Today, I’m very excited to welcome on this blog Sarah Butler, an acclaimed author, an inspiration in terms of writing motivation, and also one of the kindest, most perceptive creative writing teachers ever, who helped me with my first ever published story.
In January this year Sarah’s debut novel Ten Things I’ve Learnt About Love, was published by Picador in the UK. It has sold in 15 other countries, and was Book of the Week on Oprah.com when it was published by Penguin Press in the US in July.
Her journey towards publication with Picador is nothing short of a fairytale in terms of the amount of perseverance it required of her. If you’ve ever thought of giving up on your book, or finding an agent or a publisher– you might like to read her story below, in her own words. (All emphases in the post below are mine). Take it away, Sarah!
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Thank you to Damyanti for inviting me onto Daily (W)rite.
Damyanti asked me to write about my journey to publication, which has been long and obstacle-strewn. I started writing seriously in 2003, and took an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia in 2003-2004. The year after graduating I finished my first novel, got an agent, but didn’t get a publishing deal.
I worked on some short stories and focused on getting them published, in order to raise my profile and give myself a bit of a boost, and then I industriously started writing a second novel (I was working 3 days a week for a youth literature organisation and writing 2 days a week). When this novel was finished, my agent wasn’t keen on it. We parted ways, and I spent months trying to get another agent to represent me. No luck…
This was now 2007. Two novels down. No publishing deal. And then, in October 2007, I was on a residential writing course in the UK when a new novel (which would end up as Ten Things I’ve Learnt About Love) fell into my head – complete with plot and character names – like a gift. It took me four years to write (while I was also working and studying for an MSc in Urban Studies).
In the summer of 2011, I started sending my new manuscript out to agents. I got rejection after rejection after rejection. However, that August I was teaching creative writing at an international summer school in Cambridge, UK, and met Francesca Main (then editor at Simon and Schuster and about to start a senior editor job at Picador) at an event.
Extraordinarily, she asked me to send her my novel. She read it, and a few weeks later sent me a lovely email, saying she loved it, but that “it didn’t quite feel ready yet.” She asked me some very helpful questions which enabled me to look at the novel afresh and see – quite suddenly and quite clearly – what I needed to do. I restructured the book, cut 15,000 words, and sent the revised manuscript back to Francesca in January 2012.
Three weeks later Francesca offered me a two book deal, and two weeks later Picador had sold rights in 7 countries (they’ve since sold the novel in a total of 15 countries).
It has been a long journey to where I am now, and there were times when I felt I would never get published. However, I think if you have the drive to write and tell stories that gives you something to hold on to, to retain your motivation to write on. First and foremost it has to be about writing the best book you can write, and then persevering when it comes to getting it out into the world. I learnt a huge amount by writing those two novels which weren’t published – so nothing was wasted!
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Ten Things I’ve Learnt About Love tells the story of Alice – a wayward, wandering young woman – and Daniel – a homeless man on a quest. Alice is in many ways more homeless than Daniel – called back from a worldwide trip to her dying father’s bedside she is forced to face the things that made her run away: a failed relationship, her two difficult sisters, and a sense that she’s never quite belonged. Daniel is at home in London, though he has no physical space to call home. Driven by the desire to find the daughter he has never met, he paces the streets of London creating messages from things other people have thrown away. The death of Alice’s father brings Alice and Daniel together and they gradually discover just what they are able to offer each other. The novel celebrates the everyday and the overlooked. It is an exploration of love and loss and what home can mean.
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Ten Things I’ve Learnt About Love has appeared in the New York Times, The Independent on Sunday, and the Metro.
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Sarah Butler writes novels and short fiction, and has a particular interest in the relationship between writing and place. She has been writer-in-residence on the Central line and at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Her novel, Ten Things I’ve Learnt About Love, is published by Picador in the UK and in fifteen languages around the world. Find Sarah on twitter @SarahButler100 and also on the Ten Things I’ve Learnt About Love Facebook page.
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Have you read Ten Things I’ve Learnt About Love? (If you haven’t I suggest you change that immediately– it is a book that would appeal to everyone who likes to be moved by the books they read). Have you ever been on the point of giving up in your writing journey? Does Sarah Butler’s writing motivation and perseverance inspire you?
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Reading Sarah Butler’s story was a wonderful dose of reality for me. People like Sarah truly deserve their success since they work hard for it with perseverance.
Great interview and amazing person, Danyanti. Thank you for sharing. Sarah are you taking on any new novels? I have one that I am editing and editing. It is mystery/crime novel.
Thanks for noticing my blog, “Stories on the Way Home.” I’m glad you liked it! And thanks for all you’re doing to encourage writers!
Peace,
Thom
Reblogged this on Lenora's Culture Center and Foray into History.
This looks like my type of novel, something that can teach us all and where we can learn from others experiences, fortunes and misfortunes. I must keep an eye out for it 😀
Inspirational! Perhaps I should not give up before I’ve really started. Thank you for liking my blog post.
Thank you for sharing this story! This is very inspiring.
Came by your blog after you’d liked one of my quote posts (thanks!) This is a great story of perseverance and dedication on Sarah’s part. I’m having a hard time with all of my projects right now so I like reading success stories. 🙂
A truly inspirational article. I suppose all writers have to contend with rejection at some point in their career. But it is always demoralizing and I don’t thing it is something you can get used to. I’ve started writing myself, and I have no idea how it is going to turn out for me.
Great article! Some days I feel a little down, but I find that going off line helps a lot. Constantly worrying about stats and reviews can be destructive to your creativity. Keep writing and persevere!
This is a good story of perseverance
Reblogged this on heatherzhutchinswrites and commented:
Here’s a good story for those of us who have thought about giving up on our
dreams. In a word, DON’T!
I loved this interview, thank you so much! This is inspirational and just confirms everything that I keep hearing…never give up and keep writing and submitting. Also, you just never know when an opportunity might come up and who you might just meet along the way to help you…:-)
Nice interview. Sarah seems to know a thing or two about writing. Thanks for sharing.
Great inspiration!
Hi Damyanti, I am so glad you visited Maiara Musings and liked my essay. As an essayist trying to gain self confidence in writing this blog of yours is very interesting for me. I will be definitely coming back to read more, it is great to read and realize that indeed one has to get used to rejection but to never give up.
Hi Damyanti-found you, and this, through a chance blogger who was the sole “like” given to my blog post. Unbelievably fortuitous, as I am about to give up blogging! Maybe not, now? This was inspiring. Many thanks!
Hi Damyanti, thanks for this uplifting story!
Fiona
Wonderfully inspiring story.
Great story! Thank you for sharing!
Great interview with Sarah. Useful and inspiring. Thanks for sharing. 😉
What an inspiring story! I agree, we learn so much in our early novels. When it comes to writing, perseverance is a must!
It is amazing to look back at years of writing and realise how much you’ve learnt and how far you’ve come.
Congratulations Sarah… You are instant encouragement to aspiring writer wanna-be
Benjamin
Great interview Damyanti. Can’t tell you how helpful this is. Have a feeling I’m going to hear a lot more about Sarah Butler and her book in the near future. Thank you for sharing this!
Really glad it was helpful Thomas
A great story of perseverance!
The book is now going on my TBR list 🙂
Thanks Rebecca, I hope you enjoy the book when you get to it
What a great story, and so well-timed. I have been on the cusp of giving up for quite a while now, but after reading this it just doesn’t seem like the right thing to do. Perseverance is the key. Thanks for posting this.
I’m so glad to hear that, Dave. I do think perseverance is important, and trying to keep hold of what you’re trying to do and why. It can be hard feeling like you’re always waiting for outside validation, so you need to find other ways of validating yourself and keeping on going. Good luck with it!
Reblogged this on Inspire, Motivate & Dedicate.
Thanks for the inspiration and the message to persevere.
You’re welcome!
I guess we have to continue to smile and persevere and one day our dream will come true. Three cheers for all of us aspiring writers.
Three cheers indeed! And I think it’s important to take the value from the process of writing as well as being focused on an end goal
Wow, incredibly glad that I found this article. Such wonderful motivation and insight into writing! Thanks very much for the post.
You’re welcome, I’m glad it was helpful
That’s a great story. It can be tempting to give up, but it’s also kind of pointless. I’d hate to live a life that was pointless.
Lee
A Faraway View
What makes the story even more remarkable for me, Lee, is that right after I was done cheering Sarah on her triumphs, I heard Francesca Main at the Singapore Literary Festival– talking about just this story. About how genuine Sarah was, their meeting at a dinner. And most importantly, how Sarah went from a week of having no agent or publisher to the next week of getting an agent and publisher and rights sold in several countries. It made me believe that good things come to good people, who wait and persevere.
I completely agree Lee!