Day 14: Sarah Raughley

Sarah Raughley is the Nigerian-Canadian author of The Effigies Series, The Bones of Ruin Trilogy and The Queen’s Spade. A finalist of the Aurora Award, Raughley is also an English professor and public intellectual who has written for journals such as The Walrus, CBC, and Teen Vogue. Her creative work is inspired by a confluence of experiences, from being a huge fangirly blerd to being a postcolonial researcher and academic. You can find out more about her work at sarahraughley.com.

The Journey: My Path to Publishing

I’ve always been telling stories since I was a child! But I never actually thought I could get published until I took a creative writing course in undergrad at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Something just stirred within me and I decided to give it a shot. I started working on a YA novel, and had no idea what I was doing. It ended up being over 200,000 words! So I had to cut it down a little bit lol. After millions of rewrites and getting advice from other writers, I finally created a manuscript good enough to get an agent, but it didn’t sell. I had to trunk that novel.

I did finally sell my first work to a very small indie publisher in the UK, but the publisher went under about a month after the book released. The book was no longer in print. It was a big heartbreak for me. But I just kept going. I eventually sold and published The Effigies series with Simon & Schuster followed by The Bones of Ruin Trilogy with the same publisher. However, if I had let the many heartbreaks (and at times, psychological warfare) of the publishing industry get me, I probably would have quit a long time ago. It’s tough, especially as a Black Canadian author, but I’m glad I didn’t lose faith.

The Inspiration: Who/What Inspired Me

All Black writers inspire me. Every time I read one, I learn something new. I learn that there are multiple perspectives, multiple experiences, multiple localities of Blackness. I learn different writing styles and all the different interests that Black writers have in different genres. We all face similar struggles even if we don’t realize it. The fact that others have kept going in the face of so many barriers is what inspires me to write.

I’ve been telling stories since I was a child, but I was not able to write a Black heroine until I was 14 years old. I remember it so clearly. It’s the books written by all Black authors that affirm me and help me realize that my voice is needed in this space.

Sarah Raughley’s 2024 book release

The Process: How I Work

I work very messily and with a lot of anxiety. So many deadlines, not just from the writing world, but also from my day job! So many commitments, so many committees, so many grades to mark, plus books to write, plus books to promote! I work sometimes just by prioritizing what I need to do first and going at things step by step. I also measure the demands of others against my own needs and capabilities. I’m learning how to be stronger, strong enough to say ‘no’ in order to protect my mental health and keep my sanity. Writing is as much a psychological struggle as much as anything else. I work by being gentle with myself and always being aware of my limits.

I put a lot of time into researching and outlining. But it can be hard to sit down and write the first words. That’s where the anxiety usually comes in lol it usually pushes me to write something, especially when I know I have to. But time management also helps keep one anxiety-free when writing. You don’t feel so much like you’re writing against a deadline, but you’re doing this for fun. As long as you leave plenty of time for rest!

The State of the Industry: Facts, insights, and Opinions about publishing today

I think YA publishing is in a very weird place now. Nobody can agree on who these books should be written for — middle-aged adults or actual youths? If it’s written for youths, then are we taking into account the very real reading challenges that middle and high school students are facing, especially with education cuts and book bans? It’s especially difficult for BIPOC and particularly Black authors trying to write for the trade publishing industry, since the industry’s commitment to diversity tends to ebb and flow according to the political climate, which right now is leaning quite conservative. A lot of Black authors, even bestsellers, are struggling to sell their books and perhaps some readers in 2025 aren’t as interested in reading diversely as they said they were in 2018. BIPOC authors are being told not to write Middle Grade books. We’re being told romantasy is over just as we have been starting to get in on the trend. Things are changing and it can be hard to keep up, but authors are finding new ways to find readers and to tell stories.

Continuing to tell our stories is what really matters. I hope nobody feels discouraged.

Sarah Raughley’s 2025 book release

Photo Credit: Melanie Gillis

www.sarahraughley.com

@s_raughley on all social media accounts