Interview with editor Frances Sevilla from The Wild Rose Press

Please welcome Frances Sevilla, my wonderful editor at The Wild Rose Press. Fran, as I affectionately call her, is one of the many talented editors working within the Faery Rose line.

Hi, Catherine, I’m excited to be here visiting your blog. Everything looks so . . . sensual here. (WINK)

Fran, tell us a little about yourself and the arm of TWRP that you work for.

I’m delighted to say I’m a Faery Rose Editor for The Wild Rose Press. (I thought I’d get wings with the job, but they haven’t spouted yet.) This month marks my second anniversary with the company. In our department, we work on romance books about witches, ghosts, ESP, time-travel, Sci-fi, seraphs, nymphs, and oh, yes, fairies. If it’s not of our realm, and it’s not a demon, vampire or shape-shifter, it’s probably something we would handle. The variety of the material is what holds my interest.

What do you enjoy most about your job? What do you like the least?

Of course the best part of my job is discovering a talented new author and contracting her or him for the first time. You can’t beat the high of sharing that moment with someone.
Conversely, I HATE rejections in general, but specifically I don’t like rejecting a well-written, interesting story because it doesn’t meet TWRP guidelines. We publish romance, so the manuscript should be a romance with a happily ever after for the hero and heroine. New authors should check our guidelines and each department’s to see if their book is a good fit for us.
I recommend new authors read books published by the press they are submitting to. Publishers have a BRAND, something their readers come to know and trust. That’s why as an editor for our company it’s so important for me to know when I select a book to contract, the readers will get what they expect.

Another plus is I get to work with so many talented authors and editors.

What are you looking for in a new author?

I’m looking for what every reader wants, a story that hooks me from the first sentence, drags me into the plot, and makes me care about what happens to the characters right up to the happily ever after. That being said, typos, grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes will inevitably distract from the story.

Where do you see e-publishing going in the next 3 to 5 years?

Oh, this is the big question isn’t it? E-publishing is the future. Apparently I’m not the only one who believes this, since most of the big traditional houses have jumped into the e-market recently. The technology fields are clamoring to catch up with the development of e-readers. Don’t get me wrong, I also believe there will always be the die-hard paper book reader. I can almost see a distant future where we handle the few remaining bound books with reverence.
If you could change one thing about the publishing world, what would it be? The amount of time it takes for a book to get to market. I’m an instant gratification kind of girl. As a reader and an editor, I can’t wait until the next book comes out by my favorite author. (I.E. More authors would get published)

What is your biggest pet-peeve about a manuscript?

Great story, lousy formatting. I want to give every manuscript a fair chance, but if I’ve got to wade through mistakes, page breaks, line breaks, no breaks and bad punctuation, I’m going to wonder why the author didn’t care enough about her own manuscript to take the time to do it right.

Thanks for inviting me today. I hope your readers enjoy Binding Vows as much as I did. I’m sure they’ll be looking forward to seeing the next book in the Highland Time Travel series Silent Vows on the bookshelves too.

I can't wait for that either, Fran. Thanks for taking the time to be here today. For those new writers out there who are interested in submitting their work to The Wild Rose Press click HERE for their guidelines. If you think your manuscript fits the Faery Rose line but aren't sure... by all means, pick up a copy of Binding Vows in Print or E-book today, give 'er a read, then sub your work to Fran. Hint... hint... LOL

Interview with Editor Lea Schizas

Award Winning Author and Editor Lea Schizas has agreed to an interview from me today. Lea is wearing her editor hat that she wears over at Red Rose Publishing.

So pull up a chair and feel free to ask questions that you may have for my guest.

Thanks for coming today, Lea. Tell us a little bit about yourself and the publisher that you work for.

What can I say? I wear several hats for various venues. At Red Rose Publishing I am the Head Lines Editor, meaning I make sure the last stage of the editing process meets the deadlines and I collaborate with the art department to get the art work done for all books once they are finalized.

As for me, I’m a mommy of five children, two dogs, and tons of various types of fish. I joke most of the times that I finally woke up out of my self-induced coma of taking care of everyone else and now enjoying my passion – writing.

What do you enjoy most about your job? What do you like least?

I love the interaction with writers. It’s an amazing feeling to know you’ve helped shape someone else’s writing before publication. Besides that, you end up with cyber friends, cheering and applauding their careers as they move along, and there’s nothing in the world that can connect you like that without even having met these writers as our great world wide web. So there’s one invention I’m happy for. I think I have about 5,000 cyber friends right now.

The least? Hmm…
When writers don’t listen…
When writers say they approve changes and then you find they snuck the grammatical mistakes back in the manuscript…
When writers don’t follow guidelines…

Wow, 5,000 cyber friends is a boat load of people. Tell us, what are you looking for in a new author?

What every editor seeks – fresh material, twist endings that surprise me, a writer’s voice that is clear, vivid in portraying their fictional world, a writer who allows his character to paint each scene instead of the passive and telling narrator.

Writers need to remember there are thousands of other writers all vying for publication. It’s not the same thing to offer a similar storyline and simply change character names and occupations. A writer needs to stray a reader with a hook thinking the book will end up one way and then surprise. However, having said this, remember that surprising them means to tie in every single subplot smoothly – don’t surprise with a Dallas dream theme.

Careful... Dallas dream theme is kinda dating you... uh, and me. lol Where do you see e-publishing going in the next 3 - 5 years?

The e-publishing world is growing, and fast. When you see schools and libraries stocking on ebooks, big traditional houses offering ebooks…well, that kinda gives you a good idea where the ebook world is headed. I’m sure as soon as ebook readers lower in price, they’ll be a boom to this market.

If there was one thing about the publishing world that you could change... what would that be?

Oh, that’s easy – to respond that a manuscript was received and to send rejections. I really despise some houses that state ‘if you don’t hear from us in x amount of weeks, assume your book was not a right fit for us.’ If they don’t acknowledge receipt there is no certainty that it was received, thus a writer is left hanging. Writers are the backbone of publishing houses. I do know how many submissions pile on, but a form rejection letter sending a mass email to those who didn’t make the cut would take a few minutes. Perhaps it’s just me who tries to respond to writers and acknowledging their presence, but the respect you dish out is what you will receive at the end.

Amen to that, sister. What is your biggest pet-peeve when you're reviewing a manuscript?

My biggest pet-peeve is when writers rush to send a manuscript that clearly resembles a first draft. There are so many common mistakes within the manuscript that can be fixed before submitting that it’s not funny. This only tells me that the writer hasn’t done their homework to fully flesh out a manuscript. A character is not supposed to be portrayed as a stick-person. They need to ‘feel’ alive for a reader, with emotions, personalities, goals, upsets - the whole trials and tribulations path. A reader wants to ‘see’ the surroundings, smell the flowers/cologne/etc – using as many of the five senses without going overboard is another area so many lack to bring the book to a ‘realistic’ level.

Right now, Red Rose is closed to submissions but are accepting a few genres. We are strict with our guidelines so I highly recommend reading them carefully before submitting your work to the acquisitions editors.

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us and giving the all important insight to an editors view.

For those stopping by, feel free to ask questions. Lea was the editor on my new release Soul Mate. Feel free *** plug, plug, shameless plug... to stop by Red Rose Publishing and check out what they have to offer.

August play dates...

I have kids, so when I talk about getting together with friends I think of play dates.

I have some wonderful interviews and fun scheduled this week. First, on Thursday the 20th right here on my blog I'm going to be interviewing my editor from Red Rose Publishing, Lea Schizas. Lea is not only a big cheese at RRP she is also a very talented and mulitpublished author. So be sure and stop by and pick her brain while I have her undivided attention.

Since the 20th is my release date for Soul Mate, my female werewolf novella from Red Rose Publishing I'll be yakking with Kim Smith on her blogspot.

http://writingspace.blogspot.com/

Kim is a multipublished author with RRP and has her very own blog-talk radio show.

I'll be with the Fuzzy Slipper ladies on Friday the 21st.

http://pinkfuzzyslipperwriters.blogspot.com/

and Helen on the 24th... OMG.... I haven't finished up that interview! Damn, I knew I had homework this weekend. lol... be right on it, Helen.

http://helensheroes.blogspot.com/

And for all of you who took the time to help me reach the top ten bestselling list at TWRP for Kilt Worthy... Thank you! Your support and comments mean the world to me.

Editor Interview with Lori LeBonde

For my very special day... Oh... what day you ask? Well, Kilt Worthy is hot off the press and ready for you to purchase and download. Yeah me!

Anyway... I wanted to invite my editor over at The Wild Rose Press to join us. So please take the time to read and learn exactly what is going on in Lori's brain. I bet there is a whole lot of hanky panky going on!

Thank you Lori for joining me today. Tell us something about yourself and the publisher you work for.

The Wild Rose Press (TWRP) is a warm-hearted and professional - what a great combination -publisher of fine romance in both electronic and traditionally printed formats. In mid-2008, after studying the company from afar for six months and liking what I saw, I applied to be an editor. The second-most exciting day that year was when I was hired; the most exciting day was when I learned I'd be working in the Scarlet Rose line, which publishes erotic romances, including Catherine Bybee's Kilt Worthy. At first I was simply thrilled to know I'd get paid to read erotic romance (hot damn!) and work with authors who appreciate the same things I do, but I soon realized how lucky I am to learn the erotic romance e-publishing world from Scarlet’s incredibly talented senior editor, Diana Carlile.

I'm not as new to editing as I am to TWRP, however. My first grade teacher wrote on my report card that I wanted to be a nurse, a hair stylist and an editor when I grew up. Cathy would agree I’m no nurse, and anyone who sees my picture knows I'm not a hair stylist, but the editor idea took hold. I wrote and edited my way through high school and college, graduated with degrees in Communications and French Lit, and somehow landed a managing editor position at a small publishing company. Later, I spent too many years in corporate marketing where I did everything from writing annual reports, brochures, ads and media relations campaigns to organizing 250 aging shareholders on expensive bus trips to strategic planning for the company and my department. Through it all, I emphasized written communications, and regularly mentored other writers -- and non-writers -- on my staff and elsewhere in the company.

In 2006, I realized I could work an insane number of hours for myself instead of for those shareholder and corporate types, and achieve more balance in my life. Most importantly, I could focus full-time on authors who want to build their credibility with every word. The decision was easy, and every day I smile when I think where I used to be and where I am now.

What do you enjoy most about your job? What do you like least?

READING nourishes my soul. TWRP romances nourish my heart, while the erotic aspect nourishes...other body parts! LOL Seriously, authors, editors, publishers -- we all love books and the written word. It's what binds us together. I absolutely believe I have the best job in the world.

The hardest part, however, is saying no to an author who submitted a promising manuscript, but for whatever reason it's not a good fit with TWRP. Those rejection letters really bite, and are likely as painful to me as to the authors who receive them. I continue to think about those authors for weeks -- months -- afterward, and wonder how they're doing. I really mean it when I say keep in touch! :-)

What are you looking for in a new author?

A fresh voice, new ideas, memorable characters, a workable premise -- those are all true. But I get really jazzed when I discover a writer who wants to learn how to make her work more publishable, who completely “gets” that edits and revisions can be as important to the story as its original writing, and who blows me away with the caliber (quality, seamlessness, creativity) of her edits. Then, I know I've found someone (or rather, she's found us!) who will go a long way in this business.

Where do you see e-publishing going in the next 3 - 5 years?

E-publishing will continue its phenomenal rise as more readers discover and experience reading ebooks and as publishers of more genres embrace the concept. Huge online companies, such as Google and Amazon, will continue to innovate delivery systems to readers of all generations.

Print books, in my opinion, will never go away, at least not until there's a worldwide method of creating and affordably distributing an alternate method of cozily putting a good story in a reader's hands while she curls up in front of the fireplace on a chilly night, or swings lazily in a hammock on a warm summer day. (Add a DH close by -- who's wise enough to let her read uninterrupted for long periods of time -- and you have my idea of paradise on a budget! LOL)

If there was one thing about the publishing world that you could change... what would that be?

Free books for everyone! Seriously, that is my wish.

What is your biggest pet-peeve when you're reviewing a manuscript?

There's not one predominant pet peeve I grind my teeth over, but I do sigh over a couple of smaller ones.

The first is when an author races through her edits and returns the manuscript to me without sleeping on the recommendations I made or the changes she subsequently made. I've received revised manuscripts in worse shape than when I sent them out - ouch! This does nothing to move up the release date, impress me with the author's skills, or tempt me to move that author's manuscript to the top of the pile (not that I would do that anyway, but...!). I don't expect or want edits to be done overnight. If a suggested change is that easy, the author would have done it that way to start with, right?!

My other pet peeve is much smaller, and distilled to one word: proofread. Yeah, I know it's my job to catch mistakes, and I promise I will. I also know that by the time you're ready to send it back to me (or submit it in the first place), you've been over it so many times you'd rather run naked down the street when all your neighbors are outside watching (wait, that might be a bad example for you Scarlet authors who include exhibitionism or voyeurism in your work)! But no matter what, authors still need to proofread.

I tell authors, impress me with your level of professionalism, your attention to detail, your commitment to the craft -- in addition to your ability to write a sex scene so erotic I forget I'm editing and simply read it for pleasure. And believe me, that happens A LOT! We have fantastically talented authors in the naughty Scarlet corner of The Wild Rose Press's extensive garden.

And speaking of talent, I learned a lot from you, Cathy, as we edited Kilt Worthy. *Grin* Thank you for your wit, humor and energy. And for inviting me today! All the best on your big release day. :-)

Lori LeBonde

LOL... of course I never, ever, send edits back to soon! Especially when Lori warns me that she doesn't want to see them for al least a week! hehe

Thanks for joining me today, Lori. Kilt Worthy holds a special place in my heart because of your support and help along the road to publication. Thank you!