In 2024, I met Canadian novelist Elinor Florence on the QM2 writing retreat. She and I had a session the place we mentioned the launch of her forthcoming novel, Discovering Flora, from Simon & Schuster Canada, and the way she would possibly deal with her earlier two novels that had been languishing with a unique, smaller writer. I advocated self-publishing after her rights reverted, however she ended up taking place a unique path that has gone tremendously effectively.

Discovering Flora launched on April 1, 2025. It’s a piece of historic fiction about girls homesteaders on the Canadian prairies. It was an immediate number-one bestseller in Canada and has been on the Canadian nationwide bestseller checklist for 27 weeks. It was additionally named certainly one of Indigo’s prime ten novels for 2025. To this point it has bought about 25,000 copies (24,000 in Canada and 1,000 within the US) and nonetheless going sturdy.

Based mostly on that success, Simon & Schuster provided Florence a three-book deal. They may reissue each earlier novels with new covers in 2026, plus a brand new historic novel to be launched in spring 2027.

Final month, I despatched her questions concerning the excellent success of Discovering Flora.

Jane Friedman: Discovering Flora has become a career-changing guide for you. When did you first sense that this novel was connecting with readers differently than your earlier work?

Elinor Florence: I had no concept that the novel can be so successful till a number of days after it was launched on April 1, 2025. I used to be signing books at a quiet little bookstore after I obtained an electronic mail from my editor Adrienne Kerr at Simon & Schuster Canada, with the topic line: “ARE YOU SITTING DOWN?”

She informed me Discovering Flora had debuted on the weekly nationwide bestseller checklist for Canadian fiction within the number-one spot. It’s a superb factor I was sitting down, as a result of I virtually fell off my chair. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Story was quantity two!

Your guide has sturdy traction in Canadian bookstores and has remained on the nationwide bestseller checklist virtually each week since then. Does that shock you?

Shock is an understatement. Satisfied that the primary week was a fluke, I used to be jubilant when the novel appeared on the checklist the next week, after which virtually each week since then. It fell off the checklist a few occasions solely as a result of the writer ran out of copies! At first I hoped to make three weeks on the checklist, then 4 … however the guide has now been on the checklist 31 occasions and counting. I’m nonetheless overwhelmed on the unimaginable response.

What do you assume made this explicit story resonate so extensively?

I’m asking everybody that query, as a result of I need to know, too! I used to be optimistic that Discovering Flora would join with prairie readers, and people with homesteading ancestry, however I by no means anticipated such far-reaching curiosity. I’ve concluded there are a number of causes.

Firstly, Flora has overarching attraction as a result of she is a powerful heroine who overcomes many challenges, not solely from the brutal setting however from a sexist, racist authorities. And he or she does so with the assistance of a number of different girls in her close-knit group. Sisterhood is highly effective!

Secondly, all three of my novels lean closely into true historical past. Readers of historic fiction admire the genuine particulars that I weave all through my novels, with loads of dialogue factors for guide golf equipment, who’re maybe my largest viewers. My background as a journalist makes me need to educate in addition to to entertain.

Thirdly, Discovering Flora doesn’t sugar-coat historical past, nevertheless it isn’t notably darkish or disturbing. Many historic novels deal with tragic and disturbing occasions. Great and thrilling issues came about previously, too, issues that modified our world for the higher. In these troubled occasions, readers are in search of tales that make them really feel uplifted and impressed. Spoiler alert: I solely write comfortable endings!

Lastly, I might be remiss if I didn’t point out that the Purchase Canadian motion could be very sturdy in our nation this yr, and each authors and bookstores are reporting elevated gross sales consequently.

What did you observe firsthand concerning the enterprise facet of working with a big writer like Simon & Schuster?

I knew little about how massive publishers function, and it’s been attention-grabbing to watch. Partly it’s a matter of trainers on the bottom. Clearly their gross sales and advertising groups can do far more than a person writer. And their relationships with booksellers and media shops and guide influencers have been cultivated for years.

The massive publishers even have entry to historic gross sales knowledge, and whereas this isn’t all the time a predictor of success (my writer known as Flora “a sleeper hit”), they’ll mine info in quite a few methods unavailable to a person writer.

One behind-the-scenes enterprise that by no means crossed my thoughts is that publishers with clout can negotiate offers for bulk buys. Discovering Flora was the Ebook of the Month for April 2025 at a nationwide chain of 1,300 pharmacies right here in Canada known as Consumers Drug Mart. Publishers additionally work with retailers like Walmart and Goal and Costco.

I additionally didn’t anticipate what number of advance studying copies that my writer would ship to bookstores and reviewers. As one instance, Elizabeth Barnhill, guide purchaser on the well-liked Fabled Bookshop in Waco, Texas, fell in love with the ARC, championed the guide, and selected it as a Fabled Ebook Membership choice. One particular person can create a big knock-on impact, however first the guide should attain their fingers. It’s troublesome for authors working alone to solid such a large web.

Wanting again, which particular items of the launch and publicity plan did you carry out that moved the needle essentially the most for Discovering Flora?

Even giant publishers have a restricted journey funds. Individually, I travelled round Western Canada and carried out guide signings at my very own expense. I take pleasure in handselling books and set a brand new gross sales document for authors at virtually each store I visited. That not solely launched a whole bunch of copies of Discovering Flora into the world, nevertheless it impressed bookstore managers, which is all the time a superb factor since they’ll proceed to promote the guide lengthy after you’re gone.

One caveat, nonetheless: you have to be good at promoting books or you’ll obtain the other impact. I heard a number of horror tales from bookstore workers about authors who sit behind their tables and research their telephones quite than participating with folks, leaving a detrimental impression with each prospects and workers. Authors want bookstores, and bookstores want gross sales to remain in enterprise. It’s your duty to do all the pieces in your energy to assist them.

Earlier than Flora got here out, you had been debating what to do together with your two earlier novels. Now that Simon & Schuster is reissuing them, how do you’re feeling about revisiting and reintroducing these books to a a lot bigger readership? Has the success of Flora modified the way in which you see these earlier works?

I’m delighted that my earlier novels will obtain a brand new lease on life. Throughout their lifespan they achieved modest success within the market, however like all proud father or mother, I all the time wished them to be extra extensively learn. I really feel sure that Flora’s followers will discover my earlier novels equally as participating. My writer is creating new covers, branded to enrich the beautiful gold-embossed cowl of Discovering Flora.

Wildwood will come out in April 2026 in time for Mom’s Day, my wartime novel Hen’s Eye View shall be launched in November 2026 in time for Remembrance Day, and my historic novel titled Touching Grass will seem in spring 2027. I’m unaware of any writer fortunate sufficient to have 4 books launched by a conventional writer inside 24 months, and I’m nonetheless pinching myself.

Was there a enterprise determination or second of recommendation that proved most pivotal throughout this course of—and what would you inform one other author dealing with related crossroads?

After I ventured into fiction 12 years in the past after a protracted journalism profession, I handled my writing as a occupation. I integrated my enterprise, I paid for knowledgeable editor, I employed a graphic designer to create the covers for my first two novels, and I commissioned a fantastic web site. Through the years I took on-line writing programs, and I even booked a publishing cruise on the Queen Mary 2 the place I used to be capable of talk about my profession with you and different certified specialists.

My recommendation to authors is to spend money on your self. I don’t imply to counsel you could throw cash at a mediocre guide and switch it into a hit, however you probably have confidence in your work, spend as a lot as you’ll be able to afford to create knowledgeable product and presence.

You’ve stated that doorways opened partly due to folks you met and connections that occurred on the proper time. How do you consider serendipity, networking, and group now—particularly for writers who really feel shut out of conventional pathways?

I’ve tried very onerous to create my very own luck. Though I dwell in a tiny group within the Canadian Rockies, removed from the brights lights of Toronto and New York, I by no means hesitated to succeed in out to different skilled authors to ask for recommendation, within the nicest attainable means. I’ve discovered that the writing group to be very heat and welcoming. I return the favor by following them, and selling their books. Instagram and Fb are my solely social media platforms, however I publish there day-after-day.

For instance, one completed writer was sort sufficient to refer me to his literary lawyer. That lawyer reviewed my contract for Discovering Flora, after which launched me in flip to the girl who’s now my agent, Samantha Haywood of Transatlantic Company. I pay it ahead as my time permits, attempting to be useful to different much less skilled writers. For ethical help, I additionally Zoom frequently with three or 4 like-minded authors.

Probably the most priceless type of networking, nonetheless, has been my grassroots connections with readers. I’ve despatched my month-to-month e-newsletter for 12 years and plenty of of my subscribers have been with me since day one. I’ve spoken with many guide golf equipment, colleges, and senior facilities. A few of my largest followers are aged readers who don’t even personal a pc, they usually ship me handwritten letters! In 2025 I did 30 face-to-face occasions, and loved chatting with essentially the most attention-grabbing folks, and making new buddies.

Maybe my best piece of recommendation is to point out gratitude. On my web site, I pledge to reply each message. I ship an electronic mail or make a telephone name to thank each media outlet that interviews me. When folks order a signed copy of certainly one of my books, I ship it gift-wrapped. I mailed bodily Christmas playing cards to each bookstore that hosted me in 2025.

This isn’t some sort of canny advertising approach on my half—it’s simply good old school manners. And I imagine folks admire that.