Elba Iris Pérez on Identity, Courage and Craft

The Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.In 2021, I was working at Gallery Books as the publishing industry faced a long-overdue reckoning. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the global uprisings of 2020, conversations around equity, access, and representation were finally gaining traction inside publishing houses.Our team began exploring new ways to elevate underrepresented voices—voices that had long been sidelined. From those conversations, the Books Like Us First Novel Contest was born.Alongside an incredible group of colleagues, I helped bring that vision to life and managed the contest directly.In January 2022, we selected our inaugural winner: Elba Iris Pérez, for her powerful debut The Things We Didn’t Know.This conversation with Elba is part catch-up, part creative deep dive. I’ve been cheering her on from the sidelines ever since, and I’m so glad we finally found time to talk.We discuss her journey to publication—including the rejections, the breakthroughs, and the pressure of writing after winning. We also talk about her process, what grounds her storytelling, and why having something to say still matters more than chasing trends.Media mentioned while chatting with Elba* War Against All Puerto Ricans by Nelson A. Denis READ * The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong READ * Canada by Richard Ford READ * The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros READ * Scrivener writing tool LEARN * Call Her Freedom by Tara Dorabji READ Are you open to being featured on The Write Spxt?Send an email to [email protected]!Thanks for reading The Write Spxt! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to The Write Spxt at thewritespxt.substack.com/subscribe