We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allison Hong Merrill a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Allison, thanks for joining us today. Before we talk about all of your success, let’s start with a story of failure. Can you open up about a time when you’ve failed?

I spent almost 10 years drafting a book-length manuscript. In 2015, I found a literary agent to represent my work. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to sell it. After 26 traditional publishers rejected my story, my agent stopped submitting it. That was the end of our partnership.

It took me four years to write another book. This time, I couldn’t even get representation. I queried literary agents and editors and received 149 rejections. It was a dark time in my life. It felt like the world didn’t want me to tell my story because it didn’t care about what I had to say. I struggled to remember the worth of my soul, to like myself.

By then, I’d dedicated 14 years of my life to pursue writing and publishing. There were two voices in my head nudging me in different directions. One said I’d passed the Point of No Return, while the other said there were more important things that needed my devotion and I should know when to give up on something that didn’t work. I decided to stop trying to be a writer after I gave it one last try, to round up the number of rejections to 150. One hundred fifty––it felt more “whole” than 149.

Well, I got a book deal on the 150th try.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a writer, but that, in itself, is a loaded statement. I should emphasize I’m not a typical writer.

I grew up in a fishing slum in Taiwan with no books in the house. I didn’t grow up with a passion for reading. When I was in first grade, I discovered I struggled with reading. I don’t read well, which means I don’t write well, which means I wasn’t that child who proclaimed, “When I grow up, I want to be a writer.”

Writing is hard work for me, but I love telling stories and believe I can do hard things. In 2015, I went back to school and got an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. I write in both fiction and creative nonfiction, in both Chinese and English, for both young and adult readers. Through storytelling, I share my Chinese culture to build understanding and acceptance. My work focuses on the themes of family, faith, love, hope, kindness, and choice. It appears in both the New York Times and the HuffPost and has won both national and international literary prizes. I’m especially thankful that my debut memoir, Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops, has won 60 book awards. It’s a great honor to know that many people find different things in my story that resonate with them.

My writing career brings me many opportunities to serve. I’m a keynote speaker, instructor, and panelist at various writer’s conferences nationwide and in Asia. I also appear on TV, radio, and podcasts; in magazines, newspapers, and journals. It not only allows me to share my stories, but it also brings me new friendships. I’m grateful for the connections.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I spent almost 10 years drafting a book-length manuscript. In 2015, I found a literary agent to represent my work. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to sell it. After 26 traditional publishers rejected my story, my agent stopped submitting it. That was the end of our partnership.

It took me four years to write another book. This time, I couldn’t even get representation. I queried literary agents and editors and received 149 rejections. It was a dark time in my life. It felt like the world didn’t want me to tell my story because it didn’t care about what I had to say. I struggled to remember the worth of my soul, to like myself.

By then, I’d dedicated 14 years of my life to pursue writing and publishing. There were two voices in my head nudging me in different directions. One said I’d passed the Point of No Return, while the other said there were more important things that needed my devotion and I should know when to give up on something that didn’t work. I decided to stop trying to be a writer after I gave it one last try, to round up the number of rejections to 150. One hundred fifty––it felt more “whole” than 149.

Well, I got a book deal on the 150th try.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I started building my social media audience years before my debut memoir came out. I publicly documented my writing journey, sharing the ups and downs of the process. The majority of my followers know how almost-impossible it was for me to get published. My story of failing countless times brought them to me, to form a tiny loving community, where people I’ve never met in real life root for me and cheer me on. And I’m deeply grateful for the power of social media that makes it happen.

I used to be on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. As much as I appreciated the benefit of connecting with readers in these places, it took away too much of my writing time to stay active on different platform; I didn’t see the ROI in audience engagement. I eventually quit Twitter. I’ve slowly become inactive on Instagram too––and you’re going to laugh––because all of those reels give me overwhelming anxiety. I have no explanation for it. Finally, I decided to prioritize my mental health, even if that means losing social media followers.

Having an online presence is one way to build an author’s platform, but it’s important to remember that social media is like rented real estate, we don’t own the space. Terms and conditions are subject to change anytime, we have no control over the outcomes. Twitter/X is an example. TikTok? I’m not sure what will happen. If social media is the only place you market your products, it might be helpful to go beyond those platforms and expand your business model outside of the rented space.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://AllisonHongMerrill.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allison.hong.merrill
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allisonhmerrill

Image Credits

BYU Broadcasting

Allison Hong Merrill