MJ Summers is one of the most exciting authors on the scene of today. Her first novel “Break In Two” was one of the biggest hits of 2013. Her first novella “Don’t Let Go” was another winner and now the wonderfully romantic sequel to “Break In Two, ” “Breaking Love” is here… This short interview was undertaken by Ms Summers and should act as a quick introduction to one of the biggest success stories of today… Welcome MJ Summers!
Good morning, MJ! So when did you get the writing bug?
I started April of last year. It’s a new thing for me, to be totally honest. I have a general science degree and after a long and windy path, found myself working as a mediator for the federal government. Then I had kids and stayed home to be with them for close to eight years before I began writing. I read a couple of contemporary romance novels and was inspired to give it a try.
How did you get your first book “Break in Two” onto the market?
To start, I self-published with KDP Select on Amazon since it was going to be an e-book. When you self-publish, it’s really challenging to get your book into brick and mortar stores. I decided to go with Amazon because they have the lion’s share of the market and give you 70% of your royalties, instead of the normal 35%. Luckily, it did really well. Now I have a publisher in Canada, HarperCollins. In the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, I’m with Little, Brown and Company, which is owned by Hachette. I’ve signed a four-book deal with both.
Have your work properly edited and then to turn your attention to marketing….
What advice would you give to a new writer looking to work with a publisher?
My best advice would be to have your work properly edited and then to turn your attention to marketing. I hired an editor/proofreader and her help was worth every penny. You want a polished end product. As far as marketing goes, Goodreads is a perfect place to spend your money because it’s inexpensive and gives you so much exposure.
I also hired a publicist out of the UK, Nick Wale. He has a company called Novel Ideas, and he’s passionate about helping Indie authors. He doesn’t believe in charging an arm and a leg for his services because he knows that Indie authors just don’t have the budget for it. He featured me in his e-zine. I think the whole thing cost $67 to get started working with him. His ideas for how to market yourself are brilliant. For me, it was huge.
What comes next for MJ Summers?
I’m rewriting and reworking my third novel, which is part of the series and will be out next spring. I’ve also started writing the fourth novel, which will be out closer to summer or fall. Once that series is wrapped up, I have a few more series rolling around in the back of my head.
I’m interested in looking at romantic suspense and seeing if I could create a world that would have a really long-running series with characters that people would want to return to over and over again. Those are the other sorts of dreams that I’m working on. It’s exciting to not know where you’re going and to have already achieved something that you didn’t know was possible. It’s great.
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The next wonderfully romantic read from MJ Summers, bestselling author of Break In Two….
Seductive. Passionate. Addictive…
Luc Chevalier, powerful billionaire and well-known heart breaker, has everything he desires: power, luxury, beautiful women . . . and no strings attached. Now, an accidental meeting is about to make him question everything.
Megan is a single mum leading a very ordinary life, when she comes crashing into Luc’s seemingly oh-so-perfect world for just one night in the city of love: Paris. Yet that night changes Megan. The part of her she’d hidden away for so long is brought back to life, and she knows she’s out of her depth: Luc is beautiful, ruthless and – somewhere deep down inside – irreparably damaged.
Breaking Love is the story of two people who’ve yet to find true happiness – can they put aside their fears and fight for what they truly want? One thing is for sure: life won’t, life can’t, ever be the same again . . .
Will two people who don’t believe in happily-ever-after manage to put aside their doubts and find their forever?
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