Q&A with Erin Blakemore discussion

Charlotte Brontë said that the editorial process left her "prostrate and entombed." Margaret Mitchell wrote Gone With the Wind in a state of almost rabid secrecy. My story is slightly different, but I'm here to answer your questions about the craft of writing and editing and the wacky business that is publishing!

What do you think was the most helpful advice you received from your editor? Did you have a writing/research process, and what surprised you most about people's reaction to The Heroine's Bookshelf?

I wish you could do a brain dump and tell me everything I need to know for next year, but I'll start with: in terms of marketing, what are one or two things you wished you had done differently or could have done better.

Laurel Ann wrote: "What do you think was the most helpful advice you received from your editor?"

I was blown away at how perceptive my editor is. She picked up on every little nuance. I'd say that the most helpful thing she did couldn't be contained in a single nugget...she pointed me toward my story and my own voice at every turn. Learning to take a literary stand, to tell my interpretation, and to claim what was mine in the telling made quite an impression on me, and I hope I'm a better writer for it.

"Did you have a writing/research process?"

Oy. Some chapters I knew instantaneously (the Jane Eyre chapter was actually written as the sample chapter in my proposal). Some I felt very blurry about. Usually, I would gather my materials, do some preliminary reading, and write a quick-n-dirty outline (we're talking insanely brief and almost pitifully spare at points). I'd stick the outline at the top of my Google Docs document and start to write. If I didn't know what came next, I'd look at the outline and copy/paste the line as a placeholder in addition to about 100 notes to self, including spaces where I needed more research/information. After writing the ugly, ugly first chapter, I revised, researched, and revised until it was readable. At the end of each chapter, I made sure to include a "fun pass" to make sure the writing was as fresh, accessible, and fun as possible without losing my own voice.

"What surprised you most about people's reaction to The Heroine's Bookshelf?"

Most of all, I have been surprised by their graciousness! I was expecting to be skewered by passionate fans of the various authors who felt I had done "their" writers an injustice. In fact, my experience has been quite the opposite.

Aside from that, I'd have to say that I'm surprised by how many people react to the idea of a book about books with a sense of shame or regret that they haven't read every book it contains. If anything, I hope that the book helps make reading and rereading more accessible and entertaining for others!

Ellen wrote: "I wish you could do a brain dump and tell me everything I need to know for next year, but I'll start with: in terms of marketing, what are one or two things you wished you had done differently or could have done better."

I might just be willing to do that brain dump, Ellen! I've learned a lot throughout this process.

Things I could have done better: Be bold and stop procrastinating! There is plenty that can be done to market a book before it's out, and thought I wasn't terrible, I wasn't ideal, either. Also, I found myself slightly unprepared for the amount of time marketing takes...it's kind of like gas; it fills the space you give it.

The #1 thing I've realized about marketing a book is that nothing substitutes for the real deal...passionate conversations with people who are passionate about reading and your subject matter. It's not a popularity contest, but it helps to get a sense of who those people are and to learn how to converse with them in a way that's authentic and that doesn't intrude.