How to Get Published is a continuing feature at The Book Bin where we ask authors to tell us their publishing stories. Was it a rocky road or did it come easy for them? Did they start with an agent and get a NY publisher interested in their book or did they self-publish? What words of wisdom do they have for all of us who would like to be published one day?
Today’s guest is Davis Aujduvd’hui, author of the humor/satire book, Babes in Bucksnort (Outskirts Press).
I had never dreamed of writing a book, let alone writing a series of books. Consequently, I had never dreamed of becoming a published writer. That all changed when I sat down at my computer. I began to write a story based upon zany characters I'd developed in order to entertain a former colleague of mine when I'd been a social worker. That's when I really got the writing bug. I quickly began to craft a series of books based upon my hilariously wayward nun who loves her bourbon and her Marlboros - Sister Mary Olga Fortitude.
The question that remained was how I would go about becoming published. I felt like Alice in Wonderland. I had no knowledge whatsoever about the publishing industry. I was about to receive an education.
I bought a reference book called The Writer's Market. With The Writer's Market in hand, I began to search through the listings of agents and publishers who might be interested in my first book. Many of them were able to be approached via email. That was how I began my search. I began to fire off query letters, sometimes attaching sample chapters in those instances when the listings indicated that the agent or publisher was open to receiving unsolicited material.
While I was pleased that I received some very positive feedback, no one offered me a contract. I didn't lose heart. Having a book published via a traditional publisher is very difficult, especially in these tough economic times. I soon learned that there are over 400,000 books published every year. It's a highly competitive business. That's when I decided to consider other options.
The beauty is that, if one can write well, it's possible to get published. This is due to the proliferation of publishers that will help an author self-publish a book. In some of these cases, the author retains creative control of his or her book and retains all rights to the book. That was how I made my decision to go with Outskirts Press.
The pitfall to self-publishing is that the author usually has to pay the publisher to publish his or her book. There is also very little if any marketing assistance provided. This means that an author has to be willing to put a lot of time and effort into marketing if the author has any hopes of creating a financially successful book. That became the task which lay before me.
This was the beginning of a new adventure. The publishing process didn't take as long as it does with a traditional publisher. My book hit the market about two months after I began the process. It was an exciting day when I received my first copies of the book I had written two years earlier.
Most of my reviews were excellent. My readers loved the book and the professionals who reviewed the book also gave me resounding thumbs up reviews. The vast majority of my reviews were rated at five out of five stars. Many of my readers expressed the sentiment that they couldn't put the book down and that they couldn't wait for the next book in the series to be published.
They wouldn't have to wait long time. I was once again signed by Outskirts Press to publish my first sequel to Misadventures. It is another deliciously silly satire called Babes in Bucksnort. It was published in 2010. My next book to hit the market will be Have A Heart.
For now, I am excited about the blogs which Mindy Schwartz of Full Circle Administrative Services has completed for me. Within them, I keep my readers updated about the progress of my series. I also tempt them with tasty nuggets as to what my books are about. My first blog is: http://bestsatireseriesofthedecade.blogspot.com
I have also written vast array of articles about my own personal experience. I cover topics such as recovery from alcoholism, recovery from sexual addiction, coming to a place of acceptance of being gay, and recovery from mental illness to name but a few. That blog is: http://authordavisaujourdhui.blogspot.com
For any other aspiring authors, I would say this. If you've written a good book, believe in yourself. It is possible to become published. Just keep on trying and don't give up.
Davis Aujourd’hui is the author of the Sister Mary Olga Fortitude series of hilarious satires. The first book is entitled The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude. It was followed by Babes in Bucksnort.
Davis possesses a rich life experience that has enabled him to draw from it in order to create a colorful canvas upon which to paint very human lives. He is a retired social worker, having worked for Adult Protective Services in New York State for nearly twenty years. He developed the characters within his series of books in order to entertain a colleague by using the gift of humor.
As will be the case with Sister Mary Olga in his third book, he is a recovering alcoholic. He also happens to be gay as are several of the endearing and humorous characters within his novels. He can speak from his own experience. He has possessed all of the foibles of his cast of characters who are naughty, nasty, and nice.
Davis lives in Upstate New York where he is currently sharing his life with his partner of seven years. He is socially-minded and spirituality is the most important ingredient in order for him to maintain a happy and successful life.
Visit this blog for information on the series: http://bestsatireseriesofthedecade.blogspot.com
Visit this blog for information on the author: http://authordavisaujourdhui.blogspot.com
Connect with him on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Davis-Aujourdhui/138584429540046.
Comments