Hello Substackers 👋 I’m Kate Emilie, author of the upcoming YA speculative novel, Seven Dishes to Fall in Love. Recently, my writerly dreams have been coming true in big ways, but when I think about my writing journey as a whole, The Beatles’ song, “The Long and Winding Road” comes to mind.
Despite my early love of writing, it wasn’t until I got an MA in Writing for Young People that I realised writing was a skill that could be learned and honed. And yet, it took me another eight years to get a literary agent and by the time my debut book will hit shelves, it’ll have been ten years since starting my MA.
It wasn’t until late 2024 that I gave myself a sort of ultimatum. I was a time-poor, working mom of two, having just moved country (again), but my desire to write was like a physical ache that never went away. So I gave myself one year to write a book and (attempt) to get an agent, or else de-prioritise writing until my kids were older. But for one year, I would go all in, once and for all.
And that’s when everything changed.
“An overnight success is ten years in the making.”
– Tom Clancy, Dead or Alive
After years of writing and rejections, it suddenly happened all at once. Within days of querying, I had over 20 requests for my full manuscript. I met with 14 agents and was made 14 offers of representation. I signed with my agent and a week later we went on submission to publishers. Seven Dishes to Fall in Love became a Hotlist title which The Bookseller called, “a standout YA novel at Frankfurt Book Fair”. Two weeks later, we had multi-territory auctions and secured a two-book deal with two big five publishers, and several foreign rights deals.
It was just 6 weeks from hitting send on my first full request to securing a major publishing deal, and during these exciting and stimulating weeks, I received some of the most affirming feedback of my writing career to date. All at once, it didn’t matter that it took me years to get here, because if I hadn’t had that time to grow and develop as a writer, I wouldn’t have produced this book I am now so proud to call my debut. It was truly worth the wait.
While there’s no magic recipe to writing success, there were quite a few things I did differently with this novel that I truly believe helped me get here. So, in honour of my debut, Seven Dishes to Fall in Love, here are:
7 Things I Did to Go from Aspiring Writer to Agented Author
1. Treat it like a job
“But won’t that take the joy out of writing?” Some days, yes. Most days, no. It’s a nice thought that writing a book comes from a stroke of creative genius, but in my case (and I think in a lot of writers’ cases) it more so requires discipline. Sometimes that meant putting words on the page; other times it meant staring at a wall for an indeterminate amount of time while mentally working out aspects of my plot. In any case, there was a clear goal that I was working towards at all times. And, like any other job I’ve had, I set myself deadlines and stuck to them.
I also read (and listened to) a lot of books in my genre, but I also went back to the basics with craft books. I listened to Story Genius before writing a single word toward my draft zero, I listened to podcasts like 88 Cups of Tea and No Write Way, and I just let it all sink in. I’d go for a walk, listen to a chapter or episode, and just think about how I could apply each lesson to my writing. Before even putting pen to paper, I spent a huge amount of time mentally working out my plot and my characters, and how they each shape the story.
2. Have a trusted critique partner
Feedback is, in my humble opinion, an essential part of this process. Whether it's from a critique partner (shout out to my ride or die, Anika Hussain, who read every drafted chapter as it was written), or a beta reader at the end of a draft (shout out to fellow FNL finalist Isabel Grace, who beta read Seven Dishes at lightning speed), or via a workshop group, a course, a mentor, or any other member of the writing community / industry. More specifically, it’s important to get feedback from someone who “knows what they’re talking about”—a fellow writer or industry professional, someone who understands the craft behind the words—which is also why I wouldn’t suggest friends or family as a first line of feedback, but more on that in a future post.
3. Give plotting a chance
I know there’s a great divide between the plotters and the pantsers of the world, but after my experience writing my debut, I really do swear by plotting (at least, it worked for me!). Despite being chronically type-A, I always struggled to plot a book from start to finish out of fear that it would take the joy out of the writing. What I’d do instead is ride the wave of inspiration, planning only a few chapters ahead at a time. But every time I’d get to about the 40,000-word mark in a project and hit a wall. I’d see all the structural issues that I no longer had the creative will to fix and inevitably give up.
This time was different. This time I wrote and re-wrote my synopsis until I knew the high-level story. I pitched it at events, I got feedback, and I worked at it. Then I wrote a 13-page chapter outline, and only then did I start writing my “draft zero”. I planned this story more than any before, and yet I was pleasantly surprised to find out there was still loads to discover on the page. My outline did not take the joy out of writing, rather, it was like a map: just because it told me where to go didn’t mean it showed me the colour of the sky or the smell of the leaves. All that I still needed to discover. But whenever I got stuck or was running low on creative juices, I had a structure to fall back on.
4. Submit to competitions
I submitted my novel-in-progress to 17 competitions (some free, some paid, some with feedback, others without). 10 of those came back with “Unfortunately…” but for 7 of them I was long or shortlisted (1 of which I even won). Not only was every listing a major confidence boost, but they also gave me visibility as an aspiring writer, strengthened my query letter, and connected me to members of the community. I always reached out to fellow listees—I congratulated them and asked what they were writing, what their journey has been like—and we’ve gone on to become each other’s cheerleaders. Even when I wasn’t listed, it was still great practice in putting my work out there.
5. Join and support the community
The writing community has been one of the best parts of my journey. Just because writing is a solitary act, doesn’t mean the journey has to be lonely. I reconnected with friends from my MA, I made friends at writing events, took a writing course (CBC) and I joined writing communities like WriteMentor and Jericho Writers. Writing sprints have held me accountable. Competitions connected me with other writers. Critique partners became ongoing sources of support and encouragement. Networking at writing events led to agent requests. There’s just nothing like being surrounded by people who understand this journey.
Equally, it’s important to show up for other writers. Offer feedback as and when you can, cheer on fellow writers when they get listed in a competition or have their first full request, show up to author events, pre-order their books, request a book at your local library, leave a review. Support the industry you want to be a part of.
6. Build industry connections
A mistake I’ve made in the past was waiting to research (or even meet) agents until I was “ready to query”. This time, I went to loads of events. I had agent 121s. I participated in online pitching events. I introduced myself to agents at book launches. And that’s how, months before I was ready to query, I already had several invitations to query. This momentum is absolutely worth building.
7. Own your dream
I wanted to be a published author—that was the goal, that’s always been the goal since my MA. But, it often felt like a secret I shouldn’t talk about because, what if I failed?! How embarrassing would that be, that I talked about wanting to be an author and it never happened? I can confidently say that I would not be where I am right now (with a two-book deal with two big five publishers) if I had been quiet about my dream. It would have felt too easy to walk away when it got hard.
Instead, I participated in events and competitions, I got comfortable talking about my story, I put my writing out there, I met people, and I was held accountable. I started to really believe in myself, and I even dared to let people know it.
Whether you’re writing your first novel or deep in the query trenches—just because it hasn’t happened for you yet, doesn’t mean it won’t. It took me a long time to get to a book deal, but it was all worth it in the end.
Good luck out there writers!
✨Kate Emilie✨
I have a secret. I’m writing novels and no one knows about them. And you’re absolutely right—it’s because what if I fail? I needed to read this. Thank you!
This is all great advice. And thank you for the podcast links; I love hearing from fellow writers!