Interview with Abigail Harris, Founder of Beyond the Bookery

Hello everyone! This week is a little different, as I'm doing two blog posts this week. Today's blog post is an interview with Abigail Kay Harris! If her name sounds familiar, she recently founded Beyond the Bookery Publishing, which is an independent press for authors. My first story, "Bench Seat Buddy" was published by Beyond the Bookery in the anthology Seize the Moment (which you can read by subscribing to my newsletter!) and Abigail is a great friend of mine. Without further ado, here's the interview!  C: Hi Abigail! It's so great to have you here on the blog today! Okay, so first question: have you always wanted to start a publishing business?
A: Yes, and no. Well, in a way, it is mostly a yes. I started out blogging after I found out that I loved reading after years of hating it. (Thanks, Algebra! ;)) Once I started blogging, I found a love for writing which led to a stronger interest in graphic design and cover design followed by various other skills that I now use in everyday business for Beyond the Bookery or for the services I provide.
C: That's so cool. Do you enjoy publishing solo books or anthologies better?
A: What a hard question! I've found that I really enjoy both. There are things to like and dislike for both, but I would probably say that I prefer collaborative publishing. As much as I love writing, publishing others' stories is something that I love even more.
C: Collaborative publishing is a lot of fun. Do you run the business all by yourself, or are there others who help you?
A: Originally, I started out with the ideas myself, but it wasn't until M.L. Milligan and I curated the Seize the World anthologies that I really got into running an actual business. God amazingly led M.L. Milligan (she is now Beyond the Bookery's chief editor and edited Oh, The Lamented for me.) and I to work together in various ways as Beyond the Bookery launched. Katja H. Labonté has been a friend who I've beta read for, and she's proofread and provided edits for me before, (she edited Oh, The Fallen, in fact!), she's joined the team as a proofreader. I semi recently welcomed two new team members, Zoe Gilbert as a virtual assistant to help behind the scenes (I'd love to one day have a larger team behind the virtual side of things.) and Madisyn Carlin who is a huge help with the fantasy line which Beyond the Bookery is launching this autumn. More will be coming on that soon so make sure you're following Beyond the Bookery!
So, no, I do not do it all myself. The team is growing and I hope that it will keep growing as time goes on. A special thing about Beyond the Bookery's team is that we don't receive payments for services or make a profit until the authors do, so it makes the work that the team does even more amazing. (Hey, if anyone wants to join the team, you're welcome to contact me! ;))
C: That's so neat! I'm glad you have such a great team helping you out! What's your favorite part of running Beyond the Bookery?
A: Another hard question! I suppose it would be seeing others' publishing dreams come true. No matter if it is a cover, a new website, helping launch a book, accepting a story for an anthology, or even coaching a writer through the publishing process.
C: That's a beautiful answer. If you were to give advice to someone who wanted to try out starting their own publishing business, what would you tell them?
A: It's hard, so hard to start. But if God is leading you to start your own publishing house, He'll make a way. You may even get some amazing help along the way like I did with my team, especially M.L. Milligan and Madisyn Carlin.
An important thing to do at the very beginning of your business is writing a sound contract and knowing how you will provide your authors with royalties (if you are paying royalties) and make sure to double check with someone who can legally advise you on the contract before you publish an anthology or any other works.
Yes, it is a lot of time, blood, sweat, tears, and money even, but it is worth it.

Thanks so much for having me, Cate, it was a pleasure to answer these questions!
And thanks so much Abigail, for the opportunity to do this! This has been fantastic!  Alright everyone, that's the interview! Read below to learn more about Abigail Harris and her work over at Beyond the Bookery. 
Until next week! 
​~Cate
About Abigail Kay Harris Abigail Kay Harris is a daughter of the King with a personal degree in book-nerdiness. A sister to seven, her passionate love of the written word and deeper meanings hidden in normal things leads her to spend her time reading, writing, using sarcasm, and defining obscure words. When she’s not chasing words, she enjoys watching shows, classic romance movies, tea, sunrises, and the outdoors, especially mountains, beaches, and forests.
In February of 2023, Abigail founded Beyond the Bookery, her small press, book store, and online boutique. She has assisted more than twenty authors in reaching their publishing dreams under her publisher’s CDXC Aurora Lux Libri Publishing line, shared five anthologies, and looks forward to more releases in the near future.
You can connect with Abigail and find her books here: https://linktr.ee/abigailkayharris.