Interview with Jody L. Collins: Publishing, Platform, and Perspective

"Less writing online ... more connection"

For the next few weeks, as part of my series, Publication, Platform, and Perspective, I will be sharing insights from writers who represent a range of experiences and backgrounds both in the writing craft and in the publishing business. Be sure to read to the end for details about a giveaway of one of Jody’s books!

This week features Jody L. Collins who has experience in self-publishing as well as traditional publishing. Jody is a poet, teacher and the author of three books, including her newest volume, Mining the Bright Birds: Poems of Longing for Home. Her work has been published in Ekstasis Magazine, Fathom, Dappled Things, (in)courage, Tweetspeak Poetry and more. She is retired from 20-plus years of teaching and when she is not at her desk writing, she enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren. Jody and her husband call the Seattle area home where she marvels at the birds, and messes about in her garden.

Karen: First, tell us about who you are as a writer/author/editor.

Jody: I am a writer currently posting online via Substack (Poetry & Made Things) where I moved my work in July of 2023. I wrote on my blog prior to that, from 2012-2023. I have three books out. Living the Season Well—Reclaiming Christmas (2017) is a practical volume intended to help families weave practices from the church year calendar with their own contemporary observances of Christmas. (It needs updating; so much has changed with today’s young families!) I also have two books of poetry, Hearts on Pilgrimage: Poems and Prayers (2021) and Mining the Bright Birds: Poems of Longing for Home (2023). In addition to writing online I have also done freelance work as an editor on several projects and currently am coaching and consulting on self-publishing.

Karen: How (or where) did you end up publishing your books?

Jody: My first two books were self-published; Mining the Bright Birds was published by Wipf and Stock/Resource in 2023. 

Karen: Share more of the journey to publication. What was that like? 

Jody: When I began writing online in 2012, I very quickly became aware of the fact that many of the good writers whose work I followed ended up doing a ton of marketing on their own, regardless of whether they were with a traditional publisher or not. They also had to wait a minimum of 18 months to see their work in the public, as well as dealing with revisions and editorial directions that were outside their control. I vowed to never have to go through that process, especially the marketing part –- I could see how much work it was! The social media landscape at the time included posting, posting, posting, doing online Book Groups and so on. I decided that if I ever wrote a book I would find out how to do it on my own, and do it well, especially if I still had to do all the marketing/connecting anyway.

I hesitated to pursue any book-writing but Living the Season Well sort of wrote itself so I had to say yes to the process and I dove in.

Karen: What were the most challenging parts of the publication process?

Jody: Practical issues, mostly, not content or formatting.

I hired an interior designer for the formatting and uploading of the content of my first two books, as well as graphic designers / artists to do the covers. I think the most challenging part of that process was just the practical aspect of time zone problems and not getting answers back in a timely fashion. 

Also, my first book cover was fabulous (I worked with a professional graphic designer who intuited the focus of my work perfectly). The second cover on Hearts on Pilgrimage, although beginning with an original watercolor that I had commissioned, did not translate well because of saturation issues and the practical aspect of the way electronic files work. Covers often sell a book; authors have between 3-5 seconds to grab a reader’s attention, thus the emphasis on a great cover. 

For my most recent book, there were no challenges, although I did hold my breath on the cover since it was out of my hands. I was so very pleased with the way W&S captured the essence of Mining the Bright Birds.

Karen: What do you wish you knew going in that you didn’t know?

Jody: While I was pleasantly surprised at the success of my first book, in that it sold nearly over 450 copies (due in no small part to a very loyal reader base and a stellar launch team), book sales don’t equal being well known. Especially when it comes to poetry, as it’s a very niche interest. I think no matter the genre–-inspiration, memoir, fantasy, devotional, fiction–-simply ‘getting published’ doesn’t change the reach of your work; i.e. a physical book doesn't mean that your work or your name will become more widely known.  Also, I left social media in April of 2023 so my ‘marketing’ for my newest book has only been via Substack and word of mouth and I am not 'known' there anymore. What has changed for me, really, is LESS writing online but more connection. There’s something wonderful about the format and community of Substack, I have to say. My readers/subscribers have grown and it’s been tremendously rewarding to connect with other poets. 

Karen: What reality of the publishing world would you want others to know based on your experience?

Jody: Having your work–-fiction or non-fiction-–in a print or online publication very seldom comes with any remuneration. In my list of Featured Work on my website there is only one publication that paid me :-) The greatest advantage of having your work accepted by a print or online publication is the exposure—BE SURE YOU HAVE CLICAKABLE LINKS FOR YOUR WORK if you have an essay/poem/story published online. Links to your website or Substack, in particular.

Several things about traditional publishing which I know from personal conversations in the last 10-12 years with authors in person and online. 

Number one, and I am probably stating the obvious for those with more experience than mine, when you sign a book contract, you may be given an advance, but in many cases that advance needs to be earned back in sales before you receive any royalties, which could amount to enough money for two lattes. Of course I am not privy to people’s bank accounts, but that has been the experience of some of my writing friends; I certainly am open to corrections in that regard. 

Number two, connected to number one–-I’m sure this is no surprise—you certainly will never get rich as a published author; there are very few writers/authors that are making a living off book sales. (There are sooooo many great writers and good books out there and I’m grateful that people have shared their words with the world and made that their focus rather than making a living.) Many authors have ‘real’ jobs as teachers, ghostwriters or editors; unless you have a huge fanbase/audience like Ann Voskamp, Karen Swallow Prior or Beth Moore or when it comes to poetry, someone like Christian Wiman or Malcolm Guite or Maggie Smith, writing will not be your first job. (Again, this is based on personal conversations or online comments with authors.) 

Number three, signing a book contract does not ensure that your work will be copy edited or overseen by an editor; most pub houses simply don’t have the staff to do so. I paid a professional poet/teacher/editor to edit my manuscript for Mining the Bright Birds before I submitted it to Wipf & Stock and I’m so grateful I did! Smaller houses don’t have the staff or the time to edit your work, thus it behooves anyone who is being published to pay special attention to proofs as they go back and forth.

I’m sure there are exceptions to this with certain authors and I am open to being corrected. Unfortunately, I have read more than a few books with traditional houses that have had typos in them, many in the first pages. In poetry this is particularly grievous….

Number four, signing a contract means you will wait a minimum of 18 months to 2 years before your book is published, you will most likely not have control over the cover, and your work will be subject to a good deal of editorial input, so pray, pray, pray for a good Acquisitions Editor to work with. Also, there is a good chance that by the time your book has gone through all the steps to publication you may have two or three editors and that can be a challenge.

Karen: Why do you write? How connected are writing and publishing for you?

Jody: I have become most passionate about poetry in the last several years, and at my age (72), my goal is not to see my name in print or be published in a physical book so much as encouraging others to try their hand at writing poetry and fall in love with it. Substack is the main place I do that nowadays where I've been writing for about the last year. 

I was at the C.S. Lewis Writer’s Conference last May and someone shared the original meaning of ‘published.’ It simply means “to make generally known."

However, we often equate a writer being published with an actual, physical book or perhaps a byline in a magazine or journal.  Of course that can include being published online as well in Christian journals and magazines like Ekstasis, Christianity Today, or Image, or Mockingbird, to name a few. 

Regarding ‘being published,’ much of that has changed because of platforms like Substack where there are remarkably gifted writers in the sacred and secular sphere who share stellar work.                   

Karen: What has been the most rewarding experience of writing or publishing for you?

Jody: The most rewarding experience has been connecting with readers, hearing about the way my work has inspired them to write their own poetry and connect with God through what I've written. That makes me so happy!

Karen: Where can readers find out more about you and your work?

Jody: There is an archive of twelve years' worth of poetry and reflections on my author website www.jodyleecollins.com, along with a list of work published elsewhere. My current work is on Substack at Poetry & Made Things.  where folks will find a link there to my poetry, my books, and curated poetry lists. (My content is not behind a paywall and is free for all subscribers.)

***BOOK GIVEAWAY***

Restack this post on Substack, and one person among those who do so will be chosen to receive a free copy of Hearts on Pilgrimage!