Mommy Writes

Later this year, three of my personal essays will be published in Marna Krajeski’s new book HOUSEHOLD BAGGAGE HANDLERS. So I asked Marna, a mom who writes, a few questions about her upcoming book and if she could give some suggestions for other writers looking to publish their books.  Here’s what Marna had to say:

Marna, I am so excited for your next book, HOUSEHOLD BAGGAGE HANDLERS, to come out. Can you tell readers what the book is all about?

After my book, HOUSEHOLD BAGGAGE: The Moving Life of a Soldier’s Wife, was released, I got lots of emails from military spouses around the country who shared their “uniquely military” stories with me. I found their anecdotes fascinating and I realized that no one had compiled a book of stories about military life from the spouse’s perspective. I decided that the purpose of my sequel would be to find a place for all those voices, but I had a hard time convincing the women that their stories were interesting. People think, “This is just my life. What’s interesting about it?” I’d like military spouses to give themselves more credit for the daily challenges they face.

With your first book, HOUSEHOLD BAGGAGE: THE MOVING LIFE OF A SOLDIER’S WIFE, you published through Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing ( mom’s who write should check out their web site). Will you be working with them for this book, and what has your experience been like with them?

Yes, I’m working with Wyatt-MacKenzie again because I had such a positive experience with them the first time. I tried for two years to find an agent or a publisher for HOUSEHOLD BAGGAGE, starting in 2002 before Operation Iraqi Freedom focused so much national attention on the military. I collected a shoebox full of rejection letters because the publishing industry just didn’t believe in the military market.

Wyatt-MacKenzie was the first publisher who recognized the value of this niche market–that is, the military family angle. What’s more, the publisher solicited my input on so much of the book’s production, from the  fonts and cover art to the organization of the material. We had a great working relationship and I’m looking forward to the next partnership.

For all of those budding writers out in the blogosphere, what sage piece of advice would you give regarding making their dream of publishing a book a reality?

Practice your craft of writing. Join a writing group at a local library or take some classes to get the feedback you need. Trust the process (this is a biggie). Writing is brainstorming, mind mapping, forming a rough draft, rewriting, and revising. With each revision, the product gets better and gains more dimension and clarity. It’s not an exaggeration to say many parts of HOUSEHOLD BAGGAGE were rewritten five times or more.

On a purely practical level, I recommend the book THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN YOU AND A PUBLISHED BOOK by Susan Page. Her step-by-step instructions helped me articulate my idea, write a book proposal, and query potential publishers. It was a L-O-N-G process, so pace yourself, believe in yourself, and develop a thick skin!

Click here to order Marna’s first book, HOUSEHOLD BAGGAGE.

She also suggested taking a look at Wyatt-MacKenzie’s A BOOK IS BORN: 24 Authors Tell All by Nancy Clary which I will feature on this blog in the near future.

Thanks Marna for all of the great information!