Success Story Interview - Dami Salako

An Interview with Dami Salako (damisalako on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Dorian Maffei of Kimberley Cameron & Associates.

05/13/2024

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

Dami Salako:
The Sun has a Shadow is a YA high-stakes fantasy set in a fictional world culturally inspired by Nigeria and thematically inspired by my experiences as a psychiatrist. I pitched it as: “Five years after the Sun disappeared from the sky, two teenagers embark on a treacherous journey to protect the world’s final hope of bringing it back.” The story touches on themes like depression, addiction, shame, and finding one’s agency.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Dami Salako:
I’ve been writing since childhood! I can’t remember a specific time or age, but my mom says the first story I ever wrote was about a deer and I wrote it when I was 6 or 7 years old!

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

Dami Salako:
I started this book in early 2023 and finished the first draft by early summer 2023! I spent the next several months editing and revising before I started querying in January 2024.

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

Dami Salako:
I love writing and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. But I’ve given up on several stories and have dozens of unfinished manuscripts hiding in my computer! While drafting this story, I lost steam several times. When that happens, I’ll take a break or work on another project.

QT: Is this your first book?

Dami Salako:
Nope! I’ve lost count of how many books I’ve written or started writing. But since graduating from residency in 2022, (post-medical school training), I’ve written three books.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Dami Salako:
I studied English with a Creative Writing Specialization in college.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Dami Salako:
I write best when I know I won’t get interrupted - but I work full time, I’m married, and I have 2 dogs and 2 cats so life isn’t always conducive to these ideal writing conditions!

For a while, I got a lot of my writing done late at night - after 9pm and well past midnight. More recently, I’ve been getting up at 6am but not to write - to get all my other work done (ex: prepare for the day, chores, emails, etc). So when I get home after work by 5 or 6pm, I don’t feel the need to complete any lingering to-do list items. If I’m not dead-tired, I’ll get some writing done in the evenings but otherwise, most writing gets done on the weekends.

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

Dami Salako:
I got an agent with draft number 8!

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Dami Salako:
Just one! I hired a beta reader on fiverr.

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

Dami Salako:
I used to be a pantser but over the last several years, I’ve become more of a general plotter.I’m more of a “big picture” planner, focusing on story arcs, character development, genres, etc. I use Save the Cat’s beat sheets and I have a notion template to organize my world-building compendium (it’s easy to lose track of things when you’re building a secondary world!). My notion template also includes a space to list the genres of my novel so I don’t lose sight of the story I’m trying to tell and why. Once all that’s done, I start writing.

When it comes time to write, I let the characters do their thing. If I write myself into a corner or get stuck, I can look back at my beat sheet and find where I quite literally lost the plot.

I’ve found this makes me more of an under-writer, which is why I have so many drafts! With each draft, I generally expand on the bones of the story that’s already there.

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

Dami Salako:
This is the second book I’ve queried. I started querying this book in January 2024 and received my first offer of rep in April 2024.

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

Dami Salako:
I sent out 96 queries. 3 queries were CNRs and I withdrew 23 queries (never heard back before my deadline).

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

Dami Salako:
The first thing I checked was their anti-MSWLs (usually at the end of their MSWL - so scroll down!). Then I checked the rest of their MSWLs. If my manuscript was a good fit, I generally went ahead and queried.

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

Dami Salako:
Only one agent requested a personalization in their submission instructions. I didn’t personalize any of my other queries.

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

Dami Salako:
Take care of your physical and emotional needs! A good support system will go a long way - querying is such a grueling process, and doing it alone is hard!

Query Letter:

Dear [AGENT]

In Ibana, dragon-riders devour the Nightmares that lurk in the shadows of night while phoenix-riders herald the rise of the Sun every morning. But five years ago, the queen killed her family, usurped the throne, and ordered the genocide of all phoenix-riders.
No-one has seen the Sun since then.
Despite the never-ending night and the Nightmares that skulk between the cities, 18-year-old Babatunji makes a living delivering messages and cargo, braving the Shadow-lands alone. But his life of quiet isolation is ripped out from under him when he finds himself indebted to a dangerous dragon-rider. Desperate and out of options, he reluctantly agrees to the first job that comes his way: escort Layo, one of the last phoenix-rider descendants, to the other side of the country. But after Baba and Layo survive an assassination attempt ordered by the queen, Layo confesses her true purpose: she is in possession of the last three phoenix eggs, and she’s been tasked with safely delivering them to a hideout on the other side of the monster-stricken country. Her success would mean the return of the Sun, the return of the phoenix-riders, and a means to finally end the queen’s dark reign.
Baba and Layo escape ambushes and face the Nightmares that lurk in the night while the queen and her dragon-rider army nip at their heels. As Baba and Layo’s alliance blossoms into something more, Baba comes to terms with a terrifying realization: the key to Layo’s success is also Baba's greatest secret. It’s a secret he’s buried in shame, loneliness, and laudanum. But if they have any chance of saving their world from this endless night, Baba will have to confront his shame and expose the darkest parts of himself. Doing so could cost him his life but worst of all, it could confirm what he always suspected: that he was never deserving of redemption in the first place.
BEASTS MADE OF NIGHT by Tochi Onyebuchi meets SKYHUNTER by Marie Lu in “THE SUN HAS A SHADOW,” a high-stakes fantasy about re-discovering one’s agency, and how the threads of guilt, depression, and addiction create a tapestry of isolation and shame. It is complete at 78,000 words and set in a fictional world that is culturally inspired by the Igbo and Yoruba tribes of Nigeria (#ownvoices). It will appeal to fans of slow burn romance and shadow-magic. Despite its darker themes, it will leave readers feeling hopeful about these characters, their journeys, and themselves.
[BIO PARAGRAPH]
Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best

Dami Salako