On the slow pursuit of Overnight Success

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post over on Tumblr about success.

I’d just walked into a bookshop in Edinburgh, hoping, as many author do, to spot my own work tucked away somewhere on the shelf. When I found not one, but two major displays–a table stand and a wall runner–I stood very still, trying to make a memory, and then, realizing I couldn’t be counted on, I snapped a photo instead. The photo doesn’t do the feelings justice.

These days I see my name paired more and more with the words “overnight success”, and I’ve heard that the average overnight success takes 10 years. It’s taken me 9, so if that means I’m ahead of the curve, so be it.

I started writing when I was a kid, poetry mostly, didn’t try my hand at anything longer than a short story until I was in college. I wrote my first novel as a sophomore, an acid trip through the underworld that will never be published, but it got close enough for me to get my first true tastes of failure. A literary agent, a year on sub to publishers, five separate acquisitions meetings. Five times getting all the way to the door and then being told it wasn’t good enough to go through.

I was a college senior when I decided to try again.

It would have been easy to walk away–failure isn’t fun, and I was pretty good at other things that wouldn’t take so much flesh, but I couldn’t bear the thought I was a fluke. Pride and all that. Plus I had this idea swimming through my head. Two sing-song lines about a village and a witch and a secret in the wind.

It was called THE NEAR WITCH, and the summer after I graduated, it sold to Disney.

It didn’t get much press aside from the fact it was a debut (the industry loves to tout debuts, as though lack of experience is the natural precursor to massive success). The book was in a select number of stores for a very short time, 1-2 copies max, and disappeared by the end of its first season. Out of print at 18 months.

I wrote a sequel, THE DARK REMAINS, but the publisher decided after it was written that they’d rather have something else, so back into the drawer it went.

Instead I wrote THE ARCHIVED, about a library of the dead. That one got a bit more traction, and a loyal cultish following, but by the time its sequel, THE UNBOUND, hit shelves, I’d been informed that the publisher wouldn’t be finishining the trilogy. It had earned out, but still under-performed by some invisible, unknowable measurement. (The hardcover of THE ARCHIVED was just taken out of print.)

At 25, I was scarred, terrified that my career was over, because I’d given something everything I had, and it wasn’t enough, and I didn’t understand how or why or what I was supposed to do next, and part of me wished I’d walked away back when that first book didn’t sell, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. And my anger, my frustration, my stubborn resolve was louder than my fear, so I sat down and wrote something else.

It was a book for me. A book to restore my joy, to remind me why I did this masochistic thing. And it was a secret, a sheltering of the creative process so that that no publisher could take away what the writing of it gave me.

That book was called VICIOUS.

It was a strange supervillain origin story and it took me to a new publisher, Tor, that took a chance on me. And that, over the next four years, would restore my faith in myself and my industry. The book itself was a risk, a niche, but I had an editor who championed me and a team who believed in my work and nearly 3 years after release, that book is still selling strong.

Also in the midst of the dear and chaos and loss of that first series, I signed a work-for-hire contract for an early Middle Grade at Scholastic. The book were designed for Scholastic Clubs and Fairs titles and sold more than 600,000 copies, and STILL got turned down by Barnes and Noble. I never got to see those on shelf.

My eighth book, A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC, was probably the one that launched my ship, the one that first garnered me that title of “Overnight Success”, though it would be refurbished with each subsequent release. ADSOM was the first title to get great store placement, amazing reviews, and it’s still selling strong–the hardcover is now in its 9th printing, the paperback in its 6th, and every signing I do is filled with fans of Kell and Lila, Holland and Rhy, and it’s an amazing to have a readership that cares as much about these books as I do. I recently sold TV rights, and was signed on to write the pilot episode.

My ninth book was part of a multi-author platform at Scholastic. I hope I didn’t tank that series. It feels like I might have, or maybe it was just winding down, as series do, but I’m really damn proud of that book.

My tenth book, A GATHERING OF SHADOWS, the sequel to A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC, was my first book to ever hit the New York Times list. It was the first time I got to go on a national book tour, and see hundreds and hundreds of readers, some who were new, and some who’d been with me since the beginning.

THIS SAVAGE SONG was my 11th book. It was my first YA since THE UNBOUND, a strange, dark, existential novel about what it means to be monstrous, what it means to be human.

And this past week, it debuted at #1 on the New York Times list.

This is not a post meant to brag.

Success is a thing so largely out of our control.

Overnight Success is almost always a myth.

Half of this industry is luck, and half is the refusal to quit.

 

The Journey to A Darker Shade of Magic.

 

You guys, the time has finally arrived.

A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC–my 8th novel, and the first in a brand new fantasy series with Tor–hits shelves this week.

I vividly remember pacing my front yard in the snow more than two years ago, telling my beta reader about this idea I had. It wasn’t even an idea. It was just a moment, a collision between two characters in an alley. That moment would go on to spawn four Londons, a system of magic, and a cast of strange, powerful, and ambitious deviants, and is Part V, Chapter V in the finished book.

I remember several months later, driving through Texas with Carrie Ryan and Beth Revis, telling them about this crazy idea I was working on, my first ever crack at full-on fantasy.

I remember sitting in a car in the middle of nowhere, telling my agent the project was broken, and that I didn’t know if I could fix it, let alone turn it in to my editor.

I remember my agent convincing me that it wasn’t broken, that the pitch alone still gave her chills, and that she would pry it from my fingers if she had to. I remember her telling my editor was brilliant, and that together we would make it everything it needed to be. And she was right.

I remember late-night emails with my intrepid editor, talking through everything from world-building to weapons, coats to invented languages. Last minute tweaks and changes, cover ideas and final art, and picking the knives at the top of each chapter. I remember reading the book for the final time and realizing that I was reading it as a reader, not the writer, and knowing that it was ready to go to print. I remember that shift from uncertainty to excitement.

So far, each of these moments has belonged to me, but now the book, and its future, belongs to you.

This book, as the dedication says, is for the one who dream of stranger worlds.

And I hope you enjoy it.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

If you’re looking for ways to support a book as it makes its way into the world, there are several things you can do.

–Obviously, if you’re able, you can buy it. This is the surest way to support a book, and an AUTHOR.

–Once you’ve read it, please consider leaving a review online, at B+N, Amazon, GR, etc. This is one of the easiest ways to make an impact, and it really does matter.

–Make sure your local store and library has it in! You can always ask, and you can request it.

–Talk it up to your friends, your family, your school, your workplace. Basically run through the streets shouting its name like a lost pet.

–If you love the book, check out the author’s backlist. If ADSOM if your first read of mine, check out VICIOUS, which just came out in paperback.

–If you love a book, spread the word online. Twitter. Tumblr. Instagram. Youtube. Interest and passion are contagious.

–A fun fact: there’s this theory called the 5 Touch Rule, which basically suggests that as consumers we interact with a product 5 times before purchasing it. I’m a firm believer in this when it comes to books. If you can be one of those touches, please do.

 

In which I can finally announce NEW BOOKS!!!!!!

“I’m not going to die,” she said. “Not till I’ve seen it.”
“Seen what?”
Her smiled widened. “Everything.”

~A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC

You guyssssssssss.

I’ve been waiting to write this post for MONTHS. Like, 8 months, to be exact.

I come with NEWS! Of the BOOK variety!! This just ran in Publisher’s Weekly:

*FLAIL*

I started writing ADSOM a little more than a year ago. It all started with the image of a  young man walking through a wall and colliding with a girl. He was wounded and fleeing, with something very dangerous in his possession, and she was a pickpocket, and instantly stole the thing he was fleeing with. That was the seed, and a year later I’m so excited to announce that the book, now known as A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC will be the first in a new fantasy series at Tor!

I’ve been teasing this book online for AGES now–this is “pirates, thieves, and sadist kings”–and I’m so excited to finally shove this book out of the shadows and into the light!

And even more exciting? A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC is DONE! It went off to copyedits a week or so ago, and right now it’s scheduled to release early next year! Somewhere between January and March, we’re still nailing things down, but that is soon!

A short list of things in ADSOM:

–Magic

–Cross-dressing thieves

–(Aspiring) pirates

–Londons (plural)

–Sadistic kings (and queens)

–A royal who is equal parts Prince Harry and Jack Harkness

–More magic (blood magic, elemental magic, bad magic, etc. etc.)

–Epic magicky fights scenes

–Angst!

–And coats with more than two sides.

I thoughts it might be fun to take a short stroll through the life of ADSOM so far (through the eyes of Twitter).

The first time I worked up the nerves to post a snippet:

The first tweets I made after ADSOM sold to Tor:

In the throes of revisions:

With the end of revisions in sight!

And now I suppose I better start working on the sequel!!

Grab THE ARCHIVED for only $0.99!

Hey lovelies!

I’m in LA, getting ready to do an event at the LAPL with five AMAZING ladies (Gretchen McNeil, Margaret Stohl, Anna Carey, Robin Lafevers, Mel de la Cruz) but I wanted to let you know about something AWESOME that’s going on right now.

The folks at Disney*Hyperion have dropped the price of the ebook across ALL platforms to $0.99, but only for a few days.

$0.99.

That’s less than a cup of cheap coffee. Less than the change in most pockets or purses. And you can use it to grab the whole book (*and* the first chapter of the second).

If you’ve been on the fence, holding out, or just haven’t gotten around to trying out this series and you want to (or if you just want to show support and pick it up in another media), this is your chance!

And I hope you’ll spread the word. To be honest, I’ve already been completely overwhelmed by the response. The deal went live yesterday and as of my typing this, the kindle version is ranked #153, and the nook is ranked #56. I am so grateful, and simply hope that this promotion helps more people to discover a series I care about so very much.

Links for USA:

KINDLE.

NOOK.

KOBO.

Link for Canada:

ITUNES.

The VICIOUS movie deal: what happened, what it means, and what it doesn’t.

Hello, lovelies!!

So, yesterday, after months and months of hope, development, and waiting, this went up on Deadline Hollywood:

Before I go any further, allow me to get this out of my system: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Okay. Deep breaths. Onward. As many of you have guessed, this is the reason (or at least a large portion of the reason) I flew out to LA this past October.

The deal was already underway, and while I was out there, I had the immense pleasure of meeting not only my film agent (the incredible, and incredibly patient-with-V, Jon Cassir) but also EVERYONE involved on this deal.

Ridley Scott’s company, Scott Free, have been absolute champions of VICIOUS from the very beginning. They were one of the first producers to vie for the project, and have fought for it at every single stage so far.

Getting to meet Allison, my acquiring producer, has been an absolute highlight of my journey so far. You guys, when the article says that Allison “brought in the book” that is an understatement. She discovered VICIOUS, and she championed it in-house with infectious excitement, and none of this would be happening without her. She is hungry and she is brilliant and I want to draw hearts on her picture. These are my feelings.

And Story Mining. Story Mining itself may be new on the block but it’s made up of powerhouse players. I got to have brunch with Jeffrey and Evan in the penthouse of an extraordinarily posh building in Beverly Hills and I still haven’t fully recovered. These gentleman are savvy, passionate, and smart, and getting to sit across from them and nervously eat a croissant while they talked about my book–my characters, my world–is something I can’t even describe. They GET IT.

Everyone involved GETS IT and while I’m obviously over the moon to have a film deal, I want to try and stress how important it is to have people on board who aren’t just making a power play, or collecting a project “just in case”, but are well and truly committed to the narrative. In that respect, I feel incredibly blessed.

Now, the down and dirty.

VICIOUS has been optioned. What this means is that the involved producers/production companies have essentially bought the exclusive right to make the movie for the next couple years. If they need more time, they can buy more time.

For those who don’t know, a film option does NOT mean VICIOUS will necessarily be coming to a theatre near you. There are still so. many. doors. to unlock, to pass through. Screenwriters and scripts and directors and casts and such. And none of those doors are in my control. This door wasn’t either. All that I have done–all that I could do–was write the book.

What it DOES mean is that a team of producers believes in the project enough to take the first and vital step in that direction. As with book publishing, there are many, many doors a project needs to get through, but this is the first one, and having the opportunity to cross this threshold is immense, to say the least.

One of the coolest parts of this deal is that it’s not with a studio. It’s with a financier. Often producers pair up with studios (Fox, WB, Lionsgate, etc) and while that’s awesome, the fact is that studios are huge, and take on a massive amount of content, and then the vast majority of that content simply, well, sits. Waiting.

But having a financier attached, and specifically an amazing, energetic financier like Story Mining (these are the guys behind the upcoming Outlander tv series!), means that VICIOUS has a better chance of progressing through the next few doors. It still means we need green lights, but it also means that VICIOUS can be sold to a studio before production OR after, which is an immense luxury. Scott Free and Story Mining have a unique partnership…that is to say, they came together FOR this project. And that’s a great thing.

Will VICIOUS become a movie? I don’t know. I like to proceed with extreme caution where these kinds of hopes are concerned (see: things out of my control). But while I can’t tell you what will happen next, I can tell you that everyone attached to VICIOUS believes in this project. They are passionate about the story, and about Victor and Eli, Sydney and Serena, and I could not ask for more.

If you have any questions, comments, etc. leave them below!

THE UNBOUND is up on Netgalley!!! Here’s what you need to know.

Hello, lovelies!!

As of TODAY, the first 8 chapters of THE UNBOUND (the sequel to THE ARCHIVED) are up on Netgalley. They are auto-approved, which means all you have to do is click the READ NOW button and the pages are yours (and no, they don’t end on a massive cliffhanger moment).

Click here to go to the Netgalley page!!

NOW. Maybe you don’t want to stop at 100 pages. Maybe you want to read the WHOLE BOOK? Well, today’s your lucky day.

Disney*Hyperion and I hold these special little widgets, and they give you access to the FULL E-ARC of the book. How do you win one of these special little widgets? Well, you spread the word. On Twitter. On Facebook. On Tumblr. We are running three SEPARATE giveaways.

ON TWITTER: Tweet about the Netgalley sample and giveaway using the hashtag #TheUnbound. I will post a tweet on Twitter that you can RT, or you can come up with your own. just make sure it has the hashtag.

ON FACEBOOK: Like Victoria “V.E.” Schwab on Facebook, then post a link to the Netgalley page, and include my name in the post so I can see it. (And, preferably, mention the giveaway.)

ON TUMBLR: Go HERE, and re-post the post. That’s all you have to do to enter!

All three giveaways will run from TODAY, November 7th, through 10pm EST, November 8th!

Ready, set, GO!

Two more steps on the path to world domination.

Hey, lovelies!!

Two very, very cool things have happened for VICIOUS in the last week, aiding my little supervillain book in its climb to world domina–I mean success.

First, last week, Publishers Weekly named VICIOUS one of the Best Books of 2013!!!!

I was shocked and humbled, to say the least, and really, really excited.

And then!!!

I woke up this morning to learn that VICIOUS had made the official ballot in the Goodreads Choice Awards. I was completely speechless.

I just can’t even. You can’t see it in the screenshot, but I’m in that category with Neil Gaiman and Brandon Sanderson.

If you want to go vote, you can click HERE.

I know I’ve said it before, but I have to say it again. I’m not lying when I say that every step counts. Every review. Every purchase. Every tweet. Every spread word, and shouted word, and whispered-in-a-library word. It all counts. Some books come into the game with hundreds or thousands of voices already behind them, but most come with only a few, and if they’re lucky, those few are loud.

I have felt so very lucky, because even when VICIOUS did not have many voices, those voices were loud. They continue to be loud. And people seem to be listening.

So thank you.

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to be a voice, because I hear them, and others hear them, too, and it really does matter.

COVER REVEAL: Everyday Angel!!!

Hello, lovelies!

I’m so excited because I finally get to share the cover art and jacket copy for my upcoming Scholastic series!

For those who haven’t heard me talk about these books yet, they are a lower middle grade trilogy about a very peculiar guardian angel (a bit Doctor Who, a bit Peter Pan) and the three different girls she helps, and the first books is called NEW BEGINNINGS (the next one is called SECOND CHANCES).

Without further ado, the cover (the final one won’t have the pink bar)!

So for those who know my usual fare–blood and death and things that go bump–this might seem a bit of a departure, but I’m really excited, and honored to be part of the Scholastic team (you guys, I’m going to be in Scholastic Book Fairs, they are going to fly out and film me for the official DVD materials, I can’t even, my childhood, it weeps for joy).

And while my usual taste–like my usual fare–skews darker, and usually comes with an appropriately angsty or sinister or morbid cover, this cover is a perfect fit for this series.

Here’s the pitch:

There’s more to Aria than meets the eye. She’s a guardian angel. And to earn her wings, she’ll have to help three different girls.

Aria’s first mission is Gabby Torres. Gabby’s brother is sick, and Gabby’s been so worried about him for so long, she’s forgotten who she is. When a new school offers her a fresh start, Gabby learns it’s hard to make friends while keeping half her life a secret.

Then Aria shows up. Aria, who knows exactly what to say and do to make Gabby feel better. Can Aria help Gabby find herself again? And will Gabby still trust Aria when she discovers what her new friend really is?

I know this series won’t appeal to everyone in my current fanbase, but I’m really proud of it, and hoping it will appeal to your children, or to the child in you. And luckily for my darker-minded crowd, I’ve got many things in the works for you 😉 2014 promises to be an exciting year in this little corner of the universe.

SO. MUCH. VICIOUS. NEWS.

Announcing the VICIOUS prequel short story, WARM UP!!!

While I was over in Scotland, I had the chance to write a short story! My first official one. My editor and I wanted to give readers a glimpse into the world of VICIOUS without spoiling anything from the book, and WARM UP was born! The full pitch for WARM UP will go live closer to the story’s release on Tor.com this August, but in the meantime, check out the gorgeous cover art. The amazing art director over at Tor, Irene Gallo, was able to get my cover illustrator, Victo Ngai, to do the art!!

VICIOUS is now up on Netgalley!

Well, let me be clear, 115 pages of VICIOUS are up on Netgalley! If you want to get a taste of the book, wet your feet, whet your appetite, whatever turn of phrase you like, hop on over and request!

Also it will make my heart happy. Like, really happy. And happy hearts are more likely to give away goodies.

Also also I KNOW it’s only 115 pages. I know. We went through this with THE ARCHIVED, but lovelies, we saw such a marked difference in sales, and Tor and I want to make sure people go buy the book so that I can, you know, have the chance to write more books. AND if you don’t want to read the preview because you’d rather read the whole thing in September, that’s totally fine, too. I just want to make sure that the people who WANT a sneak peek have that option!

If you’re on the fence at all–I know I have a lot of YA readers who aren’t sure what I sound like writing as V.E.–I highly encourage you to try the sample! It’s a really good indicator.

And to everyone, it would make me so happy if you hit REQUEST over on Netgalley, and/or spread the word about it being up there. The publishers, they watch these kinds of things.

DID YOU KNOW…if you pre-order VICIOUS, you get trading cards?

It’s true! If you pre-order VICIOUS and email proof to viciousveschwab at gmail dot com, a gorgeous complete set of trading cards–yes, including the author card–will arrive in the mail! This opportunity will run all the way up to release, but the online price of the book might go up, so keep that in mind!

Last but not least, giveaway winners!

The winner of the VICIOUS arc is…
–hollybindurham

The winners of the VICIOUS trading cards are…
–Disquietus
–Nicole de Leon
–Lauren Thoman
–ellemoe
–Kayla Keefer

Yay!

In summation.

There’s still one piece of really awesome VICIOUS news coming, but I’m not allowed to announce it yet, so for now I’ll just say THANK YOU.

Thank you for being awesome and thank you for all of your excitement so far and for continuing to build that noise in the coming months. We all know how important your voices are, and I’ve felt them there, cheering with me ❤

The sequel to THE ARCHIVED has a title!!!! And it’s…

Lovelies!

After holding my tongue for months, I can finally tell you that the second book in the ARCHIVED series has a title! And believe it or not, it’s not THE ARCHIVED #2! Or ARCHIVED…AGAIN.

Are you ready?

It’s…

That’s right, book 2 is called THE UNBOUND. And there’s your little sneak peek at the color palette for the book 😉

First off, let me just say that I’m so nerdily (totally a word) excited that we get to continue the book/library motif in the titles! AND on top of being bookish and awesome, this title fits the book so well. Many thanks to my editor, Lisa, for coming up with it!!

Now, I know you might be thinking, didn’t THE ARCHIVED just come out??? It’s so early to talk about sequels! Well, my publisher has a new 2 catalog/year schedule, and the catalog for September–March is being revealed now, and since I’m a January title, it means you get to see my pretty things alongside the fall list 😉

Now, lovelies, the excitement is just beginning! Tomorrow, the COVER (!!!) and JACKET COPY (it’s spoiler-free!!) will be revealed on YABC–YA Books Central–so be sure to follow me on Twitter because you’ll know I’ll shout that joy from the rooftops when the post goes live.

In the meantime! A few quick myths I’d love to dispell, since they pop up like roaches in a Brooklyn flat.

Myth #1: THE ARCHIVED is a dystopian novel.

Truth: I have no idea where this idea is coming from. I don’t think it’s coming from me. And while I have nothing at all against dystopian novels, I haven’t written one yet! THE ARCHIVED is probably best described as a supernatural thriller. It’s not set in the future, or even an alternate world. It’s set in modern day USA. The idea is that the Archive exists in the here and now, most people just don’t know about it. So nope, not dystopian! If Mackenzie Bishop existed solely in the Archive, as compared to living in the real/mundane world from which she accesses the Archive, then you could begin to create an argument that the Archive is a flawed–if not failed–utopic system. But not as it is. Nope. Sorry kids. So if you see this myth creeping bug-like around the internets, squash it 😉

Myth #2: THE ARCHIVED is the sequel to THE NEAR WITCH.

Truth: Nope. THE NEAR WITCH was my first novel, and a standalone. THE ARCHIVED is the first book in a series. There is no connection whatsoever between Near and the Coronado. Not that a meeting of Lexi and Mac, or Cole and Wes, wouldn’t be fun 😉 But let’s keep those two worlds apart.

Myth #3: VICIOUS is the sequel to THE ARCHIVED.

Truth: Wrong again. VICIOUS seems to be causing a swell of confusion, so allow me to set a few things straight. VICIOUS is my first adult novel. It comes out this September! September 24th, to be exact, with Tor Hardcover. I am over the moon about this book, but you probably haven’t heard me talking much about it. That’s mostly because adult publishing moves at a different pace than YA, so where I get my cover/pitch a full year before a YA book hits shelves, these things come together roughly 6 months before release in adult. Different schedules means different timing. But the time is now upon us, and you’ll hear my talking much more frequently about it! So no, it’s not a sequel to anything, it’s a new book.

The other reason you might be confused is that I’m not writing it as Victoria Schwab. I’m writing it as V.E. Schwab. V.E. Schwab is not a secret identity by any means. My blog is veschwab. My twitter is veschwab. Everywhere I’m on the internet I’m actually listed as veschwab aka V.E. Schwab. I’m not endeavoring to hide! It’s just that I have a number of younger readers (THE NEAR WITCH being lower YA) and I’d rather they not automatically reach for my gory supervillain book because they see my name. Also, to be very honest, I’m aiming for world domination here, and sometimes it pays to be shelf-stealthy, especially in a branch of the industry that is largely male. I’m having a blast proving that young ladies such as myself can write as sick and twisted as the rest of the writer race, but it serves me best if my initial impression is of my book, not my gender.

In cheery news, the cover for VICIOUS is going to be revealed SOON. As in, a matter of days! So, whee!

Myth 4: Victoria feeds on reader tears.

Fact: Oh, well, this one is actually true.

Myth 5: Victoria thinks Earl Grey tea is an abomination to the senses.

Fact: Also true. Seriously, kids. Don’t get me started.

That concludes this installment of myth-busting! And I hope you guys like the title as much as I do!! I’m so excited to tell you more about THE UNBOUND in the coming months!