In the second of a series of guest blog by past finalists, Georgia Bowers, an author featured in the UV2016 anthology, talks about her UV experience.
The 7th of December 2015 was a big day for me. I was leaving work early for the twelve week scan of my first baby and as I was packing up, I noticed I’d had a missed call on my mobile. I listened to the voicemail and it was a message about my other baby – my novel, Clopwyck River.
I’d tried not to think about making the Undiscovered Voices longlist since I’d had the email a couple of weeks before, but hearing Sara Grant’s voice asking me to call her back, hope and a little bit of doubt came flooding over me. Sara wasn’t calling people to tell them they hadn’t made it, was she?
She wasn’t. Clopwyck River had been chosen for the UV anthology!
At this point I had queried thirty-seven agents, with only one requesting the full manuscript. In the fortnight after the shortlist was announced I had four requests for the full manuscript, including one from an agent in the US, and met with an agent to talk about the possibility of representation. I submitted to a few more agents following the launch and received four requests for the full MS almost immediately. Being part of the anthology also meant that I attended the launch party where I met agents and publishing representatives, and I spoke to a few of the UV judges who said lovely things about my writing, one of them asking me to send him my WIP. I may not have an agent, but being a finalist has got me within touching distance of my dream.
[pullquote]Write what’s in your heart.[/pullquote]
My advice for anyone thinking about entering UV would be:
- Get your 4000 words up to scratch, have a break from them, get them up to scratch for a second time, hold your breath….and enter!
- Give the rest of your novel the same attention. If there are scenes that you’re not keen on, re-write them or get rid, don’t leave them in and hope that an agent won’t notice them.
- Write what’s in your heart. An agent asked me to write a version of Clopwyck River without the paranormal storyline. I did it, but the agent didn’t go for it, probably because it wasn’t really what I wanted to write so it had lost my voice and my heart.
- Learn from every rejection. My re-written version may not have had my heart, but it had my blood, sweat, and tears as I managed to finish writing when I was eight months pregnant! Although the agent didn’t go for it, they did say that it was much more streamlined and successful as a novel. I now know that I’m capable of producing good work if I put a little pressure on myself.
- Finally, if you make the anthology, network your ass off at the launch party, even if you’re considering signing with an agent already. Keep the momentum going, be proactive and don’t wait for people to come to you; go to them and shout from the rooftops because being included in the UV anthology is an amazing thing.
[pullquote]It’s been a year since the UV launch, and I’ve gained so much.[/pullquote]
It’s been a year since the UV launch, and I’ve gained so much. I’m part of a network of writers and illustrators who I feel so proud of when I read about their successes. I have feedback on the first three chapters of Clopwyck River from people with so much experience and insight into the publishing world, I could have only dreamt of it before. I’ve learned that when agents say that the publishing industry is subjective they really do mean it, and it’s not just something they say to fob you off. I have a handful of agents who, although they didn’t go for Clopwyck River, have asked to see anything I write in the future. I’ve had a taste of what it could be like to be a published author and I’m even more driven to achieve it.
Oh, and I have a beautiful baby girl, who thinks that every story I tell her is a best seller.
Georgia is a librarian by day and Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan by night. She has written a number of articles for Hodderscape including Stranger Things vs. The OA, What Would Buffy Do, and Films To Watch at Halloween if You’re a Big Scaredy-cat. She is currently working on a new YA project, a mix of The Breakfast Club and Lost, where six teenagers take a journey with a bus driving dog and a cross-dressing conductor. Her spirit book character is Mildred Hubble.
Twitter: @georgia_bowers
Tumbler: bookbewitched.tumblr.com
Hodderscape: www.hodderscape.co.uk
Great post Georgia! It has been an exciting year, hasn’t it? Big hugs from Germany!
Patti