Debut Revue with Jessie Harrell

Oct 24, 2011 by Ashlynn

We are so, so thrilled to present to you the first Debut Revue! Jessie Harrell works as an attorney by day, but in legality-free hours she dons her writing super cape as a first-time, self-published YA author. Her supernatural romance DESTINED is hitting the shelves November 17th! We asked her about the writing and self-publishing process, and here’s what she had to say…

Photo by Jeff Nelson

First things first—you’re getting published! WOOHOO! How does it  feel to reach that milestone?

Thank you! *gushes* Since I’m the one doing the publishing, it  probably feels different for me than for most authors.  I jealously  imagine other authors sitting on their hands just waiting for launch  day while I’m still working out cover glitches and fighting with  Amazon over my merchant account.  (And I’m sure that’s not at all  accurate — traditionally published authors are out there marketing  their tails off, I’m sure.)  But for me, it’s this combination of  excitement and terror that I’m going to mess something up in a big way.

The glorious title of “Published Author” aside, why don’t you tell  us a little bit about yourself?

I’m a wife, mom of two girls, and appellate lawyer. I don’t eat  seafood and most green veggies and I love to travel but I don’t get  too that often.  Destined is my first novel but has been rewritten SO  MANY times to get to the publication stage that it feels like my third  or fourth book!

Book Website  Author Blog  Twitter  Facebook Page

About DESTINED

DESTINED is a retelling of the Cupid & Psyche myth.  It’s set in  ancient Greece, but I use very modern dialog and societal notions so  that today’s teens can more easily relate to ancient times.  Those  modern notions aside, most details in the book are historically  accurate, which took loads of research.

View the book trailer here!

The Writing Process

Very often first books seem to be an idea that sticks with a young  writer, or a series of ideas that need to be exorcised before new  inspiration can be found. Was that true for you?

That pretty much hits the nail on the head.  Even though I’ve co- authored a second novel (that’s still looking for a home), I couldn’t  leave Destined sitting in a “trunk.”  After much soul searching and  several “near misses” with agents and publishers, I decided to put the  novel out there on my own.  The way the pieces fell into place, it  really felt like it was destined to be.  (Sorry, you may groan at the  pun.)

How long did it take you to write your first book and reach the  “publishable” stage?

Years.  I don’t have a consistent writing schedule and would eke out  writing time where I could, but often waited for inspiration to  strike.  I also took some long pauses to work on my craft, attend  conferences, learn about the industry, etc., so that by the time I got  to the end of the book, my writing was WAY better than when I  started.  Hence, the multiple re-writes of the beginning.

The Publishing Process

What have been some of your biggest setbacks/breakthroughs during  the writing and publishing process?

Most recently, dealing with Amazon has been a huge setback, primarily  because of my own ignorance going in.  I wanted people to be able to  pre-order Destined, primarily so my countdown widget could link them to  an Amazon page.  It made me feel more legitimate.  Problem is, Amazon  takes an industry standard 55% discount off the cover price (if you  use Amazon Advantage), but it costs me more than 45% of the cover  price to print the books POD.  So, I will actually lose money on all  the pre-sold novels.  I guess I just have to consider it a marketing  expense — part of getting my name out there.  But along the way,  seeing my book on Amazon, getting added to TBR lists on goodreads and  having people make Destined their Waiting on Wednesday picks have  given me the feeling like it’s all worth it.

Tell us a bit more about self-publishing. What has that experience  been like? Would you recommend it?

Well, you can see from the last question that it hasn’t been easy.  I  think the folks who make it painless probably aren’t doing it right,  frankly.  I hired a professional cover designer, hired a professional  editor, hired a copy editor, hired a typesetter.  All of that was  financially painful, but made the book so many millions of times  better.  If someone has a novel that they really believe in and that  just can’t find a traditionally published home for whatever reason,  self-publishing is an option they should consider.  But only if  they’re willing to put in the time, effort and energy to do it right.   Why would you want your name associated with a sub-par product?  I see  too many self-published novels full of typos and plot holes, that the  bad reputation of self-publishing is understandable in many instances.

Marketing

Based on your websites and involvement in the writing community  online, it looks like you think the web is an important part of  networking and publicizing your work. How important do you think it  is for writers to utilize the net?

Absolutely critical.  This was the first piece of advice I took from  an SCBWI conference years ago – I got on twitter and facebook and  joined #yalitchat.  I never would have made the connections I’ve made  over the years without this networking.  Plus, it gives you built in  support.  Writing is hard.  Writers need other writers to keep their  spirits up and stories polished.  As an added bonus, the people that  I’ve connected with online are now helping to spread the word about my  novel.  I wouldn’t have nearly the same reach without them.

How about in “real life,” how do you promote your work and connect  with the literary world offline?

I have one close critique partner I live near and she and I exchange  work and talk YA over lunch.  Aside from that, my YA world exists  solely in my computer.  I am a little more limited too, since being a  lawyer, I don’t talk all that much about having written a YA novel in  those circles.

Young Adult

What are some challenges unique to writing/publishing in your genre?

Young adult (YA) is awesome.  There’s so much tension and angst in  those years, but trying to stay “current” with teens isn’t easy since  I don’t have much exposure to them (aside from babysitters).

Do you pay attention to trends in the YA community, or keep them in  mind while you’re writing (i.e. the huge trend in supernatural  series right now)? Where do you see the genre moving?

I do not pay attention to trends, but instead write what I enjoy.  I  was working on Destined WAY before mythology became a hot topic in  YA.  I like the supernatural series and so it’s probably not  surprising that my second book as some of those themes, but I  certainly don’t think my character’s supernatural abilities will ever  be the next big thing.

I cannot predict where it’s going.  I think contemporary will always  have its place though.

Advice

A budding writer wants to self-pub. First step?

Hire an editor. Seriously.  You do not want to publish a book that’s  not ready.

If you could give an aspiring, unpublished author any piece of  writing advice, what would it be?

Keep working on your craft.  It doesn’t have to be every day, but take  some time each week to read articles, get refresher tips.  There are  SO many blogs, tweets, websites out there to help you. But you’ve got  to understand industry terms (like show, don’t tell) and how to  implement them.  Also, read, read, read.  The more good books you read  in your genre, the better your writing is bound to become.

You’ll be hearing more from Jessie and DESTINED soon–Jessie has promised us more information about self-publishing, and we’ll be giving you a sneak-peek at the book!

Related Posts

• Guest Post by Brina Courtney, author of Cryptid Tales (+ Giveaway!)

  Posted on Dec 10, 2011

• DESTINED by Jessie Harrell

  Posted on Nov 10, 2011

• Debut Revue Submission Guidelines

  Posted on Oct 4, 2011

• Publishing’s Perfect Storm

  Posted on Sep 29, 2011

Tags

• amazon
• debut revue
• destined
• greek mythology
• interview
• jessie harrell
• paranormal romance
• self publishing
• ya

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