What's it like to be a year out of college and sign one of the biggest young adult fiction debut book deals of the year? Tomi Adeyemi, a 23-year-old Harvard University grad and creative writing coach, could tell you. She recently signed a reportedly seven-figure deal for her fantasy trilogy, and it includes a movie deal with Fox 2000 as well.
Tomi's debut book, Children of Blood and Bone is tentatively due out in early 2018, and she hopes for each installment of the trilogy to come out roughly one year apart from another. The young adult West African fantasy book follows the story of Zélie, a young girl who's fighting against her oppressive monarchy to bring magic back to her people. If her mission fails, her community could be wiped out.
But aside from a compelling plot and a strong-willed heroine as the protagonist, the book deals with larger themes, like race, police brutality, oppression, and power, that are being discussed in real time. "We like epic stories, we like adventure, we like epic fights, so if you can mix a great story that can also really teach someone about a different experience, you have the potential to really help people," Tomi tells Teen Vogue about her motivations for writing the book. "For me, this is how I try to help the world. This is how I can protest and how I can say something. Often problems like racism or police brutality feel so much bigger than one person, and we ask how we can deal with these [issues]. If I write this and I can make people understand, then I feel like I'm doing my part to fight this and I feel like I can fight this."
Tomi also believes that fiction books have a particularly important role in showing young people the experiences of others. "Everyone has a story that they read when they were younger that influenced them," Tomi says, citing the generation that grew up obsessed with Harry Potter. "When these prejudices are depicted in an entirely other world, you're able to see things in black and white and then empathize and understand. With a story, that's the closest thing we have to being in someone else's head."
She also points to the success of Angie Thomas' The Hate U Give, a young adult book that deals with themes of racism and police brutality and is now a New York Times bestseller, as proof that these issues are at the forefront of young people's minds. She hopes her trilogy can play a similarly prominent role in not only showing her audience that their experiences matter but also exposing readers who may not deal with these problems to the lives of others.
In terms of logistics, how does a 23-year-old land a seven-figure book deal? Tomi has loved writing her whole life, but didn't start taking it seriously until several years ago after being inspired by the first Hunger Games movie during college. "I didn't say I have to be a writer, but I did say that I needed to publish at least one book," she recalls. She was particularly struck by the racism and backlash against the film's two black characters, Rue and Thresh, and the argument that people had trouble identifying with them because of their race. She decided she wanted her book to examine those themes.
From there, she worked on a different manuscript for three years, got feedback from editors and other people in the publishing industry about her work, and embarked on writing Children of Blood and Bone after her first book didn't work out. After attracting the interest of an agent and getting a warm response from several publishing houses, Tomi signed with Macmillan because of their enthusiasm and direction. "I don't think I will process [the book deal] until it's out and I realize it was once an idea in my head," she says with a laugh. While movie details are still up in the air, Tomi is already thinking ahead to outlining the second and third books.
In addition to publishing her book, Tomi also hopes to inspire more young people, particularly young women, to write. "Don't lie to yourself about being a writer," Tomi explains about her advice to aspiring novelists and other writers. "I didn't admit to myself I was a writer until last May, and once I did, things moved pretty quickly." She also recommends writing consistently to perfect the craft and reading constantly to learn more about different genres and verticals.
"If you want to write, just believe that you can, because it's about perseverance," she says.
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