Award winning freelancer Andrew Jalbert has been a professional archaeologist and scuba instructor for over 15 years. During that time, he has worked throughout the Great Lakes, the Caribbean, Central America, Southern Africa, the Florida Keys, and Hawaii. His work focuses on tropical subjects–both above and below the water–and he is a regular contributor to scuba diving, natural history, fitness, and travel magazines. Andrew currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin. You can visit his website at www.jalbertproductions.com.
Welcome to Beyond the Books, Andrew. 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)?
Although I have been publishing articles in magazines for the last ten years or so, West Across the Board is my first book, as well as my first work of fiction. I am working on a second novel that–with some luck–should be completed in early 2009.
What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?
When I was in my early 20s, I started work on a book titled, “Within.” At the time, I was working for an archaeological research company that was excavating a turn of the century burial site near a poor farm that housed victims of the Spanish influenza. I often wondered about the stories behind the people whose bones we were analyzing and began work on a fiction piece that chronicled several people from the time of contracting the illness to their deaths and later, the archaeologists who uncovered them. I still think it was a pretty good story, but the truth is, I was pretty young and hadn’t yet developed the writing skills necessary. It still sits on my hard drive and one of these days, I’ll think about revisiting it.
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?
As I recall, my rejections numbered somewhere around 70. While that number sounds high (and it is) I’ve heard countless stories of successful authors whose numbers were much higher. Needless to say, it can be an extremely humbling experience!
How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?
This is a great question, and one I’m sure every author has struggled with. I think the task of finding a publisher can be as daunting as writing a manuscript, perhaps even more so. Chances are, most authors write a book because…well…they’re writers. But being a writer doesn’t make you a marketer. Writing a book and marketing a book to a publisher are two very different animals. In my case, I made countless mistakes during the marketing process, however I learned something from each of them and I feel confident that when I pitch my next novel, I will be more prepared.
In hindsight, writing and trying to publish my first book was a great test of my tenacity. As a freelance writer, I’d already been exposed to rejection letters and managed to push through them to become a regular contributor to several magazines. But when I decided to write and pitch a novel, I wasn’t prepared for the quantity of rejections. There was a period of several months in which I seemed to get at least one “dear author” rejection letter every day. And using the word “letter” is being generous. Often, the rejections would be a Xeroxed, quarter sheet of paper (mailed back to me with the postage I provided) with a few sentences saying they weren’t interested.
After enough rejections, I was faced with an unsettling question: Was my novel any good? I, like so many other writers, had put so much time, energy and thought into it that an answer of “no” was utterly deflating. I may have had a bit of an advantage when faced with this question because I’d published quite a few magazine articles before, but there are only so many rejections you can face before the question is asked. My answer–and ultimately “how I overcame the blows”–was to go with a small POD publisher and see what the readers and reviewers thought before deciding.
Now, a year later, I’m glad I made that decision. Reviews from magazines, newspapers and book reviewers have been very good and the feedback from readers has been touching. I am already well into my second novel and had I given up on the first one, I never would have started.
When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?
As I just mentioned, I decided to go with a POD publisher. I chose iUniverse because I liked the quality of their products and they offered great editorial services. It was important to me that readers had a variety of easy choices when purchasing my book and iUniverse made it available for sale in several locations including Barnes & Noble and Amazon. The only down side is that much of the marketing burden fell on me.
How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?
Truthfully, the first thing I felt when I opened up my box of author’s copies and picked up the book was relief. I was relieved that it was finished and that I’d seen it through. West Across the Board had made the transformation from an idea to a reality and that was somehow calming. The book was a tangible thing now and I could get to work on marketing and getting reviews. Don’t get me wrong, these things made me nervous, but the process seemed much more controllable. The question I’d talked about earlier (Was my novel any good?) would be answered soon enough, but at least I’d finished it. And that was a lot easier to swallow than never getting it out there and always wondering.
Shortly after its publication, my wife Becky planned a surprise party for me at a local Jamaican restaurant. When I showed up, I found all of my friends and family waiting for me with gifts and copies of the book for me to sign. Writing can be a lonely experience, so having everyone close to me show up with heart-felt congratulations was a great way to start things out.
What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?
Initially, I did what most authors probably do: I sent emails to everyone I’d ever met asking them to read it. While that sounds like a fairly unambitious first step, it was a good start. Most of them bought it, read it, recommended it to their friends and so on. Within a couple of months, I was going to book clubs that had chosen my novel to read. During this time, I was also contacting book reviewers, magazines and newspapers to review he book which also turned out to be a great marketing strategy.
With an eye on online sales, I also set up pages in popular networking sites such as MySpace and sites that catered to book readers and authors. This too proved successful. By networking with other authors, reviewers and people who had an interest in my novel’s setting (the book takes place in the Florida Keys) I was able to get the word out and ultimately sell more books.
If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?
Not to sound cliché, but if I knew then what I know now…Let’s just say that I will be taking a more refined approach when pitching my next book. But knowing what I knew at the time about the publishing process (which wasn’t much) I probably did the best I could. I simply needed to be a bit more patient. Writing a book takes a lot of time and when it’s finished (or should I say when I thought it was finished) I was in too much of a hurry to get it out there.
Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?
Since the publication of my novel, I’ve continued to publish magazine articles and am currently working on my second book. I don’t think it’s possible to go through the process of writing and publishing a book without growing as an author. The truth is, writing is a lot of hard work and the more you do it, the better you get. I’ve become much more aware of my specific strengths and weaknesses as a writer. Consequently, I’ve been able to work on and improve my shortcomings.
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 would have gotten editors and book writing coaches involved much sooner and perhaps most importantly, I would not have submitted work before it was ready. Looking back at some of the work I submitted too early, I often find myself cringing. In spite of this, it was a great learning experience that I hope will pay off in the future.
What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?
With regards to my novel, I would say that seeking and getting good reviews has been the most validating accomplishment since publication.
If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?
I’ve always wanted to be a writer and the career path I chose (archaeology–both terrestrial and underwater–and scuba training) provided me with the experiences I needed to start down the path to a part-time freelance career. My very first publication was for a dive magazine. As my specialty for water and tropical related subject matter developed and I traveled to more locations, I branched out into travel, fitness, and natural history magazines. Somewhere along the way, I got the idea for a novel set in the same tropical environments I was writing articles about. So in the end, the careers I chose were a nice fit for someone hoping to make writing a full time career.
Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?
Although I’ve combined my career with writing, I hope to someday be able to write full time. Realistically, if this were to happen, it would most likely include a combination of freelance writing for magazines and selling novels. I still really enjoy traveling and writing articles and don’t see I time when I phase that out.
How do you see yourself in ten years?
With some luck, I hope to have written a few more books and be living part of the year in the tropics, either the Dutch Antilles or perhaps the Florida Keys. I’ve always been most productive as a writer in those environments (largely because I’m surrounded by the settings I tend to write about) but I’ll just have to wait and see what unfolds. I’m happy where I am right now however, and if nothing changes, I would still count myself lucky.
Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?
The first thing I would say to aspiring authors is to get others involved. Self-critiquing your work is possible to a certain degree, but in the end, you’ll be best served by working with editors, coaches, and even critique groups. Find someone who will give you honest feedback (and I’m not talking about your friends or your mom!) If you don’t already have an editor (which most first-time authors don’t) you should plan on getting one. There are countless services out there, some better than others. Also, consider a writing coach. With so much time looking at your own work, things are often missed that an outside party will catch. I tried to be as open as possible to their suggestions and in almost every case, they were right on target. Having others involved also makes the process less lonely. It can be un-nerving having someone read your work at first, but if you plan on writing a book for the masses, you’ll have to get used to it.
Finally, I would say that you’ll need patience, endurance, and realistic expectations. Statistics show that only a small fraction of submitted books ever make it to publication. Have a backup plan. If you’ve gone through all the right steps (including having the manuscript professionally critiqued and edited) and you can’t find a mainstream publisher, there are smaller presses and other routes you can take to get the book in print. Keep at it and let the readers and reviewers decide.
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Beyond the Books 
Your book sounds wonderful and I love all your careers! :)