I'm going to be a published author!
How I got here, what's next, and the whole shebang
My debut book, A GORGON’S GUIDE TO GETTING A LIFE, is coming your way in 2027. I’ve signed a two-book deal with Penguin Random House’s imprint Berkley, where I’ll work with the incredible editor Annie Odders.
AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Okay, let’s talk. Fix a little drinky-poo, brew some tea, grab a blanket and settle in. I’m dishing everything: from how I wrote this damn book to how I ended up here.
I started writing “A Gorgon’s Guide to Getting a Life” in 2021. It’s a retelling of the myth of Medusa with lots of snark and heart and dark humor. To give you some context, the first line of the book is:
“Tonight is a perfect night to throw myself off a cliff.”
I’ve always loved Greek mythology — D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths gang RISE UP — but over the years, I found myself more and more drawn to the myth of Medusa. I love messy, monstrous, and misrepresented women, and Medusa is essentially the poster child for that group. Plenty of people have written about her, but I always came away dissatisfied with the ending.
While there are various versions of the Medusa myth — Hesiod vs. Ovid, mainly — the most enduring one culminates with Medusa very much dead, beheaded by Perseus, an eternal symbol of the pain monstrous women go through. I’m not one to dispute ancient texts, but I did grow up writing fanfiction. And what is a mythological retelling if not a fanfiction?
So, I decided to write my own version of the Medusa myth.
Okay, so I wrote this book in 2021, and then in 2022 I applied for and was accepted to a now-defunct program called Author Mentor Match. As it says on the tin, the program paired writer hopefuls with established, agented authors because the world of traditional publishing is radically confusing and it really helps to have someone who knows more than you guiding you through the process.
My mentors, Kat Hillis and Emily Grey, are basically two Gandalfs who touched down upon this earth to guide me through Mount Doom. They helped me edit my book, guided me through the painful process of querying literary agents (that could be a whole other newsletter), and celebrated with me when I signed with my incredible literary agent, Keir Alekseii, in 2024.
Keir sent my book to publishers in late summer of this year, in a process called submission. Essentially, we ‘submitted’ my book to a number of editors at various publishing houses in the hopes that one of them would take a liking to my book and agree to represent it, and subsequently convince a publisher to buy it.
A lot of people assume that it’s very easy to publish a book. Technically, nowadays, it is. But if you want your shiny book in a bookstore, with a nice cover and author signings and royalties, this is the process you have to go through.
Submission is known to be hellish. You’ve spent years pouring your heart into a book, you’ve gone through the hellish process of getting a literary agent to represent you, and now you have to go through ANOTHER hellish process in which lots of people will judge your book and determine if it’s fit for consumption.
People told me to forget I was even on submission, which was exactly what I did. I developed a fatalistic view of the process in order to protect myself from disappointment, and dove into writing my next book.
Until late September.
I was getting ready to have my friends Anna and Ashley over for a night of Thai take out, when Keir forwarded me an email that literally changed my life. This is not hyperbole. It literally changed my life. An editor from Penguin Random House loved my book, and wanted to schedule a meeting to discuss it.
The meeting involved the editor describing how much she enjoyed the book, what her edits would be, and all of the cool bells and whistles that would become available to me if the publisher ended up buying the book.
I’m going to be honest. I barely remember the meeting. All I remember is how sweaty my armpits were and the fact that an editor at a Big 5 publisher wanted to acquire my book.
From there, as a great man once said, my life got flipped turned upside down.
A friend recently told me, “I believe that if the universe punches you in the face enough times, it will eventually reward you.” That’s what this process felt like.
More editors expressed interest in the book. More meetings were had. There was an auction for the book, which meant multiple editors came to the table with an offer for the book. I decided which editor I wanted to work with. I frantically asked a colleague to take some writing-appropriate headshots of me because I didn’t have any. I waited and waited and filled up my schedule with various activities to keep myself busy.
The past few months have felt like a strange and wonderful waking dream. So many things have been happening behind the scenes that I couldn’t tell you all about. It was like my life was embargoed. UNTIL NOW.
Whenever someone has asked me how I’m feeling, I tell them excited, joyful, grateful — but the word I find myself coming back to over and over again is surreal.
The path to publication is not fast. It’s not linear. It’s not easily predictable.
I began writing in 2006. Æther & Ichor published my first flash fiction in 2019. I queried my first manuscript in 2020. I started writing “A Gorgon’s Guide to Getting a Life” in 2021. Author Mentor Match accepted me in 2022. Keir signed me in 2024. Penguin Random House bought the book in 2025. It will publish in 2027.
So you can imagine this whole thing feels very surreal for 2006 Ellen. Little Ellen. Ellen with her notebook and pen and clunky school laptop from which she poured thousands of words into her Pokemon fanfiction. The idea that after decades of work she’s finally gotten to this point?
Surreal.
“Ellen,” you say, “this is all very exciting for you, but what does this Publisher’s Marketplace announcement even mean? Because you promised you’d tell us and now you’re just blithering on about how great this is for you.”
First of all, rude. Second of all, great question. We’ll get more into the dirty details (read: $$$) further down, but let me break it down into normal person speak.
The publisher, Penguin Random House (PRH), is going to publish my book “A Gorgon’s Guide to Getting a Life” in 2027. Then, they’re going to publish another one of my books (TBD) sometime after that. I’m going to work with the editor Annie Odders to get both books ready for publication. PRH paid me money for my books. Yay!
But I can guess what some of you really want to know.
“Ellen,” you ask, salivating slightly, “significant deal? What does significant mean? I asked ChatGPT and—”
Yeah, okay, I know. Publishing has it’s own cryptic language when it comes to money. A Publisher’s Marketplace announcement almost never directly states how much a publisher paid for a deal — instead, you’ll see a “good” deal. A “very nice” deal. A “significant” deal. It’s all code for a specific price range.
Here is the short answer for those hungry for monetary details: I’m extremely proud of this deal and extremely grateful to my agent for negotiating.
So, with that out of the way, what now?
So much.
Next, I’ll work with my new editor, Annie Odders, on edits big and small to get the book ready for publication. Then, a bunch of other stuff will happen: cover art (!!!), social media hype, ARCs, publicity, Ellen what are you even talking about—
I don’t know. Frankly, this is all new to me. But don’t worry, I’ll keep everyone updated because I am nothing if not a dutiful journalist.
ANYWAY.
I wrote “A Gorgon’s Guide to Getting a Life” for messy, monstrous and imperfect women. I wrote this for myself. I wrote this for you.
Writing is my everything, from the moment I realized I could weave worlds with words. I’ve always dreamed this day would come, but I didn’t know how incredibly unreal it would all feel. When something you’ve dreamed of ever since you were a little girl actually happens, it all feels a bit surreal.
But, as they say…the truth is stranger than fiction, isn’t it?
