JESSICA THERRIEN

Have you ever wondered how authors get their start?
How do they get agents?
How do they get published?
Is it luck? Talent? Drive?

This segment is an attempt to satisfy my immense curiosity...to answer the one question I'm dying to ask every author out there: How did your book become a book?

Visit the full catalogue of "My Publishing Journey" interviews HERE.

Today's Featured Author

Bethany Lopez
www.bethanylopezauthor.com

Author of

Time for Love Series &
Three Sisters Catering Novels &
A TON of other books!!

AGENTS

Do you have an agent?
I did have an agent for a while, but am no longer represented.

How many queries did you send?
I sent out probably over a hundred, and that did not end up being how I met my agent. I met her organically, at an event, and spoke with her in person.

If you don't have an agent, is it by choice?
Yes, it is by choice.

If represented, how long did it take to get your agent?
I had actually met her about two years before she became my agent.

SELF-PUBLISHING

What made you decide to self publish?
It was 2011, and after the over a hundred queries were sent out, I heard about self publishing and looked into it. Almost seven years later, I have over thirty titles available and they were all published independently.

Did you do everything yourself (such as cover design, formatting, etc.) or did you hire out?
I have a cover designer, formatter, editor, proofreader, and a part time PR person.

Which platform (such as Createspace) do you self-publish through?
Createspace, KDP (Amazon), Nook Press, Kobo, Smashwords (for iBooks mostly).

Have you researched or considered getting a hardcover printed of your book? What about audio?

I did use Barnes & Noble to do one of my books in hardcover. I’m still learning that process. Almost all of my books (minus the short stories) are either already available in audio or in production.

What do you like about self-publishing?
I love the autonomy. I’m a bit of a control freak, so I like being able to choose who I work with, and make all of the decisions concerning my books.

What do you dislike about self-publishing?
Funding everything yourself can be difficult, especially initially, but once you get an account set up with a dedicated writing fund, things will get easier. It teaches you how to be the manager, marketer, accountant, etc… of your business.

MARKETING

What marketing tactics worked for you?
I think I’ve tried everything at least once. Bookbub is always the best choice, but it’s very hard to get accepted. It sometimes feels like winning the lottery. I also found bookboxes to be very successful, but also very costly. Newsletter marketing is great, and I’m still trying to navigate through FB and AMS Ads. I still like Blog Tours, Cover Reveals, and Review Tours, which are set up through my PR company.

ADVICE

Looking back would you do anything differently?
Not really. Maybe now spend money on services that I eventually learned didn’t work out. And certain writing choices. Like, stick to one series, complete it, then move on to another series, lol. I currently have four series that are incomplete, and a fifth that, although complete, I keep writing novellas for. I tend to skip around to keep myself engaged, but I think I would see better results monetarily, if I’d stick to one and complete it. Some readers do not like to be kept waiting.

What lessons have you learned? Any advice for those about to go down your path?
I have learned that networking is one of the most important factors in your career. That self-doubt is a constant killer of inspiration, but you must fight back. And that, although writing can be a lonely career path, there is nothing like the feeling of being in a room full of readers, authors, and other people who love this industry. As far as advice, I’d say put yourself out there. Don’t be afraid to reach out, but always do you research. Find out the correct way to approach, and follow guidelines when necessary. Keep writing. Every day if possible.

Can you provide names and/or contacts for the following?

Agent: N/A

Publisher: N/A

Formatter: Type A Formatting

Cover Designer: Makeready Designs

Audiobook: ACX

Hardcover printer: Barnes & Noble

Promotion and/or marketing: Inkslinger PR

Blog Tour Organizer, etc.: Inkslinger PR

Is eight weeks enough time to earn back the love of someone you've betrayed...the only one you've ever loved?

Shelly has been in love with Cal since they started dating in eleventh grade. Despite everyone saying that the odds were against them, they got married after graduation and built a life together. Now, six years later, she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. Devastated, her first instinct is to call it quits…

After a drunken binge at his best friends’ bachelor party, Cal betrays the one person who has always been there for him, his wife, Shelly. Terrified and realizing she might divorce him, Cal must come up with a way to prove to her that his love is true…

Cal asks Shelly for eight weeks. Eight weeks to convince her that their marriage is worth the fight. Will Shelly be able to trust him again, or will their marriage end the way many others do when faced with opposition… In divorce?

This story is meant for readers 18 and older.

BETHANY LOPEZ BOOKS ON AMAZON

BUY ON AMAZON

Visit the full catalogue of "My Publishing Journey" interviews HERE.

Today's Featured Author

Cherie Colyer
www.cheriecolyer.com

Author of

The Embrace Series &
Challenging Destiny

Welcome Cherie! First, please give us a brief summary of how you got where you are and why you chose that path.

Lots and lots of practice, patience, and perseverance. Writing isn’t easy and finding a home for our beloved stories can be difficult, but it is well worth the journey. I’m traditionally published. I chose this path because my targeted audience isn’t online as much as adults, or at least they weren’t when my first book came out. After querying several agents, hoping to find representation for my YA paranormal romance/thriller, Embrace, I decided to query smaller publishers. At the time, my publisher was a growing company and I was thrilled when they loved my story. Readers’ response to the first novel led to books two and three in the series, so, of course, I stayed with the same publisher for these books.

AGENTS

Do you have an agent?
I did, but recently I decided it was time to part ways, which is a scary thing to do. But in my case, I believe it was for the best.

How many queries did you send?
For Embrace, I had revised the book a few times. So for the version that sold, probably ten to fifteen.

If you don't have an agent, is it by choice?
It is, but I have a new story ready to be submitted, and I hope to find an agent to represent me.

TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING

How did you (or your agent) find your publisher?
I have two publishers. I found my first publisher by checking who published the book I had been reading at the time. I felt my paranormal romance/thriller, Embrace, would fit nicely into their YA catalog, saw they were actively seeking new stories, and that they accepted queries from unagented authors. I don’t remember how I found the Wild Rose Press, but I’m glad I did.

How long did it take to find a publisher?
For this question, I’ll focus on my first book. If you count the agents I queried, about a year. I would send out a few queries and if I received feedback, revised based on that feedback, and then queried a few more agents. After several months, I decided to queries a couple smaller publishers also.

What do you like about your publisher?
At the time my first two novels were published, Omnific Publishing had a great editorial process and I absolutely adored working with my developmental editor. They also assigned each author a marketing representative who helped authors build their online presence, coordinated book launches, created book trailers, and sent out press releases. Their in-house designer also created bookmarks and business cards upon request. Being a new author, these little details made a huge difference. Sadly, by the time the third book in the series came out, they were cutting back and no longer offered most of these services and things have changed even more since the release of Entwined.

The Wild Rose Press also has a great editorial process and they keep in touch with their authors, providing marketing opportunities and new offers as they become available. They're also very responsive to emails and they have several forums for both readers and authors that offer a ton of information.

What do you dislike about your publisher?

Because they are smaller publishers, it’s harder to get my books in bookstores and to get reviews from larger book reviewers like Kirkus, which help librarians and booksellers find books.

Did traditional publishing get your book(s) in Barnes & Noble or other bookstores?
Yes, but not as many as I would have liked.

Did your publisher produce a hardcover of your book or just paperback?
My books are in just paperback.

Did your publisher create an audio book for you?
The publisher for my series did not, but the Wild Rose Press did. Challenging Destiny will be available on audio book this spring.

MARKETING

What marketing tactics worked for you?
This is ever changing, I think. Bookbub is great, and then I also had good success with blog tours and book blasts.

If you are traditionally published, what did your publisher do to market your book?
I’ve already mentioned what my first published did. The Wild Rose Press has a list of book reviewers they share their books with. And they are constantly sharing new promotional opportunities with their authors.

ADVICE

Looking back would you do anything differently?
This is a hard one. In a perfect world, an agent would have gobbled up my first book, sold it to one of the Big 5, and booksellers and librarians everywhere would be highlighting it on their end caps and favorites’ shelves. But that just didn’t happen for me. Although, about a month after I signed with the smaller publisher, one of my dream agents had replied to my queue (ten months after I had sent it) to say she just saw the query and liked what she read. She also saw I had recently sold the book. I do wonder if she had requested a full before I had signed the contracts with my publisher, would she have wanted to represent me? But alas, that’s something I will never know. So, I guess my advice to authors is to try different avenues and don’t look back once you commit to an agent, publisher, or to self-publish. You can always choose a different path for your next book.

What lessons have you learned? Any advice for those about to go down your path?
This is going to sound cliché, but believe in yourself, read a lot, join critique groups, keep writing, and enjoy what you do.

When college student Rena Collins finds herself nose-to-chest with the campus outcast, her rumor-laced notions are shattered. Handsome, considerate, and seemingly sane, Wallace Blake doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, screaming and banging on the walls of his dorm room. Hell, he doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, period.

Too curious for her own good, Rena vows to uncover the truth behind Wallace’s madman reputation--and how two seconds of contact had left her with bruises. Of course, there are a few setbacks along the way: guilt, admiration, feelings of the warm and fuzzy variety…

Not to mention the unwanted attention of Wallace's powerful, supernaturally-gifted family.

They’re a bloodline divided by opposing ideals, two soon-to-be warring factions that live in secret among us. When Rena ends up caught in their crossfire, Wallace has no choice but to save her by using his powers. Now they’re really in trouble. With war on the horizon and Rena’s life in the balance, he needs to put some distance between them. But Rena won’t let go. If fighting is what it takes to prove her own strength and keep Wallace in her life, then that’s what she’ll do--even if it means risking a whole lot more than her heart.

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