One of the absolute best things to come out of joining an agency and getting published is meeting other writers. I feel very lucky to have met some wonderful authors who are now friends, and for anyone trying to get published I would say this is key. It’s so lovely to have others who are in exactly the same boat as you, and understand all the anxieties, excitement and disappointments that come as part of the publishing process.
Our particular writers group began when a couple of us reached out on Twitter and began chatting. It has since grown to include a couple more writers, and we all support each others’ work – reading the books, tweeting, writing Amazon reviews, etc. It’s like a mini publicity team! But more than that even, we talk each other through the various milestones – getting a deal, not getting a deal, getting a rejection, having a meeting – we all know exactly how much it matters to each other and we understand the frustrations that can crop up when another editor has rejected your work, or when someone hasn’t replied to an email. We also help each other with tricky plot points, name characters after each other when we can’t think of other names, and analyse our jackets as a group via phone.
So I would definitely recommend connecting with other writers if you want to. You can easily send a message on Twitter, or join a writing group . I did a short course at a college in London too where I met other like-minded people – if you’re in London, the one at Morley College is very affordable. It might not be for everyone, but I personally found that writing can be quite a solo, lonely process so having others who are doing the same thing really helps. It’s amazing seeing friends’ books doing well, and hearing success stories along with tales of rejection. I have no doubt that all my writer friends will go on to be published if they are not already.
Phoebe Morgan 