From Wattpad to Published Author - My Journey

Submitting to Publishers

The weeks that followed were quite anticlimactic. I uploaded two more chapters and told my fans about signing with an agent. They were very happy for me, although many confused this with being published. Later, Juliet sent me a few tweaks for the book, which helped a great deal. We also decided the book would be sold in a three-book deal, as I envisioned Summoner as a trilogy.

Then, I got a phone call from Juliet. We had received a pre-emptive offer from a UK publisher. The figure was far higher than anything I had ever thought possible. Even stranger, Juliet had already decided we should turn it down, as they wanted World rights and she didn't think it was a good enough offer.

I was ecstatic. I now knew that I could support myself as a full time author. At the same time, they had told us that the deal was off the table if we turned it down. Juliet was the expert and I trusted her implicitly. We said no.

A few days later Juliet called me again. We had received another pre-emptive offer, this time from Brazil. It was almost as high as the earlier offer and this was just one territory! Since I am half Brazilian myself, it was especially gratifying, as my extended family would be able to read it in their native language. I also knew that the deal would signal to other publishers that my trilogy was worth considering.

Soon after, my trilogy went to auction in the UK. It was extremely tense, with me checking my email and phone every few minutes. Publishers were bidding against each other without knowing how much their opponents had offered. We reserved the right to go with either publisher, regardless of whose offer was higher. When it was down to two publishers, Juliet thought it best to take me to their offices so we could meet them before their final offers were sent.

I went and met both publishers in their offices on the same day. Juliet was fantastic throughout, telling me the questions she would be asking and what I should expect.

Both publishers went to a lot of effort to show their passion for Summoner. They had all of Malgorzata's artwork printed on the walls. They had put together proposed marketing plans and schedules in a specially designed booklet, with ideas such as demon trading cards and temporary tattoos. Both were incredibly professional, genuine and I met the entire team that would be working on my book on both occasions, something that Juliet said rarely happens.

It was a difficult decision but we finally made the choice to go with Hodder Children's Books, who are part of the Hachette Children's Group.

A few weeks later, my book went to auction in the US, with three publishers. This time I dealt with Juliet's US counterpart, Sasha Raskin. I had phone calls with all the publishers and one even had a conversation with Wattpad.

Ultimately, the trilogy was won in a highly competitive auction by Macmillan.

At the time of writing this article, my books are published by Hodder Children's (Hachette) in the UK, Australia and Commonwealth, Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan) in the US and Canada, Hachette Jeunesse in France, Heyne in Germany, Planeta in Spain, Crown in Taiwan, Record in Brazil, EKSMO in Russia, Jaguar in Poland, Ecliptic in Bulgaria, Alpress in the Czech Republic, Ithaki in Turkey and Unieboek in the Netherlands. On the day I finally announced it was going to be published, Summoner: The Novice gained one hundred and fifty thousand reads within 24 hours. The response was overwhelmingly positive.

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If you are enjoying reading this, please don't hesitate to vote! Feel free to comment and ask questions, I'll always try and respond when I can :). Don't forget to look out for Summoner: The Novice in your local bookstores or if you're feeling extra excited, you can preorder the book using the links on my profile, or searching for it in your usual online bookstore. 

All the best! 

Taran