For some authors, writing a book isn’t the hardest part of the process. Figuring out how to get published is where the complication comes in. A few Rapid City authors recently got the chance to pitch their projects to literary agents during the Great American Book Festival.
Dorothy Rosby is a published author from Rapid City. The 58 year old writes a humor column that runs in newspapers across 10 Midwestern and Western states...and an online blog.
“As of about a month ago, I am a full time writer and full time humorist.”
Rosby recently quit her full time job in public relations to focus on writing. So far, she’s self published two books. Both are longer versions of short stories from her column about small, funny things she realizes in her everyday life as a parent and adult.
“How many do I sell? Never enough.”
Her books are on sale online and at a couple local arts stores. Rosby says she’s made a profit, but the market can still be tough.
“It’s not a big money maker at this point. Kind of a labor of love. But when you’re a writer, it’s what you do. You kind of have to do it. I really can’t imagine a life without my writing.”
She self published her work through a company run by Amazon. She says even that process was time consuming. She hired an author services company to help when she was still working full time.
“I just didn’t have time to learn all that you need to know to do that process.”
Rosby says the company knew the routine and formatting to help turn her books into a business.
“I think the publishing process is a little overwhelming. I self published two books of humor and I still am learning so much. I’ve been taking notes like crazy and I actually wrote in my notebook ‘I am so overwhelmed’. There’s so much to know.”
Self publishing isn’t the only route writers take. Some authors hire literary agents to help get their work into the hands of publishers. Jennifer Flannery is an agent who works with authors targeting children and young adults.
Flannery held a pitch session over video chat in Rapid City. She listened to pitches from 10 writers-including some South Dakotans. She says creativity isn’t based on location.
“New York would have you believe that all the really creative people are in New York--but they’re really wrong. New York and LA do not have the corner on the market of talented people who know how to turn a phrase. I don’t think that people here were any different than creative people I’ve come across in the last 30 years in the publishing industry.”
Flannery is based just outside of Chicago. Over that time, she’s worked with about 50 authors from all across the country.
“I’m unusually small. I’m what you call a boutique agency.
This is Flannery’s first time working with South Dakota authors . She’s not a not a huge fan of short pitch sessions. Each of these authors only had 15 minutes to tell her about their book, and Flannery says she’d rather read the work than hear the plot. But she was pleased with this session.
“They really surprised me and we had some really intriguing pitches that genuinely added to my reading enjoyment. And I really have to say in all the years I’ve been doing this, that’s the first time I’ve ever thought ‘tell me more’. Usually it’s like I need something to read.”
Flannery requested more information and reading material from most of the authors. She doesn’t know what will come of the meetings, but says the plots were promising. Twenty seven year old Danielle Benne from Rapid City met with the agent to pitch a book she wrote and illustrated.
“I originally wrote it because I had my first nephew being born. And so I originally wrote it for him, I illustrated him into the book.”
Benne says the story encourages people to be themselves. It’s her first book and only took a few months to put together. She’s not a full time writer, but says she got great, new advice from the session.
“All children's books she kind of wants to have like an arching story beginning to end where the character starts out and they learn something along the way and then they’re a new person in the end. So I definitely need to incorporate that a little bit more.”
Another tip is to dive into the characters, making sure they're representative of different ethnicities, lifestyles and beliefs.
“And I honestly didn’t know that there was such a huge process behind a children's book. You see children's books--they’re shorter, they’re fun. You’re like ‘oh yeah I can do one’. No. There’s like a ton of thought process that goes in behind the scenes.”
Benne says this book is her passion project. She plans to use the advice and keep trying to get her book published.