By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
Monica Meira Vaughan is the author of five middle grade science fiction books published by Simon & Schuster, Inc., including “The Ability” (2013), “Mindscape” (2014) and “Six” (2016).
Her latest novel, “Friendroid” (2019), tells the story of a 12-year-old loner who befriends a popular classmate, who happens to be an android. Her books have been published in the U.K., U.S. and Germany, where her novels are included in academic curricula.
Last week she had a homecoming of sorts, paying a visit to the Cazenovia Public Library.
Her father, Federico Meira, and her stepmother, Kathy, are longtime Cazenovia residents.
Born in London, Vaughan spent her early childhood in Barcelona, Spain, before moving back to London at the age of 5. After the age of 15, she spent every summer in Cazenovia with her father and stepmother.
Before transitioning to a full-time writing career, Vaughan served as a primary school teacher for over a decade, working primarily with boys between the ages of 8 and 14. She wrote her first novel while on maternity leave following the birth of her daughter.
Vaughan’s presentation, titled “7 Steps to Getting Published,” highlighted a number of tips compiled through her personal experiences and conversations with her agents and other writers.
The 7 Steps
1. Choose your genre
“I don’t think you can really write a book that will get published unless you know your genre,” Vaughan said. “If you don’t know your own genre, you don’t know what is good and equally important, [what is] bad in that [category].”
Vaughan advised aspiring authors to become experts on the genre that interests them.
2. Pick a good idea
Vaughan believes that a successful book requires a quality idea.
“You need [to contribute] something original or a new way of looking at things,” she said.
The author said there are no original ideas, there are only fresh takes on the seven basic plots — overcoming the monster, rags to riches, the quest, voyage and return, comedy, tragedy and rebirth. Vaughan suggested that instead of attempting to invent a new story arc, writers should approach a story with a unique perspective or voice.
According to the author, the idea for “Friendroid” came from a Japanese news story on robotic companions for the elderly.
Although she has frequently been struck with ideas while moving through her everyday life, Vaughn advocates devoting time specifically to brainstorming and idea generation.
3. Write the book
Vaughan meticulously plans out each of her stories, dedicating about six months to the process. Although she acknowledged that some exceptional authors, like Stephen King, do not plan, she also noted that children’s books require plot-driven stories with defined beginnings, middles and endings.
“Only when I have a very clear beginning, a very clear ending, and a rough idea of what happens in the middle do I sit down and actually start writing,” Vaughan said.
Following the planning stage, she typically spends about six months writing.
“It can seem like an overwhelmingly huge task to write a book,” she said. “I feel that every time I start with that blank page at the beginning.”
Vaughan suggested that writers attempt to consider the potentially daunting task in terms of a series of smaller, more manageable writing assignments.
She also suggested several online tools to facilitate the writing process, including Scrivener word processer and two free sound apps—Coffitivity and Jazz & Rain—designed to promote productivity. Additionally, she recommended “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” by Stephen King and MasterClass.com, which provides a number of online classes instructed by notable writers.
4. Edit
Vaughan prefers to edit in sections as she writes. Once her manuscript is complete, she takes a step back from her work and attempts to approach it again with an outsider’s perspective to determine whether she genuinely enjoys the story as written. Because each story is so carefully planned out, Vaughan typically makes only minimal changes to her manuscripts; however, on occasion, her process has led to the transformation of large sections of text.
5. Submit your work
According to Vaughan, all works of fiction must be submitted to an agent. Publishers, she explained, only accept submissions from reputable agents.
Vaughan urged aspiring authors to complete their manuscripts prior to submitting any materials to a literary agency.
“When they say ‘we like your submission, please send us your manuscript,’ they are excited about what they have read . . . they want to see the finished manuscript, they want to get it out there and they feel that it is relevant [at that moment],” she explained.
To ensure that a submission is directed to the appropriate agency, Vaughan recommended “Robert Lee Brewer’s Writer’s Market 2019: The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published.”
“It lists all the agents, all the publishers and, most important, it tells you what the agents want,” she said.
In addition to a completed manuscript, a submission must include a professional query letter, a compelling synopsis, three sample chapters—preferably the first three—and a resume demonstrating the writer’s potential value as an author.
Two major determining factors, according to Vaughan, are luck and timing.
“You could write the best vampire book ever,” she said, “but if you’ve written it just after Twilight has become a hit and all the copycats have [emerged,] the agents are simply not going to be interested.”
6. Choosing an agent and publisher
Vaughan considered a number of diverse agencies before singing on with ICM Partners in the U.S. and Curtis Brown, Ltd. in the U.K.
“I was convinced that I would go with the medium-sized agency . . . but then I met my agent at the big, corporate one,” she said. “It turns out, no matter the size of the agency, what’s important is your relationship with one person: your agent . . . It’s so important that you feel like they are really on your side and that they understand what you do.”
With regard to selecting a publisher, the author has very little say, according to Vaughan. The responsibility falls on the agent, who submits the manuscript to editors at different publishing houses. If, by the end of the lengthy selection process, a publishing house accepts the manuscript, the editor will propose edits and copy-edits to the author.
According to Vaughn, the author also has very little control over the cover of their book.
“You have to really trust [the art department,]” she said. “Your job as an author, when they send you the book image, is to say ‘I love it, thank you very much.’”
7. Promoting your book
“It was amazing to me . . . just how little the publishers do [in terms of book promotion,]” said Vaughan.
According to the author, publishers expect their authors to create their own websites, fan pages and social media accounts to promote their own material.
Although self-promotion requires a lot of work, Vaughan views it as an incredibly important part of the process. To promote her first book, she completed a five-week
American tour. To this day, her highest sales are reported in several of the cities she visited.
