If you’re new here, welcome to this community of 1.7k aspiring and published writers. I’m Caroline Madden, an Irish writer, author of The Marriage Vendetta (on sale for just 99p on Kindle until the end of April!) and The Village (April 2027). It took me more than a decade to get my first book deal, and in this newsletter I’m sharing all the things I wish I’d known back when I was getting buried under rejections!
I’m writing this week’s newsletter in the middle of a busy shopping centre. I dropped my car in to be serviced in the garage here because I’m intimidated by mechanics, but somehow less intimidated if they’re working away near bookshops and cafés and pizzerias, instead of in some godforsaken business park. Not sure if that’s logical, but anyway here I am!
If they can salvage my beloved banger, it means I can get away for a few days to a really beautiful spot in the wilds of Wicklow where I’ll be able to get lots of writing done, so cross your fingers for me. Last time I went there, I got lost in a forest which was not my finest hour BUT I was able to use it as inspiration for a section of The Village — out next year — so it was worth it. Still, a bit too ‘method’ for my liking. I won’t wander so far this time!
This week I am so excited to bring you an interview with Antoinette Tyrrell, an Irish writer and a subscriber to this newsletter. Antoinette has experienced lots of highs and lows (like most of us!) but she’s making a fantastic come-back with a two-book deal with Bloodhound Books. I couldn’t be more thrilled that it has worked out so brilliantly for Antoinette, and in today’s Q&A she’s been generous enough to share lots of extremely useful advice.
But first! Huge congratulations to another subscriber, Patti Manuel Go, for staging her first play, Sole Survivor! It was chosen as the season premiere of Repertory Philippines, and was staged at the end of March.
“It began as the first short story I ever wrote, Sole Survivor. I turned it into a play because I felt I could do so much more with it in that format and it was actually a really enjoyable process,” Patti tells me.
“It was truly a surreal experience,” she says. “Nothing prepares you for the thrill of seeing actors on stage speaking lines you have written, hearing the audience laugh or gasp in surprise, having people come up to you after and realize from their comments that the message you wanted to send was heard and appreciated.”
I am in awe, Patti — what an achievement. I can’t wait to see what's next for you!
Thanks so much for doing this interview, Antoinette! It took you seven years, six manuscripts, two agents and at least 120 rejections but you finally achieved your dream with a book deal with Bloodhound Books who will publish your romcom Lucy Gallagher’s Big Move to Spain in April 2027 (huge congratulations on this incredible achievement!). Can you tell us about your journey to a book deal, and how you managed to persist in the face of rejection and set-backs?
Thanks Caroline. Like the majority of authors, my journey to publication has been long and complex! There’s a perception that the journey to publication involves writing the book, getting an agent and the six-figure book offers come pouring in. Unfortunately, this couldn’t be further from the truth for the majority of writers, and I was firmly in that majority. My first book, Home to Cavendish was published by Poolbeg back in 2019. I went into the publishing industry with such naivety, without the knowledge that to succeed takes much more than simply writing books and honing the craft.
After the publication of Home to Cavendish, I went through my wilderness period. I struggled to write another book and encountered some big life changes. I quit writing for a while.
In 2022, I came back to it and realised I needed to change to a genre that I loved, which turned out to be romcom but with a real focus on female protagonists faced with not just problems in their romantic lives but also in their jobs, their families and their friendships. I wrote another book and secured my first agent, but that book died on submission. I then wrote Lucy Gallagher’s Big Move to Spain, and with representation from my fabulous agent Ger Nichol, I finally got a two-book deal with Bloodhound Books.
Persistent rejection can feel unbearable although it does get easier. Over the years, some rejections have hurt more than others. My approach is to give myself an hour to grieve and then move on but it’s taken years to master that art and I’m still not always successful.
What do you think moved the dial the most for you in terms of achieving your writing goals and getting this deal? (E.g. working on your craft/learning about the business side of publishing/hitting on the right idea?)
Two things come to mind, the first was changing to a genre that best reflects me. I write about mid-life Irish women facing big challenges and changes but with an injection of irreverent, Irish humour. As a mid-life Irish woman who has learned not to take life too seriously, I now feel confident doing this. I’m passionate about my genre, and that has made a huge difference to my writing.
The second dial-shifter was learning about the industry. From that day in 2022 when I sat down and started writing again, I’ve consumed every nugget of information I could get my hands on about the publishing industry - podcasts, substacks, social media, my subscription to the Bookseller Newsletter etc.
Publishing is a business and authors are the foundations of that business. I believe a knowledge of what’s selling and what editors are looking for is a minimum requirement.
When I wrote the first draft of Lucy Gallagher’s Big Move to Spain I focused on Lucy’s move to Spain as a single woman over 40 and a light-hearted look at the challenges she faced, starting over. However, as I studied the market more, I realised the story was missing a romantic element. According to a recent article in The Guardian, the UK romance and sagas book category, which had for two decades made around £20m annually, leapt to a staggering £53.2m in 2022 during the pandemic, growing to £69m in 2024.
As I was basically a high-risk signing for any publishing house, coming back to publishing, writing in a different genre to where I started, and with no established sales record in my new genre, I needed to do everything I could to make myself as appealing as possible.
I started thinking about the reason Lucy moved to Spain… what if it was to show an ex-boyfriend what he’s missing? Haven’t most of us done that, wanted to show an ex who dumped us that they’ve made a huge mistake? I began to think about where that could lead if my character just went for it. I ended up having the best fun writing the romance into the story and developed a fabulous love-triangle, featuring a hot Spanish builder. Some writing days really are better than others!
You’ve been represented by two literary agents. How did you go about securing representation, and have you any advice for writers who are currently struggling to catch the attention of agents?
I put massive effort into tailoring my query letter, finding the correct comp titles and putting together a list of agents who I felt would be interested in representing my work. For the most part I was ghosted! Sorry, you’re probably not meant to say that, but I really want to help aspiring authors out there and I don’t think there’s anything to be gained by sugar-coating my experience.
When I finally got a full MS request, I let all the other agents I queried know about the it. Five of them came back seeking to read the full and I ultimately ended up with three offers on the table. But please remember, that book did not get a deal… yet!
For writers in the querying trenches, so much is out of your control, so you really have to grasp every opportunity you can. Whether that’s leveraging a full MS request, using your contacts, attending events where you can meet with agents etc. I actually wrote a blog about securing an agent outside of the traditional querying route if anyone is interested you can read it here.
You moved on from your first agent to your current agent. Can you tell us about the decision to move on/part ways, and whether having an agent who is ‘the right fit’ is important to you?
I genuinely thought once I landed my first agent, I was on a clear path to publication. Again, this is another aspect of the industry that’s rarely discussed. Most writers have at least one book that’s died on submission.
My first agent was a brilliant editor, and I was so excited to work with her, but I soon realised that for me, I need an agent with the capacity to manage my expectations and with a communication style that mirrors my own.
Don’t get me wrong, you definitely shouldn’t bombard your agent with emails and requests for updates, but likewise, going long periods with unanswered emails or being left in the dark about who your manuscript is with, is not acceptable either.
I can’t sing the praises enough of my agent Ger. Her communication is top notch and never once in the process of working with her have I felt I didn’t have all the information available. I spent most of my career working in corporate communications, so this is a really important part of the relationship for me. I think setting clear guidelines at the beginning is so important and it works both ways. Ger is brilliant at managing me when I get a little bit crazy and start to spiral. I really need that.
Are there any craft books/writing courses/mentors you found helpful and would recommend to aspiring authors?
Learning material that really stood out for me included completing the Curtis Brown Write Your Novel Course with Suzannah Dunn. It was a fabulous experience and taught me so much.
To learn about the publishing industry, The Publishing Rodeo podcast is terrifying but fabulous, and will teach you lots about the industry itself and the real experience of authors once they sign book deals.
And finally, Jane Friedman is the go-to woman on everything about the publishing industry. She wrote The Business of Being a Writer and she writes The Bottom Line newsletter. I reached out to her when I was considering parting ways with my first agent, and she kindly gave me some excellent advice.
Bloodhound Books asked if you’d be interested in pitching them a Christmas romcom set in Ireland, and based on your pitch they offered you a two-book contract which means your debut will launch in April 2027 followed by your second novel in December 2027, which is incredibly exciting! Can you tell us how this two-book deal came about, and how you’re managing the workload of having TWO (!) books out next year?
Given that I was out of contract for so long and with the heavy lifting of Lucy Gallagher’s Big Move to Spain mostly finished, I really wanted to be able to relax into my next book. It was important for me to know that once I’d finish it, I wouldn’t be faced with submission again. I’ve been on submission for most of the last three years and it can really take its toil. I know the time will likely come when I’ll have to go on submission again but for now, I need a break. The incessant email-watching is exhausting.
When Bloodhound suggested an Irish Christmas romcom, I was very excited. They asked for an overview – something I’d never done for a publisher before but after a few weeks’ work, I pulled together an eight-page overview of a novel and they offered me a two-book deal based on that. It’s turned out to be amazing because I’m not a major plotter and usually begin novels with just the premise, an inciting incident and an ending. What happens in the middle unfolds as I write. With the novel I’m now working on, I have all the major plot points planned and I know where I’m going. There are still surprises being thrown up as I write, but that’s all part of the fun.
One thing I’ve always been good at is sitting down and getting the writing done. I think it comes from my career in press offices and in crisis communications where every day involved juggling ten different media deadlines all at once. There was no option but to get the work done and that discipline stands to me as a novelist.
Antoinette writes about her experiences of writing and the publishing industry and publishes a free newsletter full of advice and writing tips at https://writingmentor.net/
You can follow her on Instagram: Antoinette Tyrrell
If you’re looking for some excellent Substack reads this week, I recommend:
✨The Crap We All Know About Publishing - by the inimitable Diane Roth
✨On the 'pile up' effect in agenting - another unmissable post insight from literary agent Jenna Satterthwaite
✨Behind Every Prolific Male Author Is… a Wife by Caitlin Weaver - this is a MUST READ! (Note to self: get myself a wife 😉)
What I’ve been reading/re-reading and loving:
Saoirse by Charleen Hurtubise
Everything that is Beautiful by Louise Nealon
Spinster by Kate (which has reignited my fascination with New Yorker writer Maeve Brennan)
What Do Women Want by Erica Jong
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Right, the mechanic has just texted me a video of my car’s engine - there are problems! I better go see what the verdict is…
Caroline x
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