By Tom Joyce —
In 2022, authors Sunyi Dean and Scott Drakeford debuted in the same genre, with the same publisher, under the same imprint. A year later, they described their respective experiences on their podcast, “Publishing Rodeo.” An international audience of aspiring writers listened and possibly poured themselves a stiff drink afterward.
“Publishing Rodeo” revealed a set-up in which debut authors with Big 5 publishers have no control over their book’s fate, which is probably the bargain bin. Though Sunyi’s podcast didn’t offer aspiring writers much in the way of encouragement, it did provide them with a valuable tool for career planning and managing their expectations. In this month’s edition of “Nuts & Bolts,” Sunyi talks about her experience, the publishing industry, and how debut authors can look out for themselves in a system that isn’t designed to make it easy.
Q: CAN YOU TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT WHY YOU STARTED “PUBLISHING RODEO,” AND WHAT ITS LEGACY HAS BEEN?
A: Publishing Rodeo grew out of a private author Discord, where a bunch of us shiny new debut authors were starting to talk about our experiences as we navigated traditional publishing for the first time. We quickly realised that there were huge disparities between us, even within the same genre or publisher. One author in particular, Scott Drakeford, was releasing his debut in the same year, same genre, and same imprint as me, but his advance was 1/10th of mine, and so was his support and subsequent sales. We started recording the podcast to track this disparity and how it played out in our careers across the next two years.
I don’t know if we have much of a legacy as such, but doing the podcast has definitely changed us! Scott switched editors, got his audio and UK rights back, and is doing his best to revive his series while also working on new projects. I’ve been fortunate to meet so many fantastic people (like Chuck Tingle and Kameron Hurley among many others!) who I’d never have spoken to without the podcast, and made fantastic friends as a result. The collective wisdom from all those folks freely offering their time and information is truly appreciated. I will never forget some of those wonderful conversations.
On the flipside, having more information means having more to worry about. For example: my second book, THE GIRL WITH A THOUSAND FACES, will probably do well critically, but it will have much softer sales than my debut. That’s my read on it, anyway, based on all the things I’ve learned from the past couple of years. Momentum, interest, and awareness is lower across the board, at least in the UK, and I’m also launching in a busy month with far bigger books than mine. Doing the podcast has taught me so much, but it’s also crushed a lot of the optimism I used to have in the industry, and made me deeply cynical about my chances of long-term survival.
Q: HAS THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY CHANGED SINCE THEN?
A: Definitely! The industry is a shapeshifting beast that is always and constantly evolving. Romantasy is super big right now, as we all know, but trends come and go, and new things take hold all the time. I’ve loved seeing the return and rise of horror, after so many years in the wilderness.
The change I find most worrying is the gradual but steady shift towards bestseller or bust –basically, the pervasive sense that every book has to be a breakout immediately, or the author is toast long term. The change I find most heartening is how many small presses are springing up, and how well new indie bookstores are thriving. Both of those are drivers of a successful midlist, who otherwise struggle to find footing in an increasingly all-or-nothing Big 5 environment.
Q: WHAT SHOULD BEGINNING WRITERS KNOW ABOUT THE INDUSTRY THAT THEY TEND NOT TO?
A: Publishing is a tiered ecosystem, and your place in it is determined almost from the moment your book has been bought. The reality is that not every book is hyper-commercial, and not every book will be a strong selling “tentpole” novel. Therefore, pubs allocate resources to where they think that money will get the best return. This allows them to buy midlist books which won’t sell amazingly but still draw in a readership or awards.
Unless you are at the very top of your ecosystem, eg: a lead or super lead, no one will tell you what “tier” you are at. But it is very important that you find out, so that you can get a realistic handle on what a pub is or isn’t able to do for you. Asking author friends, having frank conversations with your agent, and knowing the advance brackets for your genre/age category are things that can help you figure out where you sit on your publisher’s list of priorities, and what you can do about it.
Realistically, there isn’t much you can do as an individual debut author to boost sales if your publisher has already decided your book won’t be a breakout, because self-promo has only a minimal effect on sales for trad. But you can at least manage your own expectations, and make informed decisions about your future.
Q: WHAT CAN ASPIRING WRITERS DO TO HELP THEIR CHANCES?
A: Publishing is an industry where it’s difficult for debuts to have leverage, and the outcomes are hard to control, but the one thing you can do is protect your art from people who aren’t passionate about it. A bad agent is worse than no agent, because a bad agent can wreck your career. A bad book deal is worse than no book deal, because a bad book deal can hamstring you out of the gate. An unenthusiastic editor is worse than no editor, because an unenthusiastic editor will tank you like a lead balloon on Jupiter.
Go where the enthusiasm is, go where the support is, if at all possible. Sometimes that means the biggest amount of money, or the flashiest agent, but not always. Make friends, make connections, get the scoop on what’s up with different imprints and agencies — and stay safe out there!
Q: CAN YOU RECOMMEND ANY OTHER RESOURCES FOR WRITERS, PARTICULARLY BEGINNERS, SEARCHING FOR USEFUL INFORMATION?
A: Absolutely! For free resources, I’d recommend;
- Phoebe Morgan’s newsletter; she’s an editor and an author who writes about the processes of trad publishing with a fairly balanced and positive perspective.
- Print Run Podcast with Erik and Laura. Two agents who discuss drama, industry chatter, some politics, and books generally. Lots of informative stuff, and they also run a Patreon where they do query crits (you can request free access to this if you’re low income, they don’t gatekeep.)
- Shipping and Handling podcast (quite old now, but still great information)
- Writing Excuses with Sanderson (short and informative)
- Publishing is Hard newsletter, with Dongwon (literary agent)
- Sub It Club on Facebook is the only active trad-focused fb group where you can get GOOD query critiques and feedback. Join it!
For paid resources I’d suggest:
- Before And After the Bookdeal, by Courtney Maum
- Courtney Maum’s subscription newsletter
- Society of Authors/Author’s Guild (depending which country you’re in) memberships
- Publisher’s Marketplace subscription to stay on top of USA deals and industry info
- The Bookseller subscription, to stay on top of UK/eu deals and industry info
Q: DO YOU HAVE ANY PROJECTS YOU’D LIKE HWA MEMBERS TO KNOW ABOUT?
A: My second novel, THE GIRL WITH A THOUSAND FACES, is coming out in May 2026. It’s a historical fantasy and “Chinese gothic” horror mashup. The story veers between 1975 Kowloon Walled City, and the outlying islands of Hong Kong during the Japanese ww2 occupation, and tracks the devastation of war across generations.
I’m really proud of this book, but terribly aware that it’s not a fast-paced high concept novel like THE BOOK EATERS. Still, I hope that readers will give it a chance and try something a little bit out there! The only other thing I will say about it is that it’s not what it initially seems, and (so far) nobody has guessed the twist. Maybe you’ll be the first, Dear Reader. 😊
Q: WHERE CAN PEOPLE FOLLOW YOU ONLINE?
A: I like Instagram, but also use Threads, Bluesky, and Facebook. I’m Sunyi Dean on all of those (an unusual name, makes me easy to find!)
Sunyi Dean: https://www.sunyidean.com
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SUNYI DEANSunyi Dean is a multi-award-losing author of speculative fiction. She was born in Texas and raised in Hong Kong, but now resides in Northern England, in a house full of music and books. Her debut novel, THE BOOK EATERS, was an instant #2 Sunday Times Bestseller. In her spare time, she likes buying whisky, collecting dumbbells, and dying in jiu-jitsu. She also founded the Hugo-nominated Publishing Rodeo Podcast with fellow Tor author, Scott Drakeford. Her highly-anticipated sophomore novel, THE GIRL WITH A THOUSAND FACES, will hit stores in May 2026.
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Tom Joyce is a volunteer and affiliate member who writes a monthly feature for the HWA blog called “Nuts & Bolts,” featuring interviews about the craft and business of writing. Please contact him at TomJHWA@gmail.com if you have suggestions for future interviews.
