How to write and publish three books in five years: A Guest Post by Thuy On

First of all, I should add a caveat… the title should actually read: How to write and publish three poetry books in five years. I have no experience writing book-length fiction or non-fiction–nor do I have any inclination to pursue these paths. Still, even writing poetry books and then trying to publish and promote them takes some stamina.

So, let’s begin with the first one. Turbulence was published in 2020, a few weeks before the pesky COVID-19 shuttered my hometown of Melbourne. The road to its publication was as torturous as you’d expect from a debut book. Even though I’m a literary/arts journalist and critic of 25-years standing and thereby proficient at writing about other people’s books, this was the first time I’d ventured to write one of my own. So I was naive about the process of both writing a book and finding a home for it.

In retrospect, such naivete also worked in my favour. I had only a vague hunch about what it might take to find a publisher (sans agent), so I was optimistic about my prospects, and also fuelled by a fierce determination.

Once I completed Turbulence,I did some research into poetry publishers in Australia. Alas, the research did not take very long, as there are only a handful in this country. The big multinationals are indifferent to the point of hostility (where’s the money or the prestige?); it’s up to the small presses to pick up the slack. 

I sent emails to a few poetry-receptive publishers and the responses were polite rejections. Bear in mind, in many instances the manuscript had not even been sent to them–I was merely soliciting interest. Not only is poetry so niche, I had no previous experience in this genre, so their reluctance was understandable. But I was convinced of Turbulence’s worth and thus prevailed. I was ready to squeaky wheel it everywhere until I was heard. I am very stubborn. It can be seen as a bad trait, but in this instance it was a boon. (Lesson one: being persistent/annoying can eventually pay off.)

I slid into the inbox of Terri-Ann White, who was then publisher at University of Western Australia Publishing (UWAP). Somehow I managed to sweet talk her to accept the manuscript for perusal. It was most likely curiosity that kept the door ajar. It wasn’t so much a cold sell but a lukewarm one, because White was already familiar with my journalistic/critical portfolio and knew I could at least string together a decent sentence. She just needed verification that I could wrangle words into suitably poetic forms. Fortunately, after a few weeks of my anxiously waiting, she accepted my manuscript.  

As I’d never written an entire collection of poetry before, I thought it was prudent to have Turbulence professionally edited. UWAP does not have an editor who specialises in poetry and I felt it needed the scrupulous eye of a working poet. And so I reached out to the late (and great) Jordie Albiston, who did a sterling job bonsai-pruning the manuscript to the best shape it could be. I still remember the most important piece of advice she offered for the novice poet: read your words out loud –that way you can feel where the rhythm falls.

Without much further ado, Turbulence was published. But as it was released during COVID times, I was denied any chance of promoting it at in-person events. 

All this is a prelude to why my second book, Decadence, was released not long after: in 2022.

I felt cheated that, despite it having a good critical reception (including a shortlisting in the Mary Gilmore Award), I didn’t get to discuss my book nor read out any poetry with live audiences. I was particularly upset that prolonged state sanctions against a contagious virus meant preparations for a launch were not merely postponed but quashed altogether. Turbulence was never officially launched in any public setting, and as this was my debut effort I felt bitterly disappointed.

So, I started writing Decadence during the many months of lockdown with the grim determination that this time, damn it, I was going to get the launch I was so looking forward to. I am already a naturally quick writer, but the desire to release a second volume of poetry so soon after the first one spurred me on even more. (Lesson two: sometimes frustration can be a catalytic force.)

By the time Decadence was finished, White had left UWAP and started up her own publishing company, Upswell. But I decided to offer my second collection to UWAP again, this time under the new publisher: Kate Pickard. I like the idea of continuity of responsibility, of having one publishing house being caretaker for all my books. The usual few months of agonising waiting occurred before I found out UWAP was happy to add it to their list.

Decadence was duly published in 2024 as we were easing out of lockdown and I organised the launch I so desired: on a winter’s night in a luxe location with velvet chaise longues, cupcakes, hors d’oeuvres and a small pot-bellied fire roaring quietly in the centre. Powerhouse poet Maxine Beneba Clarke was coaxed into launching it and I also had a friend of a friend write a song based on one of my poems. The venue was chosen for its apposite name to reflect the title of the book: Seddon Deadly Sins.

The third book, Essence, came about so soon too simply because I had leftover poems that were written after the deadline for Decadence. Just a few, but enough to make me think that I could build a new book from these random blocks. 

Like its predecessors, book number three was also written quickly and published earlier this year in February. Why was it written so fast? Because creatively and personality-wise, I am wildly impatient. I am not a writer who can wait years between the publication of books. 

There is a definite through-line that connects Turbulence, Decadence and Essence. Once again, I traded in poems that primarily survey love, loss and language. There is a slight difference, however; inspired by my arts criticism, the first third of Essence is ekphrastic in design. But these poems are not just about visual artworks; they are also about movies, books, music and live performance. Like its predecessors, Essence was written for someone like me: an unapologetic artsy bookworm.

UWAP, possibly buoyed by the fact that Decadence was longlisted in the 2023 Stella Awards, accepted Essence.  Also, although the advances for both Turbulence and Decadence were not huge (c’mon, we’re talking poetry here from a tiny outfit, not a crime fiction from a behemoth publisher) I managed to sell enough copies to receive royalties for both. It meant UWAP had faith in me because I had a good track record now and would likely not lose them money if they were to accept my third book. Remember, they may trade in cultural capital but publishers are still businesses and think as such–the bottom line is often a determiner in whether your work is published. (Lesson number three: use whatever successes you had with your previous books to sell the idea of your next.)

Due to the typical drawn-out processes of publication, it took a lot less time to actually write these books than it did to usher them into print. There was a lot to consider, including wrangling covers with the designated artist and making sure the acknowledgments pages were all-encompassing! 

Having three books released in five years is not something I’d recommend; it’s certainly not for the faint-hearted and for those who work at a slower pace, and probably not the best idea for novelists who trade in tens of thousands of words. But for me, it was a metaphorical and physical rush to have Turbulence, Decadence and Essence published in quick succession. I now consider them a trilogy of sorts, with commonalities of themes threading them together.

If I were ever to write a fourth book, I think I will go differently about it, simply because I need a new challenge. It’ll still be poetry, but maybe this time a verse novel or a single-themed collection. I don’t know yet. For now, I am happy to remain in an indefinite fallow period until inspiration flies by and can be butterfly-netted and pinned down on paper. 

Thuy On is an arts journalist, editor, critic and poet. She has three collections of poetry published by UWAP: Turbulence (2020), Decadence (2022) and Essence (2025.)

More from Thuy on my blog can be found here.