A Bookish Cinderella Story: Publishing My Debut Novel Twice
Author R.M. Gray shares the story of self-publishing her novel and then republishing it with her dream traditional press afterward.
Something transformative happens when you publish a book. The clock strikes 12, and all enchanting notions of perfectionism and completeness are stripped away. You’re left standing barefoot on the steps of the palace, holding a sneaker in one hand and a lukewarm cup of coffee in the other, and you must accept that there’s nothing more you can do but hope for the best.
When I self-published my debut novel, Nightweaver, in 2023, that’s exactly what I did. I never expected that I would get the chance of a lifetime—the chance to publish my book…again.
It all started with an email. If you’ve ever dreamed of publishing, you’ve probably spent hours reading articles warning aspiring authors of the notorious literary agent scam. I certainly had. But I’d decided when I began writing Nightweaver that I wouldn’t query agents, therefore, my inbox was marked safe from scammers (well, of the literary agent variety).
So, when I received an unsolicited email from a literary agent at United Talent Agency, saying he’d seen an interview I’d done with my local news outlet discussing Nightweaver, I thought I was being scammed. After all, this kind of thing doesn’t happen to people like me; a big-time New York City agent doesn’t reach out to an unknown author from a small town in Texas about a book she thought no one would ever even know existed.
But there I was, feeling a bit like Cinderella—only instead of a glass slipper, I was holding a black-and-blue book called Nightweaver, its cover adorned with gothic illustrations of dragons and pirate-ships. Still, in all the excitement, I was faced with two words that seemed to loom larger than life: What now?
Enter my dream publisher, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Nightweaver is a fantasy I like to describe as The Pirates of the Caribbean meets gothic Downton Abbey, but with a dark, magical twist. From the start, the team (dubbed Team Nightweaver, if you happen to take a peek at any given email thread) understood the vision for this story, these characters, and this world. When it came time to reimagine the cover, the team wanted to remain true to the original while giving it the iconic flair LBYR is known for—striking color palettes, breathtaking artwork, and special features that shine. I couldn’t be more thrilled with the result, and there are still days when I see it on my shelf and think, “Is that really my book?”
I’m not sure it will ever feel real, but I know one thing for certain: This time around, I intend to slow down, take a deep breath, and savor every moment of this rare opportunity to relive the release of my debut novel. When the clock strikes 12, I won’t flee the palace, worrying if there was something more I could have done, or if there’s anything I might have done differently.
I’ll linger a little longer at the party, and I’ll celebrate with the readers who made this dream of mine possible—those who have believed in me and supported me since the indie release of Nightweaver, and those who have joined me along the way; those who have chosen to reenter this tale of pirates and magic, and those who will journey into the world of Nightweaver for the very first time. And if my carriage happens to turn back into a pumpkin…Well, I suppose I’ll just have to hail a cab.
Check out R.M. Gray's Nightweaver here:
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R.M. Gray is an author and full-time mac and cheese enthusiast who hails from a quaint Texas town best known for its soda, shiplap, and mammoth graveyards. She lives beside a field of bluebonnets with her film fanatic husband and two giant dogs, where she enjoys writing stories about pirates, magic, mystery, and all things fantastical. A self-proclaimed expert at whistling and a dedicated collector of lightsabers, she spends her days drinking too much earl grey tea, rewatching old cartoons, and thinking up new ways to break readers’ hearts. (Photo credit: Kayla Pavao)
