What a ride it's been.

Although I had been writing and published for nearly two decades in the non-fiction world of newspapers and magazines, I was still considered a “newbie” by publishing houses when I approached them with a fiction manuscript in the late 1990’s. There were rules upon rules – get an agent, no unsolicited manuscripts, no unsolicited queries, agents that didn’t want to invest time in an unknown… All I wanted was for someone to give me a chance.

I had two manuscripts I was trying to market – More Than a Friend (never published - yet) and Courage of the Heart (published twice since then). I received a few personalized rejections (and I appreciate the time a couple of editors took to help educate me); while they complimented my writing, the main reason for rejection was that my stories didn’t follow “the formula strictly enough”. Perhaps if they hadn’t regarded me as a “newbie” they might have been willing to take a chance on a storyline that dared to step outside boundaries.

One agent recommended that I self publish and try to overcome my unknown status, but I couldn’t afford that. I did however find a print-on-demand publisher that would be willing to make my book available at no cost to me and a fairly hefty cut of any profits for themselves. My book, Courage of the Heart, was accepted and I was thrilled. However before the book was actually “published”, this company decided to enter the subsidy publishing world; since we had already signed a contract they did not impose any fees, but they also left me totally to my own devices to publicize and market the novel. Courage of the Heart sold VERY FEW copies.

Several years later I was still determined to be a published novelist – I had also learned a lot more about the industry and marketing. When a friend on MySpace began bragging that she had just signed a contract with Vanilla Heart Publishing and was thrilled with the experience, I looked them up and liked what I saw. I submitted a query for my novel Bartlett’s Rule. Managing Editor Kimberlee Williams expressed an interest and asked for the complete manuscript – I was literally speechless the night I opened an email telling me that she was going to offer me a contract. That was almost three years ago.

Since Bartlett’s Rule was published in April 2008, I’ve penned several more manuscripts and so far I’ve had a total of eight novels with VHP (one romance, six romantic-suspense, and one murder-mystery). Courage of the Heart was updated, the contract with the first publisher was nullified and it was released by VHP in January, 2009 – and it has sold many, many more copies.


Vanilla Heart Publishing is a traditionally based small press offering contracts and decent royalties. Between what I’ve learned about promotion and marketing and the excellent guidance, knowledge and support from Kimberlee Williams, I have enjoyed a small modicum of success.

The publishing industry today is very competitive – fortunately there are many more options for newer and unknown authors. No matter whether an author is completely self-published, under contract with a small independent or published by one of the “Big Six”, the process of promotion and marketing has to be a team effort. An author’s responsibility does not end with the words “The End” – unless you have a six figure reputation that a publisher is willing to invest in, you will have to heavily involve yourself in promoting yourself and your work. Many successful writers maintain a strong internet presence between social networking and blogging, set up in-person appearances, and jump on every opportunity to publicize their books.

Vanilla Heart Publishing and its authors work together as a team to ensure success. Kimberlee encourages us to use social media and blogs, she maintains a company blog and helps to “brag” about her authors, and provides online forums where we can get more exposure. She also sends out press releases, review copies, creates trailers, distributes sales sheets, designs our covers and markets the VHP line to distributors, online retailers and indie bookstores. As much as Kimberlee does for each of us, she is demanding – no one is allowed to sit on respective “arses” and wait for it all to be done for us. It is definitely worth it all.

It’s been an interesting and exciting ride. Sometimes it might even seem a bit overwhelming – those are the times when Kimberlee shifts from gentle taskmaster to nurturer and helps to re-build our egos. With her knowledge and encouragement, it is fun as we watch the sales rankings and get “Google alerts”. I don’t know if I would be as happy doing what I do if I were with a bigger publisher or self-publishing and doing it all on my own.

For now, I’m working on my next novel - and loving the work I do.

Check out my website - Welcome to Chelle's World