When I started this newsletter, I planned to only email my family and a handful of close friends, since sharing about my writing—opening up to others that I wasn’t simply a book lover, but a book writer—was terrifying.
I had zero intention of building a platform, but I wanted to check off the box that, yes, I did, technically, have one. But imagining anyone would follow along with my journey (I had nothing published, a book was dying in the query trenches, and I had only recently learned how to properly use a comma) was not on my agenda.
And as most things go for me in writing, nothing went according to plan.
To push out to almost 200 email subscribers and over 2,400 Instagram followers these words is a blessing I couldn’t say thank you enough for.
If you’ve missed the news, I’m excited to share that I’m officially writing this article to you as an agented author.
Manuscript Updates.
Currently, I’m working with my agent on my first editorial revision letter for my dark academia novel. I received the letter on September 21 and I have 4-6 weeks to make my changes.
By the time you’re reading this, I’ll have reached the halfway mark!
In this round, I’m mostly fixing some developmental adjustments to tighten up the twists and turns of the mystery, plus (my personal favorite) expanding on the genre-blending elements my agent and I loved—which includes leveraging those creeping horror-esque (yes, I did make that word up) vibes I adore.
If you missed it in previous articles, here’s the pitch for my adult dark academia with crossover appeal:
A quirky mortician takes her missing brother’s place at an elite botanical university to uncover the clues surrounding his disappearance, but learning a forbidden magic to find him may cost her life, or worse, her heart.
(If you just so happen to be an acquiring editor reading this & you want to find out what happens in this delectable dark academia, reach out to Olivia Emerick at Metamorphosis Literary Agency.)
In addition to manuscript edits, I’ve been working on pushing out more Substack articles and launching a paid subscriber option (more on this soon).
A Book I’m Loving.
As usual, I always like to include some book recs that I’ve been devouring this month, and in honor of signing with an agent, I simply must recommend a dark academia to you!
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid is a lush, atmospheric new adult dark academia fantasy that follows an architect student who sets out to redesign the sinking manor of her favorite author. This book has all my favorites (academic rivals, dreadful settings, curious mysteries, and the foreboding sense that something, somewhere, is about to kill you).
If you give it a read or have other books you want to see featured here, let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading along,
Gabriella Lauren
About the Author
With a background in human biology and botany, Gabriella Lauren has translated her love for the living, breathing world into her writing through twisty mysteries, unique magic systems, and vibrant, haunting atmospheres.
When she isn’t typing away her next novel, she enjoys hiking, tending her numerous houseplants, and drinking far too much coffee with her husband in Western New York.
Thanks for being here and reading along!
Gabriella
For rights, new business inquiries, media, events, and speaking engagements, please contact my literary agent, Olivia Emerick, at Metamorphosis Literary Agency
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