No Agent? No Problem! Successful Author Talk with Author Laura Liddell Nolen

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 (Successful Author Talk) is Laura Liddel Nolen, who grew up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She has a degree in French and a license to practice law, but both are frozen in carbonite at present. She lives in Texas with her husband and two young children. Her debut, THE ARK, is available now from Harper Voyager. Laura is also a great example of a non-traditional path to success. She's an un-agented writer published with a major house - not something that happens everyday!

Are you a Planner or Pantster?

Total planner. That being said, things rarely go according to plan.

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

Since THE ARK is my first, I guess I have to say five years. But the sequel is scheduled for publication next year, with the last book in the trilogy one year after that, so I’m going to have to work on my record quite a bit. To say the least.

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

I work on one project until I get writer’s block, which happens fairly often. Then I procrastinate by writing a short story or starting a new project. It helps my confidence overall, but not my faith in whichever manuscript is stalled at the moment.

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

One problem with writing is, you have to be slightly delusional even to attempt it. Like, what makes me think anyone will want to read my stories? But the more you write, the better you get. It’s quite a learning curve. If nothing else, I can always pull up an old story and cringe my way through it, which helps with confidence in my more current stuff.

How many trunked books did you have before you were agented?

I actually don’t have an agent yet. I’m planning to start querying this summer. I’m living proof that editors read their slush, though!

Tell us more about being published as an un-agented author.

I’m happy to share my “stats,” in case they offer any hope to other writers: I queried nine agents. Six asked to read my manuscript for THE ARK. Of those, four gave me some helpful comments. Of the original nine, two agents sent a form rejection, and one didn’t even reply!

I also submitted THE ARK to Harper Voyager, the science fiction and fantasy imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, when I heard they were accepting unagented work.

I planned to revise the manuscript and resend it to the four agents who’d given me comments. But then I got a call from Natasha Bardon, editorial director of Harper Voyager UK, saying they’d like to publish me! I guess I got the cart before the horse, in a sense.

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

Yes! My first attempt at a novel was just awful. I think I was trying to copy everything I thought YA lit should be like, which is a great recipe for a terrible book. I’m glad I got that out of my system. I knew it was time to quit when my friend Taylor said, “I can’t believe you’re not writing science fiction. That’s what you always wanted to do, right?” The next day, I started The Ark, and I haven’t looked back.

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

Rejection is an absolute given in this business. That doesn’t make it hurt any less, but at least know that you’re not alone when it happens. It only takes one yes, and bam! You’re in.

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

It’s completely surreal. And I’m not sure who’s more excited, me or my mom. Just kidding. Definitely me.

How much input do you have on cover art?

I was given two options for a cover. The one I chose is the one the editor liked best as well. I’m thrilled to say that I really do love it, and it was clear to me that the artist had read the book. The details are amazing. For example, the meteor matches her eyes. How cool is that? And there are a couple of lines in THE ARK referencing Char’s ratty hair, which is reflected in the cover image.

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

It’s amazing how supportive the writing community is. I think you wrote a post about this recently, and it really made me smile. As an aspiring writer, you don’t even need an agent or a book deal to reach out and find thousands of other people in the same boat, almost all of whom will be happy to cheer you on along your way. I’ve made some great friends on this journey. There are also tons of established writers who are committed to helping up-and-comers. It’s an exciting, inspiring group to be a member of.

How much of your own marketing do you?   

Nearly all of it. Yes, thanks for asking!! I'm on Twitter and have a site.

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

If I could do it over, I’d have gotten involved with Twitter a lot sooner. Otherwise, there’s not a whole lot to market before you have a product to sell. I think there’s value in focusing on writing the best book you can.

Do you think social media helps build your readership?

Definitely! Just look at your blog! I started reading Writer, Writer waaaay before NOT A DROP TO DRINK came out. By the time it was finally published, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy.

Announcing My New Book Deal!

If you follow me on Twitter and Facebook you know that last week I signed a two book deal with Putnam for GIVEN TO THE SEA, the first of an epic, multiple POV, fantasy series set on an island of rising tides, where tribes battle for resources, unexpected alliances are forged, and love bends to the whims of war.

Yes, it's true I'm jumping genres yet again. I started out with post-apoc survival for both NOT A DROP TO DRINK & IN A HANDFUL OF DUST, veered over to Gothic historical thriller with A MADNESS SO DISCREET, and will be dishing out a really dark contemporary for you in Fall of 2016 from Katherine Tegen, tentatively titled THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES.

I feel very lucky that publishing has trusted me to hop around with my stories. My brain likes to churn out books, but it's never been fond of staying on any one particular path. Hopefully my readers have similarly chaotic reading tastes that like to bounce around and see what's going on elsewhere in the world... even totally different worlds.

Laurie McKay On Writing The Second Novel

Welcome to the SNOB - Second Novel Ominipresent Blues. Whether you’re under contract or trying to snag another deal, you’re a professional now, with the pressures of a published novelist compounded with the still-present nagging self-doubt of the noobie. How to deal?

Toady's guest is Laurie McKay, who has a master’s degree is in the discipline most important for writing middle-grade fantasy: Biological Oceanography. Her debut novel THE LAST DRAGON CHARMER #1: VILLAIN KEEPER was released from HarperCollins in February 2015.

Is it hard to leave behind the first novel and focus on the second?

Yes and no. Since book two is the second in the trilogy, I stayed with my (beloved to me) book one characters. But it was daunting writing a brand new novel. When I compared my book two rough draft to the shiny, edited, copyedited, proofed version of book one, there was a virtual mountain to overcome to get book two to the same place. I just had to keep climbing. Now, book two is close to being finished, and I’m doing it all over again with book three.

At what point do you start diverting your energies from promoting your debut and writing / polishing / editing your second?

I’m a flurry of semi-organized chaos when it comes to partitioning my energies. I work on everything at once. It takes a lot of slow starts and pondering and waiting. Usually, at some point, something clicks and I gain some focus, and get better at managing my time. At that point, I scribble down a list. If I check off stuff, it helps. Honestly, people have always told me I’m organized, but it’s a frantic type of organization. And prioritizing helps.

Your first book landed an agent and an editor, and hopefully some fans. Who are you writing the second one for? Them, or yourself?

All three. Book one just was released in February, so I hope there are some fans, and I hope they’ll want to read the next two books. The great thing about having an agent and an editor is that there are more people to give me feedback on my ideas, and both my editor and agent are supportive. I think it’s important to listen to them.

When it comes to the story, it’s my book and my characters. It’s important to be open to criticism, feedback, and ideas. In the end, though, I have to write a book I’d want to read, and with which I connect. And I really hope that my story will resonate with others. As writers, I think we need to be true to ourselves.

Is there a new balance of time management to address once you’re a professional author?

The hardest thing about being a professional author with respect to time management is having deadlines! Before I would write regularly, but I could take all the time I needed. If I wanted to take a break one week, no problem. Now, I have to be much more thoughtful. And speedy. In some ways, it’s helped me. Having a time limit, means I can’t do as much staring at an empty page. And, hey, I actually get things done faster now.

What did you do differently the second time around, with the perspective of a published author?

I started book two before book one was published, but one big difference was that I knew what to expect with editing book two. And I’d worked with my editor – who is wonderful – before. It took away some of the anxiety of revising. Also, I hope my experience with my first book helped me improve my writing overall even before I turned in my early book two draft. I outlined more. I thought more about plot structure and tried to keep book three in mind as I wrote book two. For book three, I plan to have an even better outline.

One thing I learned was that while some of the worries about my debut novel diminished, others didn’t, and some new ones popped up as I wrote my second one. Likewise, the excitement was still there for the second book. There was a great sense of accomplishment writing ‘THE END’, and seeing the cover sketch for book two was as thrilling as seeing the cover sketch for book one!