We are very excited to have teen author Taylor Bennett with us this week! Taylor was the winner of our #WeWriteBooks contest back in 2016 and her debut novel, Porch Swing Girl, has just released! You should definitely hop over to Taylor’s website to read her publication story.
The first panel question this week is:
What’s a pivotal moment in your publication journey, and how did it come about?
Taylor: I met my publisher, Mountain Brook Ink, at my first-ever writers conference. After being told for years that these mysterious places were where connections could be made and contracts signed, I decided to go and check one out for myself. I ended up at the Oregon Christian Writer’s conference (an amazing summer conference! If you’re in the area, come drop by and say hi!) and I had the opportunity to make appointments with several agents and editors.
One of those editors was Miralee Ferrell, the owner of Mountain Brook Ink. I pitched my book to her, and she was interested…very interested!! Fast-forward a year, after I had worked hard to polish my first draft of Porch Swing Girl and prepare a series proposal, and she offered me a contract. Yippee!
Shan: So many! Maybe the most actionable is the decision I made to seek out a critique group. Up until that point, I didn’t know anything about the rules of writing for publication and surrounding myself with other authors who could help me was crucial. I’m a big fan of discovering your people and holding onto them. It’s not always easy for introverted writers and it’s rarely straightforward to do that, but having other understanding souls as you journey down this very unique road will pay off in spades.
Jill: Mine was at the same conference as Taylor’s! All my pivotal moments happened at the Oregon Christian Writers’ Summer Conference. I pitched what became By Darkness Hid at that conference to Jeff Gerke, who later bought it. I pitched Replication to Zondervan at that conference. And I met my agent there. I highly recommend writing conferences. They are the best place to meet editors and agents face to face.
Stephanie: Choosing to not give up on a manuscript … but also humbling myself to listen to what wasn’t working. This could be said about all my published books, because even after you’re published, each novel requires a blend of persistence and humility.
This was especially true for the book that became the first in the Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series when I kept hearing that Skylar wasn’t likable. I felt like that was part of her character arc, but eventually realized that this was a common problem, and nobody wants to read a book about someone they don’t like.