ReaderHouse Pep Talk Interview
an update on publishing my book
I’ve been having some new experiences lately in the publishing world and I thought I’d share them with you. This past week I had two interviews for my newly released book Pep Talks for Moms: How the Stuff of Motherhood Can Be Transformative. This is part of the promotion package that I purchased through my publisher, Christian Faith Publishing. This publishing company is like a hybrid between a traditional publisher and self-publishing. It’s like being self-published in that the author must approve everything and also pays for everything. It’s like a traditional publisher in that they coordinate the work to be done and only publish books they believe will make back their money.
The first interview I did was for ReaderHouse Author Roundtable, a podcast where new authors share their experiences in the publishing world. I can’t for the life of me imagine who listens to this podcast, but I guess someone must. Probably the people interviewed and everyone they make listen to it afterward. Hey, like me!
Before the interview, I was given a list of questions, such as: is this your first time publishing? How did you come up with the idea for your book? What inspired you to get published? What was the hardest part of publishing? How did you feel when you first held your book in your hands? What advice would you give to new authors?
I didn’t much care for the questions. They seemed focused on the publication process and not on selling my book, so I decided I’d insert what I could about my book when I had a chance. The interview came at a stressful time. We attended Meet the Teacher and discovered we needed to get some last-minute school supplies. My oldest started his first week at a new school. We got our rabbit fixed. I started homeschooling the other two kids. We needed to get my youngest’s stitches removed form when he stabbed himself in the leg with a pocket knife. And I was scrambling to get my kids registered for a Charter school that accepted me last minute. I prayed the Lord would provide the words to speak about His work even though I didn’t prepare much for these interviews.
The first interview was conducted by a nice guy who had the voice of an announcer. This guy was “on” during the chit-chat we had before the interview, all the way to the goodbyes. A few times I wanted to ask him if he ever used a normal voice or if this was how he spoke to all his friends, but I’m glad I didn’t. Upon listening to the interview afterward, I realized his voice was perfect for this job. In fact, the authors were the ones who sounded like monotone bumbling buffoons, laughing at things that weren’t funny and getting lost in the plot of their books. I suppose I shouldn’t criticize them too much because now I am one of those authors.
Click on the podcast link below to listen. I’m the last one to be interviewed, so you can scroll ahead to where I come on at 44:30. The other authors on this episode are fairly well-spoken and interesting as well.
I’m pleased with how it came out. They cut out a few of my answers where I complained about how tedious the editing process was and how publishing was cool but not the ultimate achievement.
So, now I’m learning how I might use this interview to promote and sell my book. You may find it on Amazon or Barnes and Noble or even Wal-Mart (oh boy!) Or you can get a 10% discount if you purchase it off Reader House’s website at the link below. Use the promo code “FFSave10”. There, now you have no excuse. By the way, if you want to help the book’s sales, buy it on Amazon and then leave a 5-star review, saying some nice things. You know, things like: “Abby is a genius!” and “This author is a savant,” and “If only I knew her personally, I’d get her to sign my book.”