Book Publishing Secrets with Terry Jackman, Author of 'Ashamet, Desert-Born'

Name: TerryJackman

Book Title: Ashamet, Desert-Born

Genre: Fantasy Adventure

Publisher: Dragonwell Publishing USA

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?

Terry: Deciding to write wasn’t a conscious decision; I needed to write, though for a long time I let other things get in the way. Eventually I took the leap – and took a writing course, the idea being to find out if I could write anything actually worth reading. I recall being disappointed when it began with articles rather than fiction, but hey, I followed instructions and wrote three articles – and promptly sold them all. So I became a writer almost despite myself.

I didn’t really ‘decide’ to become an author either. I got trapped into writing articles for another ten years. When I did turn to fiction I soon realized SF and fantasy were where I felt at home, but Ashamet himself stepped into my head, fully formed, when I was feeling cross about a writer who made powerful characters idiots, to make a poor plot work.

Ashamet made it clear from day one; whatever else he might turn out to be, it wouldn’t be stupid.

Is this your first book?

Terry: My debut, yes. It’s very exciting, and very scary waiting to hear how readers react. Especially now we’re being told, so loudly, that we females shouldn’t dare write SF or fantasy at all. While as for muscular warrior heroes who are attracted to… other males? I suspect I’m being modelled in wax somewhere out there J

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

Terry: Ashamet is published by an up and coming American publisher specialising in original fantasy. Perfect. I wouldn’t have self-published, not from any elitist attitude but because for me finding out if someone out there loves it enough to bet on it is part of the validation process. Just as being paid for my articles was my proof they were good enough.

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

Terry: The first publisher I talked to held onto the script for a year. The second said it was “too difficult to market”. Ouch. I knew it wasn’t a familiar concept, but I’d stupidly thought that might be a good thing.

Happily the third was Dragonwell Publishing, who heard about it from a third party and asked to see it and after that it was a ball. I’d heard some harrowing stories about editors and publishers but mine were involved and helpful, and my editor makes me laugh! So far I couldn’t have had more fun.

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

Terry: Comparing my experience with others, I’ve learned finding the right editor or publisher is very important, sometimes worth thinking twice before signing. Although I think most are genuine. Certainly, judging by the British Scifi community there are a lot of friendly people out there, from publishers to readers. If I don’t know more of them it’s more my fault than theirs; my own diffidence is the biggest barrier. But I have stopped being quite such a coward. If people speak to me I can speak back now.

Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?

Terry: I’d say yes, go for it, as long as you find a home for your book that’s as comfortable as mine?

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

Terry: obvious bits of commonsense, really. Don’t even think about trying to get published until you’ve:

1: finished the book

2: got informed feedback on it from a pro editor or a suitable critique group. (General fiction groups don’t count for genre. Family and friends don’t count, full stop)

3: done some serious reassessing and rewriting.

Still, while you’re busy with all that at least you can get to know your genre. Read, a lot. Attend conventions, listen to panels, join in. Research how and where you should best submit your script and choose only those who are likely to be interested in exactly what you’ve written. And always, always, follow the guidelines.

I wish anyone setting off down that road luck, because they will need it. And just think, if they are lucky they too could end up shaking in their shoes as they wait to see if people like what they’ve written!

Book Publishing Secrets with Joel Fox, author of 'The Mark on Eve'

Name: Joel Fox

Book Title: The Mark on Eve

Genre: Paranormal suspense

Publisher: Bronze Circle Press

Link to Amazon

Author website

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?

Joel: Thank you for the opportunity to talk to you. This particular book comes out of a combination of my love for history and a desire to answer the Great Writer’s Question: What if? This book is actually drawn from a Cape Cod legend in which a woman in colonial New England was suspected of witchcraft in drawing her pirate lover’s ship into a storm and the ship sank in 1717. The pirate ship was real and it was discovered and salvaged in 1984.  I simply took some of the persons in the old legend and changed the story by asking: What if the woman was not a witch but was be-witched to live forever? It allowed me to explore how she would manage through different periods in American history. All the while suspense builds in the modern day story in which she tries to keep her secret while giving meaning to her long existence by helping a female governor run for president of the United States.

Is this your first book?

Joel: How to answer that question? I wrote a draft of this book a dozen years ago. However, I subsequently went on to publish two other books in a mystery series. I created a character, Zane Rigby, a senior FBI agent, who finds himself against his wishes assigned to Cases of Historical Significance in which he has to solve a puzzle from a president’s past history in order to unravel a modern day murder mystery. I have written two books in the series, Lincoln’s Hand and FDR’s Treasure. I went back to The Mark on Eve and completed it because I always liked the story and my wife said she thought it was different and her favorite.

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

Joel: I self-published this book. My first published book was with a small press. However, I felt the small press gave me few advantages whereas self- publication would give me more control.

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

Joel: As I noted above, I went from a small press to self-publication. While the small press gave me confidence that my writing was acceptable and gave hints on how to help market the book, most of the marketing work falls to the author. While the work falls to the author, the rewards are limited. My feeling was that if I were going to do the marketing work necessary to sell the book without very little help from the small press then I could continue the same work ethic but reap greater rewards. It seems to be working that way. Of course, with a small press, you more easily can get into distribution networks and you have a group of other writers, also members of the press, with whom you can team up with ideas on selling the book. But with no money for a marketing campaign from the press, you are basically on your own.

Another advantage to the small press is they will provide an editor and create a book cover. When you self-publish you have to create a cover, usually by hiring an appropriate artist. You should also hire a professional editor to look at your story and your writing. Especially with self-publishing you must be as professional as possible.

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

Joel: As we all know, the publishing industry is constantly changing. You have to do your best keeping up with the technological changes and the effects of those changes on the business. The major lesson I learned is that you have to be engaged in the business side of publishing. Authors must understand, unless they produce a major hit with a major publisher, they are the marketer-in-chief for their book. They must engage.

Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?

Joel: I don’t mean to cop-out with this answer but I would say, “It depends.” If you don’t mind taking risks and sailing out on a sea alone and are willing to do the work, self-publishing is a respectable avenue to take and one that can be more rewarding compared to some other publishing experiences. If you want the security and reputation of a recognizable house behind you, then an author should get an agent and attempt to go that route.

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

Joel: Publishing a work can be intimidating but first you need a work to publish. That means you have to write the work, finish it, and have a professional editor work with you. And the best way to move your writing along is to ask the Great Writer’s Question: What if?

Book Publishing Secrets with Bestselling Author Donna Galanti

Donna Galanti writes murder and mystery with a dash of steam as well as middle grade adventure fiction. She is the author of books 1 and 2 in the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy, A Human Element and A Hidden Element, the short story collection The Dark Inside, and Joshua and The Lightning Road (Books 1 and 2, 2015). She’s lived from England as a child, to Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. She now lives in Pennsylvania with her family in an old farmhouse. It has lots of writing nooks, fireplaces, and stink bugs, but she’s still wishing for a castle again—preferably with ghosts. 

Site: http://www.elementtrilogy.com

Blog: http://www.elementtrilogy.com/blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DonnaGalantiAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DonnaGalanti

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?

Donna:
I started writing books from grief after my mom died. It healed me. It comforted me. And eventually my grief turned to peace and then joy at discovering what I love to do. Write stories and create characters to love (and hate).

I knew the biggest tribute to my mom would be to write the book idea I came up with seventeen years ago. It came to me in a vision one day driving to work. I wrote the first two chapters and shelved it for over a decade. My mom was the first person I shared it with, and I started writing it again after her death and that became my debut novel, A Human Element, book one in the Element Trilogy. One day soon after I woke up with a vision for book two, A Hidden Element, and wrote the first chapter.

Is this your first book?

Donna:
No, this is the second book in the Element Trilogy to be published.

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

Donna:
A Hidden Element is being released through a wonderful Canadian small press, Imajin Books, run by bestselling author, Cheryl Kae Tardif, an acclaimed author and marketing force. I knew I wanted to go through a small press and one with marketing chops, and I was so lucky that Imajin Books not only picked up book two in the Element Trilogy, A Hidden Element, but also picked up book 1, A Human Element, and just re-released that this summer!

I acquired a literary agent for my children’s books (the first two books in my fantasy series Joshua and the Lightning Road debuts in 2015), but wanted to stay small press for my adult books. I like the personal interaction and attention with a small press, and also the speed of the editorial, design, and publishing process. Traditional publishing can take up to two years to get to print, this is something I wanted to do for my children’s books to have them release in hard cover with more exposure to librarians and brick-and-mortar bookstores.

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

Donna:
I like to consider myself a hybrid author. I have self-published (my short story collection, The Dark Inside, is about characters in the Element Trilogy), been published with a small press, and am now being represented by an agent in the traditional publishing vein. My author journey has been a journey of exploration. Being an author isn’t a one-stop journey with a final destination. It’s many journeys with different destinations. And we should never stop journeying as a writer, for in doing that we learn what we most desire – and the best path to take to becoming an author.

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

Donna:
Every road I’ve taken the last five years has led to the next and the next and the next…many times those roads

weren’t paved, they were forged instantly from taking a risk. When I finished writing my debut novel, I knew I needed to meet other writers. Within a month I joined a writers organization, went to my first writing workshop, and my first writing conference where I pitched my debut novel there, A Human Element, and it got accepted by a small press.

While my debut novel was published with another small press, I was lucky to get my rights back this year and breathe new life into it by having it re-branded with the sequel by my new publisher, Imajin Books. Yes, there are second chances even in the publishing world!

And I don’t regret any of the lessons learned along the way as they all add to my toolkit on the writing craft and business world. My first publisher for my debut novel may not have been the ideal experience, but it opened many doors for me as it enabled me to become an International Thriller Writers Debut Author. In that role, I presented my novel at ThrillerFest and made many wonderful connections with legendary, bestselling, and other debut authors that have enriched my path as a writer. They’ve mentored me and shared advice and even blurbed my books. There is a great sense of camaraderie and pay-it-forward among writers. We want all writers to succeed. This isn’t a competition. J

Most importantly along the way what I learned is that while we may write alone, we can’t get published alone. We have to get out of our comfort zone and take risks to keep moving forward to make our author dream come true, in the face of great adversity.

Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?

Donna:
It’s an exciting time to be an author, that’s for sure, with so many roads to take. The best recommendation I can give is to explore, learn, become part of a writing community, and along the way you will discover the best publishing path for yourself. There is no one best path for everyone as we are all unique in our desires, needs, and dreams. Many authors find success by doing both traditional and independent publishing.

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

Donna:

Just. Let. Go. Let go – of your ego that is. Accept constructive criticism and be open to improving your writing. I truly believe this is the biggest reason why I now have a wonderful agent as my champion and I have four books coming out in the next year with two wonderful publishers. And this is the biggest reason I see writer’s fail because they do not accept criticism and are not willing to do the hard work to make their writing better.

To succeed you cannot think your writing is perfect or that first draft is perfect or that your story can’t change. You cannot take it personal when a developmental editor tears apart your manuscript for you to re-work. This writing business is hard. If it were easy everyone would be doing it. This writing business is not going to be easy – it’s going to be worth it. For advice, inspiration, and tips on the writing craft and industry visit my Writer’s Corner.

ABOUT A HIDDEN ELEMENT, NOW AN AMAZON BESTSELLER!:

Evil lurks within…

When Caleb Madroc is used against his will as part of his father’s plan to breed a secret community and infiltrate society with their unique powers, he vows to save his oppressed people and the two children kept from him. Seven years later, Laura and Ben Fieldstone’s son is abducted, and they are forced to trust a madman’s son who puts his life on the line to save them all. The enemy’s desire to own them—or destroy them—leads to a survival showdown. Laura and Ben must risk everything to defeat a new nemesis that wants to rule the world with their son, and Caleb may be their only hope—if he survives. But must he sacrifice what he most desires to do so?

PRAISE FOR A HIDDEN ELEMENT:
"Chilling and dark…a twisty journey into another world." —J.T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of When Shadows Fall

"Fascinating…a haunting story…"—Rebecca Cantrell, New York Times bestselling author of The World Beneath

"Will keep you up long past your bedtime...a pulse-pounding read."—Allan Leverone, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Final Vector

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