Hello! Long time no talk here. I guess it’s only fitting that my first Substack entry was a HIGMA (How I Got My Agent), and my second entry will be a HIGMBD (How I Got My Book Deal—rolls right off the tongue). I had a fun time putting the first post together in a pizza and wine-fueled late-night frenzy while visiting my parent’s house, so maybe being back at my parent’s house for Christmas break is Pavlov-ing me into writing my next (and very delayed) one.
So, let’s get into it!
In my HIGMA post, I gave my writerly backstory, beginning with my birth. Well, not quite, but you get the picture: I’ve been writing since I was a child and began taking the craft more seriously when I graduated college in 2020 and needed something beyond binge-watching entire Survivor seasons to fill my unemployed days (though, I guess all the Survivor watching ended up working out in my favor). Fast forward to the beginning of 2025, and I was finishing up the fourth draft of my fifth full manuscript, a rom-com inspired by Survivor and The Parent Trap, then titled RIVAL ISLE.
I talk more in my HIGMA post about signing with my lovely agent (shoutout to Aurora!) in March and, at the time of writing, I was working through my first round of developmental edits Aurora had given me before going on submission to editors at publishing houses.
Now, let’s pick up where that story ends and this one begins. Here, I’m imagining the opening scene of Shrek 2—I’ve just finished the storybook recap, and now we’re zooming into the scene of Prince Charming racing through the forest on his white stallion (which, in this scenario, is finishing my edits going on submission—which I felt was as exciting as riding through a forest on a white stallion).
Going on Submission
After three rounds of edits with my agent (one big developmental edit, and two smaller rounds of line-level edits + word count cutting), we decided in late June of 2025 that my book, fka RIVAL ISLE and now known as WORTH PLAYING FOR, was ready for submission! My book baby was about to be birthed into the world of publishers inboxes! I was terrified and exhilarated.
Before the official day we went out on sub, my agent sent me my sub letter and sub list of editors in advance. She made it clear this could be a collaborative effort—if I had any agents I’d connected with via social media or otherwise, I could let her know and we could work them into our submission list. At a writing conference a few months prior, two of my writing friends (shoutout Lex and Allissa!) spoke with an editor about the pitch for my book, knowing she had worked with similar stories in the past. We put this editor on my sub list along with several other incredible editors across various romance-leaning Big Five imprints, and on June 26, Aurora confirmed WPF was on submission!
This was such a fun time to go out on sub, because I was on my way to a writing retreat with some close friends in Virginia, and we got to celebrate embarking on this new and exciting part of my publishing experience. We watched Love Island, drank strawberry margaritas, played the “We’re Not Really Strangers” card game, and basked in the togetherness—I felt so grateful to have met these ladies through our shared love for writing.
I wasn’t expecting to hear back from editors for a while after we went on sub. It was the middle of the summer and the Fourth of July holiday was the following weekend. Aurora and I had established the cadence of monthly updates, meaning I would receive a round-up of editor responses on a pre-determined date so that I could brace myself for the rejections. Because, of course, if there was good news, Aurora would email or call me ahead of time. So, I strapped into the rollercoaster that is submission, my body already familiar with the dramatic ups and downs of the querying rollercoaster. If only you could take Dramamine for the publishing industry.
But, to my immense surprise, I heard back from Aurora before my first monthly round-up date. I joke with Aurora that her name in my email inbox is like a shot of dopamine, so I’m often emailing her random publishing-world questions. I’d emailed her an unrelated question on the morning of July 7th, to which she responded:
DOT DOT DOT? SMILEY FACE?
Cue me losing my absolute mind. I was home at my parent’s house after the Fourth of July weekend (also during Prime Week, which is one of the busiest weeks of the year at my day job) and I remember sitting up stick straight and saying to my mom, “WHY WOULD AURORA SEND ME A DOT DOT DOT SMILEY FACE?”
I also had to go onto a work meeting a few minutes after receiving this email, and my face in the Microsoft Teams box probably looked like the definition of “lights on, no one’s home.”
The next email that hit my inbox was the biggest shot of dopamine Aurora could have ever given me:
WHAT IS THIS LIFE???
We scheduled the call with Wendy—the editor my friends had spoken to at the conference!!—for Wednesday of that same week. My family went out to dinner for my mom’s birthday that night and I ate my baklava in utter bliss.
Having an Editor Call
I was a nervous WRECK the next 48 hours leading up to my call with Wendy. What if I couldn’t sell myself to her? What if I didn’t know how to answer her questions? What if I forgot how to speak entirely?
I gathered up all of the advice that I could from my lovely writing friends (shoutout to the train for keeping me sane) and Aurora helped me prep a ton, too. She reassured me that it was an introductory call for me and Wendy to get to know one another a bit more and discuss my book. Aurora had also sent a few pitch ideas I had for another book ahead of the conversation, per Wendy’s request.
On the evening of the call, I was sweating in a way that can only be described as diabolical. In the few minutes before logging onto the Zoom, I used my lucky pen and wrote encouraging messages to myself in my notebook—a habit I picked up when I was taking agent calls, and one that has been SO helpful in grounding myself before an important moment like this one.
The call went spectacularly. Immediately, Wendy made me feel so comfortable. She told me she loved hearing about my book from my friends and that she’d stayed up until 3am reading it when it hit her inbox. We geeked out about our shared love for board games (which play a significant role in WORTH PLAYING FOR) and bonded over having attended the same college. She talked through some edit ideas she had for my book, all of which really resonated with me, and we also talked through the pitches Aurora had sent along for whatever book I’d write next.
The time flew, we talked for almost an hour, and before I knew it, I was logging off of the call with soggy armpits and absolute euphoria pumping through me. This was a PROFESSIONAL CALL with a PROFESSIONAL EDITOR at a BIG FIVE PUBLISHING HOUSE and we were giggling over my characters and dreaming up possibilities for how the story could evolve. I couldn’t believe my luck.
The (Excruciating) Wait
After the call on Wednesday, I lived in a constant state of nearly-ripping-my-hair-out-of-my-scalp. I am not the most patient person (SO glad publishing as my passion, am I right??), so I was going mad trying to figure out what the silence between my call with Wendy and the next time we would hear from her meant. I think I read every single reddit post I could find about calls with editors, the success rate for making it through second reads/acquisitions, when certain imprints had acquisition meetings, etc.
My lovely, lovely brain is so fond of convincing me that when something good happens, it will immediately be followed by something bad. I have SUCH a hard time getting my hopes up about things, only for my expectations not to be met, leaving my soul crushed. Getting a book deal has been my life’s dream for as long as I can remember, and I had such a hard time believing that this could be it. This could really happen.
Then, on Thursday, I got an email from Aurora:
WHY OF COURSE YOU CAN!!!! IN FACT I WOULD WELCOME IT.
I picked up her call within the first half-second of my phone ringing, and Aurora informed me that Wendy was pre-empting my book.
SAY WHAT??
My brain short-circuited. I actually hit record on my computer’s photobooth app to record my response to the call (for posterity, as one does), and you can see my shock:
Aurora talked me through the different options we had, and explained that the deadline we were given was the following Monday. It was a bit looser than some 24-hour or 48-hour deadlines that pre-empts can come with, but given that it was the summer and that publishing houses often take Summer Fridays, this was still a very tight turnaround. Regardless, I went into the weekend with the highest of spirits knowing that my call with Wendy went fabulously and I would be so lucky to sign with her.
The Deal
After a whirlwind Monday, Aurora closed the deal with Wendy and Bantam Dell. It was a two-book deal, which I am incredibly grateful for and excited about—it felt very validating that Wendy and Dell were eager not only to take a chance on WORTH PLAYING FOR, but to take a chance on whatever book I write next!
I celebrated with a sushi dinner with my fiancé Corey (we had also celebrated with sushi when I signed with Aurora in March, so it felt very full-circle) and then we had some friends over for cake, champagne, and a board game night (which also felt very fitting). Since then, my friends and family have been so supportive and excited for me, and I’ve felt such overwhelming gratitude over the past few months. It is so thrilling to be able to celebrate a dream coming true with people who have been there for me and with me through it all!
In September, I was able to announce my deal publicly, which was another big milestone. I’ll never get over seeing my name in Publisher’s Marketplace, a site I’ve pored over for years, dreaming of the day I get to join the ranks of other authors who are achieving their life’s goals.
Also in the months since July, my incredible foreign rights team at Trident has helped me secure a UK deal with Penguin Michael Joseph, a Spanish language translation deal, and a Brazilian deal.
I also submitted my first round of developmental edits to my editors a week ago, and I am so excited about the direction WORTH PLAYING FOR is moving in and the evolution of the story to become the best possible iteration of itself.
Conclusion
If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for following along! I am feeling so beyond lucky, grateful, excited, and awed at what has happened in 2025, and I am hoping for another productive year in 2026.
A massive, massive thank you to everyone who has touched my writing/publishing journey thus far in some way. I wouldn’t be here without you all!!!!
Congratulations that’s amazing !!
Congratulations Katie🎊.A note
of motivation