Resilience vs. literary rejection: interview with writer and marketer Grace Flahive
A case study from the front lines of fiction publishing: novelist/marketer Grace Flahive talks about the dos and don’ts of pursuing publication, working with an agent, hooking editors, and learning from rejection. (Also, Grace mentioned beginning a new novel in this video. As of Spring 2025, that novel, "Palm Meridian," has been published. So she is a living example of resilience on the path to publication.)
0:00 Intro
1:15 Agent sends out manuscript
3:51 Getting feedback from editors
6:19 Hooks in literary fiction
11:37 Revise or move on?
15:38 Sharing her new work
19:56 Staying motivated
21:58 Outro
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TRANSCRIPT: / 99567860483b
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LINKS MENTIONED IN THE VIDEO
Grace Flahive on Instagram: / graceflahivewrites
Her proudest writing rejection: / bser1puncjc
Thames & Hudson: https://thamesandhudson.com/
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ADDITIONAL READING AND VIEWING
My video essay on CLOUD ATLAS: surprise and language in literary fiction • How Cloud Atlas hooks readers: Delivering ...
My video essay on LIFE OF PI: voice, intimacy and hooks in literary fiction • Learning from Life of Pi: The power of fir...
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ABOUT THIS CHANNEL
What’s the best way to start a story? What makes readers, agents, and publishers take a chance on our book? What holds their attention? There’s plenty of advice out there on how to write a first chapter, but so much of it is generic. So, instead, I went looking for concrete examples in great books. On HOW THE NOVEL STARTS, I explore the opening chapters of popular novels, and figure out what writers can learn from them for their own work.
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IMAGE ATTRIBUTIONS
Author photo by Erik Naumann http://www.eriknaumann.com/ courtesy of Grace Flahive
Like icon: https://www.freeiconspng.com/img/39121
Comment icon: https://www.iconfinder.com/icons/2987...
Mouse pointer icon: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Subscribe button - AlfredoCreates: https://www.alfredocreates.com/youtub...
Blueprint background - Ian Barnard: http://www.ianbarnard.co.uk/free-blue...
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MUSIC AND SOUND ATTRIBUTIONS
“Cielo” by Harris Heller / https://www.streambeats.com/
Mouse click sound effect by Alexander: http://www.orangefreesounds.com/mouse...
Bell ring sound effect by Alexander: http://www.orangefreesounds.com/bell-...
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#writing
#literaryfiction
#publishing