Success Story Interview - Emily E K Murdoch

An Interview with Emily E K Murdoch (emilyekmurdoch on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Kate Walsh of United Agents, Ltd.

12/20/2023

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

Emily E K Murdoch:
I think perhaps a little unusually, the book that Kate and I first sold was not the project I queried her with! I’m a medieval historian by training and always wanted to write a book about coronations in England, and when Elizabeth II died I had the impetus to finally write that non-fiction proposal and put it out there. I also had a list of several other historical non-fiction ideas and it was one of those that Kate and I decided to go out on sub with.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Emily E K Murdoch:
…forever?! I was making ‘books’ in nursery and declared that I wanted to be an author from the age of five. My first book was published in 2013 and I have been a full-time author since 2021.

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

Emily E K Murdoch:
Non-fiction is so different to fiction when it comes to writing and querying. Non-fiction is most often sold on proposal, so essentially a business proposal along with a few sample chapters. So ironically I spent a few weeks on the proposal for the coronation book which we never went on submission with, a few weeks on the proposal for my non-fiction project which sold, and then months to research and write it. The book that sold, REGINA: The Queens Who Could Have Been, is a historical and speculative non-fiction examining the queens that England would have had if it had been the eldest daughter, not the eldest son, who inherited the throne of England.

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

Emily E K Murdoch:
I think every creative has a moment when you want to give up - but because I’m an established fiction author, with writing as my day job, giving up was never an option.

QT: Is this your first book?

Emily E K Murdoch:
Definitely not - I think I have almost 100 novels and novellas published from a variety of presses as well as self-published. I have been published by Dragonblade since 2020, and launched with Mills & Boon/Harlequin Historical in 2023.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Emily E K Murdoch:
Other than academia, no - but after a decade of experience, I actually do teach craft and the business of writing!

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Emily E K Murdoch:
I’m very structured as a person, and because writing is my day job, I’m even more structured! I write best in the mornings so try to get my 10,000 words down before midday. Then I have a walk and lunch, and then it’s strategy and administration until I’m done for the day. That’s me, five days a week!

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

Emily E K Murdoch:
REGINA is on her fifth edit, and actually was sent to my editor at The History Press just a few days ago! I’ll get feedback on the MS in the new year, and then there'll be a copyedit and a proofread after that.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Emily E K Murdoch:
I did! I asked some author friends as well as some friends and family who like narrative non-fiction or historical non-fiction. Their feedback was so invaluable - but it’s important to note that because of the way that non-fiction is sold, that whole process was after the project was bought.

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

Emily E K Murdoch:
Definitely outlined: partly because I’m a plotter, not a pantser, and partly because a non-fiction book proposal needs to include a chapter by chapter outline of what you’re going to include in the book.

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

Emily E K Murdoch:
I just checked, and I actually had an offer from Kate within two weeks of sending out my queries - though she replied to my email within 24 hours. It just took a bit of calendar balancing to actually talk!

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

Emily E K Murdoch:
About 20. I really wanted someone who would understand that I was signing up for an agent specifically for my non-fiction projects, and that I would handle my fiction career myself. That was really important to me.

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

Emily E K Murdoch:
Someone who represented non-fiction, preferably with a historical bent, and someone who was open to re-interpretation, a feminist lens, and someone who didn’t have a PhD! I want to make history accessible to all, not just those with fancy letters after their names.

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

Emily E K Murdoch:
Yes, I had a few lines at the top of each query that stated specifically why I was querying them.

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

Emily E K Murdoch:
Read the guidelines! Honestly, every agent and agency has slightly different guidelines and though it takes time to ensure that you’ve reviewed it all, you don’t want to count yourself out on a technicality. Agents are busy people, so let’s give them every reason to make an offer.

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

Emily E K Murdoch:
Sure thing! But remember, this is a query for a project that never ended up going out on sub because we decided to focus on a different angle for pitching. Enjoy!

Query Letter:

I am querying my non-fiction proposal, CORONATION: THE DAYS THAT CHANGED ENGLAND’S MONARCHS, projected to be completed at 90,000 words.
Coronations. We all have an idea of what they are, and what they include. Crowns. Trumpets. A throne.
But as England welcomes its fortieth monarch since William the Conqueror, exactly how did all the pomp and circumstance…happen? Who created it? How were medieval, Tudor, and later kings and queens crowned – and what facts about these coronation days have been carefully forgotten over time?
As a nation, England has been described as ‘the envy of the world’ thanks to its ability to calmly and with consideration transition from one head of state to another without so much as a blink of an eye. That is thanks to our deep rooted history of coronations. We’ve already fought battles, argued, stolen crowns, melted them down, and decided what makes a coronation a coronation. So what do all those days say about our monarchs, our monarchy, and us? This is that story.
Starting at perhaps an unexpected place, this book will begin with the House of Wessex when the idea of an English king was still in its infancy. Tracking the eleven royal Houses that followed suit, the reader will discover what each family brought to the coronation – and what we have carefully left behind. Interwoven with insight into particular aspects of monarchy (from election to military might, marriage to civil war), and curious details that few people know (such as the first monarch to be crowned on a battlefield, and the first queen consort to be offered the regnal crown), this book will also explore how the very fabric of coronations were made, from crowns to sceptres to…spoons?
Told in a respectful, curious, yet populist tone, this book will include personal accounts and documents from the author’s great-grandparents, one of which was on the Coronation Executive Committee, and both of whom attended both coronation and coronation banquet for Elizabeth II. It will also attempt to explain the changing face of the coronation and its monarchy, culminating in the first televised coronation that invited in not just the nation, but the world.
A full-time career novelist, I am a USA Today Bestselling Author with 24 novels published. I spoke at the Historical Novel Society Conference 2021, have an MA in Medieval Studies, and I am a double RONE Award finalist, runner up in 2021 and finalist in 2022 (awards pending). I am purposefully building my author platform, with almost 8,000 subscribers.
In my past life I was the Chief Brand Officer of a healthtech company, but found writing success early and ‘retired’ at thirty last year. When not writing, I'm a member of the London Authors’ Club, obsessing over historical people who haven’t had their story told, and attempting not to buy another sword.
Thank you for your time and consideration.