Parlour MAVEN: Dorothy Koomson on Becoming a Best-Selling Author

When journalist Dorothy Koomson set out to become a novelist, not even twelve rejection letters could stop her. The South London-raised Ghanian writer who contributed to newspapers like New Nation to pay her bills, finished each day at home, writing her novels voraciously. And after many of her stories never saw daylight, she was inspired to write by a friend and her first published novel The Cupid Effect came about in 2004, as part of a hard-earned two-book deal with Time Warner publishing. Now Koomson has eight novels under her belt, more than 1.5 million copies sold and hew newest work, The Rose Petal Beach, is on shelves just in time for the holiday season.Koomson will be among the four esteemed speakers featured at the next I'mPOSSIBLE Conversation in London tonight, Wednesday, December 12, so in true Parlour MAVEN fashion, we talked to her about everything from how she began to her tenacious rules for publishing success.Parlour: What gave you the courage to write and send out The Cupid Effect to those publishers?I didn’t need courage, I’d wanted to be a published author for years but it was determination that kept me going. I’d written other books that never saw the light of day. But in 2002, while I was working on the book that would become The Chocolate Run, I visited a friend in Leeds where I came up with the idea for The Cupid Effect, the story of a woman who inspires others to follow their heart. I went back to London, wrote the first three chapters and sent them to various agents who all rejected me. When I finished writing The Cupid Effect and again sent it off to a few agents — they all rejected me again. I believed in the story so much that I sent it directly to a publisher because I had nothing to lose. And after all the rejections, I knew another one more wouldn’t kill me. Three months later it was accepted as part of a two-book deal. It was very hard to get published without agent back then, and today it seems virtually impossible.What was the first thing you did when you got your book publishing deal?I sat down with the letter and read it repeatedly, I couldn’t take it in. I think the shock of my dream finally coming true made me a bit laid back.You've just released your eighth book, The Rose Petal Beach, what inspires you?I can write anywhere. When I’m finding excuses to not write I decide I need an office or a hotel for a few days, but really I can write anywhere. When I was a journalist working in central London and writing my books, I used to write on the train to and from work. I just need a pen and paper or keyboard.What do you as an author take away from each of your projects?Each book changes me in different ways because I’ve gone on the same journey as my characters. Each book takes research and when I talk to people and hear their stories for whichever book I’m working on, I’m changed. I always finish a book knowing something different about my subject, and feeling humbled by what people have to live through.How did you juggle your day job as a journalist with your night passion of being an author?I didn’t stop working full-time as a journalist and editor until my fourth book Marshmallows For Breakfast was published. A lot of authors can’t afford to give up their day job or have to live in virtual poverty to manage it. I love writing so I didn’t mind using up all my spare time, including my commuting time, to do it.What made you realize that your dream of being a successful author was possible?I believe there are people along your life's journey who encourage you to live your dream, you just have to recognize them. I have a very supportive family and friends, but also the people who rejected my books, including My Best Friend’s Girl, which went on to sell over half a million copies, also spurred me on. Sometimes it’s the unsupportive people who push you.How does your history of growing up in South London and later living in Australia appear in your work?I always put a little bit of myself in my books, so it’s not just South London but things like my favourite chocolate, references to Ghana where my parents are from, and naming streets after my favourite TV stars.What are five practical, successful tips you would tell a budding novelist?Here are my five top writing tips from my website, DorothyKoomson.co.uk, where there are lots of other writing tips from other published authors too:1. Keep going. It’s a lot harder to keep going than to give up. You’ll get a lot of knock backs, but if you believe in yourself and keep writing you’ll get there. That’s hard to do after your sixth rejection letter of the day, but just think of all those other people out there who don’t even try because they’re scared.2. Stop talking and do it! I’m always saying this, but it’s very easy to get into the cycle of talking about a story but never committing it to paper. And, because you’ve talked about it already, part of you will feel there’s no need to write it. Let your writing do the talking.3. Write what interests you. If you don’t, you’re far less likely to put your heart into the story. The best stories are the onesthat where you can feel the author believes in what they’re writing. There must be something beyond clever language and there’s nothing worse than not loving what you’re writing.4. Read, a lot. Don’t just read what interests you, read what sells, read what doesn’t sell. Read the trade press, read other authors’ websites, read anything that’ll help you along the road to being published.5. Opinions are like butts – everyone’s got one. In other words, don’t be tempted to do something you don’t believe in and if you have an uneasy feeling about something or someone, think twice before committing yourself. It’ll save you a lot of tears, tantrums and money later on.What's the biggest lesson you've learned from a failure?When something bad happens, allow yourself to feel upset and hurt but don’t wait too long or wallow. Prove yourself and the rest of the world wrong about whatever it was that didn’t work out, then try again or try something different, but keep trying.Where do you see yourself and your career in five to ten years?Being happy wherever I am and whatever I’m doing, that’s important. The Rose Petal Beach by Dorothy Koomson is published by Quercus Books and out now in hardback. *On December 12, the sixth I’mPOSSIBLE Conversation will take place at Pearson headquarters in London, UK. As the exclusive digital media partner, we will be running a series of Parlour MAVEN profiles on each of the speakers in the weeks leading up to the event. For more information on how you can attend, visit i-am-possible.com.