Today, Olivia from YA-Mag sat down with 18-year-old Virginian author SG Night about his novel, ATTRITION!
The mighty demonic Dominion has long held captive the nation of Io. The humans are in chains. The elves were long ago exiled. And Io’s race of battle-mages were all but eradicated by the demons and their ilk.
Racath is among the remaining few mages surviving in secret. A strong but opinionated young assassin, he helps work from the shadows against the Dominion. But how can he and the others win a war when their leader keeps more secrets from them than the demons?
Now, as a tangle of conspiracies, secrets, and ancient prophecies sweeps Racath away, he must choose his destiny: will he become the savior of Io, or allow it die in the darkness, under the Dominion’s iron fist?
Olivia with YA-Mag: Sam, welcome to Young Adult Magazine!
YA: What sets Racath’s story apart from other epic fantasies of chosen ones and oppressed races, like STAR WARS or ERAGON? What will readers find in you and ATTRITION that they can’t find anywhere else in YA books?
SG Night: In a lot of YA chosen-one type stories, the main characters have greatness thrust upon them–Harry Potter had his prophecy, Eragon was selected by the dragon egg–and that forces them into a conflict in which they otherwise wouldn’t have taken part.
Racath, on the other hand, has been involved with the fight against the Demons for most of his life. He has always wanted to do everything he could to do his part. So, when he is told that he is destined to be the savior of Io, that everyone’s fate now rests on his shoulders, it feels like it’s being thrust on him at first–but what he comes to realize is that he isn’t a “chosen-one” for some arbitrary reason; he wasn’t picked for the job just because, or because “it had to be somebody”. No, Racath was selected by the divine powers because, in his heart, he had already volunteered. Once he accepts that, the fact that he was chosen to save Io becomes less important, and his desire to save Io comes to the forefront.
It’s Racath’s willingness to act that I think really makes him different. If you were to ask most YA heroes why they do what they do, the honest answer is usually “Because I have to” or “Because I was chosen to”. But if were to ask Racath the same question, he would answer: “Because I choose to.”
YA: Because none of us grew up in bubble, I know that every author has influences beyond the obvious! What non-book influences (films, television shows, music, plays, etc) helped spark this story? Were you ever inspired by other young authors?
SGN: I was pretty heavily inspired by films and games in addition to books. V for Vendetta–both as a graphic novel and a film–played a huge role in defining a lot of my political perspectives, which comes out in Attrition in the form of anti-Dominion sentiments. I’ve heard Racath described as “vicious, but justifiably so”, which was partly reflective of the character of V. A lot of sci-fi/fantasy video games influenced some of my world-building and stylistic motifs, such as the Elder Scrolls franchise–and, while it came out a little too far down the line to be considered an “influence”, Dishonored bears some striking resemblances to some aspects of my work in terms of character development.
As for other young authors, Paolini was definitely a lightning bolt for me. I’ve had these stories in my head since I was six years old, but for most of my life I thought I would have to hold out until my adult life before I could really be a writer. Eragon convinced me otherwise; not only had a teenager done it–written a book and lived the dream of being published–but he’d done it well, and with awesome success.
YA: As a teenager yourself reading and writing YA novels, what are some of your favorite YA novels?
SGN: I’m very blessed to have had parents that read to me as a child. They started Harry Potter read to my siblings and me when I was still an infant, and as a result, I’ve always had a love for books–plus, an abnormally high reading level. That being said, I did most of my YA reading pretty young, and progressed to more mature genres when I was about 13. I am, however, a fan of a few YA books that I read later on, including the Inheritance Cycle. I was also one of those Percy Jackson hipsters who discovered The Lightning Thief before Rick Riordan became a household name. I’m also into a lot of Tamora Pierce’s stuff, and some of the more light-hearted books by Karen Miller, like Wizard Squared.
YA: I’m fascinated with how authors decide on a book’s title. Sometimes a title sticks from rough draft to published novel; sometime the author works with their agent or editor to find the perfect title. What is ATTRITION’s story?
SGN: “Attrition” is a bit of an obscure word. It’s a noun that means “the act of eroding, or wearing down over time”. However, it also has a secondary, even more obtuse meaning: “regret, specifically for fear of damnation”. You’ll notice now how the First Act of Penance part applies. I can’t say too much without spoiling anything, but the meaning behind a title actually derives from a second story interwoven with Racath’s–a story of regret and repentance that will eventually intersect with Racath’s path, and either block the way forever, or open the gate to his success.
YA: You’ve taken a hard road with the self-publishing route. What led you to this decision? Did you query with agents, editors, or publishers before considering self-publishing?
SGN: Really, it was about keeping my options open. I started doing research when I was getting close to finishing the draft of the book. I knew that publication through a traditional publishing house would offer me stability, comprehensive support and marketing–but it would be a long, hard battle to get a publisher’s attention. Not something a person of my age can afford. Also, I knew that I would have to sign away a lot of my rights in exchange for a very small royalty percentage–which is okay if the book sells, but if it doesn’t then I’d be screwed.
Self-publishing, on the other hand, would be a massive commitment of my own time, and having to perform a myriad of tasks in addition to writing, like my own marketing. But it was cheap, fast, and effective. Thanks to the internet, self-publishing isn’t just having 100 copies printed and selling them to your friends; now, you can put a book out there for anyone to buy and discover. Plus, I could keep all my rights and get a much larger share of the royalties. If the book sells as a self-published work, fantastic! If it doesn’t, I always have the option to try and get republished commercially… and I’d have a lot more leverage as a writer with a finalized, marketable product than as just another kid with a manuscript.
YA: I assume you’ve had to be your own editor, cover designer, and marketing and promotions manager: what has been the hardest part of getting ATTRITION into the hands of readers? Why is it important to you to share this story with others?
SGN: I actually did have a lot of help along the way. The cover art was a gift from a very talented friend of mine, and there were more than a few helping hands to help with the editing process. I did have to do quite a bit on my own, though, especially PR. So far, I think the hardest part has been getting the word out. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so it takes time for a niche-genre self-published book to make its way out into the light. Even so, it’s a nerve-wracking experience to be spending a sizeable portion of your time and money on advertising, press releases, and giving away free copies and not being able to see any immediate results.
As for why it’s so important to me: I wrote Attrition because I had to get it out of my head. Every day that went by, it got bigger and bigger. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It became an itch, something that I could only scratch by getting the words onto paper. But it was more than just a cathartic experience. The story wasn’t building inside my head just to torture me: it was trying to get out because it wanted to be told. And I want to be the one to tell it. Stories like this are meant to be shared, not scribbled out and forgotten.
YA: What advice would you give to fellow teens writing today who might consider publishing, either through a traditional publisher or with an on-demand printer?
SGN: Like I said, self-publishing is great if you want to keep your options open. It really is up to you, but my advice is to try self-publishing first, see if you can make it on your own. Explore your choices before you decide to sign your book away. If you try to sell a self-published work but fail, you can always take the traditional route as a backup. You can’t choose to take the solo-route if you go to a publisher first.
Self-publishing is also a great way for teen writers to show readers and publishers that you’re serious. Most people don’t take teen writing seriously because, in most cases, it’s just a hobby, something you’ll get bored with and give up on. Taking the time to polish it and perfect it on your own, acquiring cover art, promoting it, making it a marketable product — all those things show that you care about what you’ve created, and that you are hell-bent on finishing what you started. Christopher Paolini was discovered by Knopf after he self-published Eragon. Had he taken the book to a publisher first, they might never have taken him seriously.
YA: Last one! The internet can be very critical—saying that young writers have delusions of self-importance, literary mastery, huge sales and movie rights, while readers and critics find their work to be pedestrian and derivative. Have you encountered much negativity? What have you done to combat that? How can teens help each other reach for their goals?
SGN: I’ve actually gotten a lot of support and enthusiasm from the folks on the web. I’ve encountered very little negative response, but that’s mostly due to my own efforts. See, while it’s important to talk yourself up and promote your work, it’s also important not to paint a target on your back. I took special care to avoid the teen-writer stereotypes. I marketed myself as objectively as I could, did my best not to sound like a self-absorbed twit who thinks he deserves a Newberry Award just for writing a book, and let the work speak for itself.
There are a number of things that teen writers can do to help each other out. Spreading the word about someone who’s in the publishing process is a huge part. When it comes to the writing itself, it’s important to be encouraging, but also not to pull punches. One of my favorite beta readers is amazing at this — she can read what I write, praise me on things that are genuinely good, but also give me honest criticism about my shortcomings without damaging my confidence.
YA: Thank you very much, Sam! We look forward to hearing a lot more from you in the future!
Readers, be sure to check out SG Night at his website sgnightofficial.tumblr.com. Or follow him on Twitter @SGNightOfficial.
ATTRITION, self-published through CreateSpace, is now available online or through orders at your favorite local booksellers!