Success Story Interview - Andrea Rowland

An Interview with Andrea Rowland (AndreaWrites on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Nour Sallam of P.S. Literary Agency.

04/29/2025

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?

Andrea Rowland:
The premise of this book was inspired when Taylor Swift was first linked with Travis Kelce. I thought… there’s no way. This must be a showmance. My background is in PR, and the idea of celebrity pairings seemed the great premise for a book, hence the plot for Every Now & Then was born.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Andrea Rowland:
I’ve been writing fiction since 2021. I studied journalism in college, wrote for national brands for the better part of a decade, and nowam a freelance writer. I was familiar with storytelling, but not in the long form of a novel, or fiction.

QT: How long have you been working on this book?

Andrea Rowland:
About a year and a half. While the idea was born in Fall 2023, I didn’t start writing in earnest until early 2024.

QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?

Andrea Rowland:
I think every aspiring novelist wants to give up at some point. Since this book leans rom-com, it was easy to get in my head. Is it funny? Is it over the top? Ridiculous? I have three sisters that I recruited to be in my BYOB Club (Build Your Own Book Club). I would write four chapters, send it on to them for reading, and then gather to receive their feedback. Not only was this immensely helpful, but it kept me on task. A writing group – or even a group of supportive friends – is something I’d highly recommend.

QT: Is this your first book?

Andrea Rowland:
No. I wrote a very researched historical fiction novel as my first go. I queried 47 agents, was rejected by 45 and had two manuscript requests that ultimately, didn’t result in an offer of representation.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Andrea Rowland:
I studied journalism in college. As I began diving into fiction, I took a class with UCLA extension (virtual) on story structure. It transformed my storytelling and gave me confidence. I’d highly recommend to any aspiring or current author.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Andrea Rowland:
I’m a Mom of three and freelancer. I steal time wherever I can get it!

QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?

Andrea Rowland:
As I mentioned above, I would send my chapters to my sisters for feedback. With that said, I would write a few chapters, revise them deeply (as I knew I had an audience). Then once I received feedback, I’d revise again. Once completed, I worked on eliminating unnecessary scenes. So perhaps 4-5 revisions in all?

QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?

Andrea Rowland:
A little but of both. The characters seemed to identify themselves as I wrote, but in order to make the plot rewarding, I did outline how my main character would change, identifying her wants, needs and insecurities. From there the events and scenes unfolded.

QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?

Andrea Rowland:
Nour was the second agent I queried, which was in January 2025. I received an offer of representation in April2025.

QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?

Andrea Rowland:
I sent 19 total, but spaced them – a few every week. However, my last book, which was never picked up, I send 47.

QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?

Andrea Rowland:
I used Manuscript Wishlist to search similar titles to my own work. The “I want the next..” section of an agent’s page is telling. This helped me identify who was looking for this type of story.

QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?

Andrea Rowland:
Yes and no. I try to change the opening line for those who I felt I had a connection with (e.g. Nour I mentioned our identical taste in books and music). If there wasn’t an obvious connecting point, but I still thought the agent might like the story, I went journalism-mode and got right to the point.

QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?

Andrea Rowland:
Take advantage of the writing classes offered through extensions. Stanford and UCLA have excellent virtual course options, and for me, it was also a point to connect with other writers.