One Year Later: Meredith Schorr

ONE YEAR LATER

Before As Seen on TV came out last year, I had high hopes of it changing my life. I had interest from an editor overnight, phone calls with two more editors that week, and sold the book at auction in a week. I allowed myself to dream the book would be huge and that everyone would love it. I was going to be somebody! My friend’s debut was translated into twenty-six languages. Mine would be too! It would be adapted for film and I’d get a cameo, like Emily Giffin in the Something Borrowed movie! My name would be mentioned in the same sentences as all the big authors in romcom, and I would be asked to go to conventions and conferences and speak on panels. Readers would DM me and tweet about how much they loved my book. I thought I would be different somehow. That all of my insecurities would float away and not only would the publishing industry and readers embrace me, but I’d embrace myself without those pesky doubts that have always clung to me like a sock right out of the dryer.

Some of these dreams have certainly come true. Traditional publishing has many perks, including paid advances, and I have enjoyed the heck out of many of them and hope to continue to do so for a very long time. My books are in bookstores for the first time and seeing them in the wild and having others send me photos is absolutely magical. I have an in-house publicist who plans launch parties for me at bookstores with the full expectation that people other than my friends and family will show up. I’ve connected with so many readers who loved my book and have posted the prettiest graphics on social media. I have a powerful publishing company behind me that does all the leg work to get my book in shape for publication in all formats and in front of book sellers, industry professionals, and readers on a much larger scale than ever before. 

But here’s a secret I usually reserve for my closest friends: I’m still the same scared, insecure writer as I was before, maybe even more so. Along with the good comes a pressure I’ve never felt before. From practically the minute I signed books one and two in a two-book deal, I worried that sales would be disappointing and my publisher wouldn’t want my option for book three. Despite As Seen on TV not being a break-out success, I was offered another deal and I’m thrilled to write another romance for a publisher I love. But I’m already worrying about what happens next. Will they want a fourth book? A fifth? Or will they lose faith in me if the next books under perform? If so, will another publisher pick me up? With my small press books, a good sales month meant a little more money in my wallet. With a major publisher, the stakes are so much higher. The same week one author’s phenomenal sales lead to spot on the New York Times bestseller list, another author’s disappointing sales get them dropped from their publisher. 

And it’s not only sales. With a big publisher behind me, I reach a broader audience, but with that extended reach comes the greater risk of negative feedback. Along with the people who love my books are many who don’t. I avoid reading my reviews, but Goodreads is always there…looming… This negative feedback on such a larger scale elevates my imposter syndrome to new heights. 

Browsing the shelves in bookstores used to be one of my favorite ways to pass the time. I always dreamed about the day my books would be there. Now that the dream has come true, it’s become impossible to go into a bookstore and compartmentalize the experience of buying books from my own accomplishments and failings. My stress levels elevate regarding whether the store will carry my book, how many will be on the shelves, and placement. The dream was to see my book in the store…period…but with every dream realized, the goal post moves, which brings with it higher hopes but also more fears. 

A year after the publication of As Seen on TV and preparing for the release of Someone Just Like You, many of the items on my publishing wish list are still unchecked with no certainty they will ever come true. So much of it is timing and luck and things can change on a dime. Yet, despite the uncertainty and stubborn imposter syndrome, I have no desire to get off this train. The good far outweighs the bad. I will face any “worst case scenario” if and when I get there. I’m strong. I’ve pivoted my career before and I will do it again if it comes to that. Nothing guarantees that I will stay on this path, but one thing ensures I won’t and that’s not writing. So I will continue to write the best books I can because it’s the only part of this process I can truly control. I’m also so grateful to everyone who has helped get me this far, including my earliest beta readers and critique partners, my close circle of author friends and those whose simple engagement on social media always brightens my day, book reviewers and bookstagrammers, and my fantastic literary agent and publishing team. I couldn’t have gotten here without them and, honestly, “here” is a pretty great place to be. 

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A born and bred New Yorker and lifelong daydreamer, Meredith Schorr fueled her passion for writing everything from restaurant reviews, original birthday cards, and even work-related emails into a career penning romantic comedies. When she’s not writing books filled with grand gestures and hard-earned happily-ever-afters or working as a trademark paralegal, she’s most often reading, running, or watching TV…for research, of course.

SOMEONE JUST LIKE YOU

Sizzling chemistry and tender friendship develops between two childhood rivals in this hilarious rom-com from the author of As Seen on TV.

New Yorker Molly Blum knows everything about her lifelong nemesis, Jude Stark. With their families so close, they should have been best friends. Instead, she thinks he’s a too-charming slacker, and he thinks she’s allergic to fun. After years of one-upping each other’s pranks (chocolate-dipped cat treats are not as delicious as they appear), one high school joke went too far, and they stopped speaking completely. But now that they’re supposed to help plan a massive party for their parents—together—there’s no better time to resume their war.

And it is on. Only somewhere between all the sniping and harmless hijinks, a reluctant friendship develops, along with an unexpected spark of sexual tension. It might have to do with the fact that she’s been dating Jude-lookalikes and he’s been dating Molly doppelgangers. Or the fact that neither of them is nearly as horrible as they thought. All Molly and Jude know is that they’ve mastered the art of hating each other. Falling in love, on the other hand, is a whole new battlefield.

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Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing