Making the Cut with Susan Shapiro: How to Get Published
In this episode, Liza Day sits down with New York Times bestselling author and longtime writing instructor Susan Shapiro, whose students have landed bylines in the New York Times, The New Yorker, Elle, and dozens of other major publications. Susan has spent decades teaching writers how to go from an idea to a published piece, and this conversation is packed with the kind of practical, specific advice that rarely gets taught in a classroom.
Start with the audience, not the manuscript
Susan’s first piece of advice for anyone with a story to tell: figure out who wants to read it before you figure out how to write it. If it’s a relationship story, that might mean the New York Times’ Modern Love column or a women’s magazine. If it’s a career story, that might mean The Wall Street Journal or Forbes. Knowing your target publication shapes everything from length to tone to angle.
You don’t need an MFA to get published
One of the most encouraging points in the conversation: editors don’t care about credentials, they care about the story. Susan has had students from age 14 to 95 published, many with no formal writing background. What matters is whether the story is original, specific, and told well. Grammar and polish are the editor’s job to help with, not a gatekeeping requirement.
The pitch is everything
Susan teaches her students to boil an entire story down to under 100 words: why you, why this story, why now. A strong title and subtitle can do a surprising amount of work. She shared how a single well-placed pitch line got an instant yes from an Elle editor, no manuscript required.
Rejection is part of the process, not a verdict
Susan’s advice here is refreshingly practical rather than motivational fluff. Get feedback from people who know the industry, not just people who love you. Revise and resubmit to the right next outlet rather than spraying the same piece everywhere. And when an editor says no, the only right response is silence, not a follow-up argument.
Know what you’re ready to share
The conversation also touched on oversharing, a real tension for personal essay writers. Susan’s rule of thumb: know your goal before you publish. A story that could affect your job, your marriage, or your family deserves a real conversation with yourself (or your writing group) before it goes out into the world.
On AI and authenticity
Asked about ChatGPT, Susan was direct: editors don’t want it, they can often tell, and leaning on it skips the exact work, revising, cutting, finding the right word, that makes a writer’s voice worth reading in the first place.