Hi Jade, thank you very much for the opportunity to pick your brains about self-publishing. Can you please tell us a bit about yourself and the books you have published?
Sure, I've been writing full time for almost 4 years. I tried to land the 6-figure deal with traditional publishing, but then the self-publishing market took off. I landed a small publishing contract for my 1st book (Loka) and then an agent was interested in signing me for my 2nd book (Ocean Kills). I turned the agent down in favour of self-publishing and it was the best decision. I love all the control, and how wonderful it is to keep all my rights.
Why did you get into self-publishing?
Because I get to control everything. I can write what I want, when I want, and publish in a time-frame that works for me.
What has it taken to get to where you are now with three books published, a blog and a new publishing company on the way?
It's taken dedication to learn my craft. When I first started writing it was terrible. :-) But thanks to critique partners and immersing myself into the writing community, I grew as a person and novelist. My three books: Ocean Kills: An urban fantasy, Coffee and Cockpits: A Contemp Romance, and Mirror Amour: Erotic novella have been accepted by readers with good reviews and I have many more to come.
Thanks to my experience as a Production Manager with a small publishing company, and my knowledge at what it takes to self-publish a title, I combined both and created Black Firefly with a fellow co-founder who is a guru in marketing. We offer exactly what a publisher would: editing, cover art, formatting, etc, but you keep all your rights and never sign over royalties. We launched on Monday 8th July 2013.
In conversations with you on Facebook, you said that you earned your experience as a writer and publisher by being the production manager for a small press in the states. Can you tell us how this has changed the way you write and publish?
It hasn't changed how I write as such, nor how I publish. I follow the rules of the company I work for, but I prefer to twist and perfect to suit my own requirements. It has let me become friends with some amazing authors, editors, and cover artists. I love helping turn many writers' manuscripts into books.
In your article http://curiosityquills.com/self-publishing-vs-small-publisher/#disqus_thread you talk about the pros and cons for small publisher versus self-publishing. Have you found any small publishers in NZ that have worked for you or anyone you know?
No I haven't. The New Zealand market for writers I find is very limited, so haven't found any agents, or publishers who I have contacted. (That might just be my experience). I deal with people all in the States. Minus a few cover artists who are located in Bosnia, and the UK.
Some exciting things are happening for you this month. Can you please tell us about your new company and what it has to offer self-publishers?
Yes, Black Firefly launched Monday 8th July 2013. With my role as a Production Manager I love helping authors during the process. After self-publishing my own work and fumbling around a lot in the dark trying to find the right artist and a reliable editor, I decided to open a company that will help other writers self publish. Here is a bit of information on it:
In a one sentence: Black Firefly helps publish and market your book, but you keep all your rights and royalties.
This means we aren't a publisher. We aren't a vanity press. We're a personal assistant to you – The Author. We have professional editors, cover artists, proofreaders, beta readers, and formatters to help turn your manuscript into a book. We have experience, knowledge, and are there to answer any question, any query you may have.
At no point do you sign away your rights. You pay for only the services you wish, no more. No nasty contracts, no being locked into a company who takes away your royalties. And the best part, we offer everything a large publisher would. The convenience of having it all taken care of for you, even a comprehensive marketing plan can be arranged. We offer ongoing support and exciting avenues such as Netgalley, promotion, and advertising.
Please see www.blackfirefly.com for more information.
So if a new writer wanted to find out how to get their finished story published, Black Firefly is a one-stop-shop for everything they need. What about marketing and promoting a new book?
Yep. We're a one-stop deal. Once you've dealt with production, we transfer you to our marketing team. They can help load on Goodreads, open an author Facebook page. Put you on Netgalley (which is a great tool for getting reviews) even help submit you to sites such as bookbub and Kindle Nation. If you want to run a freebie campaign, we help submit to all the necessary sites. You're never alone.
Does Black Firefly publish, or will an author have to upload to online retailers themselves?
We can publish for you on any site (amazon, kobo, iTunes, Smashwords, and set up your profiles and then just hand you all the passwords. :-)
What a fantastic resource for newbies. Thank you Jade, we really appreciate your experience and advice.
No problem at all! If you ever need any more information just email me at: blackfireflyproduction@gmail.com
For more information about Jade's books visit her site here: http://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=jade+hart
or on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JadeHartAuthorPage
or blog: https://www.dreamwritepublish.com/
or pininterst: http://pinterest.com/jadehart8/boards/
If you'd like to learn more about what Black Firefly has on offer, please visit here: https://www.blackfirefly.com/
If you have any questions for Jade, she can be contacted through her Facebook page above.
Thank you kindly Jade, am looking forward to seeing what Black Firefly has to offer. It sounds fantastic. All the best.
~ Joy Findlay
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