Getting published isn’t easy.

In fact, it can seem nigh on impossible, when you’re putting yourself and your work out there, and all you’re receiving in return is rejection emails—or sometimes, no response at all.

But perseverance and determination go a long way...

Here’s my story of how I managed to achieve my dream of becoming a feel-good romance author, despite collecting hundreds of rejections—and how you can do it, too. In case you aren’t familiar with “feel-good romance,” it’s a heart-warming story that focuses on a romantic relationship with inevitable conflict standing in the way of the couple at the heart of the tale. There is a strong, female lead character and a happy-ever-after ending, which hopefully will make us smile and cry at the same time!

Getting Started

From an early age, I loved writing and reading. In fact, I was obsessed with books and still am.

I remember reading Princess Daisy by Judith Krantz when I was thirteen, and I loved it. I thought it must be wonderful to write stories and get paid for it!

After I left school, I trained as a journalist in Scotland where I was raised, but I always harbored a longing to be a romance author.

In the years that followed, I dabbled with my writing.

Life, as it invariably does, tends to get in the way. I found I didn’t enjoy some of the moral aspects of being a journalist, and so I returned to college, studied communication and media, and joined the Scottish Civil Service.

It was only after I was made redundant from my Civil Service post in 2010, that I discovered I had more time to dedicate to writing—and I realized that if I was serious about trying to become a published romance author, now was the time to give it a go!

I wrote my first romance, submitted it to agents and publishers, and then started to receive rejections. Looking back, I’m not at all surprised. My draft wasn’t very good. The plot was flimsy, it was full of clichés, and the characters could’ve done with more development.

So, I ended up stashing that away in a drawer and decided to pay more attention to the books I was reading, from a technical viewpoint. I took note of what I especially enjoyed about them, what worked, what didn’t, and how I could improve my own writing.

I devoured even more contemporary romances (not a hardship!) and hoped I was honing my craft as I went and wrote a second romance.

I began the submission process again to agents and publishers. This time, I noticed that I was receiving a little more feedback rather than form rejections or no responses at all, such as, “Not for me, but I like your writing voice,” or “This shows promise, but thank you anyway.” They were still rejections all the same, but at least they were giving me something to go on.

Still the rejections flowed in, and I was beginning to become somewhat disheartened by this point, but my late mother always used to say, “Never give up. Ever!” So, I pushed on.

When I’d exhausted all the agents and publishers I could think of, I had an idea for a ghostly romance and made this my next book, which I titled Rock My World. Once I’d edited it, I started submitting.

An Opportunity

More kind comments, but the no-thank-you responses continued to arrive.

That was, until I was reading a copy of Writing Magazine in 2013. I spotted an article from a London based e-book publisher, seeking submissions. I decided to try my luck, submitted Rock My World, and was stunned when they got back to me two months later, saying they loved it and wanted to release it on Kindle.

They also took my next romance, Hero or Zero, in 2014.

I was delighted at being published digitally by an e-book publisher. But like many writers, I always dreamt of a traditional publishing deal. I also knew that if I wanted to get my writing in front of the big publishers, I needed to secure agent representation.

Ha! Much easier said than done!

So, I started submitting my next manuscript, which was to become A Room at the Manor.

Again, more positive comments from literary agents, but still no offers of representation.

I Need an Agent!

This continued for months, until I spotted an interview online with the eponymous Australian literary agent, Selwa Anthony.

I read about Selwa’s phenomenal reputation in the Australian literary world as well as her enthusiasm for mentoring and encouraging debut authors, but I assumed that with her impressive client list, she would more than likely reply with a polite decline.

Still, there was nothing to lose, and I decided to approach her with A Room at the Manor, in April 2017.

I emailed Selwa and sent her my synopsis and first ten pages of my novel on that Saturday afternoon. I honestly didn’t expect to hear back. Below is the query email I submitted:

 

However, I was lost for words when an email reply pinged in my inbox from her on the next Monday morning, saying she enjoyed my writing, and could I send her the full manuscript?

She added that she would get back to me with her decision within fourteen days, so I spent the next week or so trying not to refresh my inbox every five minutes! I tried to feel quietly optimistic and told myself that even if she declined, having an agent of her stature ask for my completed manuscript was a step in the right direction.

Then, on Day 12, another email arrived from Selwa, asking if we could have a telephone chat?

When I spoke to her, I remember my heart leaping in my chest when she said my manuscript required some work but that she loved my writing style and the premise of my book. Then when she offered to represent me, I burst into tears!

After several rounds of edits, which included fleshing out the characters a little more and enhancing conflict through the story, Selwa began submitting A Room at the Manor, and within six weeks, she had secured a publishing deal with Allen & Unwin—cue more heart hammering and tears!

She then informed me that she had negotiated an audio version of the book with Bolinda.

A Room at the Manor was released in Kindle, paperback, and audio on June 27, 2018, in Australia and New Zealand, and since then, it has also been released by Forever, the romance imprint of Ullstein in Germany, as an e-book and in paperback.

A Room at the Manor was also released in the UK by Atlantic Books on Kindle and in paperback.

Digital-First Publishing

It was then in 2020, that I read about the amazing HarperCollins digital-first imprint One More Chapter, whose vision is to close the gap between author, publisher, and reader, reacting speedily to reading trends and publishing the best in commercial fiction. A digital-first imprint means that the digital version of a book is produced and published first, before it is printed. Books tend, therefore, to be released quicker; and although no advance is paid to the author, they receive a higher royalty rate.

They publish books that make readers laugh, smile, cry, and think, and their creativity and editorial skills are second to none. They support their authors, encourage them, and produce the most stunning covers.

When I read that they had just opened their submissions window again, I emailed my agent straightaway!

Selwa decided to submit my next romance to them, which was to become A Secret Scottish Escape. Covid was gripping the world at this point, and we didn’t hear anything for four months until Selwa emailed me at the beginning of September 2020, to tell me that they loved it and wanted to publish it.

I was so delighted; I burst into tears and couldn’t speak!

A Secret Scottish Escape was released in May 2021, and since then, I’ve had a further five feel-good romances published with them with my next, number seven, A Scottish Highland Hideaway, being released in e-book and paperback on August 15th.

I started working with my new editor, Jennie Rothwell, from Book two, A Scottish Highland Surprise, and immediately, I could see that Jennie’s ideas, forward thinking, and editorial capabilities were amazing and just what I needed in my editor.

On digital first publishing and what she specifically looks for at One More Chapter, Jennie says, “Readers are looking for, searching for, escapism in the form of book content. They want to see feel-good romances with tropes they love (second chance, friends to lovers, etc.) and gorgeous settings.

“In summer books, we notice readers are searching for destination fiction, perhaps to read on the beach, or so that they feel they’re transported away from the everyday.

“The trend for romance is continuing to grow, and we’re seeing it come in all formats, from friendship to relationships to community to family—romance trends are leading the way. As a digitally-focused publisher, we’re constantly looking at trends in the market, what readers are interested in, and how we can form these into market-leading books to bring joy to the everyday.

“We’re quick to publish books, and our focus on the digital market means that we’re (hopefully) ahead of other publishers. We have an open submission policy. The link is on our website, www.onemorechapter.com/submissions and we open them several times a year, so would encourage anyone who has written a story, to send us their work. You can also find a list of genres and further information on our website as well.”

Jennie has the patience of a saint and is so enthusiastic!

In my romance books, I do explore some common tropes with my own spin. For example, characters who are at logger-heads but have more in common than they believe, or protagonists who have had a tough time of it, but are determined to make positive things happen in their lives. Sometimes, they promise themselves they won’t fall in love, but life has other plans!

If someone had said to me a few years ago, that I’d be sitting here, published with the fabulous One More Chapter, I would never have believed them!

My Advice

So, to anyone out there who wants to be a writer, please keep going and never give up. It only takes one person to say yes.

I received enough rejections from agents and publishers to paper my bathroom, and there were moments, when I wondered whether someone was trying to tell me something, and I should just call it a day.

But my late mum’s words of “Never give up,” combined with that old saying of “A published writer is an unpublished writer who never quit,” kept me going.

Read lots, write lots, and if you want it badly enough, it will happen.

Good luck!

 

Julie Shackman is a former journalist from Scotland, who has always wanted to write feel-good romance. As well as being an author, Julie also writes verses and captions for greeting card companies. Julie admits to having an obsession with stationery and handbags. She is married, has two sons, and adopted a Romanian rescue puppy, Cooper. A Scottish Highland Hideaway is Julie’s eleventh novel. Visit her website at julieshackman.co.uk. Connect with her on social media: X @G13Julie, Instagram @juliegeorginashackman, and Facebook @julie.shackman.