In the midst of all the fun of the Pagan Writers Press Birthday Bash, there is one very important person that we can't forget to mention. Without the beautiful and talented Angelique Mroczka there would be no Pagan Writers Press. Angie has worked tirelessly to bring so many people's dreams to life this past year. She puts in endless hours typesetting, designing covers, going over submissions and so much more. She somehow manages to do all this in addition to working a full time job raising an infant. I am honored to have Angie as my publisher and to be able to call her my friend. I am excited to have her visiting my blog today to talk about what its like to be a small press publisher. Here are the questions that I had for Angie.
What made you decide to go into the publishing business?
I had been working with authors for
quite a while through the Pagan Writers Community. They would often vent their frustration about
their publishers or the difficulty in getting their books to readers. I decided to build a publishing company that
focused on the author. I believe that
without the author, there is no company.
Pagan Writers Press is the result of that.
What are some challenges you face as a small press
publisher?
I think that most of the major
challenges of being a small press come back to one
word—money. I do the typesetting, eBook conversions,
process orders, and accounting all by myself.
It makes for long days, but holding a completed book in my hand and
seeing the images of my authors holding theirs is what makes the whole process
worth it for me.
Are you currently accepting submissions? If so, what types of
works are you looking for?
We could use a few more titles to
round out our 2013 line. The majority of
books we have slated for next year are fiction so I would like to add a few non-fiction
titles along with at least one more anthology and a book on the writing craft.
Do you plan on writing any books of your own?
I do write and plan to continue to
do so. I may even deem my own work ready
for publishing one of these days.
This November I will be
participating in National Novel Writing Month.
The project that I am working on is a sci-fi/fantasy trilogy for young
adults called Hera 2.0. It is my first
attempt to write for a younger audience, so I’m a bit nervous and excited at
the same time.
What is your all-time favorite novel?
My favorite novel of all time is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I read it the summer after I graduated high
school, couldn’t put it down. I’ve lent
at least three copies of the book out and never gotten them back. I am getting ready to purchase the book
again, but this time for my Kindle.
I also really enjoyed the Harry
Potter series, the Percy Jackson series, and all of the books that I have
contracted myself. I will not publish
anything that I don’t love and believe in—period.
I know you have a family and a full time job in addition to
your publishing business. How do you
manage to juggle all your
responsibilities?
I am one of those crazy people who live
to be busy. I almost always have several
irons in the fire, something that needs to be done or something that I would
like to do. Recently, I have come across
the word for such a person—a renaissance soul.
Having my son last year has given
me a reason to slow down and spend more time in the moment. Becoming a mom has truly been an amazing
experience, both challenging and fun.
The real reason that I ever get
anything done is my husband, Scott. Not
only is he my best friend, but he stays home with my son during the day and
makes sure I do things like eat, sleep, and have clean clothes. He also checks in on how the publishing
business is going from time to time and is a writer himself. Christie, he wants to know when The Purple Heart will be ready to go so
you better get on it!
Tell us five random fun facts about yourself.
Five fun facts, huh …
Well, I’m a licensed pilot who
actually wanted to be an astronaut when she grew up. My favorite color is green. I have a passion for art and am an artist
myself. Not only do I like to write to
techno and new age music, but I also concentrate well to heavy metal. I’m also a legally ordained Jedi Knight (long
story).
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Your writing is a sacred product of
you.
Not everyone is going to understand it or even like it, but that doesn’t
matter. What matters is that it is your creation. It is a courageous act against the silence of
the blank page. Treat it with the
respect that it deserves and if you decide to publish it, make sure it is with
a publisher that respects it and your voice as well.
What are your goals for the next year?
I am terrible about following
through with resolutions. The biggest
one is that I would like to finish the first book in the Hera 2.0 series. I would also like to get a good start on
researching my non-fiction title.
Through the business, I would like to keep the pace slow and steady. For Pagan Writers Press, next year I hope to
start working on the Pagan Writers magazine (if not sooner).
Finally, in the spirit of Halloween, what do you think would
be etched into your tombstone?
Here lies Angelique Mroczka—Mother,
wife, entrepreneur, artist, publisher, reader, blogger, web designer, and true
friend who finally found time to die.
Connect with Angie
A huge thank you to Angie for stopping by today! I am excited about her upcoming novel and I know I'll be one of the first in line to order one. To Angie, I have to say, you are an inspiration to me as an author and a woman. You will always be a Goddess in my eyes! Keep up the great work over at Pagan Writers Press.
Excellent interview - we're all delighted to have met a woman with the vision to make our dreams come true. Thanks Angie...looking forward to the future with Pagan Writers Press :)
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