Wena Poon: How To Live Your Dream Of Being An Author

Singaporean writer Wena Poon demystifies the path to being a published author by sharing her experiences and struggles.

By: Melanie Lee

When did you know that you wanted to write?
I don’t believe writing is some rarefied, divine talent. I do believe, however, that it hits you young.  It all started when a family friend gave me my first set of Enid Blyton books when I was 6 or 7.  I was hooked.  Suddenly a switch was turned on.  I began reading and writing tons.  By the age of 10, I was a writer and by 14, I seriously believed I was a novelist.

How did your parents and friends react to your writing ambitions?
At their best, they tried to be supportive in an ignorant, helpless way.  At their worst, I was scolded and ridiculed for wasting time and being a dreamer.  Even today, many Singaporean parents believe that books are good for kids but fail to make the leap from encouraging a child to read to encouraging a youth to become a writer.  They just think that books are meant for you to get good marks at school.

How did you feel when you received your first rejection letter?
I don’t really remember the first rejection letter in particular.  I do remember my first rejection letter after MPH published Lions In Winter.  Many people think that once you have a book out that has been listed for 2 literary prizes, it’s plain sailing.  Not true.

In this case, I got a rejection letter from a large US press, not because I submitted the book, but because a well-meaning person did, hoping that I would get a big US contract.

The US press Who Shall Not Be Named But One Day When They See This They Will Be Very Embarrassed thought I was writing literature in translation.  They asked me to try other publishers who specialize in this field.  They didn’t even realize Lions was originally written in English.  This really bothered me.

I also remember the huge shock when my second book, The Proper Care of Foxes was rejected by MPH, my own publisher.  I was depressed but I doubled my resolve.  Without an agent, I worked very hard and within a few weeks I lined up both a Singapore press and a London press to support my second book. The National Arts Council of Singapore also got behind it.  Bless them all.

Impatient with the traditional publishing world, I’ve started producing my own work.  Yes, self-publishing.  People think indie musicians and indie filmmakers are admirable and cool.  But everyone looks down on indie presses and on writers who self-publish.  It’s ridiculous.

You mention how your book manuscripts are still getting rejected. Don’t you find this repeated rejection tiring?
Yes.  Very tiring.  This is why I love technology.  If I can’t find any respectable publishers, I can self publish for US$399 and sell my stuff on Amazon.  I’d podcast it.  I’d distribute it myself for cheap using the Internet, and sell a story for $0.99 downloadable on iTunes.  The barriers between producer and consumer have come down.  Mr Big Publisher ain’t gonna stop me now, and he sure ain’t gonna tell me to sit down and shut up.  History wasn’t made by people who sat down and shut up.

What encouragement would you give to aspiring women writers who have been rejected by editors or publishers?
a) It may not be you or the quality of your work.  A lot of very poor writing gets published every day. If you are rejected a million times over, you are simply experiencing the gross inefficiencies of the traditional publishing model.

b) I’d like to share this quote from Ernest Hemingway.  If more aspiring writers heeded his advice, we would be knee-deep in good books:

“The great thing is to last and get your work done and see and hear and learn and understand; and write when there is something that you know; and not before; and not too damned much after.  Let those who want to save the world if you can get to see it clear and as a whole.  Then any part you make will represent the whole if it’s made truly.  The thing to do is work and learn to make it.” – Ernest Hemingway, Death in the Afternoon (1930).

How about some words of caution?
a) Don’t think that Big Publishing + Big Agent + Big Commercial Success is the Only Route to Publishing and getting heard.

b) The publishing industry is full of poorly written contracts and predatory business practices.  Do your research beforehand.  These days, everything – including sound advice – is posted on the Web.

c) Don’t focus on finding an agent, finding a publisher, making millions with your runaway success novel.  Don’t write some novel just to enter for some literary prize.  Above all, don’t feel like you need take a writing course to teach you How To Write A Novel.  These are all distractions.

d) Finally, when you do write something, don’t put it under a mattress.  Go on. Get out there and share your work with others.  I dare you. Life might surprise you.

Wena Poon is the author of Lions In Winter, which was listed for the Irish Frank O’Connor Award and the Singapore Literature Prize.  She has written two new books, The Proper Care of Foxes and The Biophilia Omnibus.  She has been invited to perform from her works in Ireland, England, Sweden, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Bali.  In Singapore, her books are carried by Earshot Café, Books Actually, and MPH Bookstores.