1. Welcome
to the blog, Stasia. Thanks for taking time to visit with us. I know you’ve
been involved in the publishing industry for some time in the publicity arena.
Did this make it easier to transition into the writing realm?
Most
of my non-writer publishing experience has been in the area of school and
library marketing so I found that there was still quite a bit I didn't know
about being on the author side. That said, working in publishing has
given me the opportunity to read many wonderful books which is an
essential part of a writer's education. I also realize how much work the
people in-house have to do. So, I think my work experience has
made me very appreciative of the support I've gotten from my publisher.
2. Why did you decide to write your novel in verse?
I
don't think writing AUDITION in verse was as much a decision as an
instinct. It is certainly the case that hearing Ellen Hopkins speak
was a very important moment in the journey of this novel from prose to
verse. More broadly, though, I sometimes find it frustrating when people
say, "If a novel is in verse, the author has to make a very strong
argument for why it wasn't written in prose." It makes me wonder
if if anyone ever asked Merce Cunningham to explain why he
choreographed modern dances instead of ballets, or asked Eminem why he wraps
instead of singing opera. Writing, like choreographing, making music,
playing shortstop, is something you do in the voice that is yours with the
talents you have. Plain and simple.
3. You’ve obviously been out promoting your book heavily
since it’s release. Could you share what that experience has been like? How
does it differ as the writer instead of marketing for the publisher?
Book
promotion is the roughest part of the publishing journey. Years on the
marketing side has shown me that unless you are a celebrity or have some
other type of platform (or hit the NYT best-seller or a major
literary award list), there is very little an individual author can do to
impact awareness (much less sales) of his or her books. I also know that
solo book events for debut novelists are a big challenge. It's tough
in-house, too. Every publicist is working from similar media and
educational contact lists, every book is in competition for the notice on
the same key internet and paper publications. Of course, in-house, you
have a budget and a collaborative team to help you make decisions and, you
know, seal envelopes. But promotion is a huge challenge. For these
reasons, I think it is very important for individual writers to promote their
work in ways that feel natural, organic and (dare I say it) fun because the
rewards are unlikely to be significant in terms of dollar amount.
I
enjoy blogging about reading and writing, so I continue to blog as I did before
I got my agent and published a novel. And I love the company of artsy
people, so I formed an author tour collective called Stages on Pages, comprised
of writers whose novels and/or lives involve the performing arts. We are
about to embark on our fourth tour adventure, this one to Northern
California. We sell some books, sure, but more importantly, we talk about
writing and the book biz with amazing writers, bloggers, booksellers, teachers
and librarians. I know other authors who focus their efforts on school
visits, who are very active on Goodreads or Facebook, and some whose focus
outside of writing books is much more on other aspects of their lives, such as
performing or another day job.
4. What’s one thing you’d like to share with first-time
novelists?
Write
what's closest to your heart, go down to the bone, make your characters as
honest as you can. Then, when you think you can't even breathe because
it's so hard, go farther. Don't save anything for the "next
book" or even the next page. Agents and editors can tell when
you're not giving it your all. This is true with the second book,
too. Try to fall in love with writing more than the idea of being
published. The writing will always take much more of your time.
5. What types of books grab your attention? Are there a
couple new releases (besides your own) that you’d recommend to my audience?
I
love a well-written book in any genre. Novelists I admire include
Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, Markus Zusak, Lauren Oliver and Gayle
Forman. I suppose I'd recommend to people that they read widely
because sometimes you can learn more about craft reading something very
different from what you write.
6. If you could meet any writer from the past, who would it
be and why?
Noel
Streatfield, Agatha Christie and W. Somerset Maugham. Obviously, I am a
bit of an Anglophile. I also love theater people and all three of these
novelists were also playwrights and, generally, theatrical types :) Plus,
I love to drink tea.
Thanks so much for the great questions!
Thank you, Stasia, for spending some with us today.
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