THE ONE WHERE HOLLYWOOD GOT INVOLVED
Category: YA
I went out on sub for the first time in early 2020. Like any new writer, I had starry-eyed hopes and dreams that in a few short months (even weeks), I’d have a shiny book deal, like so many author friends who had short sub experiences.
Long story short, the answer is no, I would not be that person.
But I didn’t expect to go on a sub journey that I’ve never heard anyone else have. (Maybe another writer has experienced this, but the secrecy surrounding sub probably means they couldn’t talk about it. So if you’re out there—we need to have a coffee one day!)
When I went out, we had lots of initial interest from editors. My agent took us on a large sub round to around twenty imprints and in that first month I got a wave of excitement. However, the rejections quickly started rolling in and over the course of four months, I didn’t go to second reads or acquisitions anywhere. Somehow, I was still optimistic, starting work on a new wip while I waited and waited.
Come the fall, it was clear something was wrong with the book, but my instinct said it wasn’t time to throw in the towel. I realized I needed to change a significant part of the story—and some editor feedback confirmed this—so for a couple months, I rewrote half of it. It made the story so much stronger and I’m still so proud of it. I know it’s a damn good book.
Turns out, some other people think so, too.
My agent took the book out again in the new year. But this time, things were different. Between the time I finished rewriting my book and when we went out on round two, production companies and producers had heard about my book through a film scout who had talked to my agency. And they wanted to read it. Ho-ly S*%T!
So I went out on round two, but I also had my book sent to a huge list in Hollywood. I thought it was the coolest thing, though I also couldn’t quite believe it was happening. I was given three weeks to digest this information before the first producer emailed to say they wanted to talk to me. Then a day later, a major production company wanted to do the same.
Cue internal screaming!
A month after I went on sub, I had a week packed with Zoom calls to talk to different Hollywood people and groups who read and loved and wanted to turn my book into a TV show. A major actress even read and loved it too, saying she was open to playing the lead (I didn’t talk to her but man, I still can’t believe that one). I remember sitting on my couch after the first call just staring off into space, unsure how to process any of it. It was both a wild dream coming true and yet something I didn’t ever think would happen. I was talking to people who’d made some fantastic shows/movies who were now telling me they loved my work enough to champion it to studios and networks. And because there were multiple interested parties, I got to choose who to work with. Woah boy.
Soon after I chose, we got a major studio to option my book for tv and once contracts are done, we’re going out to the networks. My book might actually become a TV show one day, but even if it doesn’t (options are sadly no guarantee that a project will be greenlit for production), a ton of major names read my words and loved them.
But have you noticed something missing from this experience?
Yeah, my round two editors. The reason I haven’t brought them up is because for the most part, there is nothing to bring up. I’m working with some massive names in Hollywood and yet editors are still dragging their feet. I’ve gone to second reads with some wonderful imprints, and yet one died because their team didn’t like it and the other is putting me through months-long purgatory. I’ve gotten less replies in general this round than my last, and it’s hard to say if it’s from industry burnout or my book. I said to a friend recently that I’m shocked no one has snatched it up immediately and my agent is just as shocked as I am that it hasn’t sold. It’s difficult to say if this is unusual, since the typical experience for authors is to sell the book then get optioned for film or tv. But when the Hollywood excitement started, I truly thought it would be a no brainer for an editor and their team to see my book as a great business move—as we all know how great an adaptation is for selling books. Now, I can confidently say that editors might be persuaded by Hollywood interest, but they aren’t guaranteed to buy a manuscript that’s been optioned.
There really is no sure thing in publishing, something I’ve come to starkly realize over the past year.
So if you take away anything from my sub experience, remember that sub is a crapshoot and literally makes no sense 9/10 times. I’m still learning to stop thinking I understand how it works. Maybe when I least expect anything from this quietly chaotic industry, I’ll finally be offered that book deal I’ve been working years to get. Until then, I’ll keep working on my next book and hope for a positive sub outcome.
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The stories on this blog are posted anonymously so that authors can speak candidly about their experience. If you have a sub story you’d like to share, drop me an email at: katedylanbooks@gmail.com
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