Novelist Lisa Manterfield: Can self publishing help you find an agent?

You've been there. Your trigger finger has twitched while you wondered whether it wouldn't just be easier/faster/more rewarding/more lucrative to go the self-published route. You're wary though. You wonder just how much of the old "vanity publishing" stigma is still attached. If at some time in the future, you want to be traditionally published, will the self publishing hurt or help?

Screen Shot 2020-07-10 at 12.05.13 PM.png

Lisa Manterfield can shed some light from her personal experience. The author of "emotionally charged coming-of age dramas, brimming with suspense, mystery, and a touch of romance," Lisa started out with two self-published novels, The Smallest Thing and A Strange Companion, both of which did better in sales than the desultory but "standard" 250 copies. She then went on a very traditional journey: she joined a writers' club, which led her to enter a competition, which led her to a scholarship to the Mendocino Coast Writers' Conference, which led her to pitch an agent, which led to the agent saying yes.

So, the question is, did her self-published status hurt or help? What does Lisa think she learnt from her particular journey? And, when self publishing was going so well, why opt for the traditional route?

Here’s the video of our entertaining and edifying happy hour.

 
 

If you missed my chat with Beth Bacon last week, also about self publishing vs. the traditional route, she was very generous with specific tips and advice. Here’s the link to the video.

Screen Shot 2020-06-26 at 11.44.09 AM.png

And here are a few additional opportunities that might be of interest:

  1. Voyage, the young adult literary e-zine, is running a First Chapters competition. There is a reading fee of $20, but the prizes are tempting:

    The 1st Place winner will receive $3000 and an hour-long consultation with Literary Agent, Eric Smith of P.S Literary Agency. 2nd Place will receive $300 and publication, and 3rd place $200 and publication. All finalists will also receive written feedback from one of our partner Literary Agents, either Leah Pierre or Thao Le.

    Anything that the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency is involved in has to be absolutely kosher in my books.

  2. I am teaching part of MCWC 2020's Publishing Bootcamp. My two co-presenters, Ayesha Pande and Marya Spence, are great New York agents! Registration is still open, so come hear what we have to say about pitching toolkits, queries, the author-agent relationship, and—if you're ready—take part in two pitch panels and pitch to us. I can only applaud and/or critique, but my two co-panelists can say, "send me your manuscript."

  3. And last but not least, Santa Rosa Junior College is offering a free online poetry class, open to any poets or aspiring poets out there. The class is part of their Older Adults program, but there are NO age restrictions for registration. Classes are being held on Tuesdays, 1:30–4:30pm, until August 4th. You can join at any time during the semester. The SRJC course search engine is a doozy, so if you'd like more information or would like to join, please email the instructor Steve Trenam at strenam@santarosa.edu. 

I think that wraps us up. Hope to see you on Zoom when I chat to Lisa. Once again, you can sign up using the form above.

In the meantime, happy writing!

Shirin

Shirin Bridges