Back on sub!

Predictions and managing expectations for my second time on submission

Second time’s the charm.

That’s the saying, right?

RIGHT?

Jk, I am very much managing my expectations this time around.

For a bit of background, I went out on submission for the first time in November 2024 with a YA romantasy, and it fizzled out after 1.5 years. Though that was disappointing, I don’t feel so bad about it anymore. I still remember the joy I felt while immersed in that story, and I learned a lot from writing it, so yay!

This time will be my second time on sub, with a brand-new NA/Adult romantic fantasy FOR THE LOVE OF THE MOON. The Chinese title 思月歌 roughly translates to Song of Yearning for the Moon or, directly translated, Yearn Moon Song. (English is truly a cumbersome language.)

The pitch: To escape an obsessive dragon king, a half-immortal maidservant must help a male consort navigate the harem of a tyrannical princess while trying to find his true love…who may be closer than she thinks.

If you love xianxia C-dramas with mortal realm trials, genderbent harems, underdog MCs, the red string of fate myth, unhinged/toxic villains, the “he falls first and harder” trope, and slooooow burn romance with a bit of spice, you’re gonna love MOON.

If it comes out. Idk yet lol.

Art by yours truly! My sister was like, “Who is that old man? Why is he kinda hot?” Hide your grandpas, y’all!

Here are some of my theories/predictions this time around:

Things about this book I think would help my chances

1. MOON is solidly in the New Adult/Adult category. I wrote it to be more ~commercial~ after learning that YA is struggling in the trad market. I’m hoping the adult market treats me better since new adult and romantasy/romantic fantasy are having their moment with no signs of slowing down…yet.

2. MOON is a short-ish standalone at 80k words, which, considering the paper shortage, should be a point in my favor as the books themselves would be cheaper to print than a 100k chonker.

3. My agent and I agree that my writing is overall stronger in this manuscript too, and I think that’s because I wrote more books since the one that died on sub, but also because I took my sweet time drafting MOON and made sure each draft had a level of polish that I didn’t bother with before.

   1. I also asked for an additional week to do line edits after my agent told me she thought we were ready to go on sub, which I didn’t do the first time and regretted lol. The more I write, the more particular I get, which I find is also true for my art journey.

4. Randomly, I already have some interest and an opportunity that I don’t think I can talk publicly about yet, but they both stemmed from my social media where I yapped about my books and writing projects. I think, mayhaps, that these happenstances would give me a leg up this time around. Unfortunately, we can’t beat the “social media is beneficial for authors” allegations…there is definitely something to be said about a) doing personal projects like indie publishing and b) yapping about your book on sub if you already have connections to the bookish community.

Things about this book I think would hurt my chances

1. Writing in a popular genre ultimately means that the market is extremely saturated with it. Books sold now won’t come out until one or two years later, so I think lots of imprints don’t want to overload their lists with romantasy/romantic fantasy, ‘cause ultimately, all hype dies down.

2. That, along with the general tokenism around “Asian fantasy”, MOON could very well get lost in the crowd. I’m not gonna pretend to have the shortest end of the stick here because most of the commercially successful Asian fantasy is Chinese or East Asian, but it might be harder to sell because of said tokenism and being “just another Chinese fantasy”.

   1. You never hear anyone complaining about too much white ppl fantasy but anyways—

3. I also feel that MOON is a bit subversive to the point where it might not be the most commercially viable romance. My FMC is on the aromantic spectrum, and my MMC is kinda femme, so that definitely changes your expected romantic dynamics.

   1. I’ve heard rumblings from readers that they want something new in romantasy, but I’m extremely skeptical, because I think people get upset when gender roles are broken too much in a hetero-presenting pairing haha.

4. Publishing is downsizing, imprints are shutting down, and editors are getting laid off left, right, and center, so it’s a tough time for all of us tbh! In this market, ideally I would be a successful indie author who already has a track record of selling lots of adult romantasy, which I sadly am not…YET.

   1. MOON would be my trad and adult debut if it ever gets picked up, so I essentially have zero track record of selling in this genre. I have no idea how much of my indie YA readership would transfer. Sooo kind of a risk for publishers…as are all debuts, I guess!

Feelings Then vs Now

Ultimately, there’s no predicting what’s going to happen, because a lot of publishing is luck and timing and numbers—things I have no control over.

As of now, I’m feeling pretty good because this manuscript is more to-market than my previous. I also feel more ready because of my previous experience on sub, and I’ve decided to prepare for the best rather than the worst. Dare I say I am delusionally optimistic? But, if it leads to nothing, I think I’ll be okay too.

I was also optimistic my first time on sub, but I tempered that optimism by trying very hard not to feel anything, which was unrealistic. I recently heard sub described as a dysregulating experience, and I feel that is the perfect word for it. I was very dysregulated LOL.

This time, I’m giving myself permission to be obsessive, anxious, delusional, stressed, and miserable. The emotional rollercoaster is inevitable, so I’m going in eyes wide open!

Hopefully I can have a positive update to this, but, you know, maybe not 😂.