Author: admin

Radclyffe has written 63 novels to date and is the President and publisher of Bold Strokes Books. Needless to say, I was very excited when Radclyffe agreed to do this interview and reveal some of her tips and knowledge about publishing.

Questions for Radclytffe

1. Why did you decide to go into publishing?

I began writing lesbian/sapphic romances in the 1980s, but did not begin publishing until 2000 (Safe Harbor; Above All, Honor; and Love’s Melody Lost were all published in 2001). I enjoyed being part of the publishing process, and after being involved in a number of different publishing models with my own work, enjoying the interactions with readers, and developing relationships with a number of authors who wanted to take their work In a long-term, serious publishing direction, I decided to found Bold Strokes Books in 2004. Since I planned to continue writing and publishing full-time, I retired from surgery simultaneously.

2. As a very successful writer in the sapphic genre, do you think publishing is easy or difficult?

Writing and publishing are two different professions, and both have their challenges. Writing requires not only creativity, but determination and discipline, and the willingness to step back and view one’s work critically. There’s a difference between writing for oneself and writing for an audience. Being a published author is a lifelong endeavor to learn craft and remain relevant to contemporary readers. Being a publisher requires a totally different skill set and focus. A publisher is responsible for building an audience, maximizing sales, and enhancing the craft of the authors whom they represent. This requires knowledge of the marketplace and reader expectations, as well as a solid infrastructure with the editorial, marketing, financial, and educational tools required to achieve those ends.

3. How did you decide on the name Bold Strokes Books?

I considered and discarded a number of names before choosing the company moniker. I thought it represented our desire to move forward into the future and our willingness to change as new challenges arose.

4. Do you still get excited when a new author pitches you with a great manuscript?

I would not be a publisher if I didn’t take great pleasure in working with authors to help them produce the very best work they can. When I come across any author who is interested in working with us in partnership to achieve that, I am tremendously grateful and gratified.

5. Do you have any tips for a new author to get their book published?

This is something that we could spend an hour talking about, and I certainly have when giving workshops on how to hone one’s submission. To pick out just a few important points, I would say that in addition to the obvious (present a clean manuscript with a minimum of errors that is written to the best of your ability and meets the expectations of the genre in which you are writing), research and choose a publisher with a vision that works for you and that provides you with the editorial, marketing, sales and educational support that you require.

6. If you could start life over, is there anything you would change?

From a professional point of view, not at all. I have been very fortunate to have had careers that have fulfilled me over the course of my life.

7. Do you read other books outside of Bold Strokes Books? If so, what type of book do you read?

I do. I enjoy a wide variety of genres, including romance, mysteries, paranormal, dark fantasies, and science fiction.

8. Do you think authors should continue learning their craft?

I can’t imagine any serious professional who would not want to continue to improve their work and their knowledge.

9. Do you think any sapphic literature will ever go mainstream?

I’m sure that some sapphic works will be picked up by mainstream publishers and that the audience will expand over time, but I also believe there will always be a place for LGBTQ+-focused publishers who can dedicate all their resources on providing platforms for queer authors to reach our particular audience.

10. Where do you see BSB in five years?

I expect we’ll be doing much the same as we have always done :-). Working to produce entertaining, quality queer fiction and changing with the times to continue to meet author and readers’ needs.

For information about us visit: www.boldstrokesbooks.com

 

Scurryfunge  to tidy up your room quickly before visitors arrive.

Argle-bargle  copious but meaningless talk or writing.

Flugel binder  The plastic or metal tips on shoelaces that prevent fraying.

Roorback  a defamatory falsehood published for political effect.

1. When do you ask someone to edit your book?
The best time is when you have read, reread, and amended it many times. In other words, when you, as the author, are sick of the sight of it. Okay, so now you think “I need someone to read this, baby.” Some experts suggest this is the time to engage an editor, but in many cases, it’s better to send it to beta readers.

2. Who are the best beta readers?
Although you could choose one or more of your relatives, beware there is a bias here. Your mother loves you. Is she going to tell you what has taken your blood, sweat, and tears to write a load of brown stuff? Probably not. The same goes for your significant other. They may believe they are unbiased and will tell you the truth, but it is human nature to want to please. They could, however, be your alpha readers. Alpha readers are the first people to read your work in progress and give feedback on how they did or didn’t enjoy it.

So, what do you do? Announce on social media that your latest masterpiece requires beta reading? Possibly. This is how I started beta reading. My motivation was to satisfy my addiction to lesbian fiction for free. However, I was determined to give honest feedback to the authors. They did not pay me, so it was unbiased in every way.

3. What do you do once you have feedback from your beta team?
Depends on the feedback. Betas are not editors or proofreaders. Choosing different beta readers is also vital, for they will form the foundation for your process. Their feedback will depend on their own experiences, their likes and dislikes. Some authors send their beta readers a questionnaire to follow ask questions on character chemistry, strengths or weaknesses, etc. Not a bad idea!

Now the author can accumulate all the information from the betas and decide the next steps. Some authors go straight to publishing (this is not recommended as an editor is still very beneficial); some send to their chosen editor or scrap the book altogether.

4. What types of editing are there?
There are several types of editing. According to Butcher’s copy editing (the classic text for copy editors), “aim to improve the overall coverage and presentation of a piece of writing, its content, scope, length, level and organization”.

Developmental editing involves the editor looking at the structure of the work in progress (WIP). This can also be described as an overview or helicopter view of the WIP. This type of editing may require the author to rewrite the WIP. Often this will be done at the beginning before copy editing, and if the author is part of a writing community, this can be done by another author familiar with the genre, as quid pro quo..

Line editing is a term often used for copy editing. It indicates that each line of the WIP is studied by the editor looking for spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors. Other terms that are used are; mechanical, substantive or text editing. Mechanical editing is to ensure that the language is correct and consistent. Substantive editing overlaps with developmental editing. Text editing is the same as line editing.

5. What is the role of a copy editor?
According to Butcher’s copy editing (the classic text for copy editors), “copy editing aims to remove any obstacles between the reader and what the author may wish to convey and find and solve any

Backspang   a trick or loophole that allows someone to retreat from a bargain.

Aglet  A plastic tip on shoelaces.

Akimbo  A human stance with elbows out with arms bent and hands on hips. The Wonder Woman pose.

Waggish  to resemble a ‘wag’ a wag being a clever person prone to joking.

Quiddity  the essence. The type of something that makes it what it is.

Your book has been your life for however long it took you to write it. Now what?
I am going to outline the process and some of the terms used. Firstly has anybody read your manuscript? The first person to read it will probably be a family member or friend. These people we call alpha readers. You may also be a writers group member or know an already published writer. You let them read your prized possession, your manuscript. They like it or say it needs improvement, whichever. Now you are ready to start thinking of getting your book published.

Where do you go from here? Do you pitch your manuscript to a publisher or self-publish? There are pros and cons to both. If you self-publish, you do all the work and make all the decisions. If your manuscript is accepted by a publisher then they do all the necessary work to produce your book.

Decision, decisions life is fraught with decisions.