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I think it’s important in growth and learning to show what that has meant for me. My path started in college and has continued until now. It will continue long into the future. I am not done learning and I am not done rowing. I hope that I am not done changing.

I want to prove that I am not the person who posted those horrible tweets. I said terrible things and those things are unforgiveable, but they do not reflect the person I am now.

In college, I took many women’s studies classes which focused on diversity and intersectional feminism. My favorite author to read was bell hooks, but I also enjoyed Audre Lorde, Maya Angelou, Jacqueline Woodson, Toni Morrison and many more. These are authors I read in high school and college and have continued to explore since. I took a class on the Literature and Culture of India, and I am lucky that my English undergraduate and graduate studies involved diverse works.

I have always been an active ally and member of the LGBT+ community. One of my tweets involved a transphobic slur, and I know now how problematic it was. I was quoting a movie, a mistake I will never make again. I have learned that researching is important when it comes to quoting and making comments. I am vocal about my love for the LGBT+ community and will be a champion for these and all voices.

This is not an extensive list of what I have done. I have been vocal on Twitter supporting authors of color. My past and future reading lists are more diverse than ever. I am not the person who wrote those tweets. She is a version of me who no longer exists.

In terms of publishing, I have been out of the game for three years, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been paying attention. The publishing world is one I love, so I have continued to watch deals, read, and watch for new editors and job moves. I may not have been working in publishing, but I have kept myself involved quietly to ensure I could make a smooth transition back into the world. I still have my editor contacts list and have been reintroducing myself to the editors to get a feel for what they are looking for now. A lot can change in three years, but I am confident that it will be a smooth transition back into this world.

I know people are worried. People don’t trust me. I understand that position, and I know that there will be authors who won’t query me. There may even be editors who won’t consider me. I believe in writers, though, and I believe in the power of growth and change. I hope that I can earn the trust of those I hurt, and gain back the respect I once had in the publishing world.

When I was going to school at UConn, I learned what a literary agent was, and I knew I wanted to be one. I started as an intern with Talcott Notch Literary Agency, learning under the incredible guidance of Gina Panettieri, and was promoted to assistant and then junior agent.

The reasons why I left are outlined here. I am not hiding my past. I am hoping to move beyond it, because I have dreamed of being a literary agent for ten years, and I know I’m good at this work.

So, I am excited to announce that I am opening Tia Rose Mele Literary Agency! I have always wanted to open my on agency, and there’s no time like the present.

Starting on April 1st, I will be opening to queries for middle grade, young adult, and romance novels. I can’t wait to work with incredible authors to build their careers!

You know when you’re watching a movie about people making a movie/TV show and they say, “We’ll fix it in post?”

Well, so will you.

Your first draft doesn’t need to be perfect. It shouldn’t be perfect. You’re going to write and rewrite until it publishes, and then you’re going to wish you could write and rewrite some more, because there’s always something you could’ve done differently.

There are different camps when it comes to writing and editing. I’m firmly in the camp that you should write the entire project before you start editing. Some say you should edit as you go, but to me, that can cause problems.

You write chapter one. You go back and edit chapter one. Okay, that’s great. Now move on to chapter two. But, wait, you want to change more of chapter one, so you go back to that. Editing as you go can cause this road block where you want to perfect what you’ve already written before you move on. If this road block doesn’t get in your way, then okay, keep editing the way you have been.

But, since that’s not the case for most people, write first, edit later. Here’s how I suggest you work through your project. Now, remember, this won’t work for everyone, but it’s a starting point if you’re struggling!

1. Write the entire first draft from start to finish (if you have a prologue/epilogue, these are the only exceptions for me. Write these after you’ve edited, since so much can change! I may write a whole blog post on just this.)
2. Set the project aside. You’ve just written a ton of words (probably like 40,000 to 100,000, ideally!) and your brain needs a break from it. I recommend at least a week, longer if you can. Give your mind a chance to relax and recover after writing an entire book! You deserve it!
3. Read your entire first draft. Don’t make any changes. Take notes as you’re reading on things you might want to consider, maybe edit a couple grammar/spelling mistakes if you find them, but this should be a plain read-through. The idea here is to get a feel for your book as a whole before you start breaking it down again during the editing process. It can also help you catch continuity errors if you read from start to finish without stopping.
4. Take another break. This one can be shorter, just a day or two, so you can mull over what you’ve just read and come up with an editing plan.
5. Read again, and this time, start editing. Kill your darlings! (You can create a separate document with these darlings so you can use them in the future). Work on tightening your plot and strengthening your characters. You don’t have to focus as much on grammar/spelling/punctuation at this point. This is more of a developmental edit for you.
6. You guessed it, take another break! By this point, you’ve read your own work at least twice, and you need a palate cleanser before you dive back into it. Read other books in your genre at this point. You can also start working on your query letter here if you’re planning on submitting to agents or editors.
7. Read again, but do it out loud this time. This will help you with the flow of the book as well as with any issues you might have with dialogue.
8. Read through one more time for a copy edit. Focus on sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. I don’t necessarily think a break is necessary between these last two edits, but if you need one, take one!
9. Start submitting (or publish!) your book!

Of course, each of these read throughs might end up being multiple read throughs, especially when you get to step five. Which is why it’s important to take breaks. You want to love your story by the time you’re finished, and if you overwhelm yourself with it too soon, you might start to hate it.

Again, this is just my recommendation, as I write on my own and continue to work with editing clients (for more information, visit the editorial services tab!). The most important thing is to remember that your first draft is just that: a draft. No need to perfect it right away. You’ll fix it in post.

Xoxo Tia

Visit the new page on my website for information on my editorial services: http://tiarosemele.com/editorial-services/

I look forward to working with you!

xoxo Tia