One of the reasons I chose D.B. Henson is because of her story. It's not typical like those who went the usual route trying to get an agent as far as being rejected and then plugging along like this for a time before becoming published.
D.B. took advantage of what the new era has to offer - the power of the internet. She published herself, and in doing so, landed an agent. Her first novel Deed to Death is an Amazon Kindle bestseller, and I'm sure this is just the beginning of a long and prosperous career. For those of you toying with the idea of self-publishing, this is for you.
"My story is not typical; I did not choose a route to publication that would lead to rejections. When I was finishing Deed to Death, my first novel, I read about Joe Konrath’s success self-publishing on Amazon. Rather than querying agents which could take months, I decided to follow Joe’s lead and upload the book to Amazon myself. I reasoned that if the book sold, it would help me to secure an agent for my next novel. I had no idea Deed to Death would become so popular. It caught the attention of Noah Lukeman, president of Lukeman Literary Management. He just recently sold the book to Simon & Schuster.
The best advice I received was from Joe Konrath – to self-publish. Had I not gone that route, I would probably be sitting amidst a pile of rejection letters.
Question: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers about the industry?
Answer: The industry is rapidly changing. I believe the future lies in e-books, however, I think there will still be a market for paper books for several years to come.
Question: What books did you read that you feel are must reads for new writers?
My agent, Noah Lukeman, has written three books I feel are must reads for writers."
They are:
The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile
The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life
A Dash of Style: The Art and Mastery of Punctuation
My other favorites are:
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King
Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
Stein on Writing by Sol Stein
On Writing by Stephen King
- D.B. Henson
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