Today we're doing a different type of interview, and it should be enlightening to both writers and readers following the blog.
My guest today is Debra
Hartmann. Hello! Welcome to Writing in the Modern Age! It’s
such a pleasure to have you here.
It’s a pleasure
to be here today, thank you for having me.
Can you tell us a little bit about your venture and how Writing in the Modern
Age readers can benefit from it?
I’ve been editing
for 20 years now so I actually watched eBook and self-publishing trends develop
and grow, and far too many authors publishing unpolished manuscripts.
Technology had opened the door, nothing else had changed, and authors denied
traditional publishing contracts were just trying to realize their dream, but without
the budget or connections a traditional publisher has. Either without
professional packaging or with cheap packaging…the end result is the same—bad
reviews and no sales.
Most writers
today are working full time and writing part time—that is the reality—you have to
support yourself and your family first, dreams second. Add on that getting a
traditional contract is next to impossible. It can all feel like an impossible
situation. There needed to be something added to match what technology had
provided.
So, I assembled a
team of about two dozen freelance service providers covering everything from
editing to publishing who feel the same way I do about these things and launched
The Pro Book Editor and Indie Author Publishing
Services. All team members are also published authors, so they understand
both sides of the working relationship, no one has less than 10 years of
experience in their field, and they each came highly recommended by previous
clients.
There are a lot of self-published services out
there. How does yours differ?
Self-publishing
services profit by selling package deals to authors and getting the work done
as cheaply as possible. A big portion of what the author’s pay for actually goes
back into advertising to keep their sales sites in the top 10 on Google and
other search engines. They also take royalties and rights from the author—requiring every update or change to go
through them as the publisher. We don’t. Our
business structure is simply a group of freelancers that has no corporate
headquarters, no VP collecting a huge salary, no money is spent on advertising
that authors pay for, and our next job depends on testimonials from previous
clients. Even as the owner, my pay comes only from actual work that I do as
part of the same team of professionals. We all depend on testimonials to build
our resumes and allow us to continue to work.
So,
unlike self-pub houses, we only care about quality and on time delivery…no one
is being rushed to finish a job and get to the next one, or being paid an
hourly wage and unhappy in their jobs. We are all members of an elite group of
professionals that also dreamed, then succeeded in becoming published authors. We
all genuinely can and want to make a difference in our writing peer group.
Wow, that sounds great! So, I'll ask the next question I'm sure readers are dying to know...
Debra, are you an editor? If so, do you
also write? If not, have you ever entertained the idea of writing your
own books?
I am an
editor, all levels including proofreading. I’m also certified in adult
education, as a Microsoft Office trainer, and experienced in all areas of
publishing having worked with so many talented professionals over the last 20
years. Being the managing editor for the team and providing training and
consultation services around editing and proofing for my personal clients is
the perfect balance for me to work with purpose and really enjoy most every
work day.
I do
also write—remember every team member is a published author. I have to, like
many authors, or the voices won’t shut up.
I
prefer to keep my writing and my work separate, though, so I use a pen name. I
think everyone can relate to the fact that writing and work are two very
different sides of you as a person. It’s obvious for someone who writes books
and works as a nurse…no one is judging your nursing ability by your fiction
book they found on Amazon. It’s not as simple when your job is editing fiction,
and I did originally publish under my own name and quickly realized that
authors were deciding about working with me based on my writing or the genre or
other off the wall reasons related to my book, not my resume. I have three books
out there and two more coming over the next year…then, who knows…I doubt the
voices will go away, satisfied with only five books.
Oh, yes, I know all about the voices. LOL.
Do you have plans for expansion with IAPS?
Or is that a secret?
So, I
left working as a sub-contractor to be on my own specifically so I could work
freely towards a purpose that is so important to me. Making a difference in our
industry—professional and quality packaging needs to be affordable and
accessible, the reputation of indie books needs to improve, and authors that are
willing to work for their dream should be able to realize their dream, not have
to give up. Now, I’m opening a new publishing house that is going to be
monumentally different…traditional publishing with an indie twist.
Welcome
Home Press is for the author that has tried to get a traditional contract and
gotten rejected, has a manuscript that is well written, a professional
attitude, and the desire and willingness to push up their shirt sleeves and
work side by side with us. By leveraging crowd funding, we can publish authors
without upfront, out of pocket expenses, not take rights away from them, and
offer amazing royalty splits. That’s all I can tell you right now, but there
will be news on the IAPS site very soon.
That's great, Debra! How inspiring!
Now for some general questions. Do you have any
favorite authors?
Stephen King,
John Irving, Regina Puckett, MC Muhlenkamp, Martha Bourke, Austin Dragon, and
Jeffrey Poston.
When reading, do you prefer traditional
printed books or ebooks? And why?
I definitely love
my printed hardback books—one wall in my office and in my living room are each
filled floor to ceiling with them. However, I cannot deny, though I only have
it because my son gave it to me for Mother’s Day, I do love my tablet. End of
the day, relaxing in bed until I fall asleep is my favorite time to read and
that tablet is light weight and has its own reading light. It’s very convenient
and I’m reading more now because I have it. If I travel and take a book, it’s always
the paper version. The feel and smell of a book cannot be replaced with
technology and that sound tablets make is kind of creepy. Though my husband
appreciates me not fussing around with hardback books and an annoying reading
light in bed anymore!
So, can you tell us what you are reading
for fun now?
Right now, I’m catching up on the last
few Stephen King novels that came out…I was too busy to read them as they
published, like I normally would. I also have a signed copy of Corvus Rising by Mary C. Simmons at the
ready for my next read. She’s trying to start a new genre called Ecofantasy and
the book is an elaborate, nature/ecology based fantasy tale that has me most
intrigued. It has a map in it…that often does it for me, too, the extra effort to
show the reader around in their fantasy world…love it!
Are there any words you'd like to impart
to writers? Any advice such as an error that comes up often that we could
work on?
The
biggest mistake is to not treat your manuscript like a product. It’s your baby
while you write—it should be—but when you’re done putting your imagination to
pen, it’s a product. You have to separate yourself in this way or you can’t
possibly be objective. Also, you can’t clearly make business decisions about
the people you allow to work with you on polishing and packaging that product
if you aren’t looking at it as a business product. In terms of common errors in
the writing, every author has their own unique set of quirks and they always
will. Be open minded about learning how to improve your craft and make sure you
are working with an editor that respects your voice, but also inspires and
teaches you to be a better writer.
Great advice!
Debra’s Bio
I live
in beautiful Asheville, NC after living away from home for most of my career.
My son is a soldier in the Army and I couldn’t be prouder! I love to read and
write, but I’m also an outdoor person, enjoying fishing and camping when work
allows.
My career
has included working as a freelance sub-contractor for traditional
publishing companies on fiction novels, working with corporate documents and
manuals, and as an independent freelancer to both traditional and
self-publishing authors. These days, I specialize in fiction manuscripts,
short stories, and story collections across most genres for editing to
published, indie style. I am excited about our indie author revolution and
being a part of that movement.
About Indie Author Publishing Services (IAPS)
Publish on Your
Terms! Instead of signing over your publishing rights and the lion’s
share of royalties to a self-publishing house, work directly with freelance editors,
designers, and formatters.
Freelancers are service and quality
oriented and our success depends on your satisfaction.
Our team is comprised of only
experienced professionals who are also self-published authors so we can truly
appreciate our client’s needs. The combination of our experiences allows us to
offer training and consultation services also, to help authors be as
independent as they want to be.
Service Links
Portfolio/Testimonials
Thank you so much for visiting us today, Debra, and telling us all about these awesome services you offer!
Thank you, Debra. I love your style of editing. You are a true professional in every sense of the word.
ReplyDeleteRegina Puckett
Fabulous interview, Deb! You are so amazing at what you do!!
ReplyDelete