Ashlee Willis
asked
Juliet Marillier:
You have been one of my favorite authors for years ... your writing is so beautiful it's hard to imagine a book by you not being snatched up quickly. All the same, I'm curious to know how long it took you to find an agent/publisher for your first book? Did you get many rejections before you landed a contract?
Juliet Marillier
Hi Ashlee,
My first series was picked up from the slush pile (unsolicited manuscripts) at Pan Macmillan and I got my first contract from that, without an agent. I did sign on with an agent for later books. The ms for Daughter of the Forest was rejected by two other publishers before being accepted by Pan, but the situation was unusual - I submitted to the first one only to get some feedback on my ms, something that particular publisher was offering at the time. I had a romance manuscript turned down a few years prior to that - I got praise for my writing but I hadn't quite nailed the romance brief. Time it takes to get an agent/publisher varies widely. My advice is to concentrate on writing the very best book you can and polishing it before thinking about submitting it.
My first series was picked up from the slush pile (unsolicited manuscripts) at Pan Macmillan and I got my first contract from that, without an agent. I did sign on with an agent for later books. The ms for Daughter of the Forest was rejected by two other publishers before being accepted by Pan, but the situation was unusual - I submitted to the first one only to get some feedback on my ms, something that particular publisher was offering at the time. I had a romance manuscript turned down a few years prior to that - I got praise for my writing but I hadn't quite nailed the romance brief. Time it takes to get an agent/publisher varies widely. My advice is to concentrate on writing the very best book you can and polishing it before thinking about submitting it.
More Answered Questions
Eadrinor
asked
Juliet Marillier:
Hi Juliet, I don't have a huge question for you, more just wanted to take a minute to express how wonderful your writing is. Your take on fantasy is a breath of fresh air every time I pick up one of your books. Thanks for taking us all on these great adventures with your characters over the years! As a writer, which character resonates with you most from your career?
Flibbet
asked
Juliet Marillier:
Hello! I'm a huge fan of the Sevenwaters world and love its depth and richness. Would you consider writing a novella about Ciaran and Niamh? They're two of my favorite characters and are fascinating to me. Ciaran goes through such a great arc throughout the series that I'll really take any excuse to see more of him. Thanks for writing!
Joanna
asked
Juliet Marillier:
Hi there :) I just issued Blade of Fortriu from the library and if the edition I'm borrowing there is no map of Fortriu. Just wondering if there are any available maps that go with this book (it was super helpful looking at the map while I read The Dark Mirror) and whether there is a way for me to access them. Also wondered if there's a character pronunciation guide as well?
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