How to Get Published by 'Wedlocked' Bonnie Trachtenberg

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 Bonnie Trachtenberg, author of the literary fiction novel, Wedlocked (iUniverse) .

Anyone who has actually gone through the painstaking and awesome process of writing, publishing and marketing a book knows how irritating it can be when your accountant, your hairdresser or your doctor tells you, “Yeah, I have a good story. One day I’m going to write a book, too.” It’s as if they think anyone who’s had some mildly interesting experiences in life should have no problem penning a book people besides their mother would actually want to read. Sure, I think to myself. I’ve had a few bad headaches. One day I think I’ll perform brain surgery.

What they don’t know is that it took ten years of arduous thinking, writing, editing and more editing to bring my debut novel to fruition. Wedlocked, is a romantic comedy based on my first brief, disastrous marriage that occurred back in 1999. After a couple of years furiously scrawling in my journal while recuperating from the unfortunate event, I began the actual writing of the book. This took place during the scant free time I had while working a full time job as Copy Chief and Senior Writer for Book-of-the-Month Club. Needless to say, after reading hundreds of books and writing as many reviews, it wasn’t often I had the energy to work on my own book evenings and weekends, but I managed to make some headway for a few years. Then, when I lost my job in a corporate takeover, I devoted myself full time to finishing Wedlocked. Within a year it was done, and a few months after that, much to my glee, an agent decided to represent it. This was despite her caveat that, “First fiction is practically impossible to sell these days.”

Unfortunately she was right. Despite wonderful feedback, the big publishers she dealt with did not bite and a year later I was still banging my head against the wall in frustration. It was then that I finally started listening to my husband, a very bright entrepreneur known for thinking outside the box. He had been egging me into self-publishing despite my reluctance. Cavorting with the literati at Book-of-the-Month had not exactly left me thinking good things about self-published books. The stigma had been ingrained in me and it took a lot of open-minded thinking and internet research to finally change my mind. The publishing industry is not what it used to be ever since the advent of the internet—and neither is self-publishing. The ebook generation had arrived and took root right under my nose and a revolution in publishing was beginning to ensue. My husband explained to me that I would be getting in on the ground floor of this new model. Although it was daunting prospect, the opportunities it afforded me, including business and creative control of my book, dangled like a juicy carrot before my eyes. It was time to change the way I thought about publishing.

I hired iUniverse because they were one of the biggest and most reputable self-publishing companies. They also have a program where they reward special benefits to books they deem to be superior. My book became an editor’s pick and was chosen for their Rising Star Program which was very exciting. But I learned that no one, not even the publisher who’s getting a percentage, was going to make my book a big seller. That was up to me.

I hired a social marketing expert to train me, as well as a virtual book tour company. Both helped explode my name and my book onto the literary internet scene. Through the tour, I garnered many wonderful book reviews for Wedlocked. I also had the opportunity to write several guest blogs and do interviews for sites geared to my target audience. And best of all, I learned how I can do this for myself with help from Facebook and Twitter.

Marketing yourself as an author is a slow and steady process. It takes years of hard work and effort. I look at it as a new business. I don’t expect to strike it rich right away. In a new business, you make investments and hope that within a year or two they will pay off. It’s the same thing with self-publishing. And the more books you put out, the more they will build on themselves and hopefully create a mushroom effect. And that’s where this blog finds me, working long hours marketing, continuing to write as much as I can, and doing everything to make Wedlocked a success!

Bonnie Trachtenberg worked as Senior Writer and Copy Chief at Book-of-the-Month Club and has written seven children’s book adaptations. She’s also written for three newspapers, and has penned countless magazine articles. Wedlocked is her first novel. She lives on Long Island with her husband, stepchildren, and cats.