I would like to extend a warm welcome to author Jaleta Clegg. I met Jaleta over on the new forum Bestseller Bound. Welcome Jaleta!
Briefly describe your journey in writing your first book.
Nexus Point isn't my first book, it's just the first to see the light of day. Counting rewrites of existing manuscripts, I'd written over 20 novel length manuscripts before I wrote Nexus Point, including the rest of the series. It's a rewrite of a previous manuscript that had too many problems to be publishable. I'm very happy with the result.
As to my writing journey, it started years ago as an act of desperation. I was a stay-at-home mom with four kids ages seven to two. Summer vacation loomed as an endless Barney marathon. I couldn't stand it. I was going insane. So I escaped into an imaginary world. I've been addicted to writing ever since.
Did you query agents and traditional publishers? How long before you got your offer of representation/your first contract?
I looked at the odds at the big SF/F publishing houses. The odds of me even getting my manuscript in front of an editor were slim to nil. More and more, they require an agent. Agents are swamped. I didn't want to wait years to hear, no thanks, we're not interested. With Cyberwizard, they wanted a brief pitch in the query of the whole series. I emailed it off, and got a response the next day. Within a week, I had an offer for the whole series. Cyberwizard Productions was the first publisher I submitted to. I don't regret going for a small press. They've been fantastic to work wtih.
What factors influenced your decision to go with a particular agent or publisher?
Cyberwizard Productions stated they were interested in series, not just the first books, but the whole thing. Since I had an 11 book series already written, it seemed like a good fit. Big houses wouldn't even look at me, not for a series, maybe for the first book.
Are you currently under a traditional publishing contract for future books or do you have manuscripts that you will publish directly for Kindle?
I've got 10 more books under contract with Altered Dimensions/Cyberwizard Productions. We haven't discussed ebook rights in detail yet, but I'd rather put it out in as many formats as I can. I went through Smashwords with the first book and I'll probably do that with the others. Kindle format will be supported as soon as Smashwords gets the contract bugs worked out.
Did you design your cover art? If not, would you care to share your graphic designer’s information?
My publisher did the cover. The artist was Anna Repp. http://annarepp.com/
How did you feel when you got your first sale?
Ecstatic. Well, sort of. Considering it was my mother ordering copies for my family, I kind of expected it. The most gratifying sales are those to people I've never met who think the book is wonderful. They aren't obligated to like it or buy it.
What kinds of social media [twitter, facebook, webpage, blog, writing forums] are you involved with trying to garner attention for your book(s)?
I'm on Twitter as @Jaleta_Clegg, Facebook as Jaleta Clegg, webpage is http://www.jaletac.com, blog is The Far Edge of Normal http://jaletaclegg.blogspot.com/, and I'm active on several different forums. The best one I've found so far is BestsellerBound http://quietfurybooks.com/messageboard/index.php. Lots of fun people there, but they're always looking for more authors and readers to join in the discussion.
Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?
My books are available on Barnes&Noble.com and direct from the publisher http://www.cyberwizardproductions.com/Altered_Dimensions_Press/Nexus_Point_science_fiction_book.html
If you like ebooks, Nexus Point is up on Smashwords in any format you want. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/10672a
What’s next for you?
Book 2 is in the final editing stage. Look for Priestess of the Eggstone sometime in early 2011. Dace is in more trouble.
I've also got three stories in three different anthologies coming up soon. Omega Museum is in The Last Man Anthology from Sword&Saga press, set to release in October. The Effect of Degraded Food Supplies on Indigenous Populations, a vampire story, is coming out in Fangs from L&L Dreamspell press as an e-thology. I just made that up, but it fits too perfectly. And finally, Charity Never Faileth is in Monsters and Mormons, due out in 2011, as well.
I'm working on more stories and novels. Books 3-11 of my series are written and under contract. All they need is editing. And publication, but that's coming, about one a year until they are all out.
And life, of course. With a houseful of kids, I always have something cooking, both literally and figuratively.
I like Jaleta's comment of having written 20 novel length mss. before her first book. It demonstrates once more the dictum of persistence.
ReplyDeleteInteresting interview.
I totally agree with you. I was impressed.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I didn't write them to try to sell them at the time; I was writing to preserve my sanity. The stories were fun, though, and I found a publisher who thought they were worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteBrandon Sanderson said once that he wrote his first six books for practice, then sold #7. No one can argue with his success.