Interview with StoryCellar
Melissa Hart is a published author, a longtime columnist for The Writer magazine, and a terrific book editor who I've worked with on several projects. She kindly invited me to talk about my new publishing imprint for her StoryCellar newsletter, a free monthly resource for writers:
January Interview
I have, over the years, worked as an independent book editor. I first met former editor and novelist Mimi Jones Hedwig when she sent me a draft of her historical mystery manuscript. I adored it. She spent another year working on the novel and began submitting it to agents and editors. Then, weary of playing the waiting game which can sometimes take years in traditional publishing, she started her own imprint.
She shares her insight into the process with StoryCellar readers, below.
Melissa: Why did you start your own publishing imprint?
Mimi: Publishing has changed since I was a young editor at Viking Press, combing the slush pile in the hope of finding a gem – a persistence that paid off when I discovered the bestseller Ordinary People, became its editor, and went on to a long editorial career before devoting myself fulltime to my writing. One major reason for this change in the industry is that, with the advent of the personal computer, everyone became able to produce a book, with the result that publishers closed their doors against the deluge, refusing unsolicited submissions. This made agents the sole gatekeepers, and they in turn were so overwhelmed with submissions that they became all but inaccessible to first-time authors. After spending a year getting nowhere with 85 queries for my current novel, I decided to publish my three novels and one memoir myself, under my imprint, Fieldwood Books.
Melissa: How does one go about starting a publishing imprint?
Mimi: There’s a ton of information and services available online. Sources I found most helpful were Jane Friedman’s self-publishing guide and David Wogahn’s thorough information on every aspect of self-publishing and marketing, available for free on his website. Among the most useful books I read on the subject were Dr. Jan Yager’s How to Self-Publish Your Book and Helen Sedwick’s Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook. Brooke Warner’s Green-Light Your Book encouraged me to view indie publishing as a legitimate entrepreneurial choice, not – as was the stigma in the past – as a last resort after failing to get a traditional deal. I want my books out in the world as soon as possible; in the best-case scenario, going the traditional route would take months or longer to get an agent, many more months for acceptance by a publisher, and then another year or two before release. With four books, I could be waiting for close to a decade to see them in print. Self-publishing will allow me to conceivably bring out two books a year -- and keep all of whatever profits they might earn. In addition, I’ll have full creative control over cover art and copy, interior design, and marketing materials. Yes, it requires a significant investment of money, time, and work, and yes, there’s a risk, but I’m psyched!
Melissa: How long has your writing group met, and when and where do you meet, and will you tell us a bit about your annual retreat?
Mimi: Our Radish Farm Writers’ Group (there’s a story behind that name!) meets every month in members’ homes. I’ve been a member for ten years, writing three books with the group’s support and honest, invaluable advice, and reading their work with the same care they give mine. We love our annual retreats, held at spectacular Cloudland Canyon State Park in northwest Georgia. We hole up in our separate cabins for two days of writing, punctuated by reflective walks along the trails, and then get together in the evenings to cook and share a meal. Instead of having a regular critique session, we use our evening time to talk about our hopes and goals for our writing, successes, challenges faced, and group procedures we might want to modify. It’s a wonderful bonding experience, a great antidote to the loneliness and inevitable self-doubt of the writing life, and a reminder of the joys of our creative vocation.
Learn more about Mimi Jones Hedwig’s work at www.mfjoneswriter.com .
