Joy DeKok is the author of five published books, a professional speaker, and an author coach. She recently opened an office in Rochester, MN where she offers private coaching, group coaching, and holds writing seminars. Her debut novel, Rain Dance, released with Sheaf House Publishers in August. You can learn more about Joy at www.gettingitwrite.net, www.joydekok.com, www.raindancebook.com, or www.believe4kids.com.

Q: Welcome to Beyond the Books, Joy. Can we start out by telling us whether you are published for the first time or are you multi-published?

A: Thanks for having me. I have four books in print right now with a fifth releasing in March 2010.

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

A: Under His Wings was published by Barbour Publishing. After a couple of years out of print, it is being re-released by Sheaf House Publishing in March. I didn’t set out to write this book. At a writer’s conference a speaker invited us to send her our bird stories. I picked a couple I’d written and submitted them. She asked for a few more. Eventually, Cristine Bolley edited and agented the book and although all the stories are mine she is listed as my co-author. Cris taught me a lot about the writing, editing, and publishing process.

Q: 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?

A: None. It was a much different story though for Rain Dance. Every major publishing house and several smaller ones rejected it. With those dreaded responses came several personal letters encouraging me to self-publish. After carefully considering the options, I chose Print-on-Demand. My new publisher discovered the novel after reading the POD version.

Q: How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

A: Rejection is hard. I tried to separate the emotion from it and see everyone as a professional decline. Sometimes this worked and sometimes it didn’t.

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

A: Barbour Publishing chose Under His Wings and I accepted. I had done my homework though. Their devotionals were priced low and popular with book sellers and readers. It felt like a good match and it was.

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

A: I was excited. I loved the cover, format, and the way my name looked in print. My husband took me to our favorite restaurant.

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

A: I did a bunch of stuff all in one day. I made and printed book marks and postcards, and sent them out. Then, I sent out emails and set up a book signing at a local store. I sent out a press release to our local newspaper as well as the radio and TV stations.

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

A: No. Even with Rain Dance. Utilizing POD got the book in the hands of a publisher who not only liked it, but had a vision for it. I learned so much from the POD process and am thankful for it. Some people think that POD or any kind of self/vanity publishing is the easy way out. That cracks me up. I became the investor, designer, and marketing department. If that book was going to get into the hands of readers it was up to me to get it there. I was told I was vain and my book was illegitimate and would always be second class. Vanity had little do with the decision – I followed the advice of two very big publishing houses and two well-known and experienced agents. As for the illegitimate part, I know they meant it was unauthorized. (see Webster’s Dictionary) It hurt to hear that. I’d put myself into the book heart and soul. Then I’d invested financially and become a professional who had readers writing to her weekly. I saw then that no matter what someone says, readers are the only authorization needed.

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

A: I am published traditionally and I continue to publish using a POD press as well. My children’s books have not been accepted traditionally and I enjoy the POD process and my books are selling well.

A year ago, I became a co-owner in Sheaf House Publishers, a traditional publisher who has contracted 17 authors in both fiction and non-fiction. I’m the VP of Marketing and Promotions as well as the acquisitions editor for their non-fiction imprint, Journey Press.

At first glance this might all seem contradictory. To me, it makes perfect sense. I believe there are many publishing options and none is more acceptable than the other. Being traditionally published is great. Publishing via POD is great. All my books are selling and I hear from readers who are asking for more. They don’t care where the books were published as long as the writing satisfies.

Q: 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?

A: I’m not sure. It’s so easy to shoulda, woulda, coulda ourselves. Every experience in the process was valuable – even the painful ones.

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

A: Joining Sheaf House Publishers. We are publishing some fantastic books. In fact, we recently signed with Joe Bonsall (a member of the Oak Ridge Boys) for his latest project One Man’s Perspective. I get to work with all our authors and while we’re all working extremely hard, we’re also having a blast. Joan Shoup stepped out in faith and then I got to step up and join her. What a privilege!

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

A: Well, I sometimes day dream about being a NASCAR driver. Really. Or maybe that’s what they call fantasy – the dangerous thing you think about doing, but wouldn’t really do?

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

A: No. I love writing, speaking, publishing, and coaching. For me, when a coaching client succeeds or one of our authors sells a book, it’s as for me exciting as when it happens to me.

Q: How do you see yourself in ten years?

A: I see me doing the same things and loving them just as much or more.

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

A: Trust your heart with your story and your publishing process. Write and publish like no one’s looking. Then dance.

Kimberly Cheryl is a master public speaker, successful sales person, business owner and author of three novels. In addition to writing her own books, she contributes articles to various magazines and news columns.

After a school career that included years of failed chemistry classes that began too early in the morning, she switched from a pre-med career to one of business administration. She graduated with an MBA and, later, a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice.

Born into a family of readers, Kimberly had never known a time that she wasn’t reading or making up stories. Therefore, after a major life altering auto accident, the need for back surgery, a long recovery period, no respite in sight and a dwindling supply of chocolate, she decided to pull out a pencil and notebook and began to write about her experiences and share some of the knowledge she had gained throughout her career.

Kimberly lives happily in Missouri with her amazing husband, two spirited children and a “zoo” of animals including a Newfoundland, three cats and a rabbit. She enjoys traveling, swimming and reading.

For more information please visit www.kimberlycheryl.com/ or www.myshatteredreality.com.

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Kimberly. Can we start out by telling us whether you are published for the first time or are you multi-published?

Shattered Reality is my 4th book published.

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

Take this Pill and Sell it – a how to book for interviewing, selling, resume writing and breaking into the pharmaceutical sales arena (but can be used for any job interview process).

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 self published with Outskirts press and had a wonderful experience.

How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

My second book: Escape from the Pharma Drug Cartel wasn’t completely rejected; I was just politely told to rewrite the entire story and had editorial help in how to develop and tell my story so it would be publishable. I am a perfectionist and don’t take criticism well. Although it was well deserved. Actually, after many one on one conferences with the editor, through his help and guidance I was a lot happier with the end product than what I had originally started with and the book won a couple Top Awards for 2007.

Shattered Reality by Kimberly Cheryl can be purchased by clicking here. Leave a comment for Kimberly and you could win a free virtual book tour for yourself or a $50 Amazon gift certificate!

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

I had done a lot of online research of self publishing companies, had read good feed back from chat groups of authors and chose Outskirts Press to publish my first 3 books.

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

It was so exciting the first time, okay every time, the UPS man has arrived at my door with a package containing a book of mine. It is thrilling to see all of your hard work in a finished product with your name on it. It is a huge ego boost and it validates all the late nights I stayed up (causing days with my kids with less sleep to function on) fussing over just the right thought, word or idea.

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

I sent post cards, flyers and book copies to recruiters and sales organizations, I posted on chat sites, I used my social media sites for promotions, I sent a copy of the book to Indy / independent book stores to review, order and sell. I spoke on radio programs and sent books to my friends to help distribute.

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

Not really but I would now like to have a large publishing house pick up my Shattered Reality story for better distribution and marketing. I believe so deeply in our story and the need for change that I would like to be able to do more with it than I have been able to do (although it has out sold all 3 of my other books combined which is a start).

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

As an author, I think I have gotten better in my character development, my flow of ideas and my ability to tell a story. I am a very direct person and it is hard to write the way that I speak – short and to the point.

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?

I’m not sure if I could have sped anything up but in the self publishing world I could have spent more money and had more professional editing done to avoid a few typos along the way. I realize it costs money to make money but when there is a tight budget it makes it harder to do everything you’d like when it comes to writing a book and taking a gamble or not on a huge seller where you will recoup all of your expenses.

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

Being able to travel and speak on two very important subjects in my life – affordable and easily accessible health insurance for everyone and the prevention of child sexual assault. I have had the opportunity to speak on radio programs, in from of organizations and students, on TV (Good Morning America and local NBC News). This is the part that I am best at – the personal marketing.

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

Writing is a hobby. My profession was 18 years in Pharmaceutical specialty sales. I loved sales and was very successful. Today my autoimmune problems have slowed down my life tremendously and I’m not sure if I will ever have a 9-5 again so advocacy is a great opportunity for me.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

As a happy, successful family member, wife and mother. Enjoying all that life has to offer.

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

If you have a story and want to write, don’t wait, take the opportunity to put your ideas and words onto paper and self publish or produce an ebook to start and go from there. You may find you have more skills than you thought possible. (just don’t get upset at the critics – there is one in every crowd and not everyone is going to love your writing. Even the top Best Sellers have critics:) Believe in yourself and go for it!

With enthusiasm, humor, and conviction, author/speaker Susie Larson has spoken to thousands of women locally, nationally, and internationally. Susie’s new release is titled, Embracing Your Freedom: A Personal Experience in God’s Heart for Justice (Moody Publishers). She just finished writing her sixth book, Growing Grateful Kids, which, releases in March of 2010. Susie has been interviewed on radio stations across the country and serves as a regular guest host for Along the Way (A two-hour talk radio show on Faith Radio-900 AM). While in Washington D.C., Susie and her husband Kevin, along with national recording artist Sara Groves and her husband Troy, represented International Justice Mission’s concerns in meetings with Congress as part of their efforts to abolish and prevent human trafficking and slavery. Susie comes with a passion to share the love of a Savior who will never let us go.
Web: www.susielarson.com
Blog: http://susielarsonblog.typepad.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/deeperlifeinchrist

Q: Welcome to Beyond the Books, Susie. Can we start out by telling us whether you are published for the first time or are you multi-published?

A: Thanks for having me. To answer your question, I am multi-published. I’ve written six books, one devotional journal, contributed to several books, and I’ve written numerous articles.

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

A: The title of my very first book is, Mercy in the Wilderness: A Selfish Heart a Faithful God. I self-published that book because of its memoir-like style; I wrote it for a very specific audience: those who hear me speak, hear my story, and as a result, want to buy my book. After researching the publishing process, I knew self-publishing was the route I needed to take with this book. Mercy in the Wilderness is now in its third printing and sells itself at conferences when I tell my story.

Q: 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?

A: As I mentioned, I self-published my first book so I didn’t experience any rejections with that one. I don’t at all regret going that route with my first book. I learned a lot in the process and the book paid for itself within the first six months.

Q: How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

A: Rejections are difficult for anybody. I know for myself, the rejections I experienced in my writing journey were all a part of a bigger process for me. God was readying me for ministry, and in order for me to be effective, I needed to be able to separate who I am with what I do. When rejections came my way, I got on my knees and I surrendered myself afresh to the Lord. I’d take some time and give myself a little distance from the manuscript, then, in due time, I’d pick it back up again and try to look at it with fresh eyes.

If our identity is too tied up into what we accomplish (or not), God’s important message of grace and freedom will get lost in translation through us. Sometimes He seems agonizingly uninterested in our timeline or our desperate desires to be published, but that’s not so. Truly, He knows us better than we know ourselves and He is intimately engaged with us on this journey. We have to learn the craft, learn to write a great proposal, understand our audience, do our best, and then leave the rest with Him. He knows what He’s doing with our lives.

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

A: I published my first book with Essence Publishing out of Canada (2000). I chose Essence because they clearly communicated the different options available, were regularly accessible to us, and had the most competitive pricing for our needs. That was back in the year 2000, and I’ve since noticed quite a number of self-publishing houses that have hit the scenes and are super competitive in pricing. A number of those new houses offer great marketing help as well.

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

A: You know I felt different after each first experience. When my self-published book released, we had a book release party with lots of friends and ministry partners. That was a big first step for me. When my devotional journal released, I didn’t really celebrate but I was excited about the opportunity. It was my first contracted project (not counting my published articles), although my contract was with a stationary publisher, not a mainstream publisher. For me, the really big first was when I published Balance That Works When Life Doesn’t: Simple Steps to a Woman’s Physical and Spiritual Health (Harvest House Publishers). This was my first CBA contract and was a very big deal to me. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was giving my son a haircut when I my agent called me with the good news. I ran around the house; I jumped up and down and I cheered. I ran upstairs to call my husband (who, by the way, came home with a dozen roses). My poor son sat there with a partial haircut until I came to my senses again.

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

A: We did several things simultaneously. We mailed out hundreds and hundreds of postcards along with invitations to our book release party. I held up my book at all of my speaking events and shared a few sentences on why the message was important to me. We developed a website.

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

A: No, I’d go this same route again if given the chance. Writing is a tough business and it can take years to see your first book published. I thoroughly enjoyed self-publishing because it gave me an inside look at the process while moving ahead with my dream. After writing six books, I still don’t think my first book fits in a mainstream publishing house, but even so, there are thousands of people out there whose lives have been changed by its message. I know I did the right thing. It was a perfect starting point for me.

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

A: As I mentioned, my sixth book releases this spring (March, 2010). Also, I’ve contributed to several books, published approximately fifty articles with Focus on the Family and published several articles with other publications.

I’ve grown as an author mostly because I’ve grown as a Christ-follower. As I mature in Him, my message also matures. On a technical level, I’m learning that less is truly more. When we try to cast too wide a net with our message, we rarely impact anyone significantly. But if we narrow the focus of our intended audience, hone our craft, and write from a place of true passion and experience, we will connect with readers on a very deep level. Readers appreciate being singled out and encouraged along the way. One of the favorite things I hear from readers is this statement: you wrote this book for ME.

Q: 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?

A: I believe I was on track with God’s best timing for me with regards to publishing books. But here’s one thing I wish I had done differently: in those earlier years, I was a little shy about assembling a mailing list and acquiring email addresses. It all seemed too self-promoting to me to ask for emails when I didn’t even have a book to offer. Nowadays you have blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and a host of other ways to communicate with your subscribers. Even if you don’t have a book to offer your subscribers, you can stay connected with them. It’s important to establish your platform in a consistent, professional way.

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

A: Of course, the biggest accomplishment for me is the number of changed lives I hear about on a regular basis. It almost overwhelms me to read these kinds of statements: That book saved my marriage. That book saved my life. I’ve never been the same since I read your book. I’ve never known God’s presence or understood His love until your conference (and to all of these statements, I say, thank you, Lord).

Another thing I’m very excited about is the way that my ministry/career is evolving into a three-pronged approach: speaking, writing, and radio. I love each of these modes of communication equally and I’m very thankful for the opportunities that are before me in all three of these areas.

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

A: I know that I’m walking out the exact calling for which God designed me. And I’ve never been more fulfilled and motivated to make my days count than I am today. I have friends who are writers, period. I have other friends who are speakers, but not writers. I have other friends in radio, but they don’t speak or write. They are all specialists in their field. But it’s different with me. I don’t want to be exclusively any one of these. I have found my niche by balancing my time between the three. I have my work cut out for me. It takes a while to master three crafts, but that’s what I want to do.

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

A: As I mentioned in my answer above, I’ve found the best in all three worlds!

Q: How do you see yourself in ten years?

A: Lord willing, I see myself with a thriving, daily radio program, five to seven more books under my belt, and a continually growing speaking platform. I would also like to write a few Bible studies with companion teaching DVD’s.

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

A: Don’t let the dream consume you; let it motivate you. Don’t let your life get out of balance in order to achieve your dream. If you do, you won’t last there. Keep your walk of faith your utmost priority. Be available for your loved ones. Take care of your body through exercise and nourishing food. And remember, you are valuable because God says you are, not because a publisher validated your work. Humbly receive criticism, hone your craft, and put your hope in God. In due time, your dreams will come true.