First, a quick shout out to Mihir of Fantasy Book Critic:
Happy birthday, Mihir! May you have many, many more!
M. writes
I’m new, way new, to the writing/publishing field. I’ve been writing for what feels like forever and I’ve just completed my first novel……and now I’m completely lost. You two are my favorite author team ever so you are the only one I would ask this of: do you have any tips for this newbie? Writing is all I’ve ever wanted to do but I have no directions with the politics and everything. Most of what I read online makes it sound like the publishers and agents are relunctant to take anyone new unless they knock their socks off with their talent. I’m a bit insecure on this all. Anything you offer would be appreciated more than words can express.
Publishers and agents are in it both for the craft and for the money. They’re looking for something marketable, yes, but also for something new and fresh. Something cool. Something that has that magical factor that makes you turn the page. Something that puts a new spin on things. 
You have no idea if your writing has that new and fresh magical spin. Trust me on this – it’s not something an author can judge for herself.
It was March of 2007. Gordon and I had signed a contract for Magic Bites, our first book, a year before. The book had been on submission to a different publisher, then Ace bought it, then they pushed it back a little to avoid competition with Mark del Franco. We made the edits. We cut a quarter of the book off to make it fit the required length. We both stressed out about it. All of our hopes and fears were riding on this book and it felt like forever, but finally after everything, the book was about to come out. We had recently moved to Georgia and finally decided to make an excursion to the Barnes and Noble to see if it was put on the shelves early. As I was walking through the store, I saw Kim Harison’s For A Few Demons More.
Here was a book that was just like ours. It had vampires and werewolves. It had urban setting and magic. And it had a long series behind it, propping it up.
It crushed me.
I remember holding it in my hand, sitting down on the floor in the isle, and thinking that I was a huge failure. Here in my hand was the proof that our book had no chance. I was about four years too late. I felt like my life was over. So much work, so much stress, and all for nothing. And then Kid 1, who was about ten at the time, came over with a manga volume and I made myself get up and look at it with her, so my deep despair probably lasted a couple of minutes tops, but I remember it vividly.
I was so green, that I didn’t realize that Urban Fantasy was an actual genre. I didn’t know that our books would stand out from the rest.
When Magic Bites came out, some people didn’t like it. But some said really nice things about it:
“Andr
ews’s edgy series stands apart from similar fantasies… owing to its complex world-building and skilled characterizations.” – Library Journal
“Her world-building and characterizations are exceptional… Magic Bites is not to be overlooked.” – Book Fetish
“An intriguing world.” – Locus
“Fans of urban fantasy will delight in Ilona Andrews’s alternate-universe Atlanta.” – Fresh Fiction
Since then we went on to be what is considered by many a great success. There were bestselling lists, and good sales numbers, and nice reviews, and a sea of fans, who write us very cool emails.
At that moment at B&N, I couldn’t have imagined all that. I just knew that I was an epic failure.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is not to psych yourself out into thinking that you are a failure before you even start. You are not the best judge of the quality of your own work – and that’s a two-edged sword. Some people think they are much better than they are and others think they are much worse than they are.
You should begin at the top of the pyramid. The top is still the traditional New York publishing. That’s where the best quality is: the editors with years of experience, the support staff, the art departments, and so on. Exhaust those possibilities first. I would start with identifying the right agent, writing a kick-butt query letter, and sending it out.
I’ve written several articles on how to do these things, but today just for something different, I’ll send you to Jeaniene’s blog. She has a nice beginning writer section.
You may get rejections. In fact, you will be rejected. It’s possible that your work is not ready for publication or isn’t the right fit for a particular agent. You then will have a choice to learn from it and to write something different or to seek alternative venues, such as self-publication. Self-publishing will always be there, so there is no use in rushing into it without at least testing the waters.
But you might land an agent, and he might secure a nice contract for you, and who knows, a couple of years from now, you might be haunting the BN isles looking for your book. So chin up and the best of luck. 
Gordon: Ok this is my two cents, start with getting an agent. Send your stuff to them, be polite. One of them will look at your work and think “Hmm, I could sell this to so and so,” that is how it starts. Then they tell you “Hey, if you change this, this and that, I think I could sell this to House X.” That is what they do, they have professional relationships with editors at publishing houses. The editor does not know you, but they know most of the agents, if one of them, say an agent with clients they have published before, says “hey, look at this I think you’ll like it,” they might. It beats the hell out of some intern randomly picking your manuscript out of a slush pile. And that is all I have to say about that.
Thanks both of you for your comments. You both rock in your support of your readers!
Wow – thank you, this really helps.
Everytime I read a UF book that takes my breath away or has something in common with what I’m writing I nearly gut myself with it! I convince myself it will never happen and I haven’t even subbed anything yet. I had convinced myself not to even try with agents as everyone says it is harder to get an agent than to get published. Maybe I will give it a go after all.
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Well-timed question and advice for some of us:) Thanks for this post, it helps the rest of us to remember that success is generally more like a ladder than a catapult.
Your advice on the publishing world is always very insightful and realistic. It’s always appreciated. :]
I think it is really great that you take the time to answer such questions. It is things like this that make you two really stand out. Your books are fantastic but you take care with people who come to you for questions that you don’t necessarily have to answer. It is lovely to know that there are people who do care and give helpful advice (as well as write fab books).
I totally got the “Sucker Punch reference”
Cool. I liked it, apart from the topic, of course. Good cheering, by the way.
Can i add… You’re probably going to get several. Don’t let that get you down. The writers who are published now are generally the ones who have several dozen rejection letters (or more) and they kept going. The rejections serve you well and can toughen your skin.
There’s isn’t an easy road to this because if there was, everybody would do it.
Rejection letters don’t necessarily mean you aren’t any good. Sometimes a rejection just means you’re not ready. So you keep trying. And trying. And trying.
Good luck!
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Remember if you do get rejected that there is always chocolate. Chocolate will never reject you! It will always say to you “I love your thighs, I think I will stay there awhile!”
Wait…
Hrm. Who cares. Write the book. Eat the chocolate!
My mom wrote a book that only sold a few thousandcopies along time ago her words were it sell or it won’t . I love her she remained positive.
“We cut a quarter of the book off to make it fit the required length.” – Don’t you wish some books were like these films that have an extended version? I can’t help feeling the loss… I love the way you write too much…
Thank you very much for the birthday wishes
I’ve got reject letters which basically said, why are you sending it to us. (Publisher’s submission requirements and style of novels were very unclear online.) To going to final reveiw with the editors before being turned down. It didn’t match with the rest of their season’s line up and they didn’t think they could find a match for the next season either
Keep trying. Remember you’ve written something, that puts you head and shoulders above a large group of the population. And keep writing. That first story may not intrigue an agent or publisher but the next one might. Good luck.
thanks for the info, ilona & gordon
When I first picked up Magic Bites, it was the title that caught my attention first. At first, I thought that it was going to be more satirical than it was until I read the back cover. That got my interest up, and ultimately here I am. That is the mark of what a good agent, editor, publisher, etc can do for an author. I was in a book store, ready to buy something. I didn’t know what until I came across that title, and a synopsis written well enough that it set the hook without giving much away.
Awww.. You never lose hope. And never really think that your a failure. every one of us has it’s own time and always remember that God has plan.
All of us have it’s own good in our own way..
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Those kind of books are really great to read..I want to buy some for my mom..She like reading novel books..
Um, so my take on this is… there’s MORE to Magic Bites floating around somewhere?!? ANY chance of a re-release? Pretty please – with whipped cream, sprinkles, chopped nuts, hot fudge, caramel, chocolate shavings, and a cherry on top!
Congratulation on completing your first book. I konw that you are going to be a success with it.
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