We were lucky to catch up with Gretchen McNeil recently and have shared our conversation below.
Gretchen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you have an agent or someone (or a team) that helps you secure opportunities and compensation for your creative work? How did you meet you, why did you decide to work with them, why do you think they decided to work with you?
When you’re starting out in publishing, landing an agent is the Holy Grail. The process of pitching your book, known as querying, has been written about up, down, and sideways and the internet is full of advice on everything from how to write the perfect query letter to how to target the right agent for your book. So when I finished my first manuscript way back in 2007 and asked Google “what do I do with it now?” the answer was immediate: query an agent.
And I did. 134 of them, to be exact. I didn’t even know there were that many agents working in the industry (and most of them probably aren’t anymore) but I diligently kept a spreadsheet detailing each submission and response. I’d written an adult rom-com that I now like to joke was neither romantic nor funny as I wrote it while I was going through a divorce, and most of those 134 agents rejected me without even asking to read pages. A few read but also passed. A chunk of them never responded at all.
There were, however, two agents who suggested – kindly – that perhaps my narrative voice was more suited to young adult fiction than adult romance. As a solid Gen Xer, I had to ask, “what the hell is young adult fiction?”
Turns out, in the time since I was an actual young adult, fiction targeting that readership has grown beyond The Babysitter’s Club, Sweet Valley High, and scattered titles by Lois Duncan and Christopher Pike. There was an entire world of YA titles out there, spanning vast genres. So I read some, realized those two agents were correct, and set off to write a novel for teens.
Eight months later, I was ready to query. I had my spreadsheet ready, my materials organized, my shortlist of agents targeted. Memories of my 134 rejections loomed large but though I was nervous, I felt good about my manuscript. With a shaky hand, I sent a handful of queries off into email land.
Five offers of representation later, I was able to choose one of those agents I had shortlisted. Ginger Clark has been my agent since 2008 and I am reminded every day that I made the right choice. We’ve sold thirteen novels together (so far), foreign editions all over the globe, plus two small screen adaptations: one for Lifetime and one for the BBC and Netflix. I certainly couldn’t have predicted any of these wonderful outcomes all those years ago when I was staring at 134 rejections. I’m glad I didn’t give up.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am the author of several young adult novels for Disney*Hyperion and Balzer + Bray including POSSESS, 3:59, RELIC, I’M NOT YOUR MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRL, GET EVEN, GET DIRTY, DIG TWO GRAVES, and TEN, as well as the horror/comedy novels #MURDERTRENDING—the #1 YALSA Teens’ Top Ten pick for 2019—#MURDERFUNDING, and #NOESCAPE. My most recent novel for Disney*Hyperion is THREE DROPS OF BLOOD, pitched as YA Rear Window, to be followed by FOUR-LETTER WORD in 2024. My books have been published in more than a dozen languages all over the world. Ten: Murder Island, the film adaptation of TEN starring China Anne McClain premiered on Lifetime in 2017, and GET EVEN and GET DIRTY have been adapted as the series Get Even and Rebel Cheer Squad: a Get Even series for the BBC and Netflix. Before I began writing, I was a classically trained opera singer, a voice over artist, and a circus performer.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
My favorite moments of being an author are when I get messages from readers telling me that they hated reading until they discovered one of my books, and now they can’t get enough. Because I write primarily young adult fiction, getting these emails from teens makes me want to cry with joy. Any way we can keep kids reading is a win.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Talk about the books you love. I know this a pain, I know not everyone feels comfortable writing reviews and sharing their opinions with utter strangers, but nothing helps book sales like word-of-mouth, whether you’re adding a review to an online retailer site or a readers’ group, or talking about a beloved title with a friend.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gretchenmcneil.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/gretchen_mcneil
- Twitter: twitter.com/GretchenMcNeil