Thank you for your time in answering our questions about
getting published. Let’s begin by having you explain to us why you
decided to become an author and pen this book?
I became an author
because I love writing. I enjoy
creating interesting and compelling stories that let the reader escape to
another time and place. As a historical fiction writer, I like to explore the
past so that we can potentially better understand the future.
I was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and my grandparents were European Jews who
fled their home as Hitler rose to power. It’s their story that inspired me to
write Across Great Divides.
Is this your first book?
No,
I published a book called Once Upon a
Time in Venice for middle-grade readers in 2007. Across Great Divides is my
second book. You can find out more by visiting my website at http://www.monique-roy.com/portfolio.html.
With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional,
small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?
A
long time ago, my grandfather gave me a printed copy of about 10-pages of typed
notes on how my grandparents fled Europe
and their situation. I thought it was a fascinating story, and I decided years
ago that I would write a book based on the experiences of my family. I was born
in Cape
Town
and I also wanted to include a story about an immigrant family moving to this
beautiful city and what they had to endure to build a new life in a foreign
country.
I
am a self-published author. I spent many, many hours and months searching for
an agent and publisher. I got some response, but in the end, I chose to do it
on my own. Self-publishing gives the author 100 percent control and it can be
lucrative. Everything is a risk, but I wanted to build a platform and introduce
my books to the world on my own. I am not closed to traditional publishing.
Self-publishing helped me launch my books and begin my journey as a published
author. We will see where the road leads in the future.
Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey? The pros and cons?
Across
Great Divides took approximately two and a half years to write and publish,
from draft to completion. I really like the writing process, and I spent
countless hours doing research, which I also enjoyed. I learned a lot about the
World War Two era, apartheid, etc. The best moment is when you hold your
published book in your hands for the first time.
I
don’t love formatting the content, but it is par for the course. It can be very
manual and time-intensive, but it has to be done to create a quality book.
I
must admit that I spent several months reaching out to agents and many never
even responded. I know that is something I should not take personally as agents
probably receive hundreds, if not thousands, of queries, but sometimes I felt
very discouraged. In the end, you must have pride and confidence in your work
and never give up hope.
What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular
publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?
It is a great time to be an author, self-published or traditionally published. The
publishing industry is in transformation. With the Internet, social media and
Amazon (and e-books), all authors, whether traditionally published or
self-published, must self-promote and become entrepreneurs. As booksellers and
publishers are financially constrained because of the changing industry, it’s
more likely that authors will need to focus more and more on marketing. Most writers
today are extremely familiar with social media because book sales are driven by
word-of-mouth and personal recommendation. If you have not harnessed social
media yet, you must do so right away. Print-on-demand provides self-published
authors with advantages like no returns and leaves mainstream publishers
competing with digital prices.
Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?
Yes! Build your writer platform. Write a well-written and intriguing story, get
it edited, and launch it to the world. Self-publishing pays a higher royalty
rate. A traditional publisher pays 15-20 percent of net revenues and Kindle
ebooks, by contrast, pays 35 percent or 70 percent. In this digital world, you
can be published, and get your book out to eager readers and build a fan base,
just like traditionally-published authors. You have 100 percent control of the
cover design, the content, the marketing, etc. The shelf-life of an online book
is forever.
What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?
Read a lot. Write a lot. Do research on the publishing industry. Join a writing
group. Write what you are passionate about and never give up!
Monique Roy loves writing that twitches her smiling muscles or
transports her to another time or place. Her passion for writing began
as a young girl while penning stories in a journal. Now she looks
forward to deepening her passion by creating many unique stories that do
nothing less than intrigue her readers.Monique holds a degree in journalism from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and is the author of a middle-grade book Once Upon a Time in Venice. Monique loves to travel, play tennis, pursue her passion for writing, and read historical fiction. In 2008, she was chosen by the American Jewish Committee’s ACCESS program to travel to Berlin, Germany, on the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, to explore German and Israeli relations along with 20 other Jewish professionals from across the U.S.
Monique was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and her grandparents were European Jews who fled their home as Hitler rose to power. It’s their story that inspired her to write Across Great Divides, her newest novel.
What attracts Monique to historical fiction is taking the factual record as a structure and letting imagination run wild to fill it all in. Historical fiction lets you escape to another time and place; and Monique likes to explore the past so that we can potentially better understand the future.
Her latest book is the historical fiction, Across Great Divides.
Visit her website at www.monique-roy.com.
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