Author Interiview ~ Marilyn Meredith (speaks on e-publishing)

Marilyn Meredith has been a professional writer for thirty plus years. She’s written for local newspapers and national magazines.
She’s had two historical family sagas published based on her own family genealogy. A new edition of TWO WAYS WEST is now available.
Besides Christian horror, Marilyn has written mysteries including the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series and the Rocky Bluff P.D. series.
An instructor for Writer’s Digest school, she is also one of the judges for the Writer’s Digest contest for Genre Fiction Category for Self-Published Books.
She's been married 52 years to the sailor she met on a blind date, they raised 5 children, and have 18 grandkids and 9 greats. To learn more about Marilyn and her books visit her website at http://fictionforyou.com/


Do you have a project you'd like to tell us about?

My latest published book is Cup of Demons published by Treble Heart Books and what I call Christian Horror. It's about a girl who is plagued by ghosts of her ancestors and demons. It was reviewed by Carolyn R. Scheidies who ended the review with these words, "A look at the face of evil and the power of Christ."







What is e-publishing?

E-publishing is a process of publishing a book that looks like a book but can be read on a computer, a Palm Pilot or other hand-held device. E-books can be purchased from the e-publisher's website and many other places like Fictionwise.com. Even New York publishers are putting their books out in e-formats now.

Why write Christian horror?

I used to love horror movies and always thought if only the heroine or hero was Christian he or she could use her faith to fight against the evil--whatever it happened to be in the particular movie. Ideas began to pop in my head and I had to write what I thought. I always felt that God inspired the ideas though when it was so difficult to find a publisher I did wonder a bit if that was true.

What has been the reaction of others when they find out what you write?

Usually I have to explain what Christian horror is. I believe that the Left Behind series is really Christian horror too. I'm also a mystery writer and often use Christian elements in my mysteries too.

Do you think the market is getting more receptive to Christian horror?

I'm not sure. My first Christian horror, The Choice, I self-published through PageFree Publishing because the Christian publishers all liked my writing but said the novel was too "horror-ible" for their readers. The secular publishers liked my writing but said the book was too Christian for their readers.

Tell us about your experiences with traditional publishers.

I've been published by two large traditional publishers--historical family sagas, a small independent publisher for four of my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries, and several e-publishers for other books.

You were one of the first to jump on the e-publishing bandwagon. Why?

My first experience was with a publisher that I didn't know was an e-publisher. The company was listed in Writer's Digest Market and I sent a police procedural to it. When it was accepted and I got the contract, then I learned it was going to be e-published. I had no idea what that meant, but I thought, why not? The publisher was the best editor I've ever had, but once the book was available as an e-book it was much too difficult to obtain.

Plus there was no way to read it except on the computer. Also, the publisher really didn't know how to market it and neither did I. I had other books accepted by other e-publishers who also didn't have much of a clue about what was going on. The industry has grown and become a viable business since that time.

What are the benefits to e-publishing?

One benefits is you get feedback from the publisher much quicker after you've submitted a manuscript. Submitting a manuscript as an attachment to an e-mail is much simpler and less costly than submitting by mail. The percentage of royalties are much higher than with regular books. Most e-publishers also publish trade paperbacks at the same time as the e-books. The royalties for the trade paperbacks are better than for regular books too. The whole publishing process is quicker than with traditional publishers--though unfortunately that is changing. Probably the best thing about e-publishers is that they are not so set in their guidelines and are willing to take chances with unusual books and publish books of varying lengths.

Drawbacks?

Not everyone is enthusiastic about reading a book on a hand-held device. All e-published authors are trying to educate people about the pluses of reading in this manner. You can carry lots of books in one little object like a Palm Pilot and read anywhere. Most hand-held devices are back-lit making it unnecessary to have a light to read by making it able for you to read in bed without disturbing your spouse.

How do you make money in this publishing avenue?

I receive royalties from my publishers every quarter.

How have sales been?

Sales are sporadic but I do get regular royalties. To be honest, I make more money selling the trade paperbacks.

Advice for others thinking of going this route?

Be sure that you find a reputable e-publisher. Research the publishers. Read some of their books. If you go to the Epic website: http://www.epicauthors.com/
you'll find a list of e-publishers with links to their websites.

How do you promote your work?

E-books must be promoted via the Internet. There are various ways to do that by getting reviews, being on lots of lists and telling people about your book, entering contests, getting interviewed like this.

Can you tell us about Treble Hearts the e-publishing co. you use?

The publisher of Treble Heart Books published a mystery of mine called Guilt by Association and it won the best mystery/suspense award for that year. I approached Lee Emory, the publisher and now a friend, about publishing Deeds of Darkness, another Christian horror, and though I think she was a bit unsure about it, she gave me a contract. Once that one came out, she was willing to publish "Cup of Demons." Treble Hearts has good editors and Lee Emory works hard for her authors.

General advice for aspiring novelists?

Be sure that you have self-edited your book to the best of your ability and if possible, had someone who knows about editing take a look at it so it's as good as it can possibly be before you send it off to a publisher. Follow the publisher's guidelines and only submit the kind of book that they publish.

Do you have dreams for your writing future?

My goal is to get all my books published that I've written before I die. People always laugh when I say that, but after all, I am a great-grandmother and I've written lots of books.

What's next for you?

I have a book called "Wishing Makes It So" that's a novel of suspense that has Christian elements in it. It's about what happens when bad things happen to a good family. It's much darker than my usual writing. This one is coming from Hard Shell Word Factory, another excellent e-publisher who has published other books of mine.

Parting words?

The publishing world has changed greatly since I was first published. Though the major publishers are not as easy to break into as they once were, mainly because they are looking for block-busters, there are lots of smaller independent publishers out there both e-publishers and traditional who are looking for good manuscripts. The biggest difference between a published author and one who isn't is the published author didn't give up.