Guest Blog: Warren Lapine-Publisher

As a new series, I will be posting guest blogs by other professionals in the industry, as well as some great tips on writing, some awesome links to people like Nathan Bransford, and some of the best books on every aspect of writing, editing, publishing, etc.

Today, I have the privilege of interviewing publishing professional, Warren Lapine of Wilder Publications, Inc. Thank you so much for joining us and answering some often asked questions.

Thank you, Warren Lapine, for joining us, and bringing your publishing expertise.


You’re welcome, I’m always happy to talk about the publishing field.

Can you tell us how long you have been in the publishing business?

April marks twenty years, it seems like it was only last week.

What made you want to enter this industry?

I’ve wanted to be part of the publishing industry since I was a kid. I started writing when I was ten or eleven and I thought about getting into magazines as early as fourteen.

Was there a book in your childhood that made you sit up and pay attention? A book that made you think “I want to work with books when I grow up”?

Yes, Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny shook my world to its core. It made me realize that what I’d been doing since fourth grade was writing and that I wanted to make people feel the way Zelazny’s writing made me feel.

In your experience, what has been some of the wackiest queries? How about the most uniquely interesting?


Oddly enough I haven’t received all that many odd queries. Back when I published magazines I would tell people not to send me queries as I could decide on a story just as fast as I could a query. As a book publisher nothing stands out when I try to remember all the queries I’ve seen. I did get one cover letter, though that still stands out even after all these years. It said, “Dear Mr. Ryan, I am sending you this story in the hopes, of course, that you will consider it for publication in Asimov’s.” I noted in my rejection letter that he had sent the manuscript to one editor, asked that a second editor consider it for a third magazine. When I mentioned this to Darrell Schweitzer (at the time he was the editor of Weird Tales) he told me I’d blown it. I should have said, “I’m sorry Planet Stories has ceased publication,” and signed it Frederick Pohl.


As a publishing professional, what is one of your biggest pet peeves with writers just starting down the road to publication?

I don’t have a lot of pet peeves. People with pet peeves usually don’t last long as editors or publishers. I’ve probably seen more than a million manuscripts, if I had had a lot of pet peeves I imagine I’d have lost my mind by now.


What is the biggest no-no for newcomers in the writing industry?

Writing a rejection letter to a rejection letter or writing an angry letter telling an editor why they are wrong. It may make you feel better, but there is absolutely no way it can do anything to help your career.

Can you give us your best piece of advice to us newbies?

Write. Don’t waste too much time on rewriting. You improve more as a writer when you are writing something new. Going through the same story over and over again actually slows down your progress as a writer.

Thank you so much, again, Mr. Lapine, for allowing us to pick through your brain.


It was a pleasure, thanks for inviting me.


You can find Mr. Lapine at his website or on Facebook.
 
 
Stay tuned the rest of the week, not to mention month, for interviews from unbelievably beautiful and talented authors, such as Stacy-Deanne and Tracy Ames.

Interracial Erotica Author Tracy Ames Joins Me on My Adventures

It’s with great pleasure I introduce Tracy Ames. Tracy, thank you so much for joining us. Can you tell the readers, what inspired you to write your first book?

First, I’d like to thank you for having me. You’re a peach!

Trust me, the honor is all mine!

Nick and Alyanna, the main characters in Seduce Me, were my golden couple from my column days. The readers took to them and soon there was a grassroots plea for full novel. At the time I was working fulltime as a software engineer so I shoved it to the backburner. Long story short, I scribbled the first two chapters of the manuscript while dying a slow death in one of those long, boring ‘town hall’ meetings corporate America inflicts on its innocent masses. I guess my inspiration was fueled by my unyielding love of writing, an overactive imagination, and a sore bum.

Is there a message in your novels that you want readers to grasp?

Absolutely. The message I try to convey in all of my stories is that no one is perfect; there are going to be ups and downs and the only way to truly experience happiness is to let go of our selfish limits we place on love. Forcing love to live up to our expectations by saying ‘You have to love me this way, within these set guidelines, or no way at all’ inhibits its growth and sooner or later we out grow it. Then what? We write the relationship or blame our mate. It’s a common scenario but I think the essence of this message is lost when writers take the easy road by glossing over the fallibility of the characters when in fact flaws add depth and makes our characters relatable.

What books have most influenced your life?

I love the classics specifically the writings from the Brontës. In fact, readers drew parallels between Mr. Dermot from my novella and upcoming novel Spanked and Charlotte Brontë’s Byronic hero Mr. Rochester which tickled me pink because my character was very loosely based on the Duke of Zamora.

Can you tell us what book(s) are you reading now?

Oh, this is dangerous territory! I’m currently traveling so my literary arsenal has gone mobile. I’m juggling three new reads Yes Ma’am by Kay Jaybee, Wet by Charisma Knight, and Check Mated by BJ Thornton (I love this book!). I’m also re-reading In Sleeping Beauty’s Bed: Erotic Fairy Tales by Mitzi Szereto and Transported by Sharazade.

Will you share a little of your current work with us?

You can find part of my fall release, Beg Me, on my site until the end of the month as well as Spanked my novel being published in 2012.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Research is the most difficult and the most enjoyable aspect of my process. I put in a ton of hours fact checking, and needling through the minutiae of my subject matter before my pen hits the paper.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

I’m royal historian and self-avowed history geek. As a child, other little girls were satisfied with pretending to be the princesses we saw on television. Not me! I was more interested in her lineage which is why incorporating those elements into my first two books came with ease. Since then, each new topic has fortified me in one way or another.

While you were writing, did you ever feel as if you were one of the characters?

Without a doubt. Coming in at a close second in the area of difficulty is the emotional tax all writers pay while writing. There are two particular scenes in Make Her Want It which struck accord with my readers—some experienced crying fits. Those scenes were extremely taxing and very emotional but that’s what good writing is about…it’s a mental/emotional rollercoaster.

What are your expectations for the book?

I try not to put too many expectations on my work. I hope to entertain as many readers as possible, and steer clear of bad press and cacophonies.

How are you same/different from your main character?

There’s a little bit of me in my characters. Those close to me will attest to my wackiness. Catch me around 2am, which is when I normally write, and you’re in for a real treat. I infused Alyanna with my spirit of independence and lady-like virtues while Sonya, my heroine in Make Her Want It, received the implacable stubbornness of my youth and my razor sharp tongue.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Continue to write even when you believe you have nothing to say. It’s disheartening to hear neophytes say, “I have nothing interesting to say.” Stop trying to be someone else. Keep writing; sooner or later your voice will find its way from beneath the pile of grot. Trust me, most writers cringe when they read their early work. You’re no different.


I want to take the opportunity to thank Tracy for joining us today. I’m sure there will be a lot of readers updating their TBR lists after this.

You can find Tracy at InterracialErotica.net.

Seduce Me can be found on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Make Her Want It can be found on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.