Enjoy this short Q&A with Erin Hylands, editor-in-chief of Skillful Pen Press. I was blessed to be able to send her these questions when SPP opened up opportunities for contributing authors to 'interview' the team via email for promotion purposes. Check out their site at skillfulpenpress.com and subscribe to receive updates on the progress of Between the Lines as we near the big release day!
Since the majority of my readers have only heard about Skillful Pen Press in the last two weeks, can you please tell us a bit about how you all met and how SPP came into existence?
It all started about a year and a half ago when I came up with the idea to do an anthology on our identity in Christ. I began the process of sharing the word, accepting stories, and preparing to publish. But it was too much work for just one girl. Two of the girls who submitted to the anthology, Adeline Charlotte and Rachel M. Adams, volunteered to help when they saw me struggling. And through that process, Skillful Pen Press was born! Not long ago, Adeline had to step down due to life, so we are in the process of accepting applicants for our team, so if you’re interested, please check out our website and apply! Today, we officially have two new graphic designers, Cadence E. Witt and Lori Scharf, and a new marketing director, Grace Sweeney, which is really exciting. So please check out our website for information on joining our team!
How many books has Skillful Pen Press released and where can those be found?
Currently, we have five books published, and the next book (Between the Lines) will be out soon! They can be found on amazon or on our website.
How did your individual writing journeys get started? What authors do you look to for inspiration?
My writing journey started when I was six years old, telling the story of Princesses Leah and Leana and Fairy Kenna defeating Professor Bad to keep him from marrying their mom, Queen Leslie. I started writing seriously at age sixteen, when I published the first edition of With Eyes of Blue. I look to a lot of fantasy authors for inspiration. Namely, Kara Swanson, Sara Ella, Nadine Brandes… the big names in YA fantasy.
What tips or tricks do you have for writers…both young and old?
Don’t give up. I gave up for years after a tragedy happened and I lost everything I had ever written on my computer when it crashed. Also, back up your books saved on your computer to a hard drive of some sort, whether that’s a physical hard drive or icloud or dropbox.
Also, don’t stop writing! You’ll never get anywhere if you don’t start.
Likewise, what advice would you give someone looking to publish their manuscripts?
Don’t publish the first draft. Don’t publish the second draft. Don’t publish any draft until you are ready to do so. Make sure you have a pretty cover, a resounding blurb, a dedicated platform, an edited book. Make sure you have done the best you can before you publish so that, when you hold the book in your hands and read it, you are proud of what you’ve done.
What can you tell us about Between the Lines? Why should someone buy it?
Between the Lines is a poetry anthology that features poems by authors of all levels, sharing poems of worship to God to poems of struggles in life. For someone who struggles to find relatable poetry, this book is for you, because in this book there is a poem, somewhere, for you, God willing.
When considering poem submissions to include as part of this anthology, what were you looking for?
We didn’t have any set criteria for the poems we accepted. However, as we went through the poems, we saw themes repeating that certain poems just didn’t have. We also didn’t accept certain poems that we thought would be better for our romance anthology being published next year, God willing! Subscribe to our website so you can hear more about it!
What has been the hardest part of this project?
I feel like the hardest part of this project has been hiring new members while also working on this project. It’s really hard to do this sort of thing with just two people, and when you’re trying to add new people? It’s really hard.
How are you feeling about release day?
We’re very excited but a little stressed. But that’s normal–the launch of a book is a huge deal. We can’t wait for launch day!
Where can readers find more from Skillful Pen Press (or from individual members of the team)?
The easiest way is to check out our website at skillfulpenpress.com. There, you can subscribe to the website, shoot us an email, see our current projects, and meet the team!
Comments