Ever wondered how your favorite authors got published? Are you looking to land an agent, but aren’t sure where to start? Up and coming YA authors are answering these questions and more with a new Instagram hashtag: #mywritepath.
RACHEL GRIFFIN (@timesnewrachel)
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The hashtag began with Rachel Griffin, the author of The Nature of Witches, a YA novel set to release in the Spring of 2021. Earlier this month, she posted a ten-day series on her Instagram account, talking about her publishing experience leading up to that final “YES” she received from the Sourcebooks publishing house. In her initial post, Griffin encouraged other writers to share their own stories, using the hashtag #mywritepath.
“I would love to fill up this space with the inspiring, frustrating, heartbreaking, fulfilling, soul-affirming stories that lead to our dreams coming true,” Griffin writes.
Over the course of ten days, Griffin discusses finishing her very first novel (which she never ended up querying), entering Pitch Wars with a brand-new manuscript (which landed her an agent, but wasn’t picked up by any publishers), and the book that finally got Griffin her “YES”—The Nature of Witches.
Griffin’s story reminds us that the path to publication is never easy, but that fulfilling your publishing dream IS possible, even if that means rewriting, revising, and persevering through rejection.
In her final, day-ten post, she ends on a hopeful note:
My career is just beginning, and I know there are many highs and lows yet to come. But there is no other path I’d rather be on, and all the rejection, all the longing, all the heartbreak along the way was worth it to end up here. So that’s my write path (so far!). Thank you for following along—it has truly meant so much to me.
If you’re interested in learning more about Pitch Wars, querying, or what comes after landing an agent, you can check out Griffin’s Instagram page here. You can also find her debut on Goodreads here, a YA fantasy following an Everwitch whose abilities are connected to all four seasons.
ADRIENNE TOOLEY (@adriennetooley)
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Adrienne Tooley is the author of Sweet & Bitter Magic (coming 2021) and Sofi and the Bone Song (coming 2022). She was quick to hop onto the #mywritepath hashtag bandwagon, detailing her own experience with publishing.
Staying true to Rachel Griffins’ ten-day post structure, Tooley discusses an agent that ghosted her, participating in NaNoWriMo (if you’re a writer and haven’t participated before, check it out!!), and eventually landing her current agent. While the book Tooley queried with—a middle grade fantasy—was never picked up by a publisher, her agent stuck with her as she wrote a new book.
In one of her posts, Tooley writes,
I cannot stress the importance of signing with an agent who is with you not just for one book, but an entire career. an agent who can see past a risk that didn’t pay off. an agent who suggests shifting gears and trying your hand at a new project—a YA fantasy.
This YA fantasy became her debut book, Sweet & Bitter Magic. But Tooley emphasizes that the work doesn’t end there.
What could possibly be left, you ask? you sold a book. your publisher just has to print it, right? oh, you sweet summer child. the traditional publishing path is long and winding. you get a deal in 2018 for a pub date of 2021. how? Why? because you’ve got work to do!
Tooley goes on to discuss edits and rewriting 75% of her book. She also mentions the writer friends she’s made since signing with Simon Pulse, many of which she says she met over Twitter.
In her last post, she writes, “This business is messy and unfair and brutal and beautiful, and I couldn’t feel more grateful to have a place in it.”
Sweet & Bitter Magic features a cursed witch who must steal love from others. You can add it on Goodreads here or follow Tooley’s write path on Instagram here.
LYNDALL KATE CLIPSTONE (@hyzenthley)
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Unlike Rachel Griffin and Adrienne Tooley, Lyndall Kate Clipstone’s debut is the first book she ever wrote. Still, after numerous revisions, she says that it feels as though she’s written three—just all about the same thing.
Clipstone’s Lakesedge is a YA gothic romance set to release in February 2021. She says that the book began in 2006, when she submitted it for Honors while pursuing a creative writing degree, though she wouldn’t begin drafting the novel for another ten years.
One thing Clipstone emphasizes in her posts is the amount of changes her novel underwent: a complete rewrite, structural changes, and even extending the book into a duology (it was originally intended to be a standalone).
“Revision is always so emotional for me,” Clipstone writes in an Instagram post. “I’m such a perfectionist and I often beat myself up for not getting it ‘right’ the first time. But I’m coming to accept that my process involves rewriting the book over and over again until I find the true heart of the story.”
Moving on to “being on sub”—when your agent sends out your work to various editors—Clipstone recalls feeling anxious and discouraged as editors began passing on her work.
I was so discouraged. A big part of my struggle was that I felt like such an imposter. Being an author was such a far-away, impossible hope. Something that happened to other people, not me. It got even harder when one of my close friends sold her book to what had been my dream imprint.
But in the end, she got an offer from not one, but THREE publishing houses. After speaking with all of the interested editors, Clipstone sold the book to Holt/Macmillian. The publishing house offered her a two-book deal, which she took, despite her hesitations of having to write the second book under contract. That second book became the sequel to Lakesedge.
“Now I can’t even imagine it as anything other than a series,” Clipstone writes.
You can add Lakesedge on Goodreads here or read about Clipstone’s publishing journey on her Instagram page here.
Writing a book is hard, and getting published can be even harder. If you’re looking to pursue publishing, but aren’t quite sure what querying, being on submission, or acquisition meetings look like, searching up the #mywritepath hashtag on Instagram is a great place to start! Griffins, Tooley, and Clipstone are only a few of the many authors sharing their stories.
It’s clear that no two authors’ experiences for publication are the same. But one thing’s clear—revision is a must, and perseverance is key. If you’re currently querying or on submission, we wish you luck! Just remember that despite their many rejections, these authors’ books will be coming into the world next year—and, who knows, yours could be following them shortly after!
Featured images via Rachel Griffin on instagram
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