Vannetta Chapman has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines, receiving over two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace in Albion, Pennsylvania. She published a novel with Abingdon Press called A Simple Amish Christmas in October of 2010. Her first Quilt Shop Murder Mystery, Falling to Pieces (Zondervan), released in September 2011. Falling to Pieces is the first book in Vannetta's amish myster three-book series. Chapman lives in the Texas hill country with her husband. Visit her website at: www.vannettachapman.com.
Below, Vannetta takes a moment to share her journey to publication:
How many complete novels have you written so far? 13
How many of those have been published? 2 have been published, 3 more have been contracted and have publication dates of 2012 and 2013
Years you've been writing: 12, but the first half of that was writing article for Christian family life magazines (freelance)
First thing you ever had published: one of those articles.
In a paragraph or two, describe what the road to novel/book publication was like for you. Obviously I wrote a lot of books that did NOT get published, but I do feel like with each of those books my craft improved. Although I had 2 degrees in English, it's a different thing to WRITE a novel than it is to read one, or analyze one, or assign one to a class. So those early novels were a learning ground for me. Each one I completed, I submitted, but I also started a new one the day I slipped it into the mail.
I also entered contests, attended conferences and joined associations. As I started garnering interest, as my writing started winning contests and I started receiving requests for partial and fulls, and then finally agents started considering me, I kept writing the next novel. Then, even after I signed with my first agent (who is still my agent) I did not sell immediately. It took another 18 months to make that sell. When it happened, I sold to 3 different publishers within a few months and had 8 books contracted to release within a little over 2 years.
NOT an overnight success story at all, but I don't regret things happening the way they did because things happened in the correct time, in God's time.
Do you have an agent? How did you acquire him/her? I was querying everyone in Jeff Herman's guide who seemed appropriate to what I wrote. Then when I had a few agents who were interested, I asked on the loops and at meetings ... I wanted someone with a professional reputation. I also wanted someone who was excited about my writing. My agent didn't act as if she was "doing me a favor" but rather as if she would be thrilled to represent me. It's been a wonderful working relationship.
Describe the first time you got "The Call" informing you of your first contract. I was excited, of course, and I was also scared when I first saw the contract and all that I was agreeing to. I was teaching full time and writing from 5-7 in the morning and 8-11 at night. That was no problem, but to contratually agree to write books while I was also contractually obligated to teach was somewhat daunting. What if I couldn't do both? But I knew that was fear talking, and I signed ... and that first book, A Simple Amish Christmas, sold more copies than I could have imagined.
Are you a fan of writing contests? Why or why not? Yes! They helped me a lot. I "met" some judges who helped me quite a bit, who were willing to give very constructive advice. I also finalled consistently, which allowed me to pitch to a lot of editors and agents ... a wonderful experience.
What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were first starting out? Someone just told me the other day that you're supposed to plot your book. : ) Ha ha ha. Seriously though, I wish I'd known that although there are times where you feel this wonderful sense of community and support within the writing world, there's also times when you feel like the odd fish out. I hate that. It happens to everyone--published or not. I sincerely wish it didn't happen. Speak out. Find someone else who is sitting alone. Speak up on the loops. And if we're at a conference together and you see me, please just come over and introduce yourself and we'll sit together. No one should feel that way at a conference.
Three books on writing/publishing you'd recommend: I think instead of recommending reading ABOUT writing, I'd recommend writers read more good books. In general, I don't think writers read enough. We've moved away from that, and yes--everyone has time constraints. But if you want to write well, you need to read other people who write well. Go to the NYT Bestseller list, pick a few and start reading. It doesn't have to be in your genre either. Just. start. reading.
Any marketing tips you'd like to share? Be genuine. We're all doing so much now that folks are overwhelmed, but what I see people respond to is sincerity. The more technology we have, the more we crave that. You can be genuine on a facebook page with 5,000 fans. You can. Stop marketing and be yourself. That's why those people connected to your writing in the first place.
How is being published different than you thought it would be? I'm now writing full time, and I"m working more hours than I was when I was writing and teaching full time ... so THAT needs to come under control. It's just a monster that needs taming. It will devour every minute of every day if you let it, and while I ADORE what I do, I also have a family. : ) Oh yeah.
What are two pieces of advice you would give to writers who are desperately seeking publication? 1. Stop being desperate, and enjoy your life. It will happen when it's supposed to happen.
2. Become a student of the craft. You can't just publish a book. You have to improve your craft--whether it's through classes, workshops, writing, or mentor groups.
Excellent advice! Thanks, Vannetta, for sharing your path to publication. Much success to you as you continue on your journey.
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