Welcome Jude Pittman from Books We Love Publishing

Thank you so much for being here, Jude.

1: First, I’ve discovered most publishers are also

authors. Are you?  

Yes I am.  I write mysteries and paranormal romance.

2: When did you start your publishing company?

Books We Love Ltd. incorporated in 2010, however, the predecessor to Books We Love, an author promotion group entitled Books We Love promotion, actually started in 1998.

3: What inspired you to start your own publishing company?

My introduction to online publishing came in the early 90s, and it didn’t take me long to discover there was very limited, if any, support given to eBook authors by either small press publishers or the industry in general.  Since I had a fair amount of experience with online groups like the original Time Warner and other Compuserve authors forums, as well as a stint as an editor of the Open Directory, I formed an author promotion group with a focus on group promotion to give us more exposure than any of us could gain on our own.  In the mid-2000s many small press houses began folding and by 2009 a great many of my co-authors and myself were looking for what we referred to as an “author-centric” publishing house.

4: What makes your publishing company different than others?

First, we do not “mass recruit” authors.  We focus on quality over quantity, and we’re very particular about the books we publish.  Our primary criteria are experience and knowledge of the industry.  Our authors need to have a history in publishing together with the experience required to be part of a quality-focused publishing house like Books We Love.  We pay higher royalties, offer a lot more promotion, and much more author support than most small press publishers.  We also expect a high degree of professionalism from our authors and we only work with authors who can meet those expectations.

5: What do you like the most about running your own publishing company? What do you like least?

Being able to publish some of the most fantastic books being offered in the marketplace and knowing that the author is going to get a fair share of the proceeds from those published books is what I like the most.

Having very little time left over for my own writing is what I like the least.

6: Tell us about your company, what type of stories are you looking for? How to submit, what length stories, and where can we find the submission guidelines?

Our company publishes genre fiction in most categories.  We do not have an “open” submission policy.  Most of our new authors are recommended by existing authors, and we do not provide submission guidelines because each offer of interest is geared towards a specific candidate referred by one of our existing authors.  When we do have an interest in an author we want the entire manuscript. We seldom bother with query letters and synopsis. We are a different kind of publishing company.

7: Tell us about your authors.

All of our authors are experienced professionals. Many of them have previously been published by large houses, and have opted for the smaller, more author focused and individualistic environment of a medium-sized publisher like Books We Love.  Of course, as far as we’re concerned, we have the most talented authors in the publishing industry.

8: How do you decide to accept or reject a manuscript?

Based on the quality of the work, the experience of the author, and the recommendations of our existing authors.

9: Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

Before you attempt to publish a book, make sure you have thoroughly mastered the basics of your craft.  Don’t just toss your book out there and see if a publisher is interested.  Perfect it first, then seek out beta-readers, critique groups, and anyone you can find to give you an honest and thorough evaluation of your work.  I remember my first novel.  I revised it 6 times before it was accepted for publication and then revised it two more to the publisher’s specification.  Publishing takes, time, patience, hard work, dedication and a passion for writing that goes far beyond the possibility of any financial reward.

10: I know you’re extremely busy, but we all need to relax sometimes. What do you for fun and relaxation?

I bowl twice a week and my husband and I enjoy long walks.  We also enjoy short getaways that allow us to leave technology behind and explore our country and our neighboring countries.  We’re Canadian, but we’ve thoroughly enjoyed our visits both to the USA and Mexico.

11: Where can we find your website? Blog?

Books We Love is at :  http://bookswelove.net or www.bookswelove.com

Our Insider Blog, written by all of our authors and unique in that our blog is not a promotion vehicles, it is a calendar of fascinating stories and articles written by our extremely talented authors.

http://bwlauthors.blogspot.ca/

12: What’s the one thing you’d most like people to know about you?

That I respect and value hard work and commitment.

13: Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you or your publishing company?

That we have wonderful books written by very talented authors. We have a Bargain Store right on our website where smart purchasers can purchase the books in any format they choose at greatly discounted prices.  Books We Love also has a contest running right now where entrants can win their choice of one of three eBook readers.  Visit our main page, click the contest button and get your entry in there before the end of October.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer these questions. You can find Jude's books at Books We Love

A New Hat

I've added a new hat, so to speak, to my list of employments. I started out many years ago as a teenager - about 15 - cleaning house for an older couple. It was a pretty easy job because the wife was immaculate and cleaning was a breeze. She pretty much dusted and

vacuumed every day. So what did I do once a week on Saturdays? Washed windows, cleaned the blinds and washed the kitchen and bathroom floors as well as the landing and basement steps. Not hard to do since there wasn't much dirt.
It was a fairly large house, and it took a while to wash all those windows and clean the blinds. Probably my least favorite job. I would rather wash floors than clean blinds. Of course, I babysat in the evenings for several years.
My next job was shortly after I was married. I babysat three little kids while their mother worked. My husband dropped me off in the morning and picked me up in the evening. Another easy job as the children were very well behaved. I did that for the better part of a

year, until the husband started coming home in the mornings and going to bed. It didn't bother me that he came home and went to bed, what bothered me was the baby slept in the same room. I wasn't keen on the idea of putting her for a nap or getting her up after with him sleeping in the same room. It made me uncomfortable. Since I was pregnant with my first child and sick as the dickens, I quit. I could hardly open my eyes and my stomach erupted, mostly into dry heaves.
I didn't work again until my youngest son started school. I only worked a couple days a week, which worked out well with his schedule. I was assistant to the special ed. teachers, meaning I brought the students out to the van and copied papers for them or typed lesssons. Whatever they needed me to do.
From there I moved up to school secretary. A job I dearly loved. It was fun working with

the students and teachers. I worked in an office with the church secretary and usually a volunteer who helped us both if we needed it.
The principal and teachers were great. And the hours couldn't have been better. I worked when my kids were in school and was home when they were with the exception of a couple weeks in the summer when school ended and right before it started again. By then my oldest child was in highschool and I didn't need a babysitter. I had the best of both worlds.
I worked until my youngest child was in highschool and decided to stay home again.
At some point my second oldest daughter decided to sell Home Interiors - and I agreed to help her. She didn't like standing up and talking in front of everyone and I wasn't crazy about the idea - Heck, I never liked giving oral book reports in school - but I agreed to do it. For the most part, it really wasn't bad and we did pretty well.
Eventually she decided not to do it anymore and since I don't like to drive, I quit right along with her.
Several years later, my third daughter and I decided to sell Pamper Chef. Again, I was the spokes person. That worked out okay, but unless you have new people willing to host parties, you go nowhere and we gave it up.
Between that time, I wrote and wrote and submitted. I now have 16 books published and hoping my next will be out in November.
So, what's my new hat? I've decided to try my hand at selling Avon Products. I've

always loved their products and they're inexpensive. Living on Social Security is becoming more and more difficult, so any additional income is a help.
It's become much easier these days because you can order online from my website and have the products shipped directly to your home. They've come a long way from years ago. They don't just have beauty prodcuts. They now carry
jewelry, fashion items, and kitchen products. They also have a men's line as well as children's.
Anyone interested in ordering go to my web page and place your order. They're always running sales. Don't forget you can have it shipped directly to your home. It's easy to do.

Available from Avon

Welcome, Karla Stover

First up is the obligatory question. When did you first begin writing?

1: Thank you so much for being here Karla Stover, 

I see kids I went to school with from grade school on, and they say I was always writing. I do have some of my high school diaries, which are pretty funny reading.

2: Seems to be the standard answer for us authors. What or Who inspired you to write?

Anne (of Green Gables) Shirley, Jo (Little Women) March, and Betsy (Betsy-Tacy books) Ray. When I was lonesome, I read and reread these books and wanted to be just like the heroines.

3: Great books. What do you like the most and least about writing?

A while back, my husband and I went to Great Britain with my parents and one of the things we did was visit family in York. My mother just passed away and working on my historical novel, Wynters Way which takes place in York makes me feel close to her. What I don’t like is not having fellow writers to talk with.

4: I'm sorry about your mother.  Can you join a writing group to meet fellow authors?  Tell us what do you for fun and relaxation when not writing?

My husband and I walk our dog every morning, have coffee with friends, and garden. I am president of my garden club. This year’s drought, however, has fried my yard,

5: Sounds like an interesting life. Which authors do you like to read?

Alexander McCall Smith, C.S. Harris—she does an amazing job of creating Regency England and, since my husband and I recently visited Alaska, memoirs of the Gold Rush.

6: Tell us  one thing you’d most like people to know about you?

I’m a fun person. People think I’m super intelligent and I’m not. I just remember peculiar things. Actually it’s my gay friends who are the least intimidated.

7: Tell us about your current novel, where can we find it and your website/blog.

I am working on two books: I mentioned Wynters Way which Books We Love is publishing in late December. I already have the cover and it’s really evocative—all grays and gloomy. I am also working on a second non-fiction book of Tacoma, Washington (where I live) history. I can’t blog and keep up  website so I am at blogspot.

8: Sounds interesting. Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

Find a good critique group. It will keep you to deadlines and point out mistakes. Just don’t be thin skinned.

9: Definitely can't be thin skinned with a critique group. Do you base your characters on real-life people?

I don’t know where they come from; they’ve never told me.

10: Great answer. LOL Where do you get your ideas?

Usually from something I’ve read. For example, in Murder, When One Isn’t Enough, the idea came fromMadame of the House, an autobiography written by a famous San Francico madame, and things she wrote about Errol Flynn.

11: What’s one thing no one knows about you?

I prefer small parties to big ones.

12. What’s your favorite book?

Anybody Can do Anything, Betty McDonald’s memoir about being a single mom in Seattle during the Depression. Seattle hasn’t done right by her, as far as I’m concerned—too focused on Kurt Cobain L The book should be a must-read for teenagers.

The City of Destiny took shape where rails met sails on the shores of Commencement Bay. When Tacoma was chosen as the Northern Pacific Railroad's terminus, the city rose from the mudflats and took the lead as the Northwest's destination for opportunity. In this collection, discover the city's early notables and uncover the stories behind the historic landmarks. Why did city planners abandon Olmsted's vision? How many war bonds did Lana Turner's kisses buy? Why were vegetarians warned "Don t drink the water"? Who is the tiny figure with coal black hair and bound feet who haunts Old Tacoma? Local author and guide Karla Stover answers these questions and more as she spins stories from the tomes of Tacoma's past.
Available from Amazon