else, it says a lot about chasing a story even when you don’t have an assignment, because Dave had reported this entire thing before he even pitched it to us.” — Jonah Ogles, lead editor of “Conversations with a Hit Man.”

Episde 476: Amanda Heckert Helps the Rider Stay on the Horse

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Personal News and/or Shoutouts for Pals

“I always say, with pitches, make it as easy for an editor to say yes as possible.” — Amanda Heckert, executive editor of Garden & Gun Magazine

Episode 475: For Dane Huckelbridge, Spacing Out is Part of the Process

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Personal News and/or Shoutouts for Pals

Episode 474: How to Reconfigure the Fireworks with Yi Shun Lai

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Personal News and/or Shoutouts for Pals

“There is this myth that you are a writer only if you are butt in chair, banging away at your keyboard for eight hours and then the rest of the time on a fainting couch somewhere, noodling over your ideas. And that kind of imagery does a lot of damage to young writers today.” — Yi Shun Lai

The Joy of Leaving Amazon Reviews: Getting Two Feet Inbounds

By Brendan O’Meara

Ok but listen: I don’t like Amazon.

I don’t have a Prime account.

I very, very, very rarely order anything from Amazon. But I realize I’m in the vast minority there.

That said, for authors big and small, Amazon ratings and reviews matter. Many book readers (the few who remain) out there buy their books from Amazon. Or, if they don’t, they look for the validation of a highly rated title. I’m assuming on that last bit of insight.

So I’ve been taking great joy in leaving short Amazon reviews for authors who come on this podcast, something I’ve historically not done.

Episode 473: Finding the Frame with Hampton Sides

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“It’s like trying on clothes when you’re a young writer, early in your career, you’re constantly trying to figure out who you are.” — Hampton Sides, Ep. 473

Episode 472: Melissa Febos and the Art of Personal Exploration with ‘The Dry Season’

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A mostly accurate transcript for Ep. 472¹

“As soon as I heard people refer to writers as actual people, I thought, ‘oh, my god, is that an option? Because I choose that option.’ And I just latched onto it immediately.” — Melissa Febos, from Ep. 472

Episode 471: The Cassidy Randall Residency at CNF Pod Continues!

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A mostly accurate transcript for Ep. 471¹

“I can’t imagine if somebody asked me to share these really vulnerable things and didn’t acknowledge that it’s a gift that that person is giving, and it’s not a gift to the writer. It’s a gift to everybody who will read it.” — Cassidy Randall, from Ep. 471

Episode 470: Megan Baxter is Into Rewilding Her Writing

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A mostly accurate transcript for Ep. 470¹.

“It’s also just confidence and knowing that it’s still there, and knowing that you are a writer when you are not writing.” — Megan Baxter, from Ep. 470

Sunday Funday: It’s Pub Week

By Brendan O’Meara

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I tend to overthink things. Like … if I start blogging, which I love, I get into my head that it needs to be on a regular day and it has to be this repeatable thing otherwise nobody’s gonna read it. That puts pressure on myself and I inevitably crash after doing it for a couple days or weeks. The exception being ye ol’ CNF Pod.¹

But I do love a good Sunday reading experience. Harkens back to my childhood when my dad would unpack The Boston Globe and chuck the comics at me. This was back in the day when you could legit throw your back out picking up the Sunday paper if you didn’t lift with your legs.