2-in-1 Questions With Debut Authors Part 1

The past 18 months have been extraordinarily prolific for our small publishing niche and sapphic romance has been blessed with a number of absolutely stunning debuts. 20 Questions has taken it upon themselves to ask these authors about their experiences.

Here goes:

If you could have a debut do-over, what would you do the same and what would you change?

Suzanne Moss

Such an interesting question. The answer is probably 'most things'. 

I hadn't written any fiction since school (longer ago than I care to admit) and so had no idea how to go about planning a book - but I am a mega planner and control freak. So I researched how to write a book and did all the things you should do like character profiles and story arcs. From a historical research point of view I had around 50 spreadsheet tabs with everything from a recipe for 18th century shoe-shining balls to major figures in the history of science and philosophy. I did exercises on elevator pitches and synopses. I ate a lot of biscuits.

And STILL I ended up with a hugely long, horribly rambling manuscript that was really two stories, had way too many characters and lost its way in the middle.

The journey from that point on was both educational and painful. I had a lot of feedback from some fabulous people who gently set me on the  right track for which I will be forever grateful. About 60k words went and a different 30k went in. I reckon I wrote about 400k words in the course of producing the book overall.

I sometimes wonder if I could have done it differently but I think that process probably had to happen before I could really understand how it worked. The second book will be easier as I actually understand how to plan a book now. At least I hope so.

Sometimes I wonder about the content - I'd like to have brought out more of some characters who have taken a back seat, but I guess it's like talking about whether you have any life regrets. Things could have been different, but then they wouldn't be what they are.

So my answer is, 'I would be more efficient and eat fewer biscuits.'

Virginia Black

Knowing what I know now, I would start my promotion three months sooner. I also took *much* longer with the revision process than I probably needed, but...pandemic/lockdown affected my creative flow, and sometimes life happens.

What I would do the same is probably everything else, but this is my first novel, so I've still got a lot of lessons to learn!

E. V. Bancroft

If I had a do over of my debut novel Warm Pearls and Paper Cranes I would still do the dual timelines and dual romances but would change to have four points of view rather than just two. That would probably more than I could handle though and would double the length so maybe not! Also I might give the interfering cousin Amanda more of a comeuppance! In terms of craft I would have gone on writing workshops earlier.

Ana K. Wrenn

Let’s start with what I would do the same.

To prepare myself for the book-birthday of Strange Attractors (from Ylva Publishing), I spent well over a year reframing “self-promotion.” Females across cultures tend to struggle with even the concept of self-promotion, let alone acting on it. As a US-Southern-born female, I’ve been taught that spotlighting oneself and one’s achievements is arrogant and downright dirty. So, I had to confront my internalized biases about female success and ambition.

It’s taken me quite some time—frankly, I’m still working on it, but when it came to my debut, I reframed “self-promotion” as “celebration.” There are days I’m reluctant to showcase my work, then I remember the toil it took to bring Strange Attractors from my brain to readers’ hands. Behind each book, there’s a talented team who’s invested time, energy, and money in it. To celebrate one’s book is to celebrate the communal effort required for such an endeavor.

Something else I would re-do during debut: I took a walk early that morning and revisited some of the places that inspired Dr. Sonja J. Storey’s story. During that time, I grounded myself in the pre-dawn darkness, and I reminded myself that I can only have one debut novel in my lifetime. Take time and honor your rarest achievements.

Now, if I had a do-over, I would research even more certain elements of my marketing plan. For instance, I was naïve about book festivals. I had no clue that many on my list were geared toward the “big,” traditional publishers. So, for books to be considered for inclusion in some festivals, the selection committee had to have a copy of the book sometimes a year before the event. Smaller, indie publishers have too much to do; they usually can’t make ARCs available that far in advance.

Put together a marketing plan, yes! But debut authors must be prepared to scramble when hidden obstacles present themselves. I scrambled (still am). Executing a multi-faceted marketing plan was further constrained since I launched Strange Attractors during my last semester before retiring as a professor. I guess I would do that over again too: I would launch as a full-time writer. But how many writers have that opportunity? Overall, I am grateful for my debut experience. It wasn’t perfect. Just like me!

Emily Waters

If I had to change something about the debut process, I think it would be the amount of time between revealing the cover and the book coming out. The cover was revealed in March and the book came out in October, so that felt like such a long wait both for me and for potential readers.

I signed with Ylva in April of 2021 and the book came out in October 2022, so while that felt absolutely endless, it was a bit of a blessing because it really gave me time to set up all my socials and start building a more professional presence online so that by the time the book came out, I wasn't a stranger! That part was totally lovely.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Debut Authors’ Questions tomorrow. And thank you for reading!