Category Archives: J Taylor Publishing
Guest Author J.A. Belfield Shares Her Thoughts On Living The Dream
J.A. Belfield has been a big help to me in getting my feet wet in the publishing industry. She’s one of those kind people who always gets back to you. Always has sweet encouraging words, and I have to say, I’m really excited to share her guest post on my blog, and if you’re looking for something different to add to your literary collection whether it’s an ebook or a paperback book, I’ll be sharing those links, too.
So here she is everyone, Author J.A. Belfield with her thoughts on Living the Dream and Making It Happen.
Stop fibbing. You all know you’ve done it.
Anyhoo, making that fantasy into a reality was where the hard work really came into play.
You see, when I decided I had something I wanted to share with the world, the stigma of self-publishing was still pretty rife with prejudices. It was frowned upon. Like your writing wasn’t worthy if an agent or publisher didn’t want you.
In all fairness, some of the titles I’ve read over the past couple of years have changed my opinion on that. Because I’ve read some traditionally-published books that were seriously kind of Meh, just as I’ve read some self-published titles that have completely blown me away. This shift in opinion has stretched far wider than just me, though, to the point that few people turn their nose up at self-published titles anymore.
Unfortunately, this attitude shift came a little too late for me, so, regardless, I ended up going down the traditional path.
Now, here in the UK, there are very few (if any) Independent publishers. And being naïve and unaware of the breadth of the industry, I thought submissions to those in the UK were my only route. Which caused limitations—because pretty much every publisher I wanted to submit to wouldn’t accept unsolicited (un-agented) submissions.
So, it felt as though my only option was to go the agent route—which, again, caused more limitations.
If you think there are strict guidelines for submitting in the US, you should go buy a copy of the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook (the UK version of the Writers Market). Inside the pages of this guideline to getting your work out there is an in depth description of all the Dos & Don’ts of submitting. Unlike in the US, the UK agents still prefer(red) to receive submission via snail mail. BUT, a submission couldn’t be sent in, without first writing and requesting permission to do so. Which meant you could have a 6-12 week wait for them to reply to your ‘request’, and if they bit, you could then have a 6-12 week wait (sometimes longer) for a yay or nay. And some of these agents didn’t accept submissions currently out with other agents—which meant, for some of them, you had to go through the process one agent at a time.
Now, I’m sure you can do the maths yourself to figure out: THAT’S A LOTTA MONTHS, PEOPLE!
Then the rejection started piling in.
The rejections were anything from a ‘No thanks’ scribbled across the query letter I’d sent them, to a ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ kind of response.
Have you ever received a rejection? They SUCK! Each and every one you get deflates you a little more, and chips away another little piece of your soul and confidence and that happiness you were basking in during those moments of fantasising.
HOWEVER, this is where you either stand tall or fall.
I chose to stand tall.
So, I carried on writing. I joined a critiquing site and tried to improve my craft. And I started the slow process of learning more about the industry I so badly wanted to be a part of.
Know what I learned?
That I didn’t have to restrict myself. That I did have other options. That there were other ways.
Sure, I continued to hop down the agent route once I realised I had more to consider, and a far faster and easier (AND CHEAPER) method of reaching them, but I also sucked up the courage to start approaching some publishers direct.
So, I subbed a few different pieces of mine to a few different places.
For MONTHS (again—and I mean MONTHS!!!!!!) I either heard nothing, or got the ‘no thanks’, or (even worse) didn’t hear anything back at all. And the prospect of self publishing was starting to look more and more like my only doable option.
Within a month of each other, just as I started speculating about cover art and what I’d do about editing and stuff, I had three offers.
\o/ \o/ \o/ \o/
One of them was for a short story of mine titled Hereditary* by an E-Zine.
One of them was from a US romance publisher for a novella of mine titled Animal Attraction**.
And the last of them was from J Taylor Publishing for Darkness & Light, which started the journey of my Holloway Pack series (FINALLY!) reaching the world, in July of 2011—2 years after I’d first wrote the book.
I haven’t looked back since. And, as a result, I now bring to the table CAGED: Holloway Pack 3. 🙂
Isn’t she wonderful? Thank you J.A. Belfield. I am grateful to have you here today.
Book Links
One Talented Creative Girl
In all your life, have you ever met someone who has inspired you, and helped you keep your dreams burning strong just when you needed it?
… Ms. Belfield is one of those sparkly sweet people, a wildly creative and talented author I’ve recently connected with, inspiring me to keep reaching and working toward my dreams. She’s amazing. You’ll love her, and she has a brand new book out, hot off the press … Caged.
A little about the author
straight from her blog
One day, a character and scene popped into J. A. Belfield’s head, and she started controlling the little people inside her imagination, as though she were the puppet master and they her toys. Questions arose: What would happen if …? How would they react if …? Who would they meet if …? Before she knew it, a singular scene had become an entire movie. The characters she controlled began to hold conversations. Their actions reflected the personalities she bestowed upon them. Within no time, they had a life, a lover, a foe, family … they had Become.
One day, she wrote down her thoughts. She’s yet to stop.
J. A. Belfield lives in Solihull, England, with her husband, two children, three cats and a dog. She writes paranormal romance, with a second love for urban fantasy.
A little about her new release
Caged
Release Date: August 5, 2013
Target Reader: Adult
Keywords: Romantic, Urban Fantasy, Werewolf
About the Book
If the meek can become deadly, the strongest can be weak.
For Ethan Holloway, his mission to find a missing werewolf should be simple. Crack a few heads, bust a few chops and the solution always reveals itself. Always.
Not this time.
Ethan’s reputation precedes him, and because it does, someone is ready. Waiting. Unbeknownst to Ethan, he’s about to go down. Hard. Against a foe he never suspected and in a world he never imagined could be real.
What awaits Ethan is a fight not only for his reputation, but also his pack, his female, and his life. If he survives, damage control will become priority number one.
If he survives.
Because even Ethan’s not sure he’s strong enough to take on an entire race all by himself.
Especially one hell bent on exposing who and what he is in the name of sport.
Where Can You Get the Book?
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| Click to buy Caged |
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| Click to buy Caged |
Please stop by and visit her blog tour …
… and sign to win some great free stuff!
Digital Goodies: One More Day
“You’re never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true.”
― Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah
Here they are! These are the digital goodies for One More Day, J Taylor Publishing’s book anthology set to release December 2, 2013. Help yourself by right clicking on the image of choice, selecting ‘save image as,’ and OK.
J. Taylor Publishing supplies the images for their authors and they are for personal or advertising / promotional purposes only.
DESKTOP:
COVER ART:
IPAD COVER:
BOOK MARKS:
Cloud Nine Girl 