Jaye Wells

You’ll often hear writers crow about how writing is a solitary profession. But I’m not so sure.

Yes, when we’re in front of the keyboard it’s just us and a bunch of characters who live in our subconscious. The choices we make in our stories are our own. It’s scary sometimes, but also thrilling. However, no author is an island.

The truth is I couldn’t write my books without Mr. Jaye. Almost daily I’m using him as a sounding board for story ideas. Usually it’s not that I need a solution but to talk through a problem. He’s very good at appearing as though he’s listening. Also, he’s totally a right-brained guy. This helps the very left-brained me work through story logic.

Beyond my husband, I also rely on critique partners. I’m lucky to have a very talented group of friends who generously offer their time to read through my drafts and offer suggestions. Writers get so close to their stories that they lose objectivity. So it’s great to have another set of eyes reading through and making sure it all makes sense. But beyond that, it helps to get another perspective because it breaks us out of our stubborn mental processes. It’s pretty common for a comment from a critique partner to spark my brain into action and provide new and better ideas for a story.

Beyond the task of creating stories, it’s also important to have a trusted and supporting group of friends and family members. Let’s not beat around the bush here: The writing life is fraught with insecurity. Whether its fears about doing a story justice, sales numbers, getting the next contract, bad reviews, etc. etc. it’s nice to have a safe place to go to express these concerns.  My personal circle of trust includes Mr. Jaye, my best friend, my cousin and a few trusted writing friends. No one else needs to be privvy to these moments of doubt, which is why I’m a firm believer that airing your emotional laundry online is the first step on the road to douchedom. But that’s a topic for another day.

Okay so we’ve covered supportive spouses, critique partners and emotional support, what’s left? My agent, for one. He reads every book I write before it goes to my editor. He’s really good at finding flaws in logic and pesky typos. But he also makes sure the business side of Jaye, Inc. doesn’t hit any stumbling blocks. Being the child of entrepreneurs, I’m a firm believer that you surround yourself with knowledgeable people. No one can be an expert in all things, so it’s smart to have collaborators who fill in your knowledge-gaps. Case in point, my agent handles negotiating and vetting contracts since those are not my strong-suits.

Editors are also important collaborators. They can be sounding boards for ideas, devil’s advocates for revisions, and cheerleaders. Now, that said, every editor is different. I know of several authors who rarely speak to their editors, so mileage varies here. But I am lucky to have one who is very good at pushing me to write the best books I’m capable of. And never, ever forget the contributions of editorial assistants, who are often very involved in the process of getting a book to the shelves.

Beyond the editors, there’s an army of collaborators in every publishing house. Sometimes authors never see or meet these champions, but they’re incredibly important. The sales and marketing people get your books in the stores and make sure people know they exist. Publicity managers help get the word out by sending ARCs to reviewers and working with booksellers and all sorts of other magical things. Copy editors make sure you don’t sound like a dumb ass. Designers makes sure your book looks awesome.  All these people make up an author’s “team of experts” who makes sure we don’t have to scatter ourselves too thin on the business side of things and can focus on writing good books.

Then there’s the network of authors. I’ve already mentioned relying on some close author friends for personal advice and support, but there’s also a very public side to this. Making connections–real connections, not opportunistic ass-kissing–is vital to any author. I’ve found that Urban Fantasy authors, in general, are very supportive of each other. Yes, there are cliques, but almost everyone I’ve met has been very cool. And when it comes to promoting work, we all kind of pitch in and help each other out. Whether it be twittering about a friend’s release or giving away copies of their books on our blogs or talking each other up on panels. There’s a lot of paying it forward and mentoring going on and that’s awesome.

I even consider reviewers, booksellers and readers as collaborators (and also conspirators). I’ve been very fortunate to gain some champions (and friends) in these areas and it’s a great thing. Not only because I know these champions help spread the word about my books, but also because it’s always a good thing to connect with interesting people who have a passion for books.

I guess my point here is that I couldn’t do what I do without other people.I probably don’t take the time often enough to thank everyone for their support. It’s humbling to me that I’m lucky enough to know so many amazing people who for one reason or another want me to be a part of their lives. So, thanks.