The University of Utah’s Honors College is excited to celebrate Katie Sanyal, a senior in the Honors College whose debut novel is being published following an intensive year-long undergraduate writing workshop. Sanyal’s book launch will take place on April 10th at 5:30 p.m. in Kahlert Village.

The Novel Writing Workshop: A Year-Long Commitment

Katie Sanyal, class of 2025, wrote her novel Lady of the House in Dr. Michael Gills’ Novel Writing Workshop. Each spring, Dr. Gills selects ten students, guiding them through a summer reading list and writing exercises. Over the fall and spring semesters, students wake up at 4:30 a.m. to write two pages daily, totaling about 150 pages each semester, with Dr. Gills providing ongoing support. By year’s end, each student completes a rough draft of an original novel, and Katie is among those whose hard work will be published!

About Lady of the House

Lady of the House follows a young Asian American woman whose life changes drastically when she inherits her grandmother’s house in the South. “While it’s by no means an autobiography, it’s loosely based on my own experiences and places I’ve been,” Sanyal explains. The novel delves into themes like racial identity, mental health, and navigating life in your 20s. Sanyal’s novel is set to be released on July 16th of this year!

The Challenges and Rewards of Writing a Novel

“Waking up at 4:30 a.m. was the part I was most nervous about going into the class,” Sanyal says. “But it definitely proved to be a good thing and kept me and all my classmates on track. I’ve tried to write a novel in the past, but I never made it through all the way. So, having to wake up early to complete a certain amount of pages per day definitely pushed us to complete what we set out to do.”

Support from the Honors College Community

Sanyal claims that the Honors College’s unique approach—community, peer collaboration, and faculty mentorship—supported her in this journey and contributed to her success. The Novel Writing Workshop is a great example of how the Honors College values teamwork and partnership “It was so helpful having my peers doing the same thing as me. It was such a supportive group and our professor was a great mentor for all of us,” Sanyal says. Professor Gills has published several highly acclaimed novels in the past and was able to thoroughly guide students through the difficult writing process.

The Path to Publication

Katie’s novel is in the process of getting published through Madville Publishing. Madville Publishing is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit corporation that publishes poetry, creative nonfiction, essays, memoirs, literary fiction, and a little fantasy. Sanyal met her publishers through the 2023 AWP Conference. The Honors College fully sponsors the Novel Writing Workshop students’ attendance. The Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP), is an annual, large-scale literary conference in North America that serves as a gathering place for writers, teachers, students, editors, and publishers of contemporary creative writing.

Madville Publishing agreed to look at Sanyal’s manuscript, but she did not hear back from them for about six to eight months. “I was totally shocked when they got back to me,” Sanyal laughs. “I thought they had moved on from my work, so I was really surprised when I got an email from them.” Madville Publishing gave Sanyal some revisions to work on, but once she completed those, they offered her a contract. Sanyal’s dedication to the long process is proof of just how rewarding hard work and patience can be!

Advice for Future Novelists

The Novel Writing Workshop is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for honors students who are interested in becoming published authors. Although it’s challenging, Sanyal strongly advises both current and prospective students to take the leap and commit to it. “The Novel Writing Workshop was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but it was definitely the most worthwhile and wonderful experience I’ve had,” Sanyal claims. “Please go for it if you’re interested in writing, and even if you think you can’t do it, writing those pages every week will get you to the end. You’ve got this!”

Readers can purchase Lady of the House through Madville Publishing’s website, Google Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and some local bookstores in the Salt Lake City area. Congratulations, Katie Sanyal!

Tia Wisco | Journalism Intern, University of Utah Honors College