My 30-Year Journey to Publication

Summary

Susie Kearley's journey to publishing her debut novel "Pestilence" spanned over 30 years, starting from her teenage years and facing various challenges before ultimately choosing to self-publish.

Abstract

Susie Kearley's novel "Pestilence," about a deadly fungal pandemic, was published in January 2021, marking the culmination of a writing process that began when she was 16. Inspired by horror novelists like James Herbert and Shaun Hutson, Kearley wrote the first draft of her apocalyptic tale but got stuck on the ending and shelved the project for two decades. Despite initial dreams of becoming a full-time writer, economic realities and a lack of support led her to a series of office jobs. It wasn't until she took redundancy at 36 that she pursued a freelance writing career, eventually completing her novel during National Novel Writing Month. The book was sidelined again as she focused on more lucrative journalism and photography work. In 2019, Kearley dedicated two months to editing and revising "Pestilence," seeking feedback and making further improvements. Her hopes for a traditional publishing deal were dashed in 2020 due to the pandemic, leading her to self-publish. Kearley aims to sell 1000 copies to validate her efforts and prove her ideas' worth, despite her mother's indifference.

Opinions

Kearley was inspired by the works of James Herbert and Shaun Hutson, aiming to create a similar horror concept.
She faced significant challenges, including a lack of support from her father and the economic pressures of the 1990 recession.
Kearley's partner was more supportive of her writing career, allowing her to transition into freelance writing.
The novel's horror content was toned down to appeal to a broader audience as a thriller.
The COVID-1

I started writing the book when I was just 16!

I published my debut novel, Pestilence, in January 2021, 30 years after I started writing the first draft! The story behind the book is a long one, but I’ll give you the short version. When I was 15, I discovered the horror novelist, James Herbert. I was smitten by his books and inspired to emulate him.

So at the age of 16, I started writing the first draft of a story about a deadly fungus, which would bring about the end of the world. James Herbert’s Rats had made him famous, and Shaun Hutson’s Slugs did pretty well too. This was my attempt at a similar idea.

I had character profiles and a few plot ideas, but most of it, I worked out as I went along. The problem was, that I got stuck. I never worked out the ending. The novel got shelved for 20 years.

I’d hoped to become a full-time writer when I left school, but it was the 1990 recession, and faced with an unsympathetic father, who thought I was incompetent and deluded, being a novelist was not an option. A series of shitty office jobs ensued.

20 years on, at the age of 36, I took redundancy and decided to become a freelance writer. By this time, the man in my life was much more supportive, and I was allowed to carve out a writing career over a year.

I used National Novel Writing Month to finish the novel and get the ending done. I took out a lot of the horror content, deciding it would reach more readers as a thriller instead. Then it got virtually shelved again for the best part of ten years, as I concentrated on the paid journalism and photography jobs, which were much more lucrative.

Eventually, I took two months off in 2019 to edit and hone the novel, get feedback, and do further revisions. In 2020 I submitted to agents, hoping to get a big publishing deal, but as Covid-19 struck, it turned out, that everyone else was doing the same. It wasn’t a good time.

So at the turn of 2021, with a collection of rejection emails and stony silences under my belt, I decided to self-publish the novel that had taken over 30 years from conception to publication. I thought this might be a record, but I’ve since met someone who took 50 years to finish their book, so I know I’m not alone!

I’m hoping to sell 1000 copies — partly to generate a decent income for all the time I’ve invested in the project, and partly to show mum that my ideas had potential after all! Not that she’s bothered. But it would be a nice ending to a very long story before I move on to my next project!

PESTILENCE is an apocalyptic novel, about a fungal pandemic, written before covid. It follows quirky characters on a fun ride through the apocalypse. It makes the actions of our governments look relatively good! Check out my book here