Welcome! This is a follow-up on my How I Got My Agent post, so check that out first if you haven’t — it’s got some good info. And the full query letter my agent said yes to is on here too.
I completed my first book at 21, a suspense thriller, HIS DARK REFLECTION. Then I took a long hiatus writing poems and short stories, coming back to my next novel in a new genre in 2022. I completed the first draft of my fantasy novel, FIRSTBORN OF THE SUN, in about six months (this was hard — very hard).
I had a few beta readers read the first draft over the summer. At the same time, I hired an editor for professional feedback. You don’t HAVE to get a professional editor to get an agent or a book deal, but I wanted to and I found it extremely helpful. While I got incredible feedback from my beta readers, my editor’s notes were more targeted and actionable. For example, I had 8 POVs in my first draft and I wouldn’t have been able to streamline it to the much tighter 4 POVs I have now.
I got my edit notes in the summer of 2022 (hint: your first edit note will hit like a rock). I took a couple of months off to reorientate myself and step away from the work. I attended short courses and writing festivals, and did intensive research on all the agents I wanted to query. Love a good spreadsheet. I also spent lots of time revising my query letter and synopsis.
I sent my first query on April 26th 2023, got my first offer on May 17th, and signed with my agent on June 1, 2023.
I edited my manuscript again with my agent over the summer of 2023, which required a substantial edit to the last 25%. At the start of autumn, we had another round of copyedits to clean up the manuscript — and then went on submission.
GOING ON SUBMISSION
We went on submission in the first week of October. Having a full list, we submitted in staggers, and from the very first email my heart was threatening to stop. I literally couldn’t sleep. Awake at night thinking, God please, let someone buy this book. I had about eight editor requests at the time of submission. Many of these were from being a finalist in the Future Worlds Prize competition (highly recommend — it’s life-changing).
Going on submission is hard stuff. I recommend picking up new or old but fun hobbies. For the first month, I wouldn’t even recommend working on something new — just leave the book world and start catching up on TV, painting, knitting. Anything that’s not writing will do. You deserve and need the break much more than you think.
THE CALL
It took a few days to go through our list, and the following Monday, just chatting with my agent as we so often do, she goes: ‘Can I call you?’ I froze. I had read enough of these kinds of book deal posts that had somewhere in the middle a line from the agent saying — can I call you? I stared at my phone for a moment that was likely a second but felt like forever, then typed: YES OMG YES CALL ME!!!
She called. We had an offer. We had a pre-empt. We had a three-book deal offer from an Editorial Director at Penguin Michael Joseph.
I paced around the parlour as my agent went on. I could hardly understand her, I just kept thinking, I could not believe that this was happening. After much screaming from both ends of the phone, she hung up for me to think, breathe and scream some more. I ran up the stairs faster than I’d ever done to tell my husband, who had never doubted for a moment that this would happen.
In the middle of this, I got the most beautiful four-page letter from my editor saying how much she loved my book and all she had planned for it. She had other team members send notes about it too. In the end, their passion for my book won me over above all else. It was 48 hours between when my editor got the submission and when she came back to us.
FIRSTBORN OF THE SUN is out with Penguin Michael Joseph in October 2025. (Offer in October, contract in December, round 1 edits in December, round 2 edits in March.)
LESSONS LEARNED
While you’re waiting for news, find the best things to distract yourself with. Writing works, but only after a proper break — a minimum of two weeks for me. The anxiety is real; do something with no pressure and no commercial interest.
Editor interest is amazing. An offer is better. Everything you can do within your power to stand out helps. My choice was to apply for as many competitions as I could — the most useful were free to submit, like the Jericho Writers’ Friday Night Live Competition and the Future Worlds Prize (which comes with a publishing mentor for finalists).
Your agent matters — they are your champions. Use them. My agent responds within the day, stayed on top of all the editors we were out to, kept me in the loop, and was incredibly empathetic and encouraging during a time when I was too nervous to form cohesive words. Never be afraid of ‘bothering’ your agent. You’re in a business partnership with them.
Writer friends will see you through the toughest, most anxiety-ridden times. You need friends who know nothing about publishing to ground you, but you also need friends who know everything about it to help you navigate these waters.
For every YES, there are many NOs. Quick deals and fancy announcements are all fun and games, but the NOs don’t get as much publicity. Don’t let any post or journey dismay or discourage you from yours.
Celebrate every single win. It helps to know you’re doing, or have done, what was once a mere dream. Keep at it!
That’s all folks. Back to editing this chunky book!
xoxo, M.
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