Rebecca Hamilton and Immortal Ink Publishing

Yesterday, we learned all about Rebecca Hamilton's debut novel, The Forever Girl. It will be released later this month as the first of Immortal Ink Publishing's offerings. Rebecca will also act as the company's acquisition editor when they go live for queries in May. She talks about how that happened below, as well as tips for other aspiring self-publishers.

And don't forget, you can sign up here to get a .99 release copy of The Forever Girl. For every ten who sign up, Rebecca will give away one free e-book. So get your ereaders ready or dust off your bookshelves and sign up today for this exciting paranormal fantasy.


7.  You're also acquisition editor for Immortal Ink (using the name Shana Raywood). Is it weird being on the other side of the virtual desk? What's your goal for the company this year?

          We’re not open to queries yet, but we’ve gotten a few, including one person who became irate when I let him I know we weren’t open yet. So, is it weird? Not really. But sometimes it’s bizarre lol. We open for submissions in May, hopefully, and we’re excited about it! There’s so much talent out there. I hope some of them will consider submitting to us! Our goal this year is to publish around 6 books. Ultimately, we may publish as many as 12 books a year. We know that is LOT less than even the smallest of small publishers currently out there, but we want to really put everything we can into the books we do sign. This is, IMO, in everyone’s best interest. Authors deserve time and attention to their novels. Readers deserve a quality read—not just a selection of books thrown at the wall to see what sticks. And we deserve to not run ourselves into the ground!

8. Your blog has a lot of visual effects - moving words, a great book trailer. Do you have a background in design or computer graphics? If not, how did you learn to do all the cool technical stuff you do?

You’re too funny! Google is my friend. I have no background in graphic design, but I used to do photography and I do ENJOY graphic design. I think I have a knack for it, but I was never sure until you just confirmed J There’s a lot of tutorials out there. I’m also very picky and very stubborn and I refuse to give up until I figure out how to get something done.

9.   Getting back to The Forever Girl - your launch is very soon. What kind of publicity do you plan?
          I’ll be doing a blog tour in January, and I might have a twitter release party, too. I’ve also arranged for some book bloggers to receive free copies of my book for review. I hope word of mouth will spread and I hope that word of mouth will be from happy readers! I am also looking into some forms of advertising. This will be a learning experience to see what pays off. Having wonderful bloggers like yourself invite me to yammer on is a great help, too. I can’t thank you enough for having me here!

10.  It's obvious you'll have a lot to juggle in the coming months. What's your strategy to keep your creativity while wearing so many business/creative genius hats?

       All I can do is keep a reasonable schedule. Try what works and rearrange things if things are too much of a struggle. I try not to overdo it. I tell myself I don’t have to do everything every day. That helps keep me from getting to stressed. I try to keep time for writing, time for editing, time for marketing, and so on. And, of course, time for family, which I’ve mentioned last but always comes first.

Fast five - New Year version

Pumpkin pie or chocolate cream pie?
Chocolate Cream!

Me, too! *gains 5 lbs just thinking about it*

Favorite read of 2011?
Amy L Kinzer’s Girl Over the Edge, available on Amazon for only .99!

Proudest moment?
           When my oldest son started showing an ability to respond to frustrations in a healthy way. It’s still a battle for him, but I’m so proud every time he is able to overcome his immediate reaction and make a good-but-hard choice to stay in control.
          Also when my daughter made the gymnastics team at her gym. I’m proud of her because not only did she do so from practicing ALL the time (and she will tell you this much herself) but also because I knew it was a big girl step for her to accept the invitation. She loved her coach in her little girl class, who wouldn’t be in the big girl class. It’s why she didn’t move up when she was first ready to move up. But she ultimately decided she wanted to be there for the sport. She also started trying to make friends with the girls on her new team, which is great!
         I’m also proud  that my youngest is potty trained now and has finally stopped smearing poop on the walls. That was a long two and half year phase!

Wow - 2.5 years of poop for wall paper? I hate to think what that child's teen years will be like. :)

The time you almost quit?
         I am very persistent and refuse to give up even when it would probably be better if I did. I think it drives my husband and everyone else around me crazy, as they tell me to stop trying to do impossible things. I just keep insisting it IS possible and I’m going to do it. Then, eventually, I get it done. It doesn’t stop them from trying to talk sense into me the next time, though.

Top goal for 2012?
          I want to read more. I looked at how few books I read this year compared to all the years before, and I realized that I’d been so busy working that I’d stop making time to just relax and do something I love. In 2012, I want to read at least 1 book a month. It’s not as much as I used to read, but it’s a sad year for me that in 2011 I didn’t even read that much. 2012 will be much better!

I agree! Thanks for stopping by, Rebecca and best wishes for your debut and your new editing gig.

Rebecca Hamilton and The Forever Girl

This week, I'm featuring aspiring author/editor Rebecca Hamilton, whose debut The Forever Girl comes out this month.  Today, we're discussing how this story evolved, along with the experiences that convinced Rebecca to launch it herself. Stop by tomorrow to learn how Rebecca co-founded Immortal Ink Publishing, which will open to queries in May.

Either day, you can sign up here to get a .99 release copy of The Forever Girl. For every ten who sign up, Rebecca will give away one free e-book. So get your ereaders ready or dust off your bookshelves and sign up today for this exciting paranormal fantasy.


1. Your blog states you're a mom of three, including one child with autism spectrum disorder. Talk about how you organize your writing day - are you a scheduled or on-the-fly writer?

I try to have a schedule, but it’s really not working out so well. Mostly I write at nights, and use daytime for social media and editing, as I don’t mind being interrupted when doing those things. A lot of days, however, there’s so much to do with the kids that I don’t really get anything done. Maybe that will change once they’re all in school .

 2.  2011 has been a big(ger) year for you. You've started Immortal Ink Publishing and are getting ready to launch The Forever Girl - first in the FG series. What made you decide to go into publishing in the first place?

         The seed first planted itself before I started writing. I have always loved reading, but not only that, I was also amazing at picking out books that me and all my friends would like, no matter how different we were.
         This feeling intensified some time after I started writing, when I got into editing. I used to do paid editing for very cheap, but only for novels that I was personally interested in. Many of the books I edited later went on to agents and/or publishers. I knew I had a knack for editing, but I also knew I had a knack for finding the right stories to edit.
         Meanwhile, my closest writing partner and I had been discussing some kind of literary venue. We didn’t know what at the time—literary magazine? A website to feature authors? Something else? We were always discussing, but no idea ever stuck. In the end, with some additional experiences coming into play, we decided to open Immortal Ink Publishing.

 3.  I've read the first chapter of The Forever Girl on your blog and have to say, I was hooked. You've discussed the impact your MC's religion has had on some readers (Sophia is Wiccan) - talk about how this story grown from its first draft.

            Thanks ! The final draft is completely different from the original. There’s not much the same except for the characters and the very bones of the story. The religion has been the biggest hurdle, especially being an American author. A lot of people now assume I’m Wiccan. (I’m not; I’m agnostic, though I’ve studied many religions including Wicca and Christianity.) It wasn’t until I started writing this novel that I realized there was still such a judgment against the Wiccan religion. Some were upset also that there are some not-so-great characters who call themselves Christians in the novel, but I also have flawed Wiccan characters in my story and Christian characters who are kind-hearted, so I think the balance is there to anyone open to see it.Hopefully the free sample I provide has enough there to convey that the good and bad in my characters come from the characters themselves and not the religions they associate with. 

4. What made you decide to go the epubbing route instead of traditional - snagging an agent, going on sub, etc.?
          This goes back to why Rudy and I started Immortal Ink Publishing. Over the course of the last year, several publishers and agents approached me regarding my book after reading a sample online. I knew my book wasn’t ready, but in several of those cases I was persuaded to send anyway because “things can always be revised”.
           Ultimately, both agents and 2 of the 3 publishers passed, all asking to see future projects. They said I had a great writing style and “voice”, but all had different reasons why they didn’t have room on their list for The Forever Girl. Some hated parts others loved, and vice versa.
         I figured I might be onto something but knew the book needed more work. I hired some well-regarded editors, two of whom mentioned the idea of resubmitting. I’m not Stephenie Meyers or Amanda Hocking, but I had enough that I worried I might I start LOSING interest instead of gaining it if I didn’t make my book available, so I decided it’d be wiser if I didn’t put my book in limbo for another 6-12 months.
          Getting my novel ready meant I had a lot to learn. I figured…what a waste for me to learn all this just for me. As Rudy was also looking to self publish, I suggested we start our own publishing house. We agreed to use our own books as guinea pigs for the publishing house to show what we can offer. I still suspect self-pub will be the preferred option for many, but we hope to be a small publisher that is a good option for authors who don’t want to do the behind-the-scene work themselves or can’t afford to invest in themselves but still want to give their readers a high quality product.

5.  What are some technical details behind epubbing you didn't know before you started the process - the cover, the ISBN number - etc? How hard is it to get it all done these days? How expensive is it?
           I knew a fair bit since I’d seen it talked about so often online. The biggest hurdle for me has been more on the business end—registering a business, for example. The next has been formatting. Sure, there’s some fast and easy ways to do it, but I want to put out the best quality I can. I don’t think it’s really hard (aside from getting formatting done the right way). It’s just time consuming. And, in some cases, it can be expensive to some people. For me, paying what I did for my book covers was no big deal. A few of the covers in The Forever Girl series are done by the same person who designed the overseas covers for the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris.

6.  Now that you're familiar with the process, what advice do you have to other authors thinking about epubbing?

           Get a great cover artist. Get opinions on your cover from people you can trust to be honest with you. Get an excellent editor. Be sure they provide quality editing, and remember you will need to do several edits on your manuscript from large scale to small, preferable in that order ;) Do your research and don’t be in a rush.

Other epublishing authors have told me that the importance of a great cover can't be overstated. And the one for TFG is really great.

Thanks, Rebecca. Join us tomorrow for part two to find out more about submitting to Immortal Ink Publishing.

Bright beginnings

Happy 2012, everyone! I hope you have big plans for New Year's Eve. My own include a game night with two of our three kids, eating the last of the Christmas cookies, and falling asleep in front of a movie while cuddling with hubsy. *yawn* I probably won't make it to midnight. Yup, I am Officially Old. :)

Next week, stop by on Monday to critique a few loglines and first 250 words of selected adult entries that didn't make it into the Baker's Dozen auction hosted at Miss Snark's First Victim. Not many have sent me entries yet, but I know those that do appreciate whatever feedback you share. And you're welcome to send your logline/first 250 even if you've never heard of Authoress. The more, the merrier!

On Friday, I talk with the lovely Rebecca Hamilton, whose novel, The Forever Girl, debuts next month as a print and e-book through her new imprint, Immortal Ink Publishing. Rebecca is also the acquisition editor for the company, which will start taking queries in May. She'll have a very cool giveaway you won't want to miss. (She's also just done a fantabulous blog makeover - definitely worth a click. I swear she's some kind of cyber-genius.)

In the meantime, I raise my nonalcoholic-apple-cranberry-spritzer to you! L'Chaim!