Hello and welcome to this Track of Words guest post, where today I’m handing the reins over to the brilliant Marc Collins to talk about what 2021 has been like as a debut author. Marc’s debut novel Grim Repast was published this year as part of Black Library’s Warhammer Crime range, and it’s an absolute belter of a book – and likewise all of Marc’s short stories I’ve read have been fantastic. It’s been great to watch Marc’s authorial journey from the outside, but in this article he’s kindly offered some fascinating insight into what it’s been like from his perspective, including his path through the Black Library Open Submissions process. It’s very much a tale of perseverance and determination, and I’ve no doubt these are only the first steps in a long and prosperous career.
Without further ado, over to Marc…
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I think it’s almost a cliché now to be the writer who never thought he would make it, but for the longest time that was me. I wasn’t even struggling in the trenches, so much as looking for the battlefield. But times change! The last two years have been intense in a lot of ways. They’ve been a learning experience, and indeed a learning curve, but one that I wouldn’t change for the world. So here it is; my unconventional journey towards being a properly published writer, and the things I’ve learned along the way. It isn’t the path that many people take, of course. Other people have asked me if this, that, or the other sign from publishing is a good omen or not and I honestly don’t know what to tell them.
But this is how it went for me.
From Puttering to ‘Prodigy’
In all honesty I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing. I was forever scribbling stuff down as I grew up; folding over bits of paper to make ‘books’, writing schlocky horror stories for school inspired by episodes of Tales From The Crypt that I shouldn’t have seen, and taking Advanced Higher English just because there was a creative writing component.
Like a lot of other writers I flirted with RPGs as I grew up, though initially this was in more of a collecting/veneration phase as I had no one to play with! Countless World of Darkness and other gameline books crowded my shelves, alongside a growing collection of Warhammer novels.
And that, I think, is the crux of it. Since almost the end of high school (back in 2003 or 2004ish), I had been partially consumed by Warhammer. A friend had tried to get me into the tabletop game and I had blanched (and still largely do, despite the best help of GW Glasgow) at the idea of ever painting and assembling models. What I did get was an appreciation of the lore from the codexes he had given me – especially Codex: Chaos Space Marines 3.5 – and so my obsession was born. I collected codexes for the background alone, in much the same way as I had done with TTRPG books. When I saw an excerpt from one of the Eisenhorn novels in a codex, I was stunned at the idea of there being novels. I found it, devoured it, and from then on I was hooked.
Down the years I would learn that there was an Open Submission Window for Black Library. I wrote some truly terrible pitches: Death Guard vs Genestealer Cults on a jungle world where a mountain spire becomes a pillar of bone (which elicited quiet guffaws from my beta readers), an abortive attempt at an Ad Mech novel called Engines of Discord, a failed attempt to get a story about the cover art focus of Treacheries of the Space Marines. I used to joke that the best chance I had of getting into BL was the time I won Gav Thorpe’s contest for writing a dedication for Path of the Seer.
I didn’t give up, though.
This initial phase culminated in the Gold Ticket phase of the first Black Library Weekender, where the initial pitch of the ticket was that you would get editorial help in turning an idea into a submission. What actually transpired was being asked to write a 10K short story that would get proper editorial feedback from one of the then-editors (Christian Dunn, Laurie Goulding, or Graeme Lyon). While the story didn’t end up going anywhere, it did give me some insight into the process. Editors know their craft. They know good ideas and good writing. The Open Submissions process elevates that, of course, because you’re auditioning against so many other voices. The main feedback I got there was to lean into the madness of 40k; to go big, to embrace the gravitas it can provide you.
So I went away and I focussed on what I loved about 40k. I developed my craft through little writing exercises on Facebook, and through RP with friends. I got through to the second round in 2017 with a punchy little Mechanicus sample, but nothing came of it. By the time the 2018 Submission Window rolled around, I was already casting my hat a bit wider. I had managed to get a short accepted by a small press in Canada, and had reasonable hopes for Black Library.
My goal was to develop a number of ideas and then kill my darlings until I had one 40k pitch and one AoS pitch, but in the end I couldn’t pick between my 40k shorts and submitted all three.
Fortunately something about Ghosts of Iron impressed someone and it was taken forward. The feedback and editorial process was very insightful and they had a keen eye for what would make the story work based on my summary and samples. As both developed, so the story took greater shape, and I began to see where I had been falling short and what could be done better.
Once Ghosts of Iron was wrapped up, I was asked if I had any other ideas and pitched a story idea which became Respite’s End. After that I had honestly expected that that might be it, until I got an email asking if I’d like to contribute to another anthology, working with another editor.
I’ve worked with a range of editors across the company now, and each of them has approached the process of shepherding these stories with consummate professionalism and boundless passion. The people who work for the company do truly care about the work and the setting; they all, to one degree or another, live and breathe it.
At some point after a few shorts I was asked if I would like to work on a novel. That was a heavy milestone, for me. I hadn’t even worked on a novella, and I was being presented with the chance to actually write a Warhammer novel.
There was a time when even the idea of writing complete short stories terrified me. A novel seemed almost insurmountable. The process of pitching and developing it was much more in-depth, as you would assume, than it had been for a short story. Every step of the way I had the help and advice of my editors.
They were there with helpful suggestions and ideas for developments. Conversations led to jumping off points for whole cascades of plot points or character moments.
Even with that help the process of writing one novel was one of the most daunting undertakings of my life. What eventually emerged from that process was Grim Repast.
Being invited into Warhammer Crime at all was a huge honour; when No Good Men was being conceived I was still very much a fledgling. But Drask [in Marc’s short story Cold Cases] seemed to resonate, and the opportunity for a novel presented itself. I threw myself into it, trying to craft a character and a corner of Varangantua worthy of the imprint. I like to think I succeeded. There has been an awful lot of nice things said in reviews, or in personal correspondence, about the book, and I am immensely proud.
When Warhammer Community put out the article hailing me as a ‘Prodigy’ for coming up through the Open Submissions, it was definitely a highlight of my career. It’s not a title I would use, and I am very aware that so many great talents and voices have come up through the Open Subs with their own incredible works. It’s humbling, and something that I use to keep myself committed to the process as I continue to grow and develop.
Highs and Lows
As a journey it has been incredibly rewarding to work with the Black Library. What I first thought would be one or two stories has spiralled into at least one full novel, a Sabbat Worlds story, and a Horus Heresy short. Each project has taught me something new, and helped me to develop my craft. Sometimes it’s just little things that help to improve flow, or suggestions about how to do something which informs another project. I’ve been very fortunate, and can definitely see where I’ve improved.
The Open Submissions process, all ten or so years of trying at it, definitely taught me patience. It’s important as you work at this never to give up. Every failure or rejection will teach you something. You pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and try again. It’s hard, some years, and you feel like you’ll never make it – but it can happen. It does work.
Once you’re in the door one of the most important lessons is compromise. You’re trying to sell someone wholesale on your vision, absolutely, but you’re also working to a brief. It’s a collaboration. Sometimes the ideas you’re most invested in might not pass muster. Sometimes it isn’t the pitch you’d hoped for that makes it through. What matters is that you commit to that idea with the same energy and verve as your favourites.
Among the harder lessons I’ve learned has been proper time management. Writing became part of my ‘work-work balance’ at a time when it was easier to fit in with my life and my day job in the NHS. The pandemic changed that. While for some the pandemic was a good chance to knuckle down, for others there was a lot of pressure and eventual upset. I was working almost entirely throughout and, eventually, it took its toll. While I’m in a much better place now, personally and professionally, these last few years have put a lot in perspective. They’ve made me want to be a better, more organised, writer and to take the adequate amount of time that I need for me as well as for my career.
What Comes Next
There’s nothing scarier than the future, but in this case I think I’m in good hands. I want to continue to write, to develop my place within the universe and find my niche, to keep growing my readership (many of whom are excellent, excellent people who have been very, very kind and supportive), and at some point look into writing some long form original fiction.
I want to return to Drask, definitely, but there are so many other corners of the 40k universe that I would love to visit (or re-visit). As of this writing we’re almost at the BL Preview 2021, so we’ll hopefully have an idea of what’s coming down the pipeline sooner rather than later.
There is so much good content coming down the pipeline, and not just from me. There are so many talented authors, old and new, with great projects in the work and I know that there are some things out there in the aether that will blow people away. 2021 has been a good year, for me and BL, but there’s always more right around the corner.
What I will say is this; watch this space. The best is yet to come.
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Marc Collins is a speculative fiction author living and working in Glasgow, Scotland. Grim Repast is his first novel for Black Library. He is also the author of the short stories Ghosts of Iron, Respite’s End and Champions, All for Warhammer 40,000, and Cold Cases for Warhammer Crime. When not dreaming of the far future he works in Pathology with the NHS.
You can find Marc on Twitter and on Facebook.
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I’d like to say a big thanks to Marc for taking the time to write this fantastic article! If you haven’t already, I would strongly recommend you check out some of Marc’s writing – it’s very much worth it.
Check out all my reviews of Marc Collins’ fiction on Track of Words.
Check out my Author Spotlight interview with Marc Collins.
Check out the links below to order* a copy of Grim Repast!
*If you buy anything using one of these links, I will receive a small affiliate commission – see here for more details.
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