My Personal Path To Publication - Kymberlee Burks-Miller
My guest today is another author with whom I have become friends with courtesy of facebook. Author Kymberlee Burks-Miller and I met on a facebook group where we were both asked to be judges for a short story contest along with another author I featured here, Scott Prussing. In the process, I learned about her debut novel, Compulsion, and watched her and her book become fan, and reviewer's, favorites. I knew I wanted to showcase her here. Then I lost touch with her. It turns out eveyone did. Kymberlee disappeared into a hospital! After an illness which waylaid her for awhile, she is back, and working feverishly on Book Two in the Compulsion series. She is self-publishing Compulsion in ebook form at the end of this month, with print to come soon after, following a dissatisfying interaction with a publisher. This has happened to me, I am in fact in the middle of that as we have read, and it has happened to other authors. When it happened to Kymberlee , she used it as her call to action. She has agreed to share her personal journey to publication with us here today, so we can see exactly what one person did when it happened to them.
1. How long have you been writing? I have been writing sinceelementary school but seriously since High School. My Drama teacher toldme that I had a knack for it:) Writing is my peaceful time to let everything inmy head out!
2. Are you published and if so, how long have you been apublished author? If not, what's your plan?I was contracted but thatdidn't work out so...I will be self publishing but continuing to submit toother publishers:)
3. Which route did you choose for becoming published, the traditionalroute, with an agent, the "indie" route, going directly to the publishersyourself, or deciding to self-publish? I am going the Indie route now,originally I was being published, but the company was NOT what I thought thatit was. That was a hard lesson to learn. We had too many differences inwhat we thought was best for me.
4. Why did you choose that particular route? I was kind ofthrown down this path, but in hindsight I would have gone this route from thebeginning had I known then what I know now. Advice* Please read your owncontracts and do NOT leave it up to someone else.
5. How long did it take you to write your first novel? About 2months but with all of the changes it has taken over a year to get it reallyready.
6. How long did it take you to publish it? With the formerpublisher, they actually contacted me. So it happened overnight. Going to selfpubbing route I am learning as I go, so...it is taking a little longer.
7. How many times did it get rejected before it got published? Good Heavens I stopped counting. lol It comes with the territory. When you're anartist, and writing is an Art, not everyone will LOVE your work. Pleasedon't get discouraged when you receive a rejection letter it just means thatparticular publisher was not a perfect fit for you.
8. Tell us about worst rejection letter. The worst one was6 months ago just a rejection, no rhyme or reason. No explanation, nothing.
9. What was the best news you ever got in your writing life andhow did it make you feel? When my Alpha readers gave me their feedback. I trulyhoped that everyone would love Compulsion as much as I do, but their words wereamazing!
10. What's the worst piece of advice you ever got? Someone once told me that I was a wife and a mother just be happy with that. Idid not NEED a career. That's true, I don't NEED a career. Writingallows me to express myself in ways nothing else ever has.
11. What's the one thing you would want an aspiringwriter to take away from your personal path to publication? Always payattention to what is best for you. If going Indie is what's best for youdo it. You'll find out out in the end that what feels right to you, isright.
12. Wherecan we read your blog? Buy your books? Connect with you onfacebook? On Twitter? Your website?
My blog is kymberlee-burks-miller@blogspot.comwww.facebook.com/CompulsionSeries my twitterhandle is kymberlee1975 and my website is www.kymberleeburks-miller.com
Back of the book Blurb AfterLilyann Moon's grandmother dies under suspicious circumstance, she and hereleven young family members are thrown into the world of witchcraft and theparanormal. A world they know nothing about, and need to learn fast! Lily's themost powerful witch in over five centuries, but she's untrained anduninitiated. Now the vampires have found out that the Moon line didn't end withher grandmother and they're coming to claim their prize, Her Blood! The onlybright spot in this nightmare was meeting Mason, but is she in love with theenemy. She's in a race against time tosave her coven.I asked Kymberlee to tell me something fun about herself. This is what she wanted you all to know: I love to be silly, my favorite clothes are my sweats and Eeyore PJ's, and I absolutely cannot live without coffee and Nutella;) I love talking to people about their lives, mine is boring:)
You heard her; she loves to talk to people! Make her happy and comment here or make contact with her on her blog, or facebook or Twitter. Let her know how much you enjoyed reading about her journey. And buy her book at the end of the month. The early reviews are raves!
1. How long have you been writing? I have been writing sinceelementary school but seriously since High School. My Drama teacher toldme that I had a knack for it:) Writing is my peaceful time to let everything inmy head out!
2. Are you published and if so, how long have you been apublished author? If not, what's your plan?I was contracted but thatdidn't work out so...I will be self publishing but continuing to submit toother publishers:)
3. Which route did you choose for becoming published, the traditionalroute, with an agent, the "indie" route, going directly to the publishersyourself, or deciding to self-publish? I am going the Indie route now,originally I was being published, but the company was NOT what I thought thatit was. That was a hard lesson to learn. We had too many differences inwhat we thought was best for me.
4. Why did you choose that particular route? I was kind ofthrown down this path, but in hindsight I would have gone this route from thebeginning had I known then what I know now. Advice* Please read your owncontracts and do NOT leave it up to someone else.
5. How long did it take you to write your first novel? About 2months but with all of the changes it has taken over a year to get it reallyready.
6. How long did it take you to publish it? With the formerpublisher, they actually contacted me. So it happened overnight. Going to selfpubbing route I am learning as I go, so...it is taking a little longer.
7. How many times did it get rejected before it got published? Good Heavens I stopped counting. lol It comes with the territory. When you're anartist, and writing is an Art, not everyone will LOVE your work. Pleasedon't get discouraged when you receive a rejection letter it just means thatparticular publisher was not a perfect fit for you.
8. Tell us about worst rejection letter. The worst one was6 months ago just a rejection, no rhyme or reason. No explanation, nothing.
9. What was the best news you ever got in your writing life andhow did it make you feel? When my Alpha readers gave me their feedback. I trulyhoped that everyone would love Compulsion as much as I do, but their words wereamazing!
10. What's the worst piece of advice you ever got? Someone once told me that I was a wife and a mother just be happy with that. Idid not NEED a career. That's true, I don't NEED a career. Writingallows me to express myself in ways nothing else ever has.
11. What's the one thing you would want an aspiringwriter to take away from your personal path to publication? Always payattention to what is best for you. If going Indie is what's best for youdo it. You'll find out out in the end that what feels right to you, isright.
12. Wherecan we read your blog? Buy your books? Connect with you onfacebook? On Twitter? Your website?
My blog is kymberlee-burks-miller@blogspot.comwww.facebook.com/CompulsionSeries my twitterhandle is kymberlee1975 and my website is www.kymberleeburks-miller.com
Back of the book Blurb AfterLilyann Moon's grandmother dies under suspicious circumstance, she and hereleven young family members are thrown into the world of witchcraft and theparanormal. A world they know nothing about, and need to learn fast! Lily's themost powerful witch in over five centuries, but she's untrained anduninitiated. Now the vampires have found out that the Moon line didn't end withher grandmother and they're coming to claim their prize, Her Blood! The onlybright spot in this nightmare was meeting Mason, but is she in love with theenemy. She's in a race against time tosave her coven.I asked Kymberlee to tell me something fun about herself. This is what she wanted you all to know: I love to be silly, my favorite clothes are my sweats and Eeyore PJ's, and I absolutely cannot live without coffee and Nutella;) I love talking to people about their lives, mine is boring:)
You heard her; she loves to talk to people! Make her happy and comment here or make contact with her on her blog, or facebook or Twitter. Let her know how much you enjoyed reading about her journey. And buy her book at the end of the month. The early reviews are raves!
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