Dear Daddy Advice Column March 2025: Do You Need an MFA to Get Your Novel Published?

Our advice columnist has strong opinions about MFA programs: “The unifying factor amongst successful writers tends to be stubbornness, not MFAs. “

Dear Daddy,

Do I need an MFA? I’m starting to think my first novel is too much of a mess to get published. I’ve sent it to agents and either heard nothing, or got form rejections. Some friends read it and thought it was good but I wonder if they just said that because they’re my friends. Someone said I should get an MFA, because that’s the easiest way to get published, but I’m not sure. It’s pretty expensive. What do you think?

Signed, B.

Hey there, B. Let’s look at the pros and cons here.

Joining an MFA program offers you the chance to spend a couple of years really focused on reading, and on the craft of writing. This is not a bad thing. It’s hard for the MFA-less to find the time we need to do those things, because we have to do it in a vacuum; having a professor standing over your shoulder means you’re more likely to get the work done. And there are some great networking opportunities.

The downside is that it can be expensive (sure, there are scholarships, and there are free or fully-funded MFA programs, but those are competitive). The reality is you’re more than likely going to have to shell out a bunch of money, and while it’s certainly a great way to network and learn, it’s not a guarantee that you’re going to get published.

That’s my diplomatic answer.

My non-diplomatic answer is: Fuck MFA programs.

Okay, maybe that’s a touch too harsh. But they’re a little highfalutin for my taste. They’re cliquey, they have a reputation for looking down on genre writers (plot?! how dare you!!!), and the economy isn’t getting any better.

It’s easy enough for me to say that, as a writer who has achieved a reasonable degree of success (I do this full-time), and didn’t get an MFA. Granted, I broke my ass in half for the past 15 years to get where I am. Would success have come sooner if I’d entered a program? Maybe. Immaterial at this point.

The point is: It can help but you don’t need it, and I think there’s a somewhat dangerous assumption floating around that the answer to a stalled dream is more education, which, it can be, but it’s also a clear pathway to living under the dangling sword of student loans.

Here’s the thing about first books: It might not be the book that gets you there. My first novel is a piece of trash. I needed to get it out of my system. Most writers do. I know writers who didn’t hit until their third, fourth, or even seventh book.

The unifying factor amongst successful writers tends to be stubbornness, not MFAs.

I’m taking a really dim view here, and I get that. If you ultimately decide an MFA is the best path for you, then by all means, go for it. I know plenty of writers who did get MFAs and it worked out for them just fine.

It’s certainly going to make things easier if you want to teach, because in many instances, in order to teach in an MFA program, you need an MFA yourself (funny, the way pipelines work…).

But the simple factor of taking one isn’t going to change your stars. I know plenty of writers who came out of MFA programs and they’re sitting in the same place you are.

So I’m going to give you a piece of advice that you’re not going to want to hear, but you should:

Give yourself a break on this one. Take what you learned on it and start something new. You can always return to the first book with a fresh set of eyes, in a month or two or three. I’ll tell you this: If you’re willing to write a second book, knowing the first one may go nowhere, then you can make it as a writer. If the thought of doing it again feels like too much, you may not be cut out for this.

But the fact that you reached out, and you’re considering your options, is a good sign. You’ve got fight in you yet.

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Have a life or work or sex or dating question that’s causing you some consternation? Email advice columnist Daddy at deardaddyopensecrets@gmail.com. You can also follow him on Bluesky at deardaddyos.bsky.social.

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