Success Story Interview - Esther M. White

An Interview with Esther M. White (felicisdream on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Therese Coen of Susanna Lea Associates - London.

03/28/2023

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

Esther M. White:
My book, COMPLETE METABOLIC RESPONSE, is close to home for me. Zoe, the main character, is returning to school after having chemotherapy for six months. The inspiration comes from my return to university after undergoing chemotherapy at 19. That’s almost ten years ago now and Zoe’s story is very different to mine, but the struggle of returning to school after this lifechanging experience and trying to fit in with peers again is very, very real!

QT: How long have you been writing?

Esther M. White:
I wrote my first book at 14, which turned into a terrible trilogy. About vampires, of course—it was 2008! I posted my books online on Quizilla (if anyone remembers that!) followed by Figment (also gone now!). But I’ve written in some form since I was very young. I found a short story I wrote at 8 years old where the princess gets beheaded at the end! Slightly concerning.

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

Esther M. White:
I started CMR in July 2019, but developed it in earnest in 2021.

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

Esther M. White:
All the time. Many, many times. More times than I could ever count. The ‘book of my heart’ died on query and nearly completely destroyed my self-belief. I’ve cried to my family, my partner, so many times, wondering when to give up. But it never felt like a real option to me. I decided on this path as a teenager and even rejection and doubt couldn’t kill the dream. I think of my characters, how getting lost in writing feels, and my dream of a writing career. That usually keeps me going. And pure stubbornness!

QT: Is this your first book?

Esther M. White:
Not even close! I’ve written 20+ full-length books since I was a teen which vary wildly in quality.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Esther M. White:
I have an English Literature & Creative Writing Degree. This opened my mind to new genres and different styles. Reading the work of my peers and taking modules on publishing, definitely improved my writing and knowledge.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Esther M. White:
No, I really don’t. I’m bad at keeping to them unless an external deadline is involved.

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

Esther M. White:
I wrote and then edited the book twice by myself. After querying my agent, she suggested incredible feedback which led to one big edit of the book and a couple of smaller ones with her input and ideas. This took the book from 60,000 to 75,000 words.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Esther M. White:
I didn’t. I know this goes against some golden rules, but my sister and partner read my books from the first draft. They’re brutally honest and see to the heart of what I’m trying to do—trust me, they don’t coddle me! I would be totally open to outside beta readers though, and have had them in the past.

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

Esther M. White:
I’m a reformed pantser. It was interning and copyediting for a publisher in 2020 that absolutely showed me the light of outlining. Their CEO did a webinar on structure and it changed my life! She laid out the formula of a bestseller, so now I outline from that.

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

Esther M. White:
I sent an initial round of queries for CMR in October 2021. I queried my agent Thérèse in early February 2022 and she responded within 2 weeks to set up a Zoom call and to discuss changes she would like to suggest. I stopped querying then because I loved her vision so much! A year later, after I'd edited CMR based on her feedback and our brainstorm, she said she loved the new version and offered representation in January 2023.

I’ve queried three other projects before CMR, going back to 2015. I went to some weird lengths, for example I queried in-person once at YALC. An agent put a call out offering a query critique for whoever found her first and performed Hamilton’s Guns & Ships but with new lyrics about books – and I did! Big thanks to my friends and sister for being my back-up singers.

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

Esther M. White:
Around 35. Not as many as I was thought!

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

Esther M. White:
Their MSWL, their current clients, recent sales, social media, and QueryTracker comments/timelines/response rates.

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

Esther M. White:
Yes, but I didn’t force it. I would reference a MSWL call out, or a tweet, or just why I think my project would be a good fit. With my agent, it was different. She gave me personalised, brilliant feedback for a different project she passed on in 2015 which I remembered after all this time. So I mentioned that in my query to her. She was always in my mind as someone I would be excited to work with – luckily, she loved CMR!

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

Esther M. White:
You can’t control so many things, but you can control your query, synopsis, and your work. Always be open to learning more and don’t rush to query. Definitely put yourself forwards for query feedback competitions on Twitter! I got some incredible advice from industry professionals that way. Be as relentless as you can bring yourself to be in such a deeply personal and uncertain process. Looking back, I’m really proud of myself for my tenacity and confidence, especially as a young woman of colour. In my own way, I was always pushing for the next opportunity, even when my self-esteem and belief was fragile. Every rejection, I tried to learn from. Even the rejection first thing on New Year’s Day one year! Keep the faith. Write the next thing. If you're writing and thinking and editing, you're improving.

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

Esther M. White:
Sure!

Query Letter:

Dear Thérèse Coen,

I saw that you are seeking submissions with strong protagonists, original concepts, and distinct voices, so I hope that you will consider COMPLETE METABOLIC RESPONSE a good fit for your list. In addition, I queried the Madeleine Milburn agency with a different book back in 2015 and your feedback on my full manuscript was invaluable and memorable. COMPLETE METABOLIC RESPONSE is a 60,000 word YA Contemporary which will appeal to fans of the friendship tribulations in Amy Spalding’s WE USED TO BE FRIENDS, the heart of Jenny Han’s TO ALL THE BOYS, and readers hungry for fresh stories about characters with illnesses which are more uplifting than hard-hitting. CMR is an #OwnVoices manuscript with BIPOC and cancer survivor/illness representation.

After a year spent on the sofa watching daytime TV and undergoing chemotherapy, seventeen-year-old Zoe Vane is desperate to return to school, see her friends, and maybe even kiss the boy she’s had a crush on for years. But when she accidentally releases brutally honest videos about her friends that she made at a low point, her dreams of returning to a warm welcome are shattered. Now, she is notorious at school not for her illness and short hair, but for the videos everyone has seen, in which she calls her childhood best friend, Eve, a “boy-obsessed serial dater” and her crush her “future husband.”

At school, Eve freezes Zoe out, putting their mutual friends awkwardly in the crossfire, and leaving Zoe with no one to speak to as she navigates hospital check-ups, fatigue, and a hair crisis. The wounds caused by the videos feel permanent, so Zoe throws herself into an offer of friendship from an annoying (and good looking) fellow outcast. In his unexpected friendship and with his family, she finds a place to exist, free of judgement and full of warmth.

But just when happiness feels attainable, Eve corners Zoe at a party and their words shoot to kill, widening the rift between them. Zoe knows that she cannot move on with a new life yet, not until she has closure. Not until she unearths the secret she knows Eve is harbouring.

I am a writer of colour living in an artsy village in England. I hold a degree in English Literature & Creative Writing. When not writing, I haunt museum collections, walk the surrounding hills, and sink further into my obsession with my kitten.

I have attached the full manuscript and synopsis as specified. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Esther M. White

(Twitter @forgingworlds)