Eric Smith is a Philly-based Young Adult author and literary agent. His newest book, Jagged Little Pill: The Novel, is an adaptation of the Grammy- and Tony-award-winning musical, and was written in collaboration with Alanis Morissette, Diablo Cody, and Glen Ballard.
Jagged Little Pill weaves together the story of five teenagers as they navigate love, family, and standing up for what’s right. With honesty, charm, and snapshots of texts between the characters, Smith transports readers into the lives of Frankie, Jo, Nick, Phoenix, and Bella, who are all searching for their voices. Seamlessly weaving in lyrics from the album, this book is a must-read for fans of Alanis Morissette (bonus points if you listen to the album while reading).
I had the opportunity to ask Smith a few questions through email about the process behind writing Jagged Little Pill and about balancing his work as a literary agent and as a writer.
Emma Zoe Polyak: To start, could you talk about how you got to where you are today? How did you get started as a literary agent, what prompted you to publish your first book, what did you study? Just a brief background.
Eric Smith: Ooh, that’s a lot! I guess the short version is, I moved to Philadelphia for graduate school, with plans to pursue writing and a career in publishing. Eventually, I landed at Quirk Books here in Philly, where I worked for a number of years, before moving into working as a literary agent, where I am now.
I was always writing, but my first book was actually published while I was at Quirk Books. I’d been writing a lot of essays about love and video games, and the publisher at the time asked me if I’d be interested in doing something bookish with them, so… The Geek’s Guide to Dating was published in 2013.
Since then, I’ve published eight other books, and my tenth book comes out in 2023. And then… I think maybe I’ll take a little breather.
EZP: Could you elaborate on what the process of adapting Jagged Little Pill: The Musical into a novel was like and how, if at all, the process differed from previous books you’ve written?
ES: It was very different. For one, I had the whole story already! It’s a Broadway musical, the lyric book existed, and it was my job to make it into a YA novel. Usually with my original work, I spend a lot of time plotting out the entire story, the character arcs, etc… but here, it was already there, I just had to expand on it.
The Broadway musical focuses a lot on the adults, and with good cause, I’d argue the musical is really about Mary Jane (the mother, MJ). So, the big challenge was pushing her into the background a bit and developing the characters of the teenagers who didn’t have huge, expanded roles in the actual show.
EZP: I have to ask, what was it like working with Alanis Morissette? Did you work with her directly?
ES: Hahaha, it was a lot less glamorous than folks think? I wish I had a fancy answer there, but in the era of COVID, it was just a lot of emails with everyone. But everyone involved, from Alanis to Diablo, was spectacular and wonderful. I feel very lucky.
EZP: What drew you to work on this project; how did you get involved?
ES: It’s a fun story! I talk a lot about how I want to write more books featuring adopted kids. I have (The Girl and the Grove) and I’ve done quite a few short stories about adoptees, but I wanted to write more. I’m adopted, so those stories are important to me. I was going on about it online and an editor, Maggie Lehrman (her novels are fantastic, btw, do look her up) took notice and reached out. She knew my other books, about my love of music and theater, and well, the creators wanted an adoptee to work on this specific project.
I said yes immediately. And now here we are! So if you’ve got something you want to be working on, shout it out and often. You might be surprised how the universe comes back around.
EZP: Was adapting Jagged Little Pill into a novel easier than writing a new book from scratch? I can imagine that the writing process is shortened by having an outline already, however, there’s something intimate about creating characters that are truly your own.
ES: It was easier in terms of putting the synopsis and outline together, because the story existed. But developing the characters and expanding their stories was tough, because you had to work on the confines of the actual show. What would work, with how things played out? It was tricky, but a lot of fun.
EZP: As a follow up to the previous question, what did you do, if at all, to familiarize yourself with the characters in the book? Did you do anything to make it your own?
ES: I read the script a bundle of times, read the behind the scenes book, read up on a lot of the reasons for Alanis’s songs that were in the show… a lot of research into it, and then, mining a bit from my own life. Some of the characters who weren’t as detailed in the show, I pulled from my life and my friends and my family, to give them more depth.
EZP: I noticed that you mentioned A Novel Idea in the book, a bookstore here in Philadelphia. Is including a Philly connection in your books something that you purposefully do, or was it a one-off here?
ES: Oh no, it’s purposeful. My novels Don’t Read the Comments, You Can Go Your Own Way, The Girl and the Grove, and the upcoming With or Without You are all set in Philadelphia.
EZP: In addition to being an author, you’re also a literary agent. Do you think that gives you an edge in your own writing? Do you ever find yourself thinking about your own works through the eyes of a literary agent, or do you try to keep the two roles separate?
ES: Hahah, no, I wish it gave me a slight edge, but my books get just as turned down as everyone else’s. I’m also very bad at listening to the business part of my brain, and will continue to write the kind of books I want no matter what marketing might be telling me. Write what you want.
EZP: As both an author and agent, what advice do you have for emerging writers?
ES: These days, to be patient? It’s taking folks longer than ever to read, to wrangle contracts, to get things together. Lots of people are at home and trying to figure out childcare. It’s tough, but I know everyone is trying their best.
EZP: You mainly write Young Adult books. What is it about this genre that appeals to you?
ES: There’s just something always relatable to the coming-of-age arc that just works for me. A story about change, growth, and learning who you are and what you’re meant to do… I just love those stories, and as someone who is an adult who feels like they haven’t quite figured out all that stuff yet, they always grab me in.
EZP: Thank you to Eric Smith for these thoughtful answers, and if you’re interested in learning more about him, reading his blog, or reading his books, you can find them all on his page here.
Emma Zoe Polyak is a sophomore at Drexel University, majoring in Psychology and English with a concentration in Writing. She is also studying on a pre-med track, with interests in pediatrics and neuroscience. Emma is the co-founder of Artist’s POCket, an organization that provides resources for artists of color and she is the Associate Fiction Editor at BreakBread Literacy Project. She enjoys writing everything from poems to creative nonfiction. In her free time, she likes reading, watching films, listening to music, and spending time with her friends and family.