Why This Program?

Sixteen writers in this program have signed with their agent since the program launch in August 2018, and over a dozen new book deals have been signed during that same time. I’m an editor working in book packaging, and we have a marketing expert, a literary agent, and a literary scout on staff, all dedicated to helping authors see how the publishing industry works and providing the guidance and skill-building that will help them reach a new level in their career.

So many of us are waiting for a yes. From an agent, from an editor, from marketing— from our schedules and home life.

I didn’t want to wait anymore, and I don’t want you to have to, either. That’s why I started Breakthrough.

Writers may attend book clubs and pricey conferences, and we might lug our laptops out to coffee shops to get our word counts in, but most of the time, we’re at home by ourselves, without colleagues, an office, a supervisor, or someone a step or two ahead of us in the job to mentor us.

This solitary nature of the job can create so many problems. My first several years as a committed writer, I felt like I was floundering. I did all the right Google searches, I found critique partners, I connected with people who loved books in my town and at my library. I paid thousands of dollars to attend a few conferences that people assured me would make a huge difference in my trajectory as a new author. And those things all helped me become more confident, helped me understand the industry better, helped me become a better writer. But I still needed more.

When I queried, I received requests for my manuscript from agents, but then those requests all came back with “I just didn’t connect with this enough,” or “I liked it, but I didn’t love it.” I’d find myself getting notes from critique partners that I agreed with, but didn’t know how to apply. Or else I’d receive notes I disagreed with, and was left not knowing where to go from there. Sometimes after receiving a critique from an agent, I’d hear “You need to show, not tell,” and I’d want to crawl into my bed and not come out until Thanksgiving because I thought I was showing, not telling. With each new revision and so many valuable but expensive critiques, it felt like I was spinning my wheels. I felt like I was yelling, but no one could hear me.

And it’s no wonder. In 2013, Business Insider ranked creative writing as the 2nd most competitive career in America, even more competitive than careers for athletes. In 2017, this was held up by The NWI Times, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, reporting creative writing as still the 2nd most competitive job in the U.S., second only to choreography. Creative writing continues to be reported as one of the most competitive careers in America.

My first novel, How We Fall, released to really wonderful and humbling reviews from the critics. A parent wrote me that she and her daughter read it together and it helped them reconnect and made her remember what it was like to be a teenager. I earned out my advance. I showed up to a signing at BEA in New York and people were lined up all the way around the corner to have me sign their copy. It was the most wonderful thing. But then my publisher collapsed and sold to Simon & Schuster. We hit big delays on book 2 because of both that and option clause constraints. My agent sent me on submission with another book that went to acquisitions, but I didn’t feel at the time it was the right offer for me to accept. People hardly talk about these things, but no one talking about them is a huge part of why I turned down that interest. This was years ago, so I’m going to talk about it in case someone else finds themselves in the same situation. Honestly, I wish I had pursued that deal—it was the first response we’d gotten on sub, and the editor wanted changes I was really unsure about. What I needed was more clarity from my agent on the pros and cons, and I needed to talk with the editor on the phone rather than hearing from her in a second-hand email. I had no clue what I was doing or what my options were. I had questions I didn’t know how to ask. I wanted more support from my agent than I was getting and didn’t know how to discuss that. So I turned it down. And the rest of submission was a lot of close-but-not-quite, liked-it-but-didn’t-love-it, please-send-me-her-next-project responses.

Eventually, I needed to leave my agent. I liked her a lot and we got along well. I trusted her and she was ethical and friendly, but it just wasn’t working on the business side of things. So I separated from her, wrote a whole new book, and queried it. And this time, I knew exactly the type of agent I needed and queried about 30 agents, ones I knew from my second career as an editor would have the kind of skills, experience, and support that I needed as an author. Unfortunately, it wasn’t right for the market and needed a revision to the concept that I couldn’t see at the time. So, yet more close-but-not-quite, liked-it-but-didn’t-love-it, please-send-me-your-next-project replies. I had to study the market, figure out what people really mean by “high-concept” fiction, write another book, and revise until I was absolutely certain this book was the best I could make it. And then I had to query all over again. And the whole time, I simply wasn’t sure. If this was the right move, if this was the right book, if any of this was ever going to work again. Once you’ve gotten an agent and been published, isn’t it easier from there? Don’t people consider you a pro they’d be glad to work with? Doesn’t the second book deal come easier?

Sadly, those things are rarely the case. And there just is not much professional support for writers past the initial query stage. I was, again, floundering.

But then, I got this email from Bridget Smith. I’d queried her because I’d been watching her career since 2013 and I loved her publishing podcast, Shipping & Handling, which I’d learned a lot from. Because her sales were the kinds of deals I wanted myself. Because I knew her experience with Tor, Don Congdon, and now JABberwocky, one of the best agencies out there—representing Brandon Sanderson, Justina Ireland, Charlaine Harris, and others who are already or will become classics. I was thrilled to sign with her as my literary agent. And now I have my next novel and a short story out in the world— The Ballad of Dinah Caldwell and “Godzilla Girls” and more in the works. The whole process— and repeating it— has taught me a lot. And I used much of what I learned to leave an agent who wasn’t right for me, find one who was, and write books that I both cared about and were also right for the market.

I no longer feel stuck. I'm working with sweeping, beautiful books I adore as an editor, and watching them captivate their readers and release to critical acclaim, including Kirkus starred reviews, a Goodreads best YA of the Month, Junior Library Guild selections, praise from Library Journal and Booklist, and a Kirkus indie book of the month, with many more appearing on BookRiot, Barnes & Noble, and Paste Magazine “most anticipated” lists, and even USA Today bestseller lists. What I've learned as an editor has completely changed my own writing, and allowed me to have so much more confidence and control in my career as an author. I’ve discovered two things: you do not have to learn things the hard way, and you don’t have to be stuck.

But in the last several years, I’ve heard from so many other authors who feel stuck in the same ways I used to be. While I was creating the Breakthrough Writers’ Boot Camp, I asked on Twitter what authors felt they most needed in order to move forward. The replies were instant and overwhelming.

One writer said, “a lot of rejection is so nonspecific it gives no hint of what’s not working.” Another said, “I struggled a lot with how to know I was ready for the next step. (Ready for critiques, ready to apply for contests, ready to query, etc).” A third said, “I never have a problem finding info, but I get overloaded with how much there is and then don't know where to start.”  Still another said, “I have no idea what’s missing. As far as I can tell, I’m doing everything I should be, and it’s still not working.”

A few specific needs were repeated dozens of times:

Writers need community

People in the trenches with you, who are as excited about this as you are and who get it when you finally find the right solution to fix that dragging middle act. People who can cheer you on but who also understand the struggle and are there for you when you get your hundredth rejection. People who can brainstorm with you, give feedback, share ideas, be a colleague in a solitary field. Publishing is such a long-term investment with so many personal costs that we simply can't do this career alone.

Writers need access

Publishing can be so insular, accessible and understandable only to the people who are already inside it. The way the industry works can be obscured, difficult to follow, rapidly changing. Should you leave your agent, or no? Are these deal points actually good terms for your book contract? Where is the market going right now? How can you build a brand as a professional author? What if you want to shift genres mid-career?

Conflicting guidance from professionals can leave even veteran authors reeling. Lacking specific knowledge can mean writers fall into major pitfalls, such as accepting a scammy book deal, signing with the wrong agent, or querying a tired and cliche concept only to get rejections and then spend months revising a project that will only bring in more rejections. Financial issues, marginalizations, family issues, and a host of other things can bring even more complication and struggle to this industry. With this many obstacles, trial and error can be too costly a process for most writers to keep going.

Writers need guidancE

Writers need mentorship and knowledge from people who can give productive instruction, identify what’s missing in your writing, and see what’s wonderful about your skills so you can not just fill in the gaps but lean on your strengths. People who can help you create a plan for moving forward and then point you to the tools and inspiration for making it happen. Publishing works on such slim odds that it's vital for writers to have places they can go to receive personalized help. 

So what now?

I created The Breakthrough Writers' Boot Camp to address these needs. After working at a literary agency and three publishing houses for 10 years, reading literally thousands of manuscripts in my slush pile, working on over 350 manuscripts, serving on conference faculties, and teaching workshops at schools, libraries and book clubs, I’ve learned some things that can help get you un-stuck and moving forward. I can help you avoid the pitfalls, improve your skills, understand the industry to position yourself for success, and figure out your next steps—especially if you are a mid-career author wanting to break out.

Writers can hire great freelance editors, but that's often incredibly expensive (as it should be) and focuses on the book itself, rather than your entire career and skill set. Writers can attend conferences to hear professionals discuss the industry and get advice, but this advice isn't personalized to specific authors and specific cases, which still leaves many people floundering. It's also one-time advice, without a way to follow up. And while there is a lot of fantastic material online from pros through webinars, blog posts, and Twitter threads, a lot of this advice is geared toward beginning writers rather than writers who have already signed with an agent, received a publishing contract, or have been writing for years and have developed significant skill. A lot of it is also inaccurate or doesn’t apply to your book. And sorting through all this is incredibly time-consuming and it takes away from your time to actually write.

The Breakthrough Writers' Boot Camp is meant to fill in those gaps with a subscription model for a monthly fee, which allows for personalized advice, monthly career consultations, workshops, and webinars, as well as building continuing relationships with the coaches, who can offer advice and career planning tailored specifically to you. It's geared toward advanced writers, with a focus on helping you gain more control over your career. The intent is to develop your skills, your artistic vision, and your career tools so that you have the talent and the knowledge necessary to go where you want to go.

If you’re hitting some kind of ceiling, or if you want to accelerate your writing career, come join us! The Breakthrough Writers’ Boot Camp is specifically designed to help you develop your vision as an author, avoid giving your writing what’s left of you, and make that jump from good to great. Wonderful as they are, we don’t need the next Beverly Cleary or Meg Cabot or Stephanie Perkins. We need you.