Category: Publishing
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Rejection Reframed: What Submitting My Book To Publishers Has Taught Me
For almost eight months now (not counting the summer and Christmas holidays), My agent has been submitting my book to publishers in the UK and the US. Like many writers, I started with hope—and then came the rejections. One after another. At first, it was disheartening. Each “no” felt personal. But over time, I started…
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Essay in HuffPost
I am beyond excited that one of my essays was published in the Huffington Post today. With the rich cultural tapestry of Lagos, Nigeria as the backdrop, It picks up some of the major themes from my recently completed memoir: a daughter’s love, grief & loss, complicated family dynamics and the mother of all secrets…
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Took a Break, But Ready to Return
Hey everyone, it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything about my writing and the status of my memoir. It’s been an incredibly busy time with the transatlantic move from New York to the suburbs of London, settling my two teenage daughters into a new school, unpacking into a new house and trying to kick-start…
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The echoing silence…
In early August of 2023, I got an unsolicited message to my Instagram account from someone who I did not know. She had apparently seen a post I had put on a Nigerian nostalgia Facebook page where I talked about my book ,and had checked out my writing Instagram page. She loved my Instagram page,…
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Bittersweet
Two weeks ago, my agent began pitching my book to prospective publishers and since then I have literally been holding my breath, waiting with fear and optimism for some feedback. Today I got an email from my agent with the heading “Close!” Eagerly I opened the email to find the below response from one of…
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Do I need a platform?
This is a question every debut author asks themselves largely because we hear it time and time again: “If you want to get published, you need a platform – expert status in something, a significant social media following or celebrity /influencer / notoriety status.” Indeed, my recent literary agent rejection came with the added note:…
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What my first literary agent rejection has taught me.
Last week I got my first rejection from an agent I queried. I was introduced to this agent by a contact whose book is coming out next year, and I was delighted to have a direct line to an agent who represents some pretty amazing people. Here is what the agent said in his rejection…
Novice Memoirist 