Genevieve Cogman: On Changes During the Editing Process

Genevieve Cogman is a freelance author who has written for several role-playing game companies. She currently works for the National Health Service in England as a clinical classifications specialist. She is the author of the Invisible Library series, including The Mortal World, The Lost Plot, The Burning Page, The Masked City, and The Invisible Library. Find her on Twitter.

Genevieve Cogman

In this post, Genevieve discusses the thoughts she wrote down that ultimately led to her new historical fantasy novel, Scarlet, her advice for writers, and more!

Name: Genevieve Cogman
Literary agent: Lucienne Diver
Book title: Scarlet
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Release date: May 9, 2023
Genre/category: Fantasy/Alternate History/Horror
Previous titles: The Invisible Library series (The Invisible Library, The Masked City, The Burning Page, The Lost Plot, The Mortal Word, The Secret Chapter, The Dark Archive, The Untold Story)
Elevator pitch for the book: The Scarlet Pimpernel with vampires in Revolutionary France.

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What prompted you to write this book?

I was turning over various ideas about future projects for when I’d come to a pause in the Invisible Library series, and I ended up writing down a list of things which interested me or which I thought would be entertaining to explore. Two of the items on the list, “vampires” and "The Scarlet Pimpernel," jumped out at me as topics which demanded to be associated. I added “embroidery” and went from there.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

I mentioned the idea to both my agent and to my current U.K. editor, both of whom thought it had potential but that I’d need to develop it further before they could take it any further. That was in August 2019, I think. At the time I was also in the middle of writing more of the Library series, so this idea went on the back burner while I attended to my current deadlines.

In the meantime, I did some research on the period, reread some of the original Scarlet Pimpernel books, roughed out the supernatural background to the story, and put a more coherent plot together. Originally the protagonist was a body double for a random French vampire aristocrat, and the League was a great deal less sympathetic. As the plotting continued, I realized that I wanted the League to be basically decent (if occasionally a bit thick, wrong-headed, imperceptive, and blinded by the biases of the period) and that there was room to scale things up and involve royalty. Half the plot-building was careful steps of the “now this logically happens next” type, and the other half was “ooh, this is a good idea, how do I fit it in.”

And then things got changed during the editing process, as they do, because one’s editor has useful ideas and is coming at it with a new perspective. Some plot threads got tweaked, a dramatic section toward the end was incorporated, and so on.

So, about four years from idea to publication, and multiple changes during the process—though ultimately for the better, I think.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

There weren’t any particular surprises in the publishing process this time round: I’d already been through several rounds of publication during the writing of the Invisible Library series, so I was used to the rounds of line edits, copy edits, final edits, proofreading, publicity pieces, and so on. It never gets any easier, though.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

I found it surprisingly easy to give voice to Eleanor’s feelings in a number of scenes—clearly, I have some suppressed opinions about the aristocracy! I also found the character of Chauvelin more sympathetic in some ways than Sir Percy himself. I think that from our perspective nowadays, we can find the “zealot who goes too far” more relatable than the “rich man who claims to be just in it for the thrills.”

The research was also very interesting: My understanding of the period was mostly from fiction, and from fiction set at a slightly later point at that (Georgette Heyer’s historical romances, Jane Austen, etc). A number of inventions and attitudes of the period are more “modern” than we might think.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I hope they’ll enjoy it. I hope they’ll be able to indulge in escapism. If they do learn a few new facts about the Georgian period and the French Revolution, that’s a bonus. If it causes them to seriously consider the nature of revolution, counterrevolution, mob rule, tyranny, aristocratic oppression, and societal change, then that’s all positive. But ultimately, I just want people to enjoy the story.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

To borrow from Lois McMaster Bujold, “The author reserves the right to have a better idea.” Sometimes you will have carefully planned out a plot twist, or a straightforward bit of narrative, or a character interaction, and you will find all your hard work overset by a new idea that comes to you like a gift. I’m not saying that the new inspiration is always right—but sometimes it is, and then you can only sigh and be grateful it came to you now rather than even later in the process when you’d have even more to rewrite.

But on the positive side, nobody will actually know you didn’t have the brilliant idea until partway through writing—well, unless you tell them …

While there’s no shortage of writing advice, it’s often scattered around—a piece of advice here, words of wisdom there. And in the moments when you most need writing advice, what you find might not resonate with you or speak to the issue you’re dealing with. In A Year of Writing Advice, the editors of Writer’s Digest have gathered thoughts, musings, and yes, advice from 365 authors in dozens of genres to help you on your writing journey.

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