In today's Authors in the Spotlight, we have Penward Emelius Rhyme!
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Name: Penward Emelius Rhyme
How long have you been published? In the past I’ve had a number of academic works
published in journals and through universities. In terms of story-telling
literature, I only released my first work, Symbology,
on September 1st to the public. That puts roughly one month—give or
take a long weekend—under my belt.
What's the worst part about being
published? I
wouldn’t say there’s any “worst” part to being published; rather, there are
challenges to meet, and these challenges form a consistent evolution to the
product you’re trying to market. Any author will tell you that the work doesn’t
end once a book is published; promoting that book and getting the word out
about it is just as vital as the writing and editing that came before. Many new
authors, especially independent ones, underestimate the time and effort it
takes to research their book’s audience and create a plan to get that book into
their hands.
What's the best part about being
published? Despite the
energy that has to go into it, marketing a book can also be a very rewarding
experience. Being self-published, I also happen to run all of my own
promotional events. It’s tiring work, but it also gives me a chance to connect
with my audience and the people of my city, Toronto. It’s fantastic being able
to chat with them face to face about my story, listen to their feedback online,
and answer questions they have through social media.
Are you self-published or did you go
through a publishing company? I
am a self-published author. On top of that, I do my own book designs, product
marketing, social media managing, and (often on scotch-drenched Friday nights)
my first three rounds of editing. In terms of my promotion plan for Symbology—along with what I ultimately
hope will become the franchise attached to it—I’d like to involve a
professional literary agency for further editing and polishing of the book. To
this end, I have begun sending out queries.
What are the highs, if any? In a word: freedom. It doesn’t sound like
much, but the freedom to control what you write, how you shape your story, and
how you bring that story to audiences is both an exhilarating and richly
rewarding experience.
What are the lows, if any? Self-publishing is not for the light of heart.
It is much easier to make mistakes in your book when self-publishing, and if
you do not have a refined product, convincing audiences to trust enough to
invest in your story becomes all the more difficult. Symbology took three years to bring to market. Granted, my work on
the book was on and off, but to give you an idea of the breakdown, I spent the
first year writing the story; the second year was spent sending it out to test
readers after I myself had gone through it several times. The third year was
essentially me sitting at a desk in my study fixating over schemes for
advertising my book.
What is the name of your book(s)? As mentioned, the name of my book is Symbology. It is the first part of a
duology, Tautology being the
follow-up, which takes place during the events in Symbology.
Was it/were they an easy write for
you? If it’s an easy
write, you’re probably doing something wrong! That’s not to say that concepts,
ideas, even the flow of prose don’t come easily. In fact it’s more often the
case that I’m swarmed with so many things I’d like to write down that the real
challenge is putting them all in order. That said, I always enjoy tossing
thoughts around in my head and pairing things I think will go well together
until they fall in line on paper. Writing is an acquired taste, and though creating
a good, polished story might not always come easily, there are times when a writer
can really have fun with his art.
What's the hardest part about writing
a book? Persistence. That
really is it, especially with larger projects. I intend Symbology to be the first in a collection of short stories,
articles, and other books; as such, I make many references and allusions in Symbology that, while they may only be
small ones, do connect to other works not yet written or published. It’s a lot
to keep in mind, and I have about 200 good pages of rough notes, which I go
through with a fine-tooth comb every now and then. But all of those notes and
all of the work that goes into my books is a sustained effort at world-building
that wouldn’t have happened if I had failed to persist. Food for thought: If
you had asked me three years ago to pitch you this potential franchise, I’d
have told you about an exploding rubber duck shoppe on the corner of Pushh and
Padd—and not much else!
What's the easiest part about writing
a book? Procrastinating,
probably. No, wait, definitely.
Where can interested readers purchase
their copy of your book(s)? The
nice thing is that Symbology in its
current format is entirely free and can be downloaded through the Symbology Facebook Page. The book, however, is also attached to an
online campaign aimed at raising $2,000 CAD ($1,605 USD) for various charities
and initiatives. Those who would like to donate to the campaign can do so at here.
Donors to the
project will receive a number of rewards depending on how much they choose to
give, and readers of the book have the chance to enter two in-book contests,
which carry cash prizes of up to $8,000 CAD.
Do you have any future projects in the
works? Currently, I am
working on two other books: An
Experimental Dinner Party at Midnight (the first three chapters of which
are available as one of the donor rewards for Symbology’s charity campaign), and Kingdom Animalia. The first of these books is about a company of
American men who are taken on a journey across time and space by Professor
Dedrigk Mulberry’s latest experiment; the second is about a post-apocalyptic
world inhabited by sentient animals.
Is there a tentative release date? I expect to conclude work on these within the
next two years, though I have not set a tentative release date.
Do you have any social media sites
that you would like to share with my readers? Certainly! If your readers would like to
download Symbology, they can do so by
visiting Symbology Facebook Page. There, they will find a pinned post which
contains links to the book, the charity campaign, and the Grey Owl wikia page.
Better yet is the fact that through the Facebook page, readers will be able to
learn about different promotional events and contests (which are open to
audiences from around the world). If readers would like to contact me personally
with questions or queries, they can email me.
Tell my readers something about your
book: Symbology is the
story of the daring and eccentric Professor James Hubert Moonly. It takes place
in the fictional English city of Grey Owl in the years 1927-1928. The story is
kicked off by a mysterious explosion at a local rubber duck shoppe, which
brings the good professor head-to-head with a dangerous criminal syndicate
known as the League of the Symbol’s Vigil. The professor is joined by various
travelling companions, including a British intelligence officer, an American
general, and a rare Egyptian sunworm that lives in the cavity of Professor
Moonly’s skull. Together, the professor and his friends must face the League in
order to prevent a cataclysmic event that threatens to unravel time and space.
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