Welcome to the SNOB - Second Novel Ominipresent Blues. Whether you’re under contract or trying to snag another deal, you’re a professional now, with the pressures of a published novelist compounded with the still-present nagging self-doubt of the noobie. How to deal?
Today’s guest is Alex Perry, whose debut, Pighearted, comes out in Fall of 2021 and will be published by Little Brown for Young Readers. Pighearted is about a boy with a heart condition. A genetically engineered pig is supposed to be his heart donor, but ends up becoming his best friend.
Is it hard to leave behind the first novel and focus on the second?
Switching my brain from one project to another is hard. It’s my baby. I’m invested. And now I’m letting my baby wander out into the world on her own. But much like letting my baby toddle into the wilderness with a bindle stick and good wishes; it’s ultimately a relief. I did what I meant to do. My first novel, Pighearted, was out of my hands. I was done. I could relax. Until I had to come up with another project.
I was already working on a few different stories when my agent Melissa asked me to come up with a pitch for the next book so we could show my editor. I was in love the concept of Pighearted, so it was tough to try to present some half-baked idea with the enthusiasm I had for my first book. So I had to fake it.
I was in the emergency room with my mom as I typed out a handful of different pitches. When you’re in the middle of a medical catastrophe that takes the air out of any impostor syndrome. Self-doubt didn’t seem to matter as much because all I had to do was sit there next to the beeping machines and type. I got it done, but more importantly my mom got to go home and was okay. My wonderful agent helped me pick the best idea and I had to agree with her. That pitch flowed much more easily than the rest and I should have known that it was the one.
At what point do you start diverting your energies from promoting your debut and writing / polishing / editing your second?
As soon as Pighearted went on sub, I started trying to find the next thing. I knew that little piggy had gone off to market and was out of my hands for now. There were some false starts. I relied on my agent to rein in my more ridiculous impulses and pick a second story that would work for me. Now it’ll be a juggling act based on when I get editorial letters and revision deadlines. I’m planning to finish drafting my new novel in time to dive into edits. While I wait for feedback on those edits, I’ll revise my new novel, and switch back and forth like that until fall.
Your first book landed an agent and an editor, and hopefully some fans. Who are you writing the second one for? Them, or yourself?
I feel like the “correct” answer is should be that I always write for myself. But that’s a lie. I see writing as a business that I want to succeed in, so I’m trying to make something that’ll be marketable and appeal to the kids I want as my fans. Everything’s for them and I use agent and editor input to figure out what’s best for those hypothetical kids.
Is there a new balance of time management to address once you’re a professional author?
I really should figure out time management, but I haven’t gotten around to it. Maybe I will next week? I’m terrified of this new book. I drafted the first one in three weeks and have been plugging away at this one for about three months, if that tells you anything. I’m constantly wondering if it is funny enough, emotionally engaging enough, and if the characters resonate enough. With the first book, I didn’t have anything on the line. Just finishing that book was an accomplishment. This time could fail and actually disappoint professionals in the industry. That makes it tough to manage my time effectively.
What did you do differently the second time around, with the perspective of a published author?
I have a better perspective on the business end of things. I feel like I can see the market a little more clearly and hopefully use that to my advantage. I write because I really love it, but I want to be successful enough that I’m able to continue writing.