Sheila Roberts lives in the Pacific Northwest. She’s happily married and has three children. She’s been writing since 1989, but she did lots of things before settling in to her writing career, including owning a singing telegram company and playing in a band. When she’s not speaking to women’s groups or at conferences she can be found writing about those things near and dear to women’s hearts: family, friends, and chocolate.

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Sheila. Can you tell us whether you are published for the first time or multi-published? 

This is my first women’s fiction book. I’ve published all kinds of things under different names, including magazine articles and content for gift books. But, sadly, they’re out of print now. Maybe that’s just as well.

What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?

My very first book was called “The Phoenix Rises” and it was based on my mother-in-law’s life in Australia. I thought it was terribly brilliant and was convinced I was going to get it published and make us both a fortune. Although the book had potential, it wasn’t good enough to see the light of day. So it didn’t get published and I didn’t make that fortune. But my mother-in-law and I had a good time working on the project together. And how much was that worth? Like the charge card commercials say: priceless.

I had barely finished that book when I got an idea for another one. That was the book that sold.

For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?

I didn’t go through any rejections on that book. Everyone loved it and everything went smoothly. Great even . . . until later. I have this theory about rejection: if you’re a writer, it comes with the territory. You may get it at the beginning of your career, you may get hit with it in the middle, or you may encounter it at the end. But you’ll experience it. And on the threshold of rejection is where we separate the writers from the talkers. A person can talk about writing all she wants, but in the end, the writers who survive are the ones who keep writing, no matter what. At least, that’s my theory. So far, it’s proved true in my own life and I’ve certainly seen it proved out in the lives of my published friends.
How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

They made me feel awful. I had gotten my identity so wrapped up in my writing that I found myself experiencing some bleak moments. I had to take a step back and reassess who I was, who I would be if I never again got published. And that was when I realized that, whether we publish or not, whether we’re successful or not, we all have value and we all have a contribution to make to our world. As for overcoming the blows, what did I do? I kept on writing. And writing. And writing. Two completed books and five book proposals. I kept trying new things to see what fit, kept learning and evolving as a writer. It was hard. But I love to write. What’s a girl to do? You have to keep going, so I did.

When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?

The line my first book was part of is long defunct. And I didn’t choose them – my agent did. I was thrilled that anyone wanted me so I didn’t exactly interview the publisher to see if they were up to my high standards. Not that I had any standards. I was completely clueless. My first book came out with Pageant, an imprint under the Crown Publishing umbrella.

How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?

I was so excited. And so unprofessional. I screeched like a mad thing when my agent gve me the news, probably made her deaf in that one ear.

What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?

I did book signings like crazy. Wore outrageous outfits. Pretended I was a celebrity. People would stop by my signing table and ask me where the bathroom was.

If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?

I think I chose the best route for me. I started with a literary agent, who helped me make my book better and then marketed it for me and negotiated a contract. A good agent is worth her weight in gold. I can’t imagine trying to have a writing career without one.

Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?

Yes, and I certainly hope I’ve grown as an author. I hope I’ll continue to grow. The more I write the more I realize how much I still have to learn.

Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up?  What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?

My case is a little odd. I stumbled into publishing right through an open door, and then proceeded to learn all my lessons the hard way, and publicly. Looking back I can see many places where I took wrong turns as a writer – hindsight is 20/20 – but I’m not sure if I could have avoided any of my mistakes. It was all part of the learning process. As for speeding things up, I think a common mistake many writers make is being in a hurry. We want things ASAP. We want to sell that first manuscript, we want to get published, we want to become famous. I think it’s not a bad idea to first want to become a really, really good writer, and to enjoy the process.

What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?

Let’s tackle that question in about 5 years.

If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?

I would have been a songwriter. Since songwriting is even harder to break into than publishing I probably made the right choice to pursue a writing career. But hey, I’m not dead yet. Who knows what the future holds?

Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?

I think a person can juggle more than one creative pursuit.  I’ll always write. I hope I’ll also do many more interesting creative things.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

Maybe as that household name every author wants to become.

Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?

Don’t give up. Keep writing. Don’t settle for less than what you want. Study the different publishers, choose yours and keep getting good until that publisher absolutely must have you.

 

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