The Path to Publication Never Runs Smooth—Just Ask MK Pagano; and Nicky Greenwall on the Difference Between Writers and Cheese✍🏼🧀
Plus, Stephanie Elliot's in The Query Lab, Charlotte Vassal's in our Q&A hotseat, and an early-bird registration update for Bianca's All About Fantasy retreat!
Happy Friday, friends!
On this week’s podcast, Bianca interviews debut author MK Pagano, who shares her journey to publication, which is almost as twisty as her YA thriller romance, Girls Who Burn.📖 🔥Anyone out there querying (or with a manuscript out on submission) should tune in—and take heart. (And don’t forget: we’re still airing past Books with Hooks segments until the end of summer, but you can find brand-new written query critiques in our Tuesday edition.)
In today’s newsletter, debut novelist (but veteran entertainment journalist) Nicky Greenwall, whose A Short Life is out now, shares an essay exploring the good, the bad and the ugly of being labelled a “local” author. She talks candidly about her feelings about not being published internationally, the advice she was given before her book debuted in South Africa, where she’s from, and explains how being a writer is not at all like being cheese. Or a pub. Curious? Read on… 😉
The Query Lab is back once with the letter that got Stephanie Elliot her “Yes!” and set an indie author on the path to traditional publication for her novel Sad Perfect.
We’ve also got an author Q&A with Charlotte Vassell, author of The In Crowd, whose words of wisdom on dealing with rejection while searching for your “Yes!” should be encouraging to anyone out there in querying trenches (Editor’s note: They also align with sentiments shared by MK Pagano on the subject of parting ways with an agent who isn’t the right fit).
And for everyone who’s been waiting…🥁🥁🥁 Bianca’s All About Fantasy virtual retreat opens for early-bird registrations in just 7 sleeps! Mark your calendars and scroll down for more details, including the incredible, not-to-be-missed lineup! 🧙🏼🪄🧙🏼♂️
And that’s all for now. Thanks for reading! ❤️
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team
P.S. Still not sure about upgrading to paid? Check out our Tuesday Teaser below to see what you’re missing!
This Week’s Podcast✨🎙️✨
This week on the podcast (listen to it here!) we’re throwing it back to an early backlist segment of 📕Books with Hooks🪝, after which, Bianca interviews MK Pagano, author of the YA thriller romance, Girls Who Burn. The two discuss:
MK's journey to publication;
the importance of knowing when to part ways with an agent, even if they are a good agent;
MK's experience with beta readers and following your heart when it comes to editing;
how MK pitched her 'romantic thriller';
deciding on characters' ages when writing YA;
why MK chose first person POV for her novel;
writing with a cast of characters; and
MK's advice for debut authors.
“Unless you're Stephen King, there's always going to be somebody who's more successful than you. I don't think my goal in publishing a book is to be the number one writer in the world. Obviously, there are going to be people selling better than me. There’s going to be people whose books I think are not as good selling better than me. There’s going to be people whose books I think are better than mine not selling as well as me. It's not really a meritocracy.”
— MK Pagano
More information about MK can be found on her website here. She is also on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
You can purchase Girls Who Burn on our Bookshop.org affiliate page here. Buying books through this link supports a local indie bookstore, as well as The Shit No One Tells You About Writing 📚❤️
Local cheese. Local pub. Local bookstore. All good things. Local author? Not so much.
By Nicky Greenwall
‘Bestsellers are chosen. Nothing you do matters.’ Those are the words of R.F Kuang ventriloquizing her protagonist, June Hayward, in the instant bestseller, Yellowface. The irony is not lost. An accurate account of the publishing landscape, or a ‘sour grapes’ comment from a deliberately unlikeable character?
Every would-be writer aspires to the appellation New York Times Bestselling Author. Don’t they? To be described as ‘local’ is to be painted a dud. Unless, of course, you manage to be both – as in; Local Author Becomes International Bestseller. (No doubt a headline in a local newspaper.)
Why the cringe when the adjective finds its way in front of our much-fought-for vocation? We all want to sell more books to more people but there is more to this carry-on than financial gain. No one becomes a writer to earn a quick buck. There’s prestige in earning the status of writer-who-sells-outside-their-home-country. When your book is translated into 10 languages you will finally feel ‘enough’. Evidence of universality is the ultimate literary validation. Isn’t it?
And, if this isn’t your fate, your book will be considered a damp squib. The question blinking at you in neon lights is, are you a failure if you don’t manage to publish outside the borders of the country you call home?
These are the thoughts that have kept me up at night in the run up to the release of my debut novel, A Short Life. It’s a domestic suspense about a group of friends who come into conflict when one of them dies suddenly in mysterious circumstances. It’s set in Cape Town and revolves around two car accidents that take place on the same night on the same road. The reader is encouraged to work out if the accidents had something to do with each other and if so, what the consequences might be for the characters at the heart of the story.
When I asked my publisher (Penguin Random House South Africa) about markets outside of my home country, they said frankly, ‘The best way to be a success in the international market is to be a success in the local market.’ Translation: sell enough books and you’ll sell more books (1500 copies in 3-6 months is the magic number for local fiction, while a novel that sells 2000 to 4000 copies is considered a success—4000 copies to 10000 is considered a bestseller).
Since PRH SA has world rights for A Short Life, the e-book is available worldwide, while the publisher has a contract with a literary agent to submit to foreign publishers for publication and translation. They don’t distribute physical books to select clients internationally, as this is an expensive process. The ideal, they say, is to sell rights to publishers based in other markets, as they are better positioned to sell and market the book there.
Proof of concept. Walk before your run. In publishing there are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ books – only what sells and what doesn’t.
As much as I want this to be the case for me, June’s proclamation is always at the forefront of my mind. Has the fate of my book already been sealed? Books need to be made available to other audiences. They won’t organically ‘catch’ other markets as a spark starts a wildfire – unless, a powerful person opens a gate, and an even more powerful person signs off on a marketing and distribution budget. Anyone who’s been on that submissions conveyor belt knows – hooking an international agent to magic this for you is no mean feat. Either way, I have taken the advice on board and have been hard selling my print run like a girl scout selling cookies for a good cause.
A friend recently asked me on Instagram if she could buy my book in London. I said, ‘No. Well, it’s only available in South Africa … for now. (Because I’m not good enough, hung in the dancing ellipses before she responded.) She seemed confused. ‘Why?’ she wrote, ‘Why can’t I just order it? I typed back something about shipping costs and e-books and international rights, but the truth is – I have no idea. Clearly, these are the questions international agents are qualified to answer and without one – I am still none the wiser.
A few days ago, I went into one of my favourite local bookstores and was shocked to find my book in the South African Fiction section. I began to panic that I wasn’t going to be able to live up to that adjective either. Local is one thing – but South African? Am I qualified to ‘write for my country’? What if I’m not presenting a fair reflection of our society? Did I cover every conceivable angle? Perhaps this is just a South African concern – but the label felt like it came with a ton of responsibility.
I’m reminded of the dark British comedy series League of Gentlemen, whose main characters had a local shop, for local people – a fact they keep repeating to much hilarity. In South Africa, we have a saying, ‘local is lekker’, meaning local is good. We’ve been trying to convince ourselves of this for 30 years – and in many respects there is a lot of universal truth to the phrase, (see above references to cheese, pubs and bookstores) but there’s still a desperate edge, as though if we say it enough times – it will be so.
Like many first-time authors, I’ve been doing my best to avoid reviews. But the ones that have made it to me all imply that the reviewer enjoyed the book because of the ‘familiar’ setting. This was a surprise. When I wrote the novel, I had (arrogantly, naïvely, purposefully) an international audience in mind. I wanted to describe the surroundings in such a way as to negate the need to have been to Cape Town to appreciate the content. Turns out the reverse is true. Some readers like seeing their environment reflected.
That said, I was recently introduced to a woman at a party who, when she learned I would soon release a novel, said something to the effect of, ‘TBH I don’t normally read local books. I’m so sick of all our domestic problems – I’d rather be transported somewhere else.’ So, familiarity does breed contempt. This was exactly me before I found myself labelled a local writer.
After my publishing deal I spent a few mad months catching up on who was who in the local contemporary literary scene. I was almost saddened to find that there were so many books I loved. I sheepishly realized, a lot of these books I would not have considered buying – simply because I, like the woman at the party, held a private and almost unconscious aversion for anything that might be considered local. If it hadn’t instantly been picked up by an international publisher – was it worth my time? The answer I found is YES!
Early on in the publishing process I reached out to Bianca Marais in the hopes she might take pity on a fellow South African trying to cleave a path in the writing wilderness. She did. She gave me one of the most glowing blurbs I’ve had to date and I couldn’t be more grateful. It proves the point she consistently makes on her podcast. It only takes one yes. Perhaps this is the best way to accept our writerly fates. We must be aware of our own antipathy as readers and broaden our tastes beyond the New York Times Best Seller list.
Award-winning local author and book reviewer Deborah Steinmair recently wrote of my novel: ‘It can hold its own against the best international offerings in the genre.’ I cried hot tears on reading that.
We shall conquer; one reader at a time.
As I write, A Short Life has been out for less than a month. I’d try sell it to you. But unless you’re in South Africa … well … 😊
Nicky Greenwall is a is a well-known producer, entertainment journalist and former TV presenter best known for the hit television shows The Showbiz Report, The Close Up, Screentime and more recently, the multi award-nominated documentary series The Beautiful People. As a print journalist, Nicky has contributed to Elle, Marie Claire, Men's Health, Glamour, Good Taste and the Sunday Times. She has conducted one-on-one interviews with a host of Hollywood stars including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jim Carrey, Idris Elba, Charlize Theron, Emma Thompson, Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Naomi Campbell, Hugh Grant and Sir Anthony Hopkins, to name a few. A Short Life, was released in July, is Nicky's debut novel. She lives in Cape Town.
You can purchase A Short Life here ❤️
The Query Lab 📝🖊
Welcome to The Query Lab where each Friday we’ve been sharing a successful query letter that got an author their agent AND their book deal.
Today we’ve got a query from Stephanie Elliot, author of Sad Perfect 😍:
Dear Adriann,
I enjoyed reading about you in Meet The Agent in Writer’s Digest and when I did more research on Wolf Literary Services, the mission statement about ‘passionate representation’ really clicked for me. That’s what I’m searching for – a passionate agent for my young adult novel titled Sad Perfect, which is complete at 54k.
There is an interesting POV in Sad Perfect in that “you” are the 16-year-old main character, falling in crazy-mad love for the first time and struggling with a unique eating disorder called ARFID, which is an actual new diagnostic category of restrictive eating. You’re fighting your way through depression, group therapy and recovery. An ex-boyfriend accuses you of attempting suicide and you wind up in the Crazy House where a bunch of misfits become your friends despite an unfortunate tragedy. And when you finally get out, you wonder if the real Crazy House isn’t actually the place you’ve called home?
In Sad Perfect, you learn that families aren’t perfect, love is not to be taken for granted, internal monsters are just as frightening as the imaginary ones, and that believing in yourself may be the conqueror of all evil. Not just for teenagers, adult readers will also relate to the universal themes in this novel.
I’ve written several novels that are available on amazon (all ranked 4.5 stars), and just last week one of those novels, A Little Bit of Everything Lost, was Emily Giffin’s #EGIFriday pick of the week. Your Perfect Life authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke said this about Everything Lost: "Sultry and soulful, Stephanie Elliot makes us remember the beautiful recklessness of your first love, and what could have been." Tracey Garvis Graves, NYT bestselling author of On the Island also gave it a front-cover blurb. I also run SE Reviews & Reads Facebook page and have hosted dozens of authors throughout the years. I have written articles for magazines and a variety of websites such as sheknows.com, bettyconfidential.com and babyzone.com.
For your convenience, I’ve pasted pages of Sad Perfect below. I would love to send you the complete manuscript if you’re interested. This book hits extremely close to home—and to my heart—as my own daughter is in recovery for ARFID.
Thank you so much for taking the time, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Elliot
You can learn more about Stephanie here ❤️
Sad Perfect is out now and available in our Bookshop.org affiliate page.🥰
Click below for the downloadable version of Stephanie’s successful query!
Author Q&A with Charlotte Vassell
Charlotte studied History at the University of Liverpool and completed a Master’s in Art History at SOAS before training as an actor at Drama Studio London. Other than treading the boards Charlotte has also worked in advertising, in executive search and as a purveyor of silk top hats.
TSNOTYAW: Do you have a go-to mantra or pep talk for the days when writing feels hard?
Charlotte Vassell: "You're a marine". My father used to say that to me when I was child and said I couldn't do something. I say it to myself now when I'm not sure I can push through. I am not a marine, by the way. I go to Pilates once a week and that's it. I'm in no way capable of joining a highly trained fighting force but the phrase weirdly works for me.
Were you ever close to giving up on writing and, if so, what stopped you?
I don't think I'll ever be able to truly give up writing, but I have definitely had hiatuses. I went to drama school for two years and didn't have much creative energy left at the end of the long day to put pen to paper. Sometimes a break is necessary. You can't pour from an empty jug. You have to live to have something to write about.
What one piece of advice (craft- or publishing industry-related) has always resonated with you?
Writers were readers first. Read broadly and read discriminately. Develop your taste and understand why some works resonate with you and others don't.
What is the most challenging part of being a successful author? And how do you mitigate its effects?
The day after publication is quite an odd day. There has been so much build up, and hard work from everyone to get that to that day and then your book is just out there floating around the literary ether. I try to always have an idea percolating for the next thing so that becomes my focus instead.
Writer’s block: myth or unfortunate reality? If you experience it, how do you overcome it?
Myth. Push through, write a paragraph a day about anything. Eventually you'll hit on something that excites you and off you go. Do make an active decision to live though, to go to museums or galleries whatever sets your mind racing. Engage with the world and ideas will come.
How important do you think it is for writers to be on social media?
I'm not sure. A good book is a good book and it'll find it's audience eventually. I quite like having an Instagram as I'm a visual person but I'm very specific about what I will and won't share. You can curate your presence there in quite specific ways. I hate the idea of myself as a brand but it's almost inevitable. I think Tiktok is a readers space though. It's a place to share with others what you've enjoyed, which is such a lovely thing and I only really engage with the platform as a reader not a writer.
How did you get your literary agent? What was the querying process like for you?
I was on the slush pile! It took me eight months of querying before I met my agent. I had a colour co-ordinated spreadsheet that I was working through and I sent out queries to six agents at any given time. Having been an actor I've got quite good at rejection. Rejections aren't a bad thing, if anything they're neutral. You don't want an agent who isn't passionate about your book.
You can purchase The In Crowd on our Bookshop.org affiliate page here.
Tuesday Teaser 😉
If you’ve ever wondered how someone manages to be both an agent and an author (two very all-consuming careers), or whether it’s easier for an agent/author to find representation than it is for us regular schmoes, don’t miss next week’s newsletter exclusively for our paid members where we interview A. E. Gauntlett, whose debut thriller (written in secret while agenting the work of numerous bestselling authors of his own) publishes next week.
Speaking of agents…Continuing her series on the author-agent relationship, our very own Carly Watters is back with more practical advice and insights in an essay that explores the Dos and Don’ts of communicating with both potential agents and the one that says “Yes!”. 🤩
We’ve also got a video from Gill Paul who offers insights on a topic we don’t see all that often: writing fiction about real people. Her video is packed with tips and insights about both the benefits and drawbacks, including what you can and can’t fictionalize, and how not to get yourself into trouble, legally or morally.
Not yet a member? For just $8USD a month or $80USD a year you get:
an exclusive newsletter on Tuesdays featuring bonus author Q&As and other exclusive content from industry experts
weekly access to Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra’s written notes on queries from the podcast’s Books With Hooks feature
monthly bonus podcast episodes, AND
regular Ask Me Anythings / Q&As with Carly, CeCe, and Bianca Marais.
If that doesn’t kickstart your writing journey, we don’t know what will!
All About Fantasy✨
Join Bianca Marais on the 28th of September from 9am-5pm ET as she hosts a one-day virtual retreat specifically aimed at fantasy authors!
Whether you write YA Fantasy, Romantasy, Adult Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Dystopian Fantasy, or any other variation of the genre, you won’t want to miss out on this amazing day of learning dedicated especially to you and those writing in your genre.
The incredible lineup of speakers include:
Author Tomi Adeyemi who is a Time100, #1 New York Times Best-Selling, Hugo and Nebula award-winning novelist and screenwriter. She has worked with Disney, Amazon, and Netflix, and penned the adaptation of her best-selling series for Paramount Studios. Her novels include Children of Blood and Bone, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, and Children of Anguish and Anarchy.
Topic: Writing the Breakout Fantasy Debut Novel (a one hour presentation followed by a half an hour Q & A).
Author Amber Chen who is the UK #1 bestselling author of the YA silkpunk fantasy novel, Of Jade and Dragons. She is currently based in sweltering Singapore and spends much of her free time living within Chinese fantasy novels and dramas. She also drinks one too many cups of bubble tea. One of her webnovels, The Cutting Edge, has been adapted for television.
Topic: Pacing in YA Fantasy Through a Screenwriter's Lens (a one hour presentation followed by a half an hour Q & A).
Author Andrea Hairston who is a novelist, essayist, playwright, and the artistic director of Chrysalis Theatre. She is the author of Redwood and Wildfire, winner of the 2011 Otherwise Award and the Carl Brandon Kindred Award, and Mindscape, short-listed for the Philip K. Dick and Otherwise Awards and winner of the Carl Brandon Parallax Award. In her spare time, she is the Louise Wolff Kahn 1931 Professor of Theatre and Afro-American Studies at Smith College. Hairston has received the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts Distinguished Scholarship Award for outstanding contributions to the criticism of the fantastic. She bikes at night year-round, meeting bears and the occasional shooting star.
Topic: Dramatic World Building: How to make Setting, Cosmology, and Backstory part of the Action in Fantasy (a one hour presentation followed by a half an hour Q & A).
Literary Agent Mary C. Moore who has represented the Nebula-nominated The Unbroken by C.L. Clark (Orbit,2021); and Indie Next and Book of the Month pick The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker (Inkyard, 2021). Mary’s first career was in field biology, which took her around the world, from Ghana to Costa Rica to Maui, before settling at the San Francisco Zoo. But her love of books proved to be just as strong as her love of animals. While working at the zoo she earned her MFA in Creative Writing and English at Mills College, Oakland. She worked as a literary agent at Kimberley Cameron & Associates before moving to Aevitas. Mary represents a wide range of fiction as an Aevitas agent based in the Bay Area.
Topic: Mary will critique 3-4 query letters submitted by delegates ahead of the retreat. (This one-hour critique session will be recorded a few days ahead of the retreat as Mary is unable to attend it live, but every delegate will have the opportunity to have their work potentially selected by Mary for the critique).
Elizabeth Hitti who joined Atria in January 2022 and works with Melanie Iglesias Pérez and Loan Le on a range of bestselling fiction that includes fantasy, rom-com, cozy mysteries, and speculative fiction. Elizabeth began her publishing career as a Marketing and Publicity Assistant at Profile Books in London, where she was commended for her campaign on Laura Dave’s bestselling The Last Thing He Told Me by the UK Book Marketing Society. Elizabeth grew up in Venezuela, holds a BA in political science from Vanderbilt University with minors in classical civilizations and corporate strategy, and is a graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course at Oxford University. Her first acquisition, The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski, is the Top Shelf Pick for Fall 2024, and her second acquisition, Any Trope but You by Victoria Lavine (co-acquired with Melanie Iglesias Pérez) will be out in Spring 2025.
Topic: Romantasy and the Cozy Fantasy - Everything You Need to Know About These Two Best-Selling Trends (a one hour presentation followed by a half an hour Q & A).
Sanaa Ali-Virani who is an Assistant Editor at Tor Publishing Group.
Topic: How to Make an Editor Fall in Love with Your Book (a 45-minute presentation followed by a 15-minute Q & A)
The retreat will be taped, and the recording and materials will be sent out to all registered delegates the next day. Each session that includes a Q and A will allow you to ask the speakers all your burning questions.
A closed Facebook group will be created so that delegates can interact with one another before and after the retreat as a way of building and maintaining community.
The regular registration fee is US $ 149.00.
An early bird discount of US $109.00 will apply for one day only on the 16th of August when registrations open.
For more information, and to book your spot on the 16th of August, click below:
Be Part of Carly’s Masterclass 😍📝
Carly’s class includes 10+ hours of writing and publishing video lessons you have lifetime access to, monthly Q&A sessions, and fresh content every quarter.
Did we mention there’s an app, too? You can keep learning on the go. Don’t miss a minute of Carly’s top career advice for aspiring, emerging and published writers. Get the writing career you’ve always dreamed of.
That’s all for this week’s news! If you enjoyed it, why not share the love? 🥰
Tune in again next week for more invaluable wisdom from our wonderful hosts! Until then, happy writing! 😍
❤️ The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team
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Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra are literary agents at P.S. Literary Agency, but their work in this newsletter is not affiliated with the agency, and the views expressed by Carly and CeCe in this newsletter are solely that of themselves and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of P.S. Literary Agency.
How can I find the Books with Hooks queries from the backlist you used for this podcast? I was particularly interested in "The Gap Year" that Cece read and commented on.