Name: Dawn Brotherton
Book Title: Trish’s Team, Book 1 of the Lady Tigers’Series
Genre: Youth Fiction
Publisher: Blue Dragon 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?
Dawn: I have always loved to read and always wanted
to write. My two daughters played fastpitch travel softball for the
Williamsburg Starz in Virginia. There are so many lessons to be learned from
team sports that this series was begging to be written. I have ten outlined so
far.
Is this your first book?
Dawn: It’s my first kids’ book.
My husband and I kept score for both our girls and the traditional scorebooks
drove me crazy, so I designed my own. It leaves a lot more room to recreate the
game on paper, and has a section that teaches new people how to keep score—not just
define the symbols. I also have two adult murder mysteries that have a female
military officer as the protagonist, the Jackie Austin Mysteries.
With this particular book, how
did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose
this method?
Dawn: Indie, it’s the most cost
effective with the most control over the product. Now I’ve set up a small press to help other
authors that are just starting out.
Can you tell us a little about
your publishing journey? The pros and
cons?
Dawn: In 2010 when I wanted to
publish my first Jackie Austin book, I did a lot of research and found that a
lot of traditional publishers were hard to get to, didn’t necessarily pay all
that well (unless you were already famous), and required that you give up a lot
of rights. And did I mention that they take AGES to respond to query letters?
If at all! I’m not very patient.
So I decided I could set up my
own company and do it myself. It was a lot of research, trial and error, but
I’m still happy with my decision. Along the way, Blue Dragon Publishing has
picked up a number of authors that are just starting out. I work fulltime for
the Air Force, so my goal with Blue Dragon was to help people through the
errors I already made, not necessarily to make a lot of money.
I’ve learned a great deal and
am more than happy to share my experiences if it can help others learn. That’s
an Air Force lesson I’m carrying into civilian life.
What lessons do you feel you
learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing
industry as a whole?
Dawn: There are so many
different publishing opportunities out there; it’s just a matter of finding the
right one or doing it yourself. I think a small press makes the most sense
because you can take advantage of other peoples’ knowledge without the hassle
of agents and query letters. But of course, that depends on the press.
Personally, I wish I had more experience in marketing and publicity, because
that’s what will make or break you. You can write the greatest book in the
world, but if no one knows about it, it’s going to sit on your shelf—alone.
Would you recommend this method
of publishing to other authors?
Dawn: It depends on your
personality. I like to be in charge and call the shots. Some folks aren’t
interested in the business part, so indie wouldn’t work for them.
What’s the best advice you can
give to aspiring authors?
Dawn: Don’t take anything too
personal. If you really want to make a good product, you need to accept honest
feedback. Typically, that means you have to hire an editor because your best
friends or your sister doesn’t want to hurt your feelings. It’s worth the
money! And write for the love of writing. If you do that, you will always be
successful (even if you aren’t rich).
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