Category: Hints and Tips

  • My journey finding a literary agent.

    My journey finding a literary agent.

    I did it guys – I got signed by a literary agent!!! When I posted my news on Instagram, I got lots of messages asking how I approached the process of finding an agent, so I thought I would capture some of my learnings in the hopes that they are helpful to others. I started,…

  • “You need to start building an audience.”

    “You need to start building an audience.”

    This is what I, and many aspiring authors, have heard time and time again. You’ve slogged for years and finally written a book, you are actively querying agents who, if you are lucky to get signed, will help you seek publication, but you can’t stop there. In the meantime, you need to build an audience.…

  • On connecting with creative outlets.

    On connecting with creative outlets.

    How do I stay rooted in creativity when I am knee deep in a project? This is my fifth year working on my book. The book is now on its 6th draft following some very constructive feedback I received to reduce the word count from 120K down to 95K. Working on a project consistently for…

  • The art of killing one’s darlings.

    The art of killing one’s darlings.

    “In writing, you must kill all your darlings,” William Faulkner famously wrote, suggesting that the process of editing requires a certain stoicism, and the suppression of affection towards superfluous material, no matter how much we love it. In the midst of many outright rejections from agents, I got an email last week from an agent…

  • To translate or not?

    To translate or not?

    My memoir is set for a good part in the South of Nigeria, amongst the Yoruba people and the melting pot of big city Lagos. Nigeria is a former British colony and as such, the official language is English. But there are several local languages ( like Yoruba) which are spoken, as well as pidgin…