Ruth Knafo Setton was told there was “no chance” her book would get published, but after parting ways with her agent, she sold the book on her own and won some awards for it along the way!

Ruth writes her novels the way a magician creates an illusion, and she combines creative intuition with a regular writing practice, lots of revision, and a healthy dose of tenacity. Her novel Zig Zag Girl, about a sisterhood of female magicians, was released in the UK in the fall of 2025 and in the U.S. in March 2026. It won Grand Prize for ScreenCraft's Most Cinematic Book, and the screenplay for a pilot episode of Zig Zag Girl won 1st prize in the LA Crime & Horror Film Festival. 

In this episode, we talk about Ruth’s long road to publishing her two novels, her fascinating creative process, and how she fell in love with screenwriting.

The Long Road to Publishing with Eva Langston:

• Follow me on Substack or subscribe to my Substack Newsletter for Writers.
• Find me on Instagram and Blue Sky.
• Send me an email at [email protected]
• To pitch to the podcast, go here
• Find books by guests and books mentioned on the podcast at the Long Road Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/evalangston

Ruth Knafo Setton:

• Website: www.ruthsetton.com/  
• Substack: www.ruthsetton.substack.com/ 
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/rksetton/ 
• Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/list/122004.Ruth_Knafo_Setton
• ZigZag Girl: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/ZigZag-Girl/Ruth-Knafo-Setton/9781917788038

Show Notes:

• Substack article by Vicky Weber: https://vickyweberbooks.substack.com/p/what-nobodys-telling-querying-writers
• VCCA: https://www.vcca.com/
• Andrea Bartz's article about Ruth: https://andibartz.substack.com/p/guest-post-being-sawed-in-half-taught
• Black Spring Press's Crime Series: https://blackspringpressgroup.com/collections/black-spring-crime-series
• Manuscript Academy: https://manuscriptacademy.com/

Credits:

The Long Road to Publishing is produced and edited by Eva Langston, and the intro/outro music comes from the artist Soundroll on #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/lost-in-love

License code: EEKRDQPCTGSBM5LZ

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