I'm lucky (or cunning) enough to have lured yet another successful writer over to my blog for an SAT - Successful Author Talk. SAT authors have conquered the query, slain the synopsis and attained the pinnacle of published. How'd they do it? Let's ask 'em!
Today’s guest for the SAT is Emily Victoria a Canadian prairie girl who writes young adult science fiction and fantasy. When not word-smithing, she likes walking her over-excitable dog, drinking far too much tea, and crocheting things she no longer has the space to store. This Golden Flame is her debut novel.
Are you a Planner or Pantster?
I actually started as a Pantster, but then one year I decided to do NaNo, and I knew I was (obviously) going to have a tight writing schedule. I thought that an outline might help me write more efficiently, and I’ve been a Planner ever since.
I tend to write pretty in-depth outlines, with many, many cue cards. For the most part my novels follow my outlines quite closely (at least in plot—sometimes my characters do their own thing). I like having a clear idea of where I’m going before I start out, so outlining works really well for me.
How long does it typically take you to write a novel, start to finish?
Timelines have been all over the place for me, especially now that I’m juggling more than one project on a deadline, and sometimes a novel has to sit on the backburner for a few months. The fastest I’ve ever written a novel was two months (not including editing time) and the longest took over two years. I do find that in general, I am getting faster at finishing novels.
Do you work on one project at a time, or are you a multi tasker?
I usually have at least two on the go. My ideal writing situation is when I have one in the first draft stage and one in the editing stage, because switching modes like that helps to keep my brain fresh. However, the editing stage tends to take me quite a bit longer than the first draft writing stage, so that doesn’t always happen.
Did you have to overcome any fears that first time you sat down to write?
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, so I wouldn’t say I had fears that first time. When I started getting nervous was once I had an agent and an editor, and I wanted them to like what I had written. However, for the most part I’d say it was a good nervous.
How many trunked books (if any) did you have before you were agented?
So many. I wrote eight books before I got my agent, and the novel that I signed with isn’t my debut either. It was a long process.
Have you ever quit on an ms, and how did you know it was time?
I’ve certainly had to quite more than one manuscript. Some of these were as I was learning the craft, and I eventually realized that the novel just wasn’t strong enough. For others, especially novels I queried, as I received feedback and rejections I would gradually come to accept that the novel was dead (so to speak). However, I would always be working on at least one other project and that helped, because I had something else still to work on (and to, you know, transfer all of my hopes and dreams to).
Who is your agent and how did you get that "Yes!" out of them?
My agent is the wonderful Rebecca Strauss, and I had a pretty typical path to signing with her. I sent a query and she liked it and asked for some initial pages, then the whole thing, and then I signed with her.
How long did you query before landing your agent?
I wish I had kept my early querying stats so that I could give a better answer to this question. I queried four novels, and with the last two alone I was nearing 100 rejections, so it was a lot, over many, many years.
Any advice to aspiring writers out there on conquering query hell?
Find a support group of people who will encourage you when you need it (and distract you when you need it). And don’t give up. I received dozens of rejections on the novel I eventually signed with. All it takes is one yes, and that yes can come at any time. I remember feeling like my career was going nowhere right up to the time when my agent’s e-mail landed in my inbox.
How much input do you have on cover art?
I was surprised at how much input I did have—I always thought the author wasn’t allowed much say. But my publisher asked me about past covers that I really admired, and wanted to know if there was anything I really wanted (or didn’t want) to see on the cover. And the end result was so amazing! I couldn’t be happier with it.
What's something you learned from the process that surprised you?
One thing that surprised me (besides how much input I had on the cover) was just how wonderful and supportive everyone in the industry is. It’s not that I thought the people in the industry would be negative or unkind, but I will admit that before I got my agent and my book deal, I sometimes found the idea of industry professionals intimidating. However, everyone I’ve met has just been so lovely, and it’s been great being able to work with them all.
How much of your own marketing do you? Do you have a blog / site / Twitter?
Marketing is still something I’m learning to do (and will no doubt continue as a lifelong learning process). I’ll be running a preorder campaign closer to my book’s release, and I’m also a part of the 21ers debut group, which has been a wonderful experience. Probably my favorite type of marketing and promotion is on the visual side: making graphics and trailers for my book.
For social media, I really enjoy twitter, as I find a lot of fellow readers and writers there. It’s a fabulous community. My handle is @avictoriantale (https://twitter.com/avictoriantale). I’m also on Instagram, at @avictoriantale (https://www.instagram.com/avictoriantale/) again.
My website is: https://www.avictoriantale.com/
When do you build your platform? After an agent? Or should you be working before?
I’ve always heard that you should get started before you get an agent, though I will admit, I didn’t seriously get involved in my platform until after I had sold my first book. Once I had that first book deal, I did find it easier, as then I could join debut groups and find a really solid community of writers that I could support and that supported me.
Do you think social media helps build your readership?
I think connections between writers and readers is so important, and building those connections is easier than ever with social media. So in that sense, I do think that social media can really help with building those connections.