Author Interview

I recently chatted with author Cole Gibsen, and seeing as I'm in the query process, I had a few questions for her. Oh, and the fact that one of her recently published books is of the mermaid type, certainly caught my interest. :) So, here are Cole's responses. Which answer surprised you? Have you learned anything new?

*How many manuscripts had you written before you landed your agent?

KATANA was the second novel I’d written and the one that landed my agent. My first novel was a hot mess that is shoved in a drawer never to see the light of day. (This is a very lucky thing for all lovers of fiction.)

*What would you say is the hardest part of being a writer trying to get published?

Battling with my self doubt. I have the harshest internal editor that loves to whisper in my ear and tell me everything I write is crap. I struggle with this self doubt daily and really have to work at tuning it out so I can get my writing done.

*What would you say is the easiest part of being a writer trying to get published?

Oh gosh, I don’t think the word “easy” exists in the publishing business. LOL. I’m a huge fan of martial arts and one of my favorite movies is Bruce Lee’s Game of Death. In the movie Bruce works his way up a building where on every floor he must face an opponent tougher than the one he defeated. Publishing is kind of like that.

*What did your road to publication look like?

See the above answer. LOL. But seriously, it took me two books, two years, and two hundred rejections before I landed my agent. It would take another year before I sold my first book and another two years after signing the contract before I would see one of my books on a book store shelf.

*If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring writers, what would it be?

Read books in the genre you plan to write, then read some more, and then repeat. I’m a firm believer that, if you don’t read the genre you’re writing, you won’t be able to write in it.