A book deal without an agent? An agent offer after the book deal?
Learn how writer Bobby Miller took his unconventional publishing journey into his own hands.
"Big, sick, glorious imagination" - Rainn Wilson
New Jersey native Bobby Miller has been living in LA and making movies for years now. He loves blending genres, from horror to comedy, and his films have premiered at Sundance, SXSW, and Fantasia.
But it isn't until 2025 that the world will read his unconventional debut novel. And that's largely thanks to Bobby's unconventional approach to the publishing process.
I got the chance to pick Bobby's "big, sick, glorious" brain about his approach to publishing...
ANNIE COSBY: You've been writing in different industries a long time, but Situation Nowhere is your debut novel. Congrats! Can you give us the elevator pitch?
BOBBY MILLER: If you enjoyed the American satire of Idiocracy but wished there were more exploding bodies ... boy, do I have a novel for you!
AC: You know, satire just doesn't have enough exploding bodies these days, does it? How long did it take you to write Situation Nowhere?
BM: I started writing in August 2021 and accepted a deal with my publisher in June 2024. So, it was roughly three years, but there was plenty of development time before that.
AC: And did you use Freewrite to write it?
BM: Yeah, I wrote the entire first draft on Freewrite Traveler, and it was a wonderful experience.
I’m a big fan of the “flow state” mentality — that is, writing without looking back. Surprisingly, I also used it a fair bit during rewrites.
Bobby often wrote in the middle of the night with "a baby who would wake me up" (his firstborn child). So his Traveler was often accompanied by a baby monitor.
AC: Also surprisingly, you got a publishing deal without even having an agent. That's not the traditional route to publishing. Were you submitting to publishers and querying agents at the same time?
BM: I sure was.
I’m a big fan of the “flow state” mentality — that is, writing without looking back.
AC: What made you decide to do it that way?
BM: I read a lot about the publishing industry and follow many authors on social media. It seemed like a lot of exciting work was being done at the indie level, and you don't need an agent to submit to many indie publishers.
So, I was fully on board going indie before I even started writing. Then I received a few offers from indie presses, including Maudlin House. They were the first place to publish one of my short stories during the pandemic.
Financially, the offers for Situation Nowhere were all the same, but ultimately it was Editor-in-Chief Mallory’s enthusiasm for the book and plan of action that won me over.
AC: And then you got an offer from an agent, right? How did that come about?
BM: It happened very late in the game — so late that I was growing comfortable with not having an agent. I queried agents for six months. I had some nibbles, but they were non-committal.
Then, as I was firming up the deal with Maudlin House, an agent swooped in, really pumped on the book and my writing. I kid you not, he was my first choice, so it was very surreal to hear from him so many months later.
We agreed the indie route was best for Situation Nowhere, but perhaps my second book will be different. Who knows?
AC: They do say every book is different. How has the publishing process been so far, compared to your expectations?
BM: Coming from the film and TV industry, indie book publishing has been a dream come true. Maudlin House has been super supportive, has given great notes, and understands the book.
Coming from the film and TV industry, indie book publishing has been a dream come true.
AC: That's so interesting! As authors, we love to complain about the publishing industry — and, sure, there's plenty wrong with it. But I have also heard the movie industry is even more cut-throat and demoralizing.
BM: On my first movie, I don’t think the financiers knew what we were making until it screened at SXSW.
AC: That does seem like the opposite of publishing! What was your editing process like on Situation Nowhere?
BM: Multiple authors advised me to work with a copy editor BEFORE querying, especially because I was a first-timer.
I worked with Sam Pink on the early copy edit, and he’s a genius. He helped me streamline things.
After Maudlin House picked up the book, I also edited it with Mallory and worked with more readers, but by that point, we all felt pretty good about it.
AC: Did you have any say in other promotional materials for the novel, like the cover?
BM: Oh yeah! There were a couple of cover artists in the mix. Alexander Naughton does illustrations for a Substack I like, and he had this image of an exploding head, which felt VERY RIGHT for this book.
He did a completely new cover for us, but Maudlin was very open to the process and great about feedback. And not dumb feedback, mind you, really thoughtful design-oriented stuff.
Shout out to Bulent at Maudlin House too!
AC: And you got a stellar blurb from Rainn Wilson! Well, it's more of an endorsement of your "big, sick, glorious imagination."
BM:I worked with Rainn at his company, SoulPancake, in 2013. I knew he had a dark sense of humor and figured he might dig the book.
I didn't expect such a generous blurb, though. I remember sending it to my publisher and saying, "We gotta put this on the cover, right?" It was really exciting.
AC: As a filmmaker, does adapting your own novel to film sound fun?
BM: That's a tricky question. Because for me, the novel is the thing. It’s the ultimate form of the idea.
I think the only way it would be fun for me is if we treated the book as source material. In other words, I would be completely unfaithful to my book! I’d pretend some other jerk wrote it.
I think that’s the only way to make it work for film or TV. At least with me doing the adaptation. It's a different medium and I truly believe "straight adaptations" rarely work.
[If I adapted my own book to film], I would be completely unfaithful to my book! I’d pretend some other jerk wrote it.
BM: Late in the process, I used Fiverr to get reader feedback. I found it useful and would start that process sooner. Rip the band-aid off and see what people outside your friend circle think.
AC: Any other things you want to share?
BM:This book saved my life — I really mean it. I started writing it at the tail end of the pandemic, as a new father with lots of uncertainty in the world.
It was an absurd joy to work on it. I hope it will be a balm for others in this chaotic time.
This book saved my life — I really mean it. I started writing it at the tail end of the pandemic, as a new father with lots of uncertainty in the world ... I hope it will be a balm for others in this chaotic time.
"If you're like me, and find Idiocracy to be a more accurate depiction of where we're headed than let's say 1984 or Brave New World, this book is for you! Bobby Miller nails the gallows humor of a rotting, stupid world."
Kent Osborne, Head Writer of Adventure Time
SITUATION NOWHERE
A DYSTOPIAN COMIC NOVEL FOR INSANE TIMES
Barry Gray isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but that hasn't stopped him from becoming the middle-aged CEO of Atlas Wake, the corporation behind the most addictive energy drink in the world.
After an awkward date, Barry is "X-ed" — a fate worse than getting canceled ... just days before the company's biggest beverage launch. The reason? An ancient social media post.
As the Atlas Wake executives scramble to find a replacement for Barry, they stumble upon Lo, a sardonic barista with no social media history. Lo eagerly steps into the CEO role, anticipating stacks of cash, only to be jolted by a shocking discovery about the company's new energy drink — it's causing people to explode.
Fearing his new life as a social pariah, Barry is rescued by the Brotherhood of the Resigned, a group of X-ed outcasts hiding in the sewers. They believe Atlas Wake is part of a giant conspiracy in which Lo is now entangled. Stories collide as our crew faces a corporate-dominated world on the brink of destruction in this darkly humorous, dystopian tale of power, deceit, and survival.
