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Welcome to today’s podcast! Today, I am thrilled to be speaking with author Stacy Juba!
Stacy Juba has written sweet and sassy chick lit novels, mysteries about determined women sleuths, and entertaining books for young adults and children. Her books include the Storybook Valley chick lit series and the Hockey Rivals young adult sports novels. Stacy is also a freelance developmental editor, online writing instructor, and an award-winning journalist. Her signature course, Book Editing Blueprint: A Step-By-Step Plan to Making Your Novels Publishable, empowers fiction writers to think like an editor so they can save time and money. She also runs the Shortcuts for Writers: Editing Made Simple group on Facebook.
All of the links to Stacy’s material can be found at the end of the show notes. Below is a brief synopsis of the podcast.
Q: Tell us a little about who you are and what you do!
A: I’m a fiction author, freelance developmental editor, and an online course creator of classes for writers. I’ve published chick lit novels, mystery novels, young adults hockey fiction series, and even some children’s picture books. I also help other authors to edit their books and make their books stronger. I’ve also gotten into online teaching as well.
Q: What are the names of some of the books you wrote?
A: The Storybook Valley Series – Fooling Around with Cinderella and Prancing Around with Sleeping Beauty.
Q: How did you get into this?
A: I’ve been writing my whole life and love to read. In high school, I wrote a hockey novel and entered it into a competition for teenage writers. I found out I won and received a publishing contract with Avon books. Then after my younger daughter was in kindergarten, I got my second book published, a mystery novel entitled Twenty-Five Years Ago Today and then launched a website and followed it up with several other books.
Q: Tell us, do you have some tips for anyone interested in writing a book?
A: It’s important to read a lot, especially in the genre you want to write. Start with an idea, perhaps based on past experience. I got the idea for my Storybook Valley series from my engagement at Disney World and honeymoon at Disneyland Paris. Be on the lookout for the ideas that are all around you and look at your own past experiences to get you started.
A: It’s important to read a lot, especially in the genre you want to write. Start with an idea, perhaps based on past experience. I got the idea for my Storybook Valley series from my engagement at Disney World and honeymoon at Disneyland Paris. Be on the lookout for the ideas that are all around you and look at your own past experiences to get you started.
Q: Do you start out your book process knowing what the ending is going to be or do you figure that out after you begin?
A: Usually I have an idea of the ending and I always begin with an outline. I recommend new writers do an outline to stay on track. Be open to the outline changing as sometimes characters go in a different direction or you need to come up with some plot twists when you are halfway through the book.
A: Usually I have an idea of the ending and I always begin with an outline. I recommend new writers do an outline to stay on track. Be open to the outline changing as sometimes characters go in a different direction or you need to come up with some plot twists when you are halfway through the book.
Q: How long should writers give themselves to write a book?
A: I wrote a lot faster before I had my kids, but after having children, it can take me about a year or two. It kind of depends on what’s going on. Other writers write a lot faster – it’s individual. I recommend trying to write at least 15-20 minutes a day.
Q: Do you have any other tips for people who might just be starting out in the world of writing?
A: Who are the main characters? How are they going to change by the end of the book. Think about enough conflict or obstacles as many beginning writers have problems in the middle of the book. Who is the antagonist of the book?
Q: Do you tell people who work with you to self-publish or go the traditional route?
A: I have done both – I started with traditional and the benefits included an advance before the book was published, they sent out review copies to big review publications, and they have representatives who work with bookstores. Drawbacks include time to obtain an agent, long wait times for the publisher to get back to you, and bouncing around throughout the firm. As for self-publishing, it’s a great time to be a writer now. Back when I started, you had to invest thousands of dollars for hard copy books but now you can use Amazon for Kindle and upload a file. You will have to hire a graphic designer to layout the book for you and design the cover but otherwise, it’s very easy to self-publish. You really need to ensure your book is very strong since anyone can self-publish nowadays. You also need to be prepared to do a lot of self-promotion.
A: I have done both – I started with traditional and the benefits included an advance before the book was published, they sent out review copies to big review publications, and they have representatives who work with bookstores. Drawbacks include time to obtain an agent, long wait times for the publisher to get back to you, and bouncing around throughout the firm. As for self-publishing, it’s a great time to be a writer now. Back when I started, you had to invest thousands of dollars for hard copy books but now you can use Amazon for Kindle and upload a file. You will have to hire a graphic designer to layout the book for you and design the cover but otherwise, it’s very easy to self-publish. You really need to ensure your book is very strong since anyone can self-publish nowadays. You also need to be prepared to do a lot of self-promotion.
Q: You have an editing service? Tell us a little about this as well as your editing course.
A: Yes, I do have a course. You will need to hire an editor but they are expensive. They will review characters, plots, descriptions, dialogue, and word choice. You will also have to hire a copy editor to review grammar, punctuation, and spelling. The average cost is $45-$55 per hour and in that hour, you can expect the editor to get through five pages. You will also need multiple rounds of editing depending on your skill level when you begin. I started the course after seeing the same mistakes over and over again. This allows writers to have a checklist to review and evaluate their manuscript. Following that checklist, they will now look to hire an editor. The course will hopefully cut down on the rounds of editing needed.
Q: What do you prefer: Books, Podcasts, or Video?
A: Books! I have been reading a couple of books by Jodi Picoult. I just finished Leaving Time.
Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
A:I am trained in Reiki, which is energy healing.
Q: One tip for people starting out their writing career?
A: Dive in and start writing…then see what happens!
A: Dive in and start writing…then see what happens!
Author Website: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/
Writer Website: http://www.
Free 5-day line editing class: https://pages.
Shortcuts for Writers: Editing Made Simple Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/
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