The Long Process of Traditional Publishing: Author Interview with Bonnie Ferrante

Bonnie Ferrante is a multi-talented writer. She’d had three romance novels published and this year is unveiling a YA historical paranormal novel called Switch. But that’s not the end of her writing styles. She is also self-publishing her picture books which she has illustrated.
 

When  did you write your first book?

To be perfectly honest, I wrote my first book a long, long time ago. I sent it out to fantasy and science fiction publishers. Many, many publishers. It was rejected. Justifiably so, I think now. I had read several books on novel writing, attended a few workshops, belonged to a short story writing critique group, and had gone for a week long course at the University in Kingston. But, really, my work was not publishable standard. I just hadn't put in the 10,000 hours needed to develop a skill.

When did your writing start selling?

I continued to write small things over the years and had several short stories published. I was a newspaper columnist for three and a half years. When I stopped teaching, I decided to focus completely on my writing. I started taking in person and online workshops and classes. I steadily wrote and I read about writing. I saw a call for submissions from Noble Romance Publishing for a new young adult line of books. I dug out my old manuscript and ripped it apart. I submitted it, and it was accepted. Part of my original problem, I think, was that I was submitting it to the wrong type of publishers. It was too heavy on romance.

Who encouraged you?

No one encouraged me to keep trying. I think I've just inherited my family's trait of stubbornness. I wanted to be a writer my whole life but never felt confident enough to give it 100%. I always felt that I had to have a "real" job with security and a decent paycheck. Teaching took every bit of my energy and creative juice.

Have other novels been started and stopped along the way?

Yes, but I don't get very far into them. I have enough ideas that I'm not going to waste time on something that doesn't fuel my creative energy. The ones I have abandoned were still at the concept/outline stages. I may even get back to them someday.

What made you switch from romance to YA writing?

I discovered that YA was my voice. I just kept slipping naturally into that tone and perspective. Maybe I still have a teenage brain. I think I'm actually a perpetual new adult. I don't read romance books so it really isn't a genre I could become an expert in.

How hard was it to find a home for this historical paranormal story?

It's funny that you used the word switch, because that is the title of my historical paranormal novel. It has the strangest back story of all my books. I wrote it as a children's short story for magazine. It was rejected. I tweaked it a little and begin submitting it as a picture book, similar in style to "Tatterhood" by Robin Muller, which I love. I sent it to Tradewind Books, a small Canadian company, and the publisher telephoned me! He loved my voice and style and told me to change it into a young adult novel and he would look at it. He was interested in working with me!

 

How did you go about re-working it into a YA novel?

Working about six hours a day, it took me four months to prepare the outline. I had to do a lot of research because, although, I knew enough about Elizabethan times to write a short story, I did not know enough to write a book. I submitted it and begin writing the novel. I didn't hear anything back. After two months, the publisher called and said he had not received it. So I sent it again along with my completed first chapter.

What happened next? Did he like it

Three months after that, an editor contacted me. She had been given the manuscript by the publisher and was unable to open the file. A month later, she wrote back telling me what a wonderful writer I was and how much she loved the book, but unfortunately they weren't going to publish it because they felt it was a little too unusual for their market. She suggested I send it to another publisher. She also said she'd like to take a look at it when it was complete.I finished writing the novel, which took another year. I sent it to her only to learn she had moved to another publishing company. She sent it to Tradewind Books, thinking he had proprietorship I guess. He didn't remember having any contact with me before and expressed interest in publishing the book.

 

Since then, I have been working with a different part-time editor for three years on the novel. It takes several months to get my edits back. We planned to have it published in 2014, but I'm not sure if that will happen.. It has undergone two dramatic major plot rewrites and is barely recognizable from my first draft. We are on the final edits. In May, it will be four years since I sent the original short story. The lesson in all of this is, you must develop patience if you're going to go the traditional publishing route.

I’ve often seen notices for applying for writing grants, but haven’t applied. You've been successful. What does it take to win a grant?

No one was more surprised than I was, when I won the first and second grants I applied for. Since then I've applied for three more and been unsuccessful. Thoroughly research the types of grants and be sure you are applying for the correct one. Polish your submission to perfection, and that includes the grant application as well.

 

If you're planning on submitting for a grant in the future, it's a good idea to read the application well ahead of time so that you can start building up your portfolio. After that it's based on luck: how many people apply, how good their work is, tastes of the panel of judges, if there are similar applications, how much money is available, etc.

 

How did you use those grants?

My grants were used to provide me with time to write.

You’ve now moved into self-publishing.  Will you still try the traditional route?

I may still submit traditionally. The problem is time. I'm not a young woman anymore and I've recently developed Parkinson's disease so I can't take five years to get every novel published. I would still recommend traditional publishing for beginning writers. Working with an editor is an incredibly valuable learning experience. No matter how many classes or how many books you read, you'll never get the same personal attention to your work.

What do you think is the most common misconception about self-publishing?

The most common misconception is that you can a write decent book in a couple of months and then put it on the market. It's frustrating to see how the market is flooded with so-called writers who have not polished their craft to a professional level. I was horrified to see that someone had written the first draft of a novel in November for NaNoWriMo and actually published two weeks later. There is no way that book could be ready. The picture book market is even worse because it takes less time to complete a first draft.

You are currently doing picture books. I’ve heard non-writers say picture books should be easy to write. How would you respond to that?

I'd respond with a giant bull shit. I've had just about every kind of writing you can think of professionally published: magazine articles, newspaper columns, short stories, novels, even poetry. Picture books are as hard as anything else. If you are doing your own illustrations, I'd say even harder than most. It's that attitude that floods Amazon with amateur books that would've made lovely family keepsakes but are not good enough to be sold. BTW, I'm still writing young adult novels as well. I have three in the works.

What type of publicity do you do to promote your book? How does social media play into your promotions?

I have zero budget for publicity, so I do it all myself. I spent three or four hours a day on social media, press releases, interviews, requests for reviews, etc. It takes a tremendous amount of time and energy away from writing, but it's necessary. How else will anyone know my work exists?

What do you know now about writing/publishing you wished you had known sooner?

I wish I'd known how much online advice was available. I could've followed the advice of experienced individuals instead of finding out things alone, the hard way.

What is the best advice about writing you’ve learned that you would like to pass along?

Put your work in a drawer and don't look at it until it has become completely unfamiliar to you. When you reread it, you will realize things you never did before.

Thanks for your insight, Bonnie. Once again we're reminded that writing doesn't come as an overnight success. It takes years of hard work.

 

If you'd like to get a glimpse of all of Bonnie's writing styles, here's some of your options. With the links below you can see she is active with social media.

Website            Amazon         Linkedin         Goodreads          twitter - @BonnieFerrante

 

Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/bferrante0365/boards/

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/user/Bonnie0904

From a Nothing to an Author: Author Interview with E.V. Anderson

Writing a memoir is so different than writing a novel as you are exposing who you are. What made you decide to bring your past into the open for others to scrutinize?

I began writing Tales of a New Jersey Nothing as a form of catharsis. My brother passed away about ten years ago, and I’d never fully processed his death. Truth is, I hated him for most of my life, because he was an alcoholic and a drug addict, and treated me horribly for many years. It wasn’t until right before his death that we reached a sort of understanding—but it was too late. The memoir is ultimately about forgiveness, and moving on. 

 

As far as publishing the book goes, I hadn’t really considered it until a few friends read it and said, “You’ve got to put this out.” I didn’t consider the whole “scrutiny” part until the book came out last month, and people who’d read it said, “Um, Ervin, you sure didn’t hold back, did you?” No, I didn’t. 

 

Why did you think your story would resonate with others? 

As I wrote the book, I began to include other things, like my own issues with drugs, my first love, and my dreams of rising up from a troubled childhood and making something of my life. I think the themes of the book are universal: family, love, loss, so I do believe others can relate. There’s also quite a bit of humor, as well, to balance out the heavy stuff. My life so far has been both tragedy and comedy, so it’s all in there.

How long did it take you to write the first draft? How many rewrites did you do on it? Who helped you with the editing?

The first draft was written very quickly. It took maybe three months. The words just poured out of me. I’ve been tinkering with it every few months for the past five years. I can’t say how many drafts it went through, because I never really stopped working in it—until last month when I released it. As far as the editing goes, I’m very lucky. My amazing girlfriend, Julia Lee, just happens to have a fancy English degree, and did the editing for me. She’s a peach!

Did you try the normal route to find a traditional publisher to handle your book? When did you decide to self-publish?

I was lucky in that I just had my first novel, The Many Lives of Lilith Lane, co-published by Plympton and Amazon Publishing late last year. Plympton publishes only serial fiction at this point, so my memoir wasn’t something they’d handle. I also felt, since this book is so personal, that it would be best to publish it myself. I wanted to maintain full control over it, so I didn’t really pursue any traditional publishers. Having published a novel by traditional means already, and having gained “some” fans, it seemed like the perfect time to release the memoir.

For those who haven’t marketed their own book, how do you actually put it together – ie. layout, cover design, input to various online sources, promotions, etc?

I have a very good writer friend who’d gone through the process already, and she helped me along the way. Once again, when it came to putting the book together—cover, layout, formatting, etc.—my girlfriend Julia was invaluable. I couldn’t have done it without her. And I must say, I think my self-published paperback memoir looks just as good as my traditionally-published novel. 

 

There are, for those who don’t have a brilliant partner to help, many downloadable, cheap books available that explain exactly how to get your work ready for self-publishing.

 

How do you write? Did you do an outline first? 

I’m not big on outlining. I’m with Stephen King in this camp. I start with a general idea, and then see where it takes me, or where the characters take me. Tales of a New Jersey Nothing began as a blog, and I wrote it out of order. One day, I’d write about an incident that happened when I was five. The next day, I’d write about something that happened when I was twenty. Eventually, I put the chapters in order, made sure it all made sense, and voilà, a memoir was born. 

What type of publicity/promotion has worked best for you in generating sales?

Regarding promotion, I don’t know what the heck I’m doing! Seriously. I’m still learning. But the free giveaway of the Kindle version on Amazon certainly brought in a lot of readers for the book, which can result in reviews, word-of-mouth, and good mojo. And, hey, if anyone out there has some great marketing tips of their own, feel free to send them my way!

 

Of course, I use Twitter and Facebook the best I can, and just ran a Goodreads promotion, which certainly helped. I also sent word to many fans of my novel, hoping they’d want to check out the memoir. Ultimately, though, I think Tales of a New Jersey Nothing will live or die by word-of-mouth. And for word-of-mouth to happen, the book has to touch people. I believe it will. Cross your fingers.

What do you know now about writing/publishing now that you wished you had known sooner?

That it’s impossible. Still, even if I’d known that all along, it would not have deterred me. I’m a writer. If I go a day without writing, I feel bad about myself. I can’t help but write. Yes, it’s impossible, but so worth it.

 

What is the best advice you’ve been given about writing or that you’ve learned that you would like to pass along?

Just write, and don’t let rejection stop you. I think the difference between writers who succeed and writers who don’t is, in most cases, simply determination. I’d been writing for more than a decade before having any real success. Some writers give up if they don’t achieve the success they think they deserve within a year or two. If you say you’re a writer, if you believe you’re a writer, just write, and do it for yourself and no one else. Do it because you can’t imagine not writing.

To learn more about Ervin and his writing, here are the links to get you in touch...

Amazon -to buy          Facebook page           Goodreads

 

Second Chances on Writing, an interview with romance writer, Peggy Bird

Writing was not your first or even second career. When did you decide to get serious and try your hand at writing?

I have been a writer all my life. It has been part of almost every job I’ve ever had and I’ve written for myself for as long as I can remember. During the years I had one of those pesky, time-consuming day jobs, I wrote short pieces. Thanks to a supportive husband, I was eventually able to let that part of my life go and focus on writing—longer pieces first, then novels.

Did you take writing courses in college?

My college career was almost as varied as my occupational one—I was a wife and mother in addition to working full-time when I went back for a college degree. I ended up with a double major in history and political science and enough credits for a degree in English if I’d taken 9 more hours of a language. I had already been in college for years and was ready to leave so I didn’t go for it. I have regularly taken writing workshops since then, the latest, a day-long workshop with Donald Maass sponsored by my local RWA chapter.

Prior to your current book series, your works were published in such notable series as Cup of Comfort and Chicken Soup for the Soul. What was the first thing that you wrote that got published?

The first piece I ever submitted was accepted for an anthology. The second piece I submitted was published in a regional magazine. Wow, I thought. This is easy. Then reality hit as the next dozen or so pieces were rejected. I kept at it, though. Eventually, after almost a decade of writing, I’ve had work published in a dozen anthologies, a number of magazines, have won awards for children’s stories and memoir pieces and have five books under contract with Crimson.

In your bio it says that your children’s stories “were not vetted by anyone before being published.” Does that literally mean no one reviewed or critiqued your work at all prior to submission?

Heavens, no. I have been lucky enough over the years to have wonderful critique partners who willingly read my work, sometimes enduring the same piece over and over again. The comment you quoted was meant only to say that, although I let my daughter read a piece beforehand to decide if I’ll embarrass her by publishing something about her childhood, the other stories I write don’t need to be given her seal of approval. Which, considering I write spicy romance, is probably a good thing.

When did you decide to start writing a novel? When did you decide to do a series?

I wrote a mystery novel when I first started writing seriously because that was my escape genre of the moment. It got some amazingly good rejections. But when no one was interested in publishing it, I put it away and stuck to short pieces. I also began another art career in kiln-formed glass.

However, a series of about five characters began to obsess me—a couple of cops, a DA, an artist and an art gallery owner. As they began to pair off, fall in love (and fall into bed), it was obvious I was writing romance. One set of characters led to another and pretty soon I had a series of six novels with stand-alone plots but characters who wander from book to book. 

How many rewrites of each of your books would you say you do?

The first three novels I wrote have been rewritten so many times I’ve lost count but I’m sure each one is had rewrites in double digits. Interestingly, these are books 2, 3 and 6 of the series. (In fact, I’m polishing #6 right now.) Books 1 and 5, I wrote during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWrMo) in 2010 and 2011 and they went through, maybe, 3 drafts and final polishing, as did book 4. 

How did you first go about finding a publisher? Did you query agents?

I queried agents, was able to get a half dozen to read one or another of the first completed novels but not successful in snagging one to take me on as a client. Then I read a Facebook post about an editor looking for romance novels for a new imprint from Adams Media, which had published some of the anthologies where I’d placed work. I queried, got accepted and here I am, a year later with five books under contract and one more almost ready to go to my editor. Still no agent and not really looking for one at this point.

I understand your publisher does eBooks as part of a monthly book club for a flat fee similar to what Netflix does for movies. How are you paid?

Crimson publishes our books in several ways. One way is the book club you mention and we do share the monthly fee between the authors whose books are downloaded. 

But that’s not the major way our books are released. The biggest sales are from individual downloads from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other outlets for eBook platforms—Kindle, iPad, Nook. Also, about 3-4 months after release as an eBook, our books come out in trade paperback as Print on Demand through Amazon.

How has your attitude about writing changed over the years?

What has changed about the way I look at my writing is that I am much more aware of the business end of things and the need for marketing, no matter who the publisher is.

How long does it take you to write a book today as opposed to your first novel?

I can now write a first draft of a 50K word novel in 30 days—NaNoWrMo training. I work at my writing about 6-8 hours every day. I don’t have a daily word count goal but I do have monthly deadlines for what I want to accomplish.

Are you going to stay with writing romance or do you want to try your hand at other genres?

Yes, I will be continuing to write romances until my editor stops contracting with me for them. I do, however, have a woman’s novel I’m working on which isn’t a romance.

How long does it take for a writer to write exclusively and not hold down a second job?

To be blunt, don’t quit your day job unless you have another source of income to pay your mortgage. It takes time for most writers to build a platform, to build a readership, to build a backlist, to make sense of an industry in turmoil over the future of eBooks and bound books, the role of agents, how many publishers does it take to change Amazon, where will books be sold when the last bookstore closes. And while you do all that, you have to eat and have a roof over your head. Most of my Crimson Romance sisters work full-time, raise kids and write when they can grab the time to do it. I’m in awe of them.

With the constant churn of new romance novels each month as your publisher does, what type of shelf life does your book have?

With eBooks, there is no shelf life—they last forever. In the old days, category romances like mine were pulled from the shelves and pulped after three months. Now my eBooks continue to exist online, each of my releases sells my backlist. The books are always there, always visible when you pull up my name on Amazon or the Crimson Website.

What suggestions do you have for enhancing a writer’s social media platform?

I joke that if I knew the answer to how to use social media and the internet to effectively sell books, I’d stop writing romance and write a book about that to help everyone who’s in the same boat I am—paddling along in a sea of confusion, trying to figure it out. I regularly use Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pintrest and blog on my own and other websites. I solicit reviews from book bloggers. I do local readings, pass out postcards with my book cover/book blurb, do press releases and Goodreads giveaways. With each book release, I seem to do more of all of the above.

Does it result in book sales? I wish I knew. I’m lucky enough to have a cadre of other Crimson Romance writers who are generous in sharing their experience with everything from who to contact to review our books to where to get the best deal on postcards and other promotional materials to how long to run a Goodreads giveaway.

One of my Crimson sisters is trying to put together a list of what we’ve all tried to see who has had the best luck with which approach. I hope she comes up with a magic answer. Until someone does, however, I’ll use every tool I can to get my name out and to plug my books. It’s the old throw-enough-mud-against-the-fence-and-some-will-stick approach.

What is the best advice you’ve learned you’d like to pass along to other aspiring writers

My best advice to writers is the advice every writing workshop teacher I’ve ever had has said at some point in the discussion—just write. As often as you can. As much as you can. The old cliché is true—writers write. Keep at it, no matter what.

Or, to paraphrase Corinthians, now abideth craft, talent and persistence, these three but the greatest of these is persistence.

Love that last line. It is definitely all about persistence. The more you write the greater your chance of getting published. If you have enjoyed this interview and would like to learn more about Peggy and her writing here are the options:

To buy her books on Amazon         Facebook                  Twitter                   Website