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 Deeba Zargarpur, author of House of Yesterday which releases tomorrow, November 29

Are you a Planner or Pantster?

I wish I could say I was a planner (it would make my life so much easier haha), but after many attempts at trying to plot ahead of time, I’ve embraced the chaos of my pantser ways. It’s just the way my brain wants to be!

How long does it typically take you to write a novel, start to finish?

I’m not a fast writer—I’m more slow and steady, with brief bursts of concentrated focus and productivity. For better or worse, being a writer that can only write when inspiration hits means I need to allot more time into my drafting schedule to not run behind on deadline. On average, it takes me about 6 to 8 months to write a first draft. But once the first draft is down, editing goes much quicker. I find it easier to revise material that’s already on the page!

Do you work on one project at a time, or are you a multi tasker?

I feel like I’m revealing my slow ways, but because it takes me so long to finish a project, it makes multi-tasking on novels nearly impossible. When I’m drafting, I really need to be immersed in one project at a time. So when I sold my YA, House of Yesterday, and my MG, Farrah Noorzad and the Ring of Fate, within a year of each other, it made balancing the two projects very difficult and I learned the hard way that I can only juggle drafting one project at a time.

Did you have to overcome any fears that first time you sat down to write?

When I first sat down to write, I didn’t experience any fear. Mainly because I was writing just for me. At that time, there weren’t any thoughts about publication or other people reading my work. Because of the lack of diversity in the books I was reading, I never thought someone like me could get published, which in a strange way, made me unafraid the first time I decided to write a novel. It wasn’t until I realized that there was a chance at publication that I became afraid, when my words were no longer privately mine to read. Sending that first batch of queries was terrifying—and to be honest, that feeling of sending a new project out to be read will always be a little bit scary.

How many trunked books (if any) did you have before you were agented?

When I completed my first novel, I wasn’t well versed in the industry. I had no idea what the parameters were for different audiences and genres. I just wrote a story that I loved and decided to send it out to agents. I learned the hard way in many, many form rejections that this first book wasn’t working. After getting a few CPs, critique partners, I revised that book over 8 times. But a broken book is a broken book. After nearly two years of rejections, I finally trunked that novel and started a new one. That second book was what got my agent.

Have you ever quit on an ms, and how did you know it was time?

The second novel I wrote was the one that landed my agent. I adored that manuscript. We worked hard for nearly two years revising that book. I poured all of my heart into that manuscript, waiting for the day we were submission ready. When we finally went on submission, I was so sure an editor would love this story the same way I did, but that submission journey was a tough one. That manuscript didn’t sell and I was crushed. After spending three years on that book, I felt like I didn’t have the heart to revise it again, and so I shelved it. I worked on my third manuscript—which ultimately sold and became House of Yesterday—to put distance between myself and that second book, which I’m glad I did because it wasn’t until I allowed a good chunk of time to pass for me to be ready to re-evaluate it. Ultimately, I changed almost everything about that shelved novel and re-sent it out on submission. That book is now Farrah Noorzad and the Ring of Fate.

Who is your agent and how did you get that "Yes!" out of them? 

My agent is Elana Roth Parker at Laura Dail Literary. Funnily enough, I had originally queried Elana with my first manuscript, and she rejected it. When I finished a revision of my second manuscript, I participated in #PitMad and Elana was one of the agents who liked my pitch. Within two weeks of receiving the full manuscript, Elana offered and the rest is history as they say. 😊

How long did you query before landing your agent? 

It took three years, two books, and over two hundred rejections before I finally got my agent!

Any advice to aspiring writers out there on conquering query hell?

As cliché as it sounds, keep writing. For as long as writing brings you joy, keep at it. Find your support system because the rejections will hurt, and I can say if I didn’t have my critique partners, fellow writers to hold my hand and continue to encourage me to keep going, I would have given up a long time ago.

How did it feel the first time you saw your book for sale?

I’ll let you know when it’s November 29th! It still feels surreal to know that people can preorder House of Yesterday now. I think I’ll finally believe it’s happening when I have the finished book in hand.

How much input do you have on cover art?

I was lucky to have a team that let me in on cover conversations early. My editor and the design team at FSG really listened to what was important to me regarding artist selection and the vibe of the cover. We went through a few rounds with the cover and each time, my editor asked for my input. It was a wonderful experience!

What's something you learned from the process that surprised you?

How much promotion there is! I mean, I knew it would take up a good chunk of my time, but it wasn’t until I got into the thick of it where I realized creating assets, promoting, creating social media content, preorder campaigns, etc is a whole full time job by itself!

How much of your own marketing do you?  Do you have a blog / site / Twitter?  

I do a lot of my own marketing! There’s so much behind the scenes work I didn’t realize I’d need to do until it was the time to promote. It’s been a learning experience to see what works and what doesn’t, but I’m learning to go with the flow and putting effort into things that feel good to me. One marketing tool that is good to have is a website with a purchased domain. Mine is www.deebazargarpur.com. I find it’s better to always direct promo and buy links to your site to generate traffic and for potential customers to click around and get to know a little more about you.

I’m also (sporadically) on all social media—IG, Twitter, TikTok—at @deebazargarpur.

When do you build your platform? After an agent? Or should you be working before?

This is tricky and often feels like a double edged sword since platform is often associated with social media. I think there are many ways to build a platform that isn’t tied directly to social media. Yes, having a strong online presence is desirable to publishers, but not everyone is an online person. Platform can extend past follower numbers. Being involved in your local community, providing support and awareness of who you are IRL is also helpful. Unless you’re writing non-fiction or memoir, I would say platform is not necessary to work on prior to getting an agent, but being a part of your local literary community is always a plus.

Do you think social media helps build your readership?

It depends. I’m a big believer of only being on spaces that bring you joy and to only engage in social media platforms you enjoy posting and interacting on. Readers crave authenticity, and I find readers can often tell when an author is only engaging on a platform because they feel they have to. All said, while I do feel being active on social media can help build readership, it only really works if what you’re putting out there is genuine and gives you joy. Otherwise, I would say it’s not needed. There are many other ways to build readership offline, and it’s okay to not be an online person. Using myself as an example, I find more joy connecting with readers offline, in person at events or conferences.

Deeba Zargarpur is an Afghan-Uzbek American. She credits her love of literature across various languages to her immigrant parents, whose eerie tales haunted her well into the night. If given the choice, Deeba would spend her days getting lost in spooky towns with nothing but a notebook and eye for adventure to guide her.