Book Publishing Secrets: Interview with Greta Bondieumaitre, author of 'Til I Find You'

Greta Bondieumaitre is from St. Lucia, a small but lively island in the Caribbean. She started writing love stories between classes in high school to amuse her friends at lunch time. Ten years later, she published her first novel, "Her Heart's Desire". She later published, "Play Me A Love Song" and recently, "'Til I Find You". She describes writing during her post-high school years as, "self therapy".

Visit her blog at www.gretabondieumaitre.blogspot.com.

Thank you for your time in answering our questions, Greta.  Let’s begin by having you explain to us why you decided to write a book?

I love to read and writing is a by-product. Making up stories and sharing them has always been my favorite hobby.

Is this your first book?

No, this is my third novel.

Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?

It was a very surprising journey for me. I began writing in sixth grade, having the childhood dream of publishing my first book at thirteen (which by the way didn’t happen). My friends loved the stories and wondered why I never finished them, so I decided to do just that with my first book. It took me about five years and then when it was done, I didn’t know what to do with it. I liked to read it sometimes just for fun, changing things and adding scenes as new ideas came to me. Then a girlfriend read it. She thought I was being silly for not getting it published. So, I embarked on the almost impossible task of finding a traditional publisher which happened to be right about the time of the financial slump. No one was taking on new authors, especially those without agents. Did I mention that finding an agent is just as difficult as finding a traditional publisher willing to take on a new author? I found out about author websites such as youwriteon.com and displayed my starting chapters for fellow authors to review. At first, it was a shock what certain people would say about my work, but that helped me remodel the story and also gave me my first chance at publication‒self-publication.

What lessons do you feel you learned about the publishing industry?

Only the fittest, the tireless and the sleepless survive!

If you had the chance to change something regarding how you got published, what would you change?

To be honest, I would go the way of the traditional publisher. It’s a longer process but it costs less, it’s more credible and it’s more than likely to pay more.

Did you credit any person or organization with helping you get published?

Yes, youwriteon.com was the first to provide the opportunity and teach me the ways of self-publishing.

What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?

Believe in your work. However, make sure you polish it as much as possible and that includes getting it professionally edited (even if it’s just basic proofreading) before submitting to publishers.