Helpful Nudges Along the Path to Publication

My debut novel, The Girl from the Hermitage, was finally launched in September.  Like most debut authors, the journey to publication has been long and winding, fraught with obstacles and disappointment. But along with the challenges, I have had many helpful nudges on the path to publication.  

It started with a very encouraging teacher, Donald Smith, in a Beginner Creative Writing Class at Richmond Adult Community College. He always complained about filling in all the paperwork associated with teaching but on the end of term appraisal for me he wrote, “You could be a novelist.”

Perhaps he wrote this on everyone’s form, but at the time this nudge put wind in my sails and made me believe that my idea for a novel could grow. I then enrolled in an Creative Writing MA course where several tutors encouraged, supported and helped me develop as a writer. Again, many gentle nudges.

Once I had completed the second draft, I printed ten copies of the manuscript and gave them to readers for feedback. Some were people from my writer’s group, which I knew would give honest feedback. One reader was Russian (my book is set in Russia) who could advise on the “Russian-ness” of the story. During this time, I just happened to meet a local artist (my central character is an artist) and I asked her to read the manuscript and comment on the authenticity of the painting scenes. She took this task very seriously.

In our first meeting to discuss the book, she was glowing as she said, “I just love collaboration of any kind.” Suddenly, I was in collaboration with a real artist. Her enthusiasm and unwavering belief in the book provided many nudges. Looking back, printing out the manuscript and having it read by people expanded the project. I was no longer a solitary person tapping out sentences on my laptop. I had a team along for the ride, nudging and encouraging. Their comments gave me new ideas for improving the novel and I got busy editing.

I submitted the manuscript to various competitions. First, I was shortlisted for the Impress Prize. Then longlisted for Mslexia, Bath and Grindstone Novel Awards. At this time, I was actively querying agents and getting nowhere. Half of the agents responded with a rejection the other half didn’t respond. It was brutal and difficult to remain positive during this time. The listings from the awards provided a positive counterbalance to the steady stream of negative responses from the agents. I am not sure if I would have persisted if I had not had the positive nudges from the competitions.

Fed up with the traditional path, I decided to research independent publishers which were open to submissions from non-agented authors. Using the Mslexia Indie Press Guide, I made a shortlist of five possible publishers and sent in my manuscript. I noticed a sixth indie which looked promising, so I added one more to the list. That sixth submission turned out to be Lightning Books who provided the final nudge. They said yes!

Seeing my book finally in print is thrilling. While I did not get to have the launch party that I had long dreamed of, I had a fabulous week of excitement: a successful blog tour, some fabulous reviews and I participated on an author panel discussion. To all the aspiring authors out there, struggling to get published, my advice is simple: keep going.  And remember to notice and appreciate the positive nudges along the journey.

—

Originally from Michigan, Molly Gartland worked in Moscow from 1994 to 2000 and has been fascinated by Russian culture ever since. She has an MA in Creative Writing from St Mary’s University, Twickenham and lives in London.

Follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/molbobolly

Find out more about her on her website https://www.mollygartland.com/

THE GIRL FROM THE HERMITAGE

It is December 1941, and eight-year-old Galina and her friend Vera are caught in the siege of Leningrad, eating wallpaper soup and dead rats. Galina’s artist father Mikhail has been kept away from the front to help save the treasures of the Hermitage. Its cellars could provide a safe haven, as long as Mikhail can survive the perils of a commission from one of Stalin’s colonels.

Three decades on, Galina is a teacher at the Leningrad Art Institute. What ought to be a celebratory weekend at her forest dacha turns sour when she makes an unwelcome discovery. The painting she starts that day will hold a grim significance for the rest of her life, as the old Soviet Union makes way for the new Russia and her world changes out of all recognition.

Warm, wise and utterly enthralling, Molly Gartland’s debut novel guides us from the old communist era, with its obvious terrors and its more surprising comforts, into the bling of 21st-century St Petersburg. Galina’s story is an insightful meditation on ageing and nostalgia as well as a compelling page-turner.

http://eye-books.com/books/the-girl-from-the-hermitage

 

​

​

 

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: How To and Tips