5 Mistakes I've Made As A Writer #3

I Wrote The Book They Wanted

If only I’d made just five mistakes in total. Five is enough to be getting on with, and hopefully broad enough that at least one mistake will touch a nerve with other writers.

To recap: #1 I Subbed Before I Was Ready, #2 I Gave My Work Away.

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This mistake needs a soupçon of backstory. It’s about Second Book Syndrome.

Everything was smooth sailing with my first young adult book deal until a few weeks before publication. Out of the blue I was told that it was being postponed. My cover was going to be drastically redesigned and given a new title. The decision had been made after a pronouncement from a powerful book-buyer. Basically: if you don’t do this, the biggest chain in the UK won’t be as supportive of this novel.

Via long-distance phone call, the news was delivered by two people I admired from the publishing house, by-passing my agent. I’d been happy with the cover and title; they captured the tone of the story. And I was very unhappy with this new direction. You’d think that someone like me, who’d worked in the industry, would have little trouble making their voice heard as an author. In my case you’d be wrong.

I lost my bottle. Although I expressed dismay over the new title and cover direction — begged for it not to be pink, to be less showy, and not named after a girl band I felt no affinity with — I surrendered to everything. In fact, because I initially put up a small fight, I began to worry that I was being such a pain that they’d get sick of me, so I even went as far as telling them I’d come around to the new look.

Reader, I had not.

When the book came out, so many enthusiastic reviews opened with lines such as the cover and blurb do this story a disservice that I was able to feel at least that my instincts were correct — the look was right for the UK’s Louise Rennison-influenced YA comedy market of the 2000s, but it wasn’t right for me. However, sales in the UK were pretty strong after a few months and the book was longlisted for the Waterstone’s award and shortlisted for a regional one. I had to admit that the commercial decision had its merit. Moreover, two authors I greatly admired had given me quotes: how could I hate a cover that had the names of my heroes on it? All of this was enough to make me think “get over yourself, you got what you wanted”.