The Worst Publishing Advice I Ever Received

Oh, hello, dear reader, 

Most days, I’m in my cozy, oversized chair—my dog Winnie at my side, minding my own business—scrolling the Internet, as one does. And since the algorithm pays close attention to me searching how to stream The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, I get served up the latest in true crime documentaries, deep-cut Taylor Swift videos, “One Last Breathe” Creed parodies (please don’t ask), and, of course, hot takes on publishing.

Said hot takes include straight-up lies statements like:

“Publish a book, become an instant millionaire!” 

“No previous writing experience or education required. AI can do the work for you!”

These “hot takes” make my right eye twitch (as does the copious amount of oat milk cappuccinos I ingest on any given day). 

Believe it or not, those statements don’t stack up to the worst advice I ever received.

Allow me to explain:

I officially became an author when I self-published my first book. (And then went on to publish several more books, with one even catching the eye of the clothing and lifestyle brand, ModCloth. But that’s a story for another time.)

With multiple books written after that first, I wanted to go after a traditional publishing deal. So I did what a lot of authors do—I immersed myself in the industry. I read all the books, went to all the conferences, and eventually even hired someone to coach me through writing a pristine book proposal and query letter.

As fate would have it, I found myself with the opportunity to pitch my book to a few literary agents at a local conference—with one of them being my dream agent. I was beyond thrilled. (And nervous! Oh so nervous.) 

Armed with numbers from my previously-published books and a proposal I was proud of in hand, I stood in a hallway, rehearsing my pitch. 

When my turn arrived, I was ushered into a conference room. I approached the table where my dream agent sat. I began with a confident hello. 

The pitch that followed? It was as flawless as Taylor performing “Vigilante Shit” on The Eras Tour. 

Then, after my pitch came to a close, my dream agent asked, “How many social media followers do you have?”

I couldn’t hide my enthusiasm and proudly replied, “Around 2,000!” (I’d worked hard on growing my platform and assumed this was a substantial number.)

Without hesitation, she quickly fired back, “If you don’t have at least 100K followers on Instagram, why are you wasting my time with this pitch?”

Ouch.

Holding back tears, I thanked her for her time. Or maybe I didn’t. I don’t actually remember because, in that moment, all I wanted to do was become invisible. Better yet? To go back in time and prevent this from ever happening at all.

My mind was racing: Should I just quit now? If my dream agent thinks this, I’m sure everyone else in the industry will too. Maybe I should just focus on building my social media numbers and put the writing aside for now.

And yet…

I believed in my book. I felt confident in the platform I had created. No, it wasn’t 100K Instagram deep. But it did include an engaged mailing list, incredible speaking-engagement and media-appearance credits, and creative partnerships. 

Could this be enough?

I kept going. I pitched more agents. I got several rejections. I pitched even more agents. Soon after, I had five offers of representation. Five! 

Eventually, my book didn’t just get bought by Macmillan—a Top 5 publisher. It has since been translated into two different languages and remains a successful project I’m beyond proud of.

And, coincidentally, it’s also the project that made me want to become a literary agent, because I now saw publishing from all angles: self-publishing, indie publishing, and traditional publishing.

However, I can’t help but wonder: What if I’d listened to my once “dream agent” and her advice? What if I’d stopped pitching altogether?

I know exactly what I wouldn’t be doing. 

I wouldn’t be an author. I wouldn’t be a literary agent. I wouldn’t be helping clients publish their own dream books—sometimes with little social media presence (or, in one client's case, absolutely none at all).

As an author and a literary agent, I want you to understand that while having a large social media following doesn't hurt when landing a deal, those numbers are just a fraction of an author’s platform. They aren’t everything. 

A solid book idea and a unique voice are still the most important factors I consider when taking on a project.

And that’s my hot-as-an-out-of-the-fryer-mozzarella-cheesestick take for you today.

Fuel the Creative Chaos: Everything I share here is totally free. But if you want to fuel the creative chaos, you can always Buy Me a Coffee, purchase one of the many books I wrote, or snag your next read from my bookstore, One Idea Books & Gifts.