Chloe Gong: A Full-time Student and Bestselling Author

Writing a novel is difficult but writing a novel and getting it published while being a full-time student seems almost impossible. This past fall, Simon and Schuster published These Violent Delights, which became a New York Times bestseller. The author, Chloe Gong, is in her senior year at the University of Pennsylvania studying English and International Studies. Gong had always dreamt of becoming a published author and on November 19th, 2020 that dream came true. She spoke to me recently about her writing and being a young author.

Taylor Thomason: When did you discover your passion for writing?

Chloe Gong: When I was 12-13ish! It was during the height of my reading obsession for Young Adult fiction (YA) because YA was in its commercial boom, and I was tearing through stack after stack of library books way too quickly. I started to write my own story because I was bored and wanted some escapism, and I’ve been writing ever since then.

TT: How did you come up with the idea for These Violent Delights?

CG: I wanted to write a blood feud-esque story, because I was fascinated by the concept of two characters caught on opposing sides of an age-old war where the reason for the hatred had long been lost to time. The more I considered it, the more it seemed like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, so I decided to completely embrace the similarities and do a retelling with a whole new lens: by plopping these characters and themes into 1920s Shanghai.

TT: Did you experience any difficulties during your writing process and how did you overcome them?

CG: During my writing and revising process, it was mostly a matter of finding the time to work on the manuscript. Being a student is a hard thing to juggle alongside writing, because student life doesn’t have the same boundaries as, say, a 9-5 fulltime job would have. After class hours, I could choose to work on my manuscript… or I could catch up on an assignment, since it is not like being a student ever ends. I had to prioritize a lot and make a very meticulous calendar, making sure I was applying equal time to writing obligations and student obligations, so I wasn’t falling behind on either.

TT: How long did it take you to complete These Violent Delights?

CG: It’s almost complicated to explain! The outline came together over the course of a year, because I devised the concept before freshman year and added bits and pieces throughout the school year while I was too busy to properly write. Then when I was on summer break and had time, I wrote the whole first draft in about a month or so. Then, after signing with an agent, it took about two years post-agent signing and then a post-book deal working on different stages of revision to get it to what it is today.

TT: Did you have a mentor during this process?

CG: I didn’t! I was very much a lone wolf in the years leading up to These Violent Delights, and then I head-dived into the industry by googling every question I have. I guess I would consider my agent the closest I have to a mentor!

TT: Did you consider self-publishing?

CG: I didn’t, because when I set out to get published, I wanted to reach as many readers as I possibly could, so the big, traditional publishers were my aim!

TT: What was your first step in finding an agent?

CG: Google! There are so many resources that are available for free online, so all I did was type all the necessary keywords about finding an agent and breaking into the traditional publishing industry, and a whole host of blog posts and agent interviews came up to walk me through the whole process.

TT: How did you know the agent you chose was right for you?

CG: To sound cliché, it was just a feeling. When we got on the phone for the first time after my agent offered, it was really clear to me that she got the story that I was trying to tell, and that she would champion me through my career. I also spoke to some of her other current clients who confirmed how amazing she was, and it was a done deal from there.

TT: What kinds of obstacles did you face during the process of finding a publisher?

CG: Mostly just the usual run-of-the-mill obstacles for every writer trying to break into the industry. Books are so subjective, and even more so when you’ve written one that isn’t common in the American publishing industry, like a story set in 1920s Shanghai that tackles colonialism and imperialism. Gatekeepers carry biases, and it takes a whole team coming behind a book to sign it as a sale. Thankfully, after four months on submission, an amazing team at S&S took my book on.

TT: Simon & Schuster is one of the biggest publishing companies in America. How does it feel to be published by them?

CG: It’s an absolute honor, because I know how much power they have when it comes to distribution and getting a book out there, and that’s all I’ve wanted.

TT: Do you see yourself becoming a full-time writer?

CG: I would love to be a full-time writer, but I think by virtue of being a college senior right now, my future is quite uncertain as I feel around what my post-graduation options are!

TT: What was your experience writing the sequel Our Violent Ends?

CG: It was both harder and easier, in the sense that it’s harder to write a follow-up because there are now reader expectations, publisher expectations, etc., etc. On a craft level, though, it was easier because I could hit the ground running since the world has been set up already in Book 1 and I could dive right into the story where we left off in These Violent Delights.

TT: Can fans anticipate a third book in your series?

CG: Unfortunately, These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends is only a duology, but never say never when it comes to more stories within the world!

TT: Have you seen an improvement in your writing since you began college?

CG: I think so, but more because experience brings improvement in craft, as opposed to anything concrete that college is teaching me! The more I write, the more I learn, and the stronger I feel my stories growing. Being a college student exposes me to new ideas and new ways to see the world, so in that sense, it adds perspective to my writing to help its growth.

TT: How did you manage being a full-time student and writing a novel?

CG: So much calendar scheduling! I have to plan out my days and weeks far in advance to make sure I’m not missing any deadlines, since balancing full-time student work and novel writing is really just keeping up with deadlines from my professors and publisher. As long as I’m staying on track, I’m keeping afloat!

TT: How do you think your age factored into the process of getting your book published?

CG: I write YA, so I think being young has really helped me keep a finger on the pulse of YA since I am still so close to the target audience. I always feel quite confident about knowing the “market” and knowing what the teens are currently raving about, which I think steers my hand when it comes to finding new ideas and following through on ideas. That being said, because the majority of the industry is older, the industry is catered to them, and being older is the norm. A lot of people are condescending because they don’t think younger authors are as capable, which I can’t really do much about except to keep going and find people who will take me seriously.

TT: What advice would you give to other young writers?

CG: Make sure you have a very firm sense of self-confidence! As I said above, being a younger writer means that many people won’t take you as seriously, and it’s easy to get spoken over because young writers are a minority in the industry. Take yourself seriously, respect your work, and make sure that other people are respecting your work too—and then nothing can push you down.