Ep 168: How Reality TV Inspired a Debut Novel (with Amy Mass)

If you've ever thought "I could write a book about this" while watching a reality TV show at 10pm, you're going to love this episode! 

Amy Mass spent years writing for TV (you might recognize "The Goldbergs" and "Last Man Standing" from her credits), and after relocating from LA to a charming small town outside Atlanta during COVID, she channeled all of that storytelling experience into her debut novel, Reality Bites, out May 12, 2026 from Harper Perennial.

In this episode, Amy and I talk about what it actually looked like to make the leap from TV writer to novelist, including writing three books and two movies in four years, going out on submission, shelving her first manuscript, and finally landing a deal with a major publishing house. 

We also get into her writing process (she's both a pantser and a plotter), why she writes dialogue first, and how she keeps a running collection of joke scraps and character notes scattered across her phone, her laptop, and random Post-its around the house.

We also talk about what it was like getting notes from her agent and her editor, and how to push back on notes without being precious about it. Her phrase "find the note behind the note" is one to hold onto! 

And then we get into the part that surprises most authors: how much marketing is still on you. Amy was genuinely caught off guard by how much time, energy, and social media hustle a book launch requires—even with a publicity team in your corner. She's learning TikTok with the help of a neighbor in her twenties. She's batching content. And she's hosting the Newlywed Game at her launch party instead of doing a reading, because that's just who she is. 

CONNECT WITH AMY MASS

Website: www.amymass.com

Instagram: @amymasswriter

TikTok: @amymasswriter