Writing & Publishing a Book
Congratulations to Author Accelerator certified book coach Susanne Dunlap! Her historical fiction novel The Courtesan’s Daughter, is now published through Atmosphere Press!
What are you most proud of in term’s of this book’s journey?
That despite my agent's inability to sell this book five years ago, I stuck to it and believed in it and found a way to get it out into the world.
What moment are you most looking forward to in the publication process?
The party I’m having on publication day! It will be my first in-person book event in 4 years!
Was there ever a moment of doubt about the book?
I doubt all the time. When my agent couldn't sell it, I thought it must be terrible. And my second review on Netgalley was a 1-star review. That immediately erased the 5-star rave review from Chanticleer Book Reviews and from other reviewers on Netgalley.
What’s next for the book?
I’ll be marketing it, doing podcasts, all the things to try to find readers.
What are the next steps in your career?
Another book, of course! I have another one that will be out in October, 2023, and am working on the next one after that. And I'm continuing to learn and develop my skills to help other historical novelists— and now, writers of dual-timeline books!
Why would you recommend coaching to get to this point in the writing journey?
I have always relied on feedback from my fellow historical novelists, and I firmly believe I would have gotten to this point faster if I had been working with a coach. But this book predates my introduction to book coaching. I continue to feel that the skills I’ve learned as a book coach have greatly enhanced my own writing.
What is your favorite passage from the book?
“The winner of this year’s senior essay prize is Miss Sylvie Button.” The principal beamed. I thought my heart would burst as I waited for Sylvie to mount the steps to the stage and say a few words of humble gratitude. The applause continued, but nothing happened. The principal raised his hand to quiet the room and scanned the first row of students, and a teacher rose and approached the front of the stage.
The principal bent over to hear what she had to say, then straightened and returned to the podium. “It appears that Miss Button is not present to accept her prize. We understand her mother has been poorly of late and only assume that she was unavoidably required to stay home to attend her.”
What did he say? The world closed in on me as I barely heard the murmurs of, “Shame!” and “Oh dear!” all around me. I rose, my legs weak, not meeting anyone’s eyes, and stumbled over the other mothers’ feet in my haste to reach the door and run out onto the cold winter street.
What just happened? Where was Sylvie?
My mind was so full of questions that I watched the first few flakes of snow land on my sleeve and melt without any sense of what they were. When I lost my footing and slipped on the sidewalk, I at last looked up. The snow started to fall faster and faster, already piling up on railings and window ledges.
Not the fluffy, lazy snow that coats the streets for an hour and then melts into muddy slush, but fierce, small flakes that whipped down the streets and sent people scurrying indoors. I watched it as if from a great distance. My world, the one I had been so careful to create, in which Sylvie was protected from all bad influences, had suddenly been slashed wide open.
I don’t recall how I reached our apartment building and was still in a daze as I climbed the steps in the dark hallway to the third floor.
The door was ajar. Relief surged through my veins. “Sylvie! There you are!”
I rushed into the parlor, ready with questions I should have asked weeks ago.
But it wasn’t Sylvie. Instead it was the very last person I ever expected or wanted to see beyond that door.
Congratulations, Susanne!
Find your copy of The Courtesan’s Daughter on Bookshop, Amazon, or wherever you get your books. Follow Susanne’s writing and book coaching endeavors on Facebook, Instagram, or by visiting her website.
