Tags
BETWEEN, Erica Cameron, Giveaway of Gratitude, Megan Whitmer, SING SWEET NIGHTINGALE, Spencer Hill Contemporary, Spencer Hill Press
Five days to go until the release of Behind the Scenes, and another giveaway to throw into the mix! This time, I’m celebrating my publisher, the very wonderful Spencer Hill Press. As you may have seen on this blog, I have strong feelings about picking the pub path that’s right for you and your book, so I figured this was a good opportunity to talk a little bit about mine.
The truth about subbing for Behind the Scenes is that I felt from the start that a traditional publisher of any size would be a fine home for it. That isn’t something I’d say about any book, and certainly not any debut, but it is how I felt about this one. At the time BtS first went on submission, SHP was up and running, but they were only publishing Speculative Fiction. I don’t remember how I came to know of them or become friendly with Patricia Riley and Danielle Ellison, but by the time Spencer Hill Contemporary came about when I’d been on sub for a few months, I knew it was a place I’d be very, very happy to go. (You can read a little more about that here.)
To anyone reading this who’s thinking of subbing to a small press, don’t mistake this for “I thought BtS would do well anywhere, so I was open to anything.” Spencer Hill was very specifically on my list for three reasons: 1) They pay an advance, 2) They do a print run (and not just POD), 3) I knew, liked, and respected their editorial staff. I also became a Copy Editor there a few months before I actually subbed to them, so I knew more about the editorial process and how much manuscripts there went through, and was pleased with that as well. And then (though this was admittedly after I’d already sold there) I saw them at BEA, and was tremendously impressed by everything they did for their authors there.
Anyway, fast forward to now, and 5 reasons I’m grateful for where I am:
- I love my editor. Patricia is wonderful, and my book is so much better for her love and direction, and I am so, so appreciative of the conversations we have about my work and the say she gives me in the things that matter. I also have a fantastic Associate Editor in Lauren Meinhardt, and the two of them just make me feel really, really lucky to have my words in their hands.
- The interns are fantastic. Seriously, they’re so much of how these things run really well, and I’ve been lucky enough to have some great support, meet a few, and watch some of the best become Editorial Assistants and Publicists. Major shoutouts here to my own publicist, Patrice Caldwell; Tracy Inzitari; and Meredith Maresco ❤
- They make BEA awesome. Not only did I get to sign at BEA, but so did my fellow authors (and friends) Kelsey Macke, Megan Whitmer, Nikki Urang, Alex Kahler, Danielle Ellison, and Rachel Harris. Um, that is crazy cool, and takes so much work to pull off, and it was amazing.
- I talked about it some in this recent interview, but to reiterate, I love their commitment to diversity, and I love how excited they were when I told them my next book was going to be LGBTQ.
- They’re publishing The Book of My Heart.
And to celebrate my gratitude, here’s a fun little giveaway o’ stuff. Leave a comment about a Spencer Hill book you’ve either loved or are looking forward to, and I’ll pick a winner to receive:
1) An ARC of BETWEEN by the Megan Whitmer
2) A finished copy of SING SWEET NIGHTINGALE by the Erica Cameron
3) A fun little array of bookmarks for BEHIND THE SCENES by me (signed), MARTYR by A.R. Kahler (signed), THE FINE ART OF PRETENDING by Rachel Harris, THE HIT LIST by Nikki Urang, and DAMSEL DISTRESSED by Kelsey Macke
Sorry, this one’s US only, and it ends on June 30 at noon EST, so get your comments in and enter to win!