Book Publishing Secrets with Philip Cioffari, Author of 'The Bronx Kill'

Name: Philip Cioffari

Book Title: THE BRONX KILL

Genre:  Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

Publisher: Livingston Press

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?

Philip: I’ve been writing since the age of nine, so writing has been a part of my entire life. My first stories were either mysteries, baseball stories, or cowboy stories. I wrote this particular book, THE BRONX KILL, because it was a story that had been haunting me for several years. I grew up in the Bronx, and as a result feel an intimate connection to its people and places. They live inside me even to this day and, like most of us writers, I had a need to get down on paper what it was like living there, how I came to see the world by way of its people and streets, its alleys and its tenements. This particular book centers around a drowning incident when a group of friends challenge each other to swim the East River from the Bronx to Queens. One of them dies and another one’s body is never found. The three surviving friends meet again five years later and must confront an obsessive NYPD detective who believes they are responsible for his younger brother’s drowning.    

Is this your first book?

Philip: No, it’s actually my fifth book. My first, a collection of short stories called A HISTORY OF THINGS LOST OR BROKEN, won the Tartt Fiction Prize, and then I went on to write three novels: CATHOLIC BOYS; JESUSVILLE; and DARK ROAD, DEAD END.

With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?

Philip: I chose to go with an Independent small press, Livingston. They published my collection of stories, have been very supportive and professional, and so I have stayed with them with each successive book.

Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?  The pros and cons?

Philip: I began publishing short stories in literary and commercial magazines. I did this for many years. I also published some poetry, and had several plays produced. I think the novel is the form I’ve always aspired to. And so, now, I’m quite content writing in this form. One of the difficulties in my journey was that it took me six years to get my first story published. And before I won the story collection contest and began publishing in book form, I wrote at least five or six novels which never saw the light of day. So the road to publication was a long one, though worth the effort.

What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?

Philip: One important lesson I learned was perseverance is necessary. You have to discipline yourself to keep at it, if writing is something you have to do. If your work is rejected, it doesn’t necessarily means it’s inferior. It may be you haven’t found the right market yet. But always work on improving. Another thing: traditional publishers are not the only option. You may get more attention and support from smaller venues.

Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?

Philip: Yes. Most definitely. There are many good small and independent publishers out there.

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

Philip: Explore all your options for publication. Traditional, big-time publishers are only one of your options. And always: stay true to your vision. Hang in there. Writing is a life-time commitment.

Book Publishing Secrets with Literary Author Lynn Steward

Name: Lynn Steward

Book Title:  What Might Have Been

Genre:  Literary Fiction

Publisher:  Lynn Steward Publishing

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?

Author:

I always enjoyed business-related writing and thought a non-fiction self-help book, with life-lessons I learned along the way, would be a fun project.  But, as often happens when you put yourself out there, I discovered another path and took it: I developed a TV pilot about New York in the seventies because, as they say “Write what you know” and I know New York. I’m a native of Long Island, and between attending school and working, I spent twenty-two years in Manhattan. I was so overwhelmed with ideas, the TV series expanded to five seasons! Appropriately placed in the New York City of 1975, which was International Women’s Year, the plots in the series intermingle fashion legends, business icons, real events, and untold stories, providing a behind-the-scenes look at inspirational women in the worlds of art, fashion, and business. It is a time and world that I know very well.

After meeting with professionals in the entertainment industry, I realized that the main character, Dana McGarry, needed more drama and the plots had to be developed, and I felt the best way to do that was to convert the pilot into a novel.  A Very Good Life, inspired by the pilot and first season, was published last year. My new novel, What Might Have Been, is based on season two.

Is this your first book?

Author : No. This is the second novel in a five book series featuring Dana McGarry. A Very Good Life was published in 2014.

With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?

Author:  I self-published What Might Have Been, as I did A Very Good Life. I spent three years researching, developing and writing before volume one was completed, so by then, I was ready to publish. I knew it could take years to find an agent, and more time to be picked-up by a traditional publisher.

Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?  The pros and cons?

Author: There were no cons. I did extensive research, and found bloggers tremendously helpful. I also hired a good team: a graphic designer, a formatting company, two editors, a proofreader, and a lawyer to vet the manuscript. The Amazon community was great and responsive, and the whole process went smoothly.

What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?

Author: I am grateful for the opportunity to self-publish, and I appreciate the opportunity to be discovered by a traditional publisher if I am successful on-line. In the meantime, I am happy to be published, selling books, and ready to start book three of a five book series featuring Dana McGarry, who is enjoying a nice following!!

Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?

Author: Yes. Do your homework; all the information you need is on-line. It is a relatively easy process with the right support team.

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

Author: Write about what you know and enjoy, and keep writing. Don’t worry about elements of style and grammar, that’s why we have editors. The more they edit, the better you’ll get.

Book Publishing Secrets with Linda Lucretia Shuler, Author of 'Hidden Shadows'

Name: Linda Lucretia Shuler

Book Title: Hidden Shadows

Genre: Literary

Publisher: Twilight Times

Amazon / OmniLit / B&N / Twilight Times Books

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?

Linda:

I knew I wanted to be an author when I was around six or seven years old. I wrote my first story then, Koko the Monkey, which I still have tucked in a drawer somewhere. I never asked myself why I wanted to write. It was, and is, simply a natural part of me, something that’s always been there.

The idea for Hidden Shadows crept upon me slowly, seductive in its call. I took round-about trips in my imagination as well as in fact, exploring ideas and locales, before I found the path that the story wanted to follow.

I felt the need to explore grief, and how it can cleanse and renew or shatter and destroy. I wanted to illuminate the process of healing, of connection: to the land, to our ancestors, to others, to ourselves – and to the redemptive power of love.

And so Hidden Shadows was born.

Is this your first book?

Linda:

Yes, my first novel. A prequel is rattling around in my thoughts, demanding to be heard.

With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?

Linda:

A close friend whose novels I admire recommended her publisher, Twilight Times, a small press well respected in the publishing industry. My friend’s experience was so favorable, I decided to give it a try. So here I am!

Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?  The pros and cons?

Linda:

My journey isn’t done. I’m still traveling,  road map in hand. However, from what I’ve experienced up to this juncture, there’s much to commend, and much to complain, about such a trip:

Pro: The satisfaction of seeing the story and characters born in my imagination come to life in print. The sense that readers are touched by this invented world, that it lingers in their thoughts, becomes a part of them. The ego-boosting “Yea!” when reading a favorable critique. The feeling that I’ve accomplished something good, and perhaps made a difference in someone’s life – if only for a moment.

Con: It takes work. A lot of it. Patience. Fortitude. Non-creative, non-fun necessary stuff. I’m like a kid wanting to kick her heels and howl in a temper tantrum because she can’t have her dessert now, immediately! So much work, in fact, that my mind hasn’t shifted gears enough to focus on the next novel. It can be frustrating.

What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?

Linda:

The publishing world has changed drastically over the last few years, and continues to morph. It would be easy to feel lost among the throngs of writers, of the multitudes of books released. Oh, to be listed among the top ten! That’s the dream of us all, isn’t it? It would be easy for me as a writer to feel “in the dumps” because I’m in a crowd, rather than among a select few. Or because my novel isn’t trumpeted in colorful ads plastered across the pages of glossy magazines, or blessed by Opera, or featured in the New York Times. But satisfaction must lie in the present moment, and what we hold in our hands.  

Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?

Linda:

As the saying goes, “Different strokes for different folks.” What works for one author may not work for another. I hesitate to recommend a specific path toward publishing: the journey depends upon the traveler. Do what feels right for you, and for the market you want to attract.    

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

Linda:

Believe in yourself. Don’t give up – not ever, no matter how long it takes, no matter how many boulders are strewn along the way, no matter how young or old you are. Enjoy the journey. Enjoy every moment of your life; if not, dissatisfaction or disappointment seeps into the pages of your work.