Soapbox Talks stemmed from the desires to pay it forward and help get the word out for debut authors. Self-publishing can be a difficult journey and any little bit can help.

Here, we’ll learn about the authors and their novels, written in their own words.

To get this new series started, I interviewed Esther Rabbit, digital marketing specialist and new adult author. If you remember, she interviewed me for her blog, and I was really excited when she offered to answer a few of my questions.


Jacque: Tell us a little about yourself and your debut novel.

Esther Rabbit: My name is Esther and I am a digital marketing specialist and content creator for upcoming writers. This means I documented all the steps from writing to publishing and I intend to help new authors in their endeavors through a series of articles available here: https://estherrabbit.com/category/writing-publishing/

When I started out my journey in the writing industry, I came to the conclusion that there’s a lot of information online guiding an author, however, not for the very beginner who has no clue how to go around typesetting, the right font and trim size for their novel, editing, etc.

So I made it my mission, documented each and every stage on my quest to make it as simple as possible for anyone who wishes to write, without initially knowing the technicalities behind it.

Because my blog section is divided in two, on one hand I write articles for the upcoming writer, and on the other I interview all sorts of professionals.

From internationally bestselling authors, publishing houses, indie authors to book cover designers, editors, beta-readers, etc., I had the pleasure to pick the brains of amazing professionals in the writing industry for two very simple reasons:

  1. Because I value and wish to promote their work to the world (if you’re in the writing industry and reading this, shoot me an email, I’d love to interview you too!);
  2. Because new authors can learn so much from their experience;

My debut novel, Lost in Amber: An Out Of This World Paranormal Romance, revolves around the lives of three friends who happen to get the cold shoulder the very same week, dumped by their boyfriends/ served divorce papers.

But there’s no time to mope around the royal mess that is heartbreak when one of them discovers she’s been genetically altered with enhancements foreign to her world. That’s when the action starts, and so does the romance, so stay tuned for that one 🙂

JH: How long did it take you and how many drafts did you go through?

ER: On average, I self-edited my novel around six times, making sure I get all the details straight and polished before sending it out to my editor.

JH: Was there ever a time you or your work felt fatigued? If so, what continued to march you forward?

ER: There are times when the story keeps pouring out of you effortlessly. The writing stage is a charm compared to the editing stage and I believe all writers go through the same agonizing process. The first kiss had me blocked for three days straight considering that my main characters were discovering they were falling for each other and it came like a shock to both of them since it was next to impossible to develop a relationship.

I wanted to gracefully depict that moment when instinct and attraction take over reason and they surrender to each other. Achieving that contrast was no easy task.

When I felt my head was not in the game, I had to step back and just do something else like reading comics since I am such a big fan!

JH: Was the editing process anything like you thought it’d be? Why or why not?

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ER: As a first time author, the honest answer is no. Big No. Because you want it to be perfect and you keep polishing relentlessly until you loathe even thinking about it. Then you step back, do something else until it’s time to roll up your sleeves again.

JH: How did your development editor help your story become powerful?

ER: I didn’t have a developmental editor. I hired copy-line editing and proofreading for my story. That doesn’t mean I think it’s a literary masterpiece or it can’t be improved, far from it. But I believed in my story and the plot and character development.

JH: How did revisions go? Anything like you expected?

ER: My (line)editor kept shortening my sentences and I have learned so much from her. Even if the writer is experienced, I believe an editor is essential to a novel, like a fairy godmother of words and syntax.

At the same time, what I valued most is that every single week she sent me an email about the editing process, asked questions and told me what she loved and what she didn’t. I handle criticism very well, and to be honest I was expecting to be told off a heck of a lot more than I actually was.

JH: How does it feel to finally be a published author?

ER: It’s a bit scary, the unknown. And a constant learning curve. You keep learning every day and you need to keep going, to fight back that curiosity of checking your statistics every five minutes and invest that energy in the next novel (that’s where I’m at right now).

I even had my first trolling experience, it’s all very new and exciting. What is really mind blowing is the support of my literary buddies, they are the very best. It feel great to be a part of the community.

JH: Any words of inspiration for those writers looking to publish but may be feeling fatigued?

ER: Take it as a challenge and a way to discover your literary identity, what works for you and your drive to produce that quality content. There’s a different recipe for everyone out there.

And thank you for reading me!


You can find Esther on her website From Words to Spellbinding Novels at www.estherrabbit.com  and on Facebook * Goodreads *Twitter * Instagram

If you or someone you know have recently published a debut novel and would like to be featured here, contact me with the subject line Soapbox Talks. I look forward to hearing from you!

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