Elizabeth Walker is the author of the memoir, The Tablet of My Heart. You can visit her website at www.tabletofmyheart.net. To read an extended bio, click here!
Welcome to Beyond the Books, Elizabeth. Can you tell us whether you are published for the first time or multi-published? Can you give us the title(s) of your book(s)?
I am published for the first time and the title of my book is The Tablet of My Heart.
What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?
Well, I guess The Tablet of My Heart isn’t my first book after all. My VERY first book was My Garden and it was a poem that I wrote in third grade. We self-published our books in the classroom with cardboard covers that we decorated with wrapping paper, and we sewed the pages right into the binding ourselves. My book actually got me an invitation to the young author’s forum (which I was unable to attend) and is likely where the seed to publish was originally planted.
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 did not submit my manuscript even once. I decided during the manuscript preparation that no time should be wasted in an agent’s basket. I was on a mission to help my children through a difficult time as they were dealing with a deep loss, and I wanted to earn money for an organization called childhelp usa. I wanted to use the book to help accomplish that (amongst other things). So, I finished my manuscript, polished it and took it directly to a print on demand (vanity) publisher.
How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?
Because I didn’t publish traditionally, my rejections weren’t from publishers. Where I have dealt with rejection is (because of the label “self published”) in trying to get reviews from news papers and magazines, trying to get booked for radio interviews and trying to get bookstores to carry my book. People don’t take me seriously – at least not at first. How do I overcome the blows? There simply isn’t much time to dwell on them. Not that it never gets me down, it does, but I refuse to let it keep my down. I have made it through to some so, I try to bask in the victories when they come rather than drown in the defeats.
When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?
Xulon Press published The Tablet of My Heart. I chose them because they are a resource for a great deal of Christian bookstores and churches to find books of an inspiring nature. The Tablet of My Heart is not a religious book, but does deal directly with issues of faith as the victim in the book tries to understand how God could allow her abuse to take place. It deals with her emotional healing and the connection between that and the very faith that was shaken by the events that took place in her young life. It was written to be inspirational.
How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?
It didn’t feel real until the books arrived. When I came home and found the box on the porch, I sat down at my kitchen counter, opened it slowly (this was only going to happen once in a lifetime) and I cried :0) not big crocodile tears, just little silent tears that others barely notice. Then my family took me out to dinner and we celebrated together.
What was the first thing you did as far as promotion when you were published for the first time?
The first thing I did was to send out a mass e-mail to every friend, family, and acquaintance that I had e-mail addresses for – with brief info about the story, it’s purpose and where to purchase it, Just enough to get them interested, and I asked them to forward it.
If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?
Not for this book, however, I might try a different avenue for the next one. Sometimes I think that I will self publish again. The control that I had over everything involved with The Tablet of My Heart was a definite comfort because the book was to serve a very specific purpose that I wanted to make sure did not get lost in logistics and editing. Other times I think that I would like to have a recognizable name promoting my title. Those are the times that I think that letting my manuscript visit a few baskets might be well worth the wait. The next manuscript is almost complete – I guess we will see!
Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?
I have not been published since, but I plan to be. Writing has always been a part of me, I suspect it always will be. As an author, I have grown mostly in confidence, the amount of time that I spend writing hasn’t really changed much.
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?
As I mentioned earlier, I self-published for the speed. But in respect to mistakes – I would spend just a little more time on researching more avenues and promoting the book before it’s publish date. Not that I am disappointed with my experience thus far, just that I am curious :0)
What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?
There are a few that excite me but, getting Barnes and noble to sell my books in store (in select stores) was a big confidence booster. As I said earlier, some people lose interest when they find that it is a Print on Demand title, so it really encouraged me to keep climbing (so to speak). So I would say, because of the second wind that it gave me, that has been the biggest accomplishment in terms of sales success. In terms of fulfillment though, the biggest success as of yet has been the impact that getting the book published and bringing attention to it’s purpose (treatment and prevention of child abuse) has had on my four young children. They are incredibly compassionate people and I contribute a good portion of that to the project that The Tablet of My Heart became.
If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?
As long as I live I think that I will view pen and paper as one of my dearest friends. I do hope to spend more time helping abused children heal, and helping parents not to hurt.
Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?
I do not make my living as an author, but I deeply hope that one day I will – Not for fortune, but for solace. I have found with this book – that I was able to combine two of my passions, children and writing, which has been deeply empowering and gratifying.
How do you see yourself in ten years?
Involved deeply in the fight against, and the treatment of, child abuse. I’m certain that writing will have a great deal to do with that.
Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?
Take the attitude that you will be – not that you want to. Don’t ever let a rejection squash your faith in yourself – use rejection to fuel your desire to come out on top and remember; faith isn’t faith until it’s all you’re holding on to.
