How to Become an Award-winning YA Author
Any published author will tell you that finishing the book and (hopefully) securing a book deal are eventually revealed to be merely sequential steps in a writer’s publication journey. Fewer books than many people likely imagine actually sell enough copies to generate additional revenue beyond the advance a writer receives after signing the contract. Which is why it can feel like the benchmark of success for a writing career is a perpetually moving target. How does one cultivate and maintain the initial momentum after a book’s release — so much so that your book and/or name become noteworthy? Award-winning YA author DeAndra Davis talks about this, in addition to how she approaches character development in tangent with plot, in this exclusive Q&A for The Loft community.
Was writing for a teen audience your intention from the beginning?
Young adult books were so foundational for me throughout my life. So I always wanted to write within that space. When I picture the age at which we're really trying to figure things out and find our place in the world, it's really when we're in those transitional times. Being a teenager is when we're dealing with so much transition that we don't necessarily always feel ready for. It's messy and real. There's something connective in that. I always knew I wanted to write for kids who wanted to or needed to see their experiences or identities on the page in ways they may not have gotten to previously.
Do you usually invent your characters or the overall narrative first?
That depends on the book in a lot of ways. I think a premise comes to me with a rough idea of a character, but I can never know the full overarching narrative until I fully know the people who live within it. The premise might strike, but until I know whose story it is to tell and how they'll be driving it, I can't completely lock down a narrative because, for me, the character at the center of it all changes how things play out so drastically. None of my characters would handle things the same way. So they're very important to me, for sure. I'm not the type to outline a plot and force a character to fit. I figure out an inciting incident and character and ask them: How is this going to change you? What happens next?
Your debut book “All the Noise at Once” has sold quite well and won the William C. Morris Award for best young adult debut book this year. Has this influenced your creative process for writing your next books?
Thank you! I'm still processing the reception to my debut and I'm so grateful. I think it definitely creates a pressure that I didn't know would exist. I came into this business with no expectations. Everything that has happened since has all been pleasant surprises for me. I didn't come in with any standard for myself or any metrics I wanted to hit. The only requirement for me was to write and publish a book that hopefully one person would read and resonate with. Now, I feel this pressure to perform that I didn't have before. I feel like I need to continue to live up to my own successes plus hopefully surpass them. That does get me in my head quite a bit. I second-guess my ideas a little more, and I’m more likely to be overly critical of myself. I am trying to stop that and not worry about the reception, instead remembering that I'm not writing for what comes after. I believe my books will be better if I keep doing it for my original purpose—to reach at least one person.
Do you have an agent? If so, how did you find one?
I do have an agent. I'm actually on my third agent, as well as finally in a place that I think I'll be for a very long time with an agent team I trust and feel very valued in. I'm currently with Jordan Hill at New Leaf. She's the actual best. My process has looked so different over the years. When I first queried, I knew next to nothing and threw out 70 queries all at once (Don't do that! Query in batches). I queried for about three months I believe, the first time. Then received four offers of representation. I got a lot of help from peers who helped me fix my query letter and it was a lot of rejection. I used QueryTracker a lot too. It was helpful, but getting advice from the writing community helped most. My subsequent query situations were quicker and a little different as I got referrals from friends. However, utilizing resources online and from the community overall helped to land me with the right agent. Having the right agent is so important. So for anyone searching, please take your time.
What is your favorite way to share about your books leading up to and after their release?
It's funny because I'm not huge on social media. Because I'm very reserved on camera and better in person, my favorite way is truly being able to be out and talking to people face-to-face whenever possible. I love doing in-person events as it feels more natural to me than pitching my book on camera for socials. I do like to post about my book when something feels relevant but my favorite way to share my book is by talking to and connecting with others whenever I can. If you see me promoting on socials, it's usually in response to someone I think will resonate with it rather than outright promotion. I like to come from a genuine place.
How do you cultivate community with other YA authors?
Community is very important to me. I support my fellow authors however I can by reposting them on socials, hyping them up, plus I'm in a lot of discords, haha. If I meet seasoned authors, I ask questions and understand their experience over time and how that has shifted. I like to understand their experience of longevity in this business. With authors who are on the same playing field as me, I engage in transparency and listen to them. We communicate so our shared experience can give us more understanding of needs and wants in the business. With newer writers, I try to uplift. I have done several mentorship programs and helped writers find agents and revise books. When I meet authors at conferences I stay in touch; I celebrate them and their wins. I give advice whenever I can. Any way I can build and keep community is important. But support is at the forefront. At the end of the day, we're all we have. We can't do it alone.