Success Story Interview - Derrick Rossignol

An Interview with Derrick Rossignol (derrickrossignol on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Erik Hane of Headwater Literary Management.

07/17/2025

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

Derrick Rossignol:
It's tentatively titled 'The Very Best: The Untold Story Of Pokémon, Satoshi Tajiri's Global Phenomenon,' and it's a detailed, historical look at the early days of 'Pokémon' and the people and situations behind it. I initially just wanted to read this sort of book, but when I discovered that one didn't exist, I decided to write it myself.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Derrick Rossignol:
I began writing professionally when I was in college, starting around 2012. I always took to it growing up, too, and liked writing short stories for English classes in school.

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

Derrick Rossignol:
I started the research process in late 2022, and I began actually writing in April 2025. It was important to me to get a lot done well before I started querying agents because as a first-time author, I knew there was a significant burden on me to prove myself. I figured if I was already far along in the process and had tangible work to show for it, agents wouldn't have to trust what I said because they could see what I've done. Plus, I wasn't sure how much time I would need for preliminary research, so I didn't want to paint myself into a corner with restrictive deadlines and not give the process the time it deserved.

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

Derrick Rossignol:
I never wanted to give up, but early on, with so much in front of me, it was sometimes tough to get motivated. I would go weeks without touching the project. It felt like something I could just do later. To fix that, I told myself to do some sort of work on the book, anything, for just a half hour every day. Even if I didn't feel like it, a half hour was doable. This helped it become a part of my routine and my output and consistency increased from there.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Derrick Rossignol:
I studied journalism at the University Of Maine, but more importantly in terms of it being a valuable learning experience, I was the editor in chief of the UMaine student paper for two years.

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

Derrick Rossignol:
Given that this nonfiction book deals with a ton of information, it was very important to me to have a detailed outline, which has paid off and helped the writing process feel manageable, since in a structural sense, it's mostly been done already.

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

Derrick Rossignol:
I think I got very lucky in the querying process. I compiled a list of 90 agents to target and got as far as sending six queries. The agent I went with was the third one I contacted and the first to respond.

It might seem like I should have done some more shopping around, but my agent is enthusiastically into this book's topic (he specifically listed 'Pokémon' as an interest on his website), he promises a hands-on working relationship (useful for a first-timer like me), he has a strong track record of landing books at the right publishers, and the author agreement contract was fair. So, it just felt right.

From sending my first query to signing on the dotted line, it took about three weeks.

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

Derrick Rossignol:
If you know other writers who have gotten books published before, reach out to them. I had some good people in my corner who let me pick their brains and gave me advice that helped point me in the right direction, about agents and other things. Other Success Story Interviews on this site should have some points worth considering, too.

QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?

Derrick Rossignol:
I kept my query letter relatively simple because the appeal of this topic/project and the work that had already gone into it felt straightforward to me, and I had a proposal ready for agents who wanted to know more (a note I added to later versions of this letter).

Query Letter:

Hello,

My name is Derrick Rossignol and today, I'd like to gauge your interest in a book I've been working on, tentatively titled 'The Very Best: The Untold Story Of Pokémon, Satoshi Tajiri's Global Phenomenon.'

My book, part biography and part history, covers the early life of Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri, his formative years spent in Japanese arcades and creating a DIY magazine, his first forays into making games, the ups and downs of Pokémon's lengthy and troubled development, the game's globalization and multimedia expansion, and how it impacted the world. Also included is relevant cultural context, so the world and the people in it feel three-dimensional and understandable for American readers.

The writing is based on an extensive 2.5-year research process, during which I pulled from over 1,400 individual sources, many of which were previously untranslated from Japanese. I have also conducted original and revealing interviews with people who were directly involved in various parts of the Pokémon empire as it was coming to fruition.

[paragraph about my work experience]

I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing back, thank you!