How to Get Published in Any Economy

The recession might officially be over, but it’s still harder than ever to get published.  If you’re struggling to write a novel, you might find yourself wondering if the odds are stacked against you. What are the chances of ever getting published? Are literary agents and editors just itching for a chance to reject your novel? Or are you on your way to scoring that elusive book contract after all?

Even in this tough economy, success stories do happen.  Here to tell you about it is the unstoppable Miranda Kenneally, who is winning hearts everywhere with CATCHING JORDAN, a contemporary YA novel about football, femininity, and hot high school romance.  Miranda took a few minutes out of her busy schedule to talk about writer’s block, the truth about storytelling and how inspiration can strike in the most unlikely places.

Laurence MacNaughton: For those who haven’t heard about Catching Jordan yet, how would you describe it? 

Miranda Kenneally: CATCHING JORDAN is about a girl who’s the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. Jordan’s always been one of the guys and that’s just fine, but now there’s a new quarterback in town who wants her position. And Jordan, who has always worried that the guys won’t take her seriously if they realize she’s a girl, starts to fall for the new guy. 

LM: Where did you get the idea for Catching Jordan? 

MK: It’s weird. One day I had jury duty and I was bored, so I started free-writing in Jordan’s voice. I had no idea where it came from, but the plot just popped out. 

LM: So do you make it all up as you go, or do you work out an outline before you write? 

MK: 99% of the time I make it up as I go! But then I always have to go back and change the beginning of the book to match what the book has become. Generally I rewrite a book many, many times. 

LM: Do your characters ever surprise you — do they become real to you as the story goes on? 

MK: Oh yes! No matter what book I seem to write, the love interest just pops up, kind of like in real life. Even if when starting a book, I think, “This guy is the love interest” undoubtedly some other random dude will show up and steal my main character’s heart (and my heart, for that matter). 

LM: Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? 

MK: Oh sure. To get rid of it, I wait it out. I’ll free-write in my main character’s voice or in another character’s voice, or I’ll read a bunch of books. I try not to force it, if I can. 

LM: What’s the best piece of advice you ever got about writing? 

MK: “Your truth isn’t everyone else’s truth.” This means that just because I believe something to be true, or I have a certain viewpoint, this doesn’t mean everyone else feels the same way I do. In that regard, I always have to make sure that readers understand where my characters are coming from and why they feel the way they feel. Especially if the characters and/or plot are sorta “out there.” 

LM: So how did Catching Jordan ultimately get published? 

MK: I finished writing the book and spent about, I dunno, 3 months revising it? Then I sent out 17 query letters. I had an offer within a couple weeks, and so I went back out to all the other agents who had requested fulls. The offer from my #1 choice agent Sara Megibow came pretty soon after that. :)  I was a happy, happy girl. Sara asked me to do some small revisions on the book and then we went out on submission. 

LM: And now, Catching Jordan is in bookstores everywhere.  So what are you working on next? 

MK: Right now I’m working on a companion book to CATCHING JORDAN. The book, which I’m calling MANAGING PARKER, is about baseball and takes place at the same school. I also recently finished up a futuristic government book that I’m quite pleased with, and I hope something happens with it! 

LM: Fingers crossed.  Miranda, thank you so much for your time! 

MK: Thank you!

YA author Miranda Kenneally

CATCHING JORDAN is on sale now, smack dab in the middle of football season.  You can find the book here:

IndieBound
Barnes and Noble
Amazon
Borders