Bill Cotter: On the Ups and Downs of Publishing a Novel
Award-winning writer Bill Cotter shares his experience writing and publishing The Splendid Ticket, which involved a two-year edit and rejection before eventually finding its way to the right publishing house.
Bill Cotter is the author of the novels Fever Chart, The Parallel Apartments, and The Splendid Ticket, all published by McSweeney’s. He is also responsible for the middle-grade adventure series Saint Philomene’s Infirmary for Magical Creatures, penned under the name W. Stone Cotter, and published by Macmillan.
Cotter’s short fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, Electric Literature, and McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern. An essay, “The Gentleman’s Library,” was awarded a Pushcart Prize. Cotter lives in Austin with his wife, the sensational mezzo-soprano Kristine Olson. His books are for her. When he is not writing, Cotter labors in the antiquarian book trade.
Name: Bill Cotter
Literary agent: Adam Eaglin at Cheney Literary Associates
Book title: The Splendid Ticket
Publisher: McSweeney's
Release date: December 6, 2022
Genre/category: Literary Fiction
Previous titles: Fever Chart (McSweeney's, 2009), The Parallel Apartments (McSweeney's 2014), Saint Philomene's Infirmary for Magical Creatures (under the pen name W. Stone Cotter, Holt/Macmillan 2018), Second Chance (under the pen name W. Stone Cotter, Holt/Macmillan 2021).
Elevator pitch for the book: A young Texas family suffers a terrible domestic tragedy. Ten years later, on the brink of dissolution, they win a massive lottery.
(WD uses affiliate links.)
What prompted you to write this book?
I was intrigued by the persistent fact that lottery winners always seem to wind up with less than they started with.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
It was originally a short story titled "The Daily Racing Form," about a woman who'd won a large lottery, and wished to avoid the pitfalls suffered by other winners. She interviews another winner about her experiences.
My agent thought the story felt like something larger—a novel— and suggested I expand it. It took a few years, but I finished a full draft of a novel based on the original story.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Oh yes! When the novel draft was finished, Adam submitted it to an editor at a publishing house, who very much liked the basic idea, but felt that it should be a "shorter, quieter" book. The editor gave me a roadmap for revision, which I followed carefully.
Two years later, I sent the new draft to the editor. By that time, though, he had moved on to another publishing house, who had no interest in the book. Deflated, I put the draft in a drawer, and forgot about it.
Later, my wife, Krissy Olson (then my girlfriend), suggested I send it to McSweeney's, who had published my first two novels. Amanda Uhle, the publisher, responded positively, and after a fresh edit, she took the book on as their last novel of 2022.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
This was the first time in my limited experience as a novelist that the characters really took over the story. After some initial resistance, I began listening to where they wanted to take the story; what they wanted their witnesses to remember.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I think I would be content if any readers who finish the book are inspired to write their own novel.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Read your work out loud. Listen for hiccups, note any discordance, mark any interruptions to the rhythm, both on a smaller scale, and in a larger, chapter- to-chapter way. If the story doesn't have a certain music when read out loud, it will not likely resonate in a reader's head.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
