I'm going to be published?

Or, a Retrospection of How I Got Here

First off, thank you for subscribing (again)! This is the first time I’ve ever attempted to write a newsletter, and I’m grateful if you’re here to listen to my monthly rambles about writing, nerd (i.e. weeb) culture and the occasional cup of coffee.

To kick things off here, I’m going to briefly talk about the days leading up to my book deal, and if you’re here, you’re most likely coming from my announcement tweet. In short, my debut fantasy trilogy, the FALSE GODDESS trilogy, will be coming out with Orbit Books in Summer 2024, and I cannot wait for all of you to meet Binsa and Ilam, the two villainous children of my heart!

False Goddess, like many other books now, was conceived during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. I spent nearly an entire year holed up in a tiny apartment, which I shared with six other people. Perhaps some of the frustration and rage I felt while being in lockdown seeped into my writing. It’s an angry, messy book, written as a love letter to feral, villainous and ambitious girls.

In hindsight though, it’s not quite a reflection of my feelings while going through lockdown. Yes, I channeled my anger into it, but at its core it’s an escapist book. One that imagines the absolute worst in humans, where there is no absolute reason behind evil people and why they do the things they do.

You might not believe me, but this was the most fun I had writing a book. I got to let loose with writing, and there is something about watching feral girls grow even more feral that is so satisfying.

After signing with an agent last year with this project, we submitted the book to various editors pretty much instantly. This would vary from person to person, but my agent felt that the manuscript I queried her with was almost submission-ready. We pitched it as a duology, and I wrote a proposal for the second book (which is sort of like a synopsis, but slightly more vague). After I greenlighted the editors she was going to submit my book to, she sent the manuscript out into the world!

Honestly, the submission process was like Querying Part 2—except that I had an industry insider in my corner of the ring and my agent was the one doing the querying. It didn’t stop anxiety from gnawing at me. Although I only wanted monthly updates, I could not stop myself from checking my email every other minute.

I started writing another book during this period of waiting, which helped take the edge off my anxiety. I prepared to wait for months—years, even. Like what Ciannon Smart said about the submission process, “expect nothing”. My book was out of my hands now, and I had to trust my agent and the editors. If I didn’t sell this book, I would just submit another book.

Yet over a month later, my agent came back with news: an editor was asking if I could make my duology a trilogy instead.

I immediately lost it in my group chats. Still, I didn’t dare to hope too much, since nothing was set in stone. I mulled over the editor’s suggestion and realised that yes, my book series would be better as a trilogy, instead of cramming everything into a duology. I told my agent that I was all up for it.

More waiting ensued as the editor brought my book to acquisitions. This is the part where your book actually gets sold, as the editor pitches your manuscript to an acquisitions committee, and where your manuscript is evaluated according to its market value. I heard horror stories about how so many books died at acquisitions, so I braced myself for the worse.

The offer rolled in two weeks later.

I was up at 4.30am, getting ready to travel during a long weekend. My eyes were bleary and I was grumpy, and somehow I decided to check my phone for incoming notifications. I saw the email from my agent. I saw the title: Orbit pre-empt. I scrubbed my eyes and opened the email. It was indeed a pre-empt from Orbit, offered by the same editor who wanted to make my series a trilogy a few weeks earlier. I exited the app and wondered if I was hallucinating because of my lack of sleep. Then I checked my email again—no, I wasn’t hallucinating.

I was too tired to express anything (I'm a completely different person during early mornings) but inside I was screaming. I could hardly believe that I was going to be published! My agent quickly arranged for me to chat with the editor, and we all met a few days after that email.

The call was fantastic, and I loved the editor and the imprint. On the same day we did the call, I went ahead and accepted the offer. The rest is history!

All in all, I spent about two months in the submission trenches, which I acknowledge is a really short time. I cannot thank my agent enough for this. She was wonderful throughout the process, and I probably would have gone insane without her presence. (Let me emphasize that getting a good agent is so, so important!)

And even though I should save this for the Acknowledgments section of my book, I cannot help feeling sappy when I think about how so many people have supported me along the way. I’ve previously said this on my “How I Got My Agent Post”, that I could not have survived without the people around me. I am at risk of sounding like a broken recorder, but community is really, really important!

I’m so glad that I can finally share all this; I’ve been trying not to burst with this news since June last year!! Thank you for making it all the way to the end, and make sure to keep an eye out for the FALSE GODDESS trilogy, coming to you in 2024 from Orbit Books!