My publication journey (so far!)
It occurred to me recently that I’d never really shared much about my own journey to publication on here. But I think one of the reasons my lovely clients choose to work with me on their websites is because I know EXACTLY what it’s like to be a published author.
It makes them feel like I truly understand them and their goals for their author websites. So I thought perhaps the time was right to share a little more of my own publishing story with you, from ten years trying to get published, to finally landing a six-figure book deal.
I really like reading these kind of posts and I hope you do too. What always fascinates me is that there is no ‘one’ path to publication. All the writers I’ve worked with have such different and interesting stories.
But the one thing we all have in common is dogged tenacity and persistence!
I’d always wanted to be a writer, ever since I could read. I loved reading and making up stories and it just felt completely natural to write my own. It was very instinctual, rather than a conscious decision.
I wrote several ‘novels’ as a child, all painstakingly typed up on my electric typewriter (still my most favourite Christmas present ever!). I even sent one of these books off to Penguin when I was about 12.
They replied very nicely saying that perhaps I’d like to read some of it out to my class at school (needless to say, I didn’t do this!).
My first proper rejection letter - I was 17!
I carried on writing and submitting throughout my teenage years, then had a break when I went to university.
I started writing again seriously after I left. I joined a creative writing forum (this was back in the dark ages of the internet when such things were quite new) and ‘met’ a lot of other aspiring authors on there.
You could upload your work for critique, and it was such a supportive, encouraging place.
I didn’t know anyone who worked in publishing and so I had no connections, but through the forum I met lots of other writers.
They were mostly unpublished, but a few already had book deals and were really kind, mentoring and educating the rest of us in the mysterious dark arts of publishing.
How I got my literary agent
It was through this forum that I learned that to get published, I needed an agent. I finished the book I was writing, edited it as best I could and started submitting.
Of course, I had plenty of standard rejections but then one day I heard from a young agent who was just starting out. She’d been passed my novel by a colleague and wanted to meet.
We went for a coffee, hit it off and she offered to sign me. I was one of her very first clients. Her name was Caroline Hardman and even though she’s moved agencies several times, eventually setting up her own: Hardman & Swainson, she’s still my agent today, 15 years later.
With my agent Caroline Hardman
We worked together on my first book, and submitted it to publishers about six months later. I am pleased that I was quite prepared for it to fail, because it did. No one wanted to buy it, but a few of the publishers were positive about my writing and wanted to see what I did next.
So I went away, licked my wounds for a bit and wrote another book. Both Caroline and I agreed it was much more commercial than the first. We were cautiously optimistic about it selling, and within a week of it being submitted to editors, we had some encouraging responses.
Mastering the art of rejection
But then the rejections came in. And the editor who expressed the most interest didn’t manage to get it past the rest of her team, as it was too similar to a book she had bought just a week before. I knew it would be hard, but I didn’t know it would be this hard. To spend the best part of four years working on two novels only to have both of them come to nothing is very difficult.
I wrote another book, but by then my heart wasn’t in it, and both Caroline and I agreed it wasn’t up to scratch. Disheartened, I stopped writing for a while, and instead focused on my day job.
I started my own PR agency, which was surprisingly successful. It was a relief to feel I had some control over the success of my efforts for once, and for the next few years I didn’t write a word of fiction.
Getting my debut deal
I sold my PR business when I became pregnant. It was during maternity leave that I thought I might have one last try at writing a book before I looked into getting a ‘normal’ job again. The result was my debut suspense, The Rival.
After a few minor revisions, Caroline sent it out, and we had a pre-empt from a major publisher (Quercus) within a week, followed by an offer from another publisher later that day.
My Bookseller announcement
Since then, I’ve published four more suspense novels with Quercus, and I’m under contract for my sixth.
My published books (to date!)
Trying something different
I LOVE writing (and reading!) suspense but during lockdown, I realised that I wanted to write something a bit different…
The One That Got Away, the story of two people who fall in love at university but are torn apart by a tragic incident, was nicknamed my ‘midlife crisis’ novel in my house. I never really expected it to get published.
But I sent it to Caroline anyway and she was really enthusiastic. She sent it out almost immediately – with no revisions, which was a first!
The US ARC of The One That Got Away
I heard that Rachel, my editor at Head of Zeus, loved it after three days. I’ll never forget that email.
And it then went on to sell in various countries around the world, as well as for a six-figure pre-empt in the US, which really was a dream come true.
Signing copies of The One That Got Away in my local Waterstones
I also sold the film rights to a major Hollywood studio earlier this year.
I’ve always believed that things happen for a reason. I don’t regret all the years I spent writing books that didn’t see the light of day. They’re part of a very necessary apprenticeship that I’m happy to have undertaken.
At my launch for The One That Got Away at Goldsboro Books in London
And they’ve made me feel truly grateful for the position I’m in now.
As you can probably tell - I had a VERY long road to publication – nearly ten years, three unpublished manuscripts, countless rejections – but seeing all six of my books lined up on the shelf in my office reminds me that it’s all been worth it.
I won’t lie - there have been some huge challenges along the way. Writing is tough on some many levels: creatively, financially, emotionally. But it never feels like a ‘job’ and I genuinely look forward to Monday mornings, which I really believe is all you can hope for from a career!
So what’s with the web design?
You might be thinking - OK, so far, so good, so why are you still doing web design?
And it’s a fair question!
But the truth is, I absolutely love it.
It’s the perfect complement to my writing - I get to work with other authors (who are pretty much universally The Best People), I get to learn new stuff all the time (I’m a massive tech nerd and genuinely enjoy learning new digital skills) and I also get a stream of reliable income to go alongside my VERY unreliable and inconsistent writing income.
I also find writing very lonely, and think if it was the only thing I did work-wise, I’d go (even more) crazy.
As for my writing career - who knows what’s next?
I have two books scheduled to come out - one in 2024 and one in 2025, and I’m brainstorming ideas for my ninth book… the writing life is such a rollercoaster, and it’s really hard to plan too far ahead.
I believe you just have to hang on tight and go with the ride!
All my suspense novels!
My top tips for getting published
1) Polish your book until it shines. I know it’s painful but don’t send out work until it’s really ready. It’s not because you only get one chance to impress (I’m not sure that’s true) but more because you don’t want to be discouraged by negative feedback on a book that’s not quite there yet.
2) Get involved with the writing community. It’s such a warm, welcoming industry and writers are generally so supportive to other writers. It’s a lonely business and writer peers truly make all the difference.
3) Read within your genre! It sounds obvious but if you don’t read other people’s novels, your likelihood of getting published is incredibly small. Publishing is a business, and your book needs to have commercial value in order for a publisher to be interested in it, so you need to understand the market and what people are reading.
