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You are here: Home / Erika Robuck / Author Erika Robuck's Journey To Publication Takes Her Back In Time As She Heads For The Future

Author Erika Robuck's Journey To Publication Takes Her Back In Time As She Heads For The Future

September 6, 2012 Leave a Comment

My path crosses with Erika Robuck’s in so many places that I truly don’t remember where or how we first met! What I do remember very well is how I felt when I read an early copy of Hemingway’s Girl. It’s an incredibly vivid fictional account of a young woman who works for Ernest Heminway in 1935 Key West.  I felt transported to a time and place I’d never been, and I felt like I was looking inside the life of a famous author through the eyes of someone else. While this is not a book about Hemingway, it does circle around him and the character plays a major role, while not being the main attraction. The main attraction is Mariella, the Cuban-American maid.  It’s a book you don’t want to miss. And Erika has three more books on the horizon — there is just no stopping her — and I couldn’t be more pleased for her, or more proud to know her. And lucky me — I will meet Erika next week at a reading near Chicago. So, photos to come! 

Please give Erika Robuck a warm welcome to Women’s Fiction Writers!

Amy xo

Author Erika Robuck’s Journey To Publication Takes Her Back In Time As She Heads For The Future

My love of writing began when I was seven. I composed a terrible play about a king who falsely accused a jester of stealing his crown. It was just one page but very poignant, I thought. Then I moved onto poetry and song writing. After two awful novels—one in middle school and one in high school—college brought a lot of angst-filled short fiction and essays.

About ten years ago when my first son was born, the novel again surfaced, demanding my attention. My son’s naptimes allowed me regular blocks of time to devote to writing, and I completed my first novel about a haunted, Caribbean sugar plantation, called RECEIVE ME FALLING. After several years of revisions and rewrites, I started to query agents. My query letter had almost no relevant biography. I had no publishing experience or web presence of any kind. I received some requests for partial and full reads of the manuscript, but I kept getting rejections that had to do more with me and my lack of platform and experience than the novel itself. I also heard from more than one agent that novels set in two time periods by first time writers were very difficult to sell, but to please consider submitting in the future if I wrote another manuscript.

In the meantime, some friends of mine in book clubs asked to read the book. My husband encouraged me to self-publish. At first I dismissed the suggestion. There was, at the time, a heavy stigma against writers who self-published and I didn’t want to make any mistakes in my writing career. My goal was always to get a traditional publisher. I started to think more seriously about it, however, when I read an article about a woman who self-published with great success, and went on to get a contract with a traditional publisher. My book club friends continued to ask for the book. Finally I decided that I’d self-publish, see how many sales and reviews I could get, and hopefully, find my way to a traditional publisher.

I’m very happy with my decision. RECEIVE ME FALLING sold well and I got many good reviews. I also started blogging, guest blogging, reviewing books, and attending more conferences. I wrote a new novel set entirely in 1935, HEMINGWAY’S GIRL, and worked with both a writing partner and critique group throughout the process. I received a scholarship to the Breakout Novel Intensive based on the first fifty pages of the book, and at the conference, received the feedback of a panel of editors that helped propel my manuscript to a new place.

My beloved book clubs started asking for the new novel, but I felt strongly that a traditional publisher would take it. I decided to try to pitch agents. If the response was strong I’d try the traditional route. If the response was lukewarm I’d consider rewriting it and self-publishing again. With HEMINGWAY’S GIRL, 95% of the agents I queried requested a partial within a week of receiving the letter. 50% of them asked for a full read. One of them asked for an excusive read, which I very politely refused. Ultimately, I chose Kevan Lyon for her quick response time, our rapport on the phone, her vision for the book, her love of historical fiction, and her enthusiasm.

We spent a couple of weeks putting the final polish on the manuscript and then Kevan started querying. I again received a very positive response from the publishers, with many requests for full reads. In the end, we accepted NAL’s offer for a two-book deal, and HEMINGWAY’S GIRL just came out on September 4th, 2012.

There were many times along the journey when I wanted to quit, when my skin wasn’t thick enough, when it felt like I was spending too much time and money on a hobby that was making me frustrated and difficult to be around when it wasn’t going well. The odds often seemed impossible.

The support of my family and friends, tribe building through social media, and plain stubbornness finally helped me reach my goal. I am thankful every day for all of the support of the writers, bloggers, reviewers, book clubs, friends, and family who encouraged me.

And now, in the wise words of one of my Breakout Novel editors, the work begins.

* * *

HEMINGWAY’S GIRL is the story of a young woman in Key West who takes a job as a housekeeper for Ernest Hemingway to support her widowed mother and save for a charter boat business. She finds herself caught between an unexpected flirtation with the writer and a relationship with a WWI vet and boxer working on the overseas highway. Storms brewing in her relationships come to crisis as a hurricane threatens to destroy the Keys and all those she holds dear. From the bars and boxing rings of Key West to the Bahamian island of Bimini, Hemingway’s Girl explores the worth of the individual, the gulf between the classes, and the boundaries of human hunger.

Erika Robuck was born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland. Inspired by the cobblestones, old churches, Georgian homes, and mingling of past and present from the Eastern Shore, to the Annapolis City Dock, to the Baltimore Harbor, her passion for history is constantly nourished. Her first novel, RECEIVE ME FALLING, is a best books awards finalist in historical fiction from USA Book News, and her second novel, HEMINGWAY’S GIRL, was published by NAL/Penguin in September of 2012.

Erika is a contributor to popular fiction blog, Writer Unboxed, has guest blogged on Jane Friedman’s There Are No Rules, and maintains her own blog called Muse. She is a member of the Maryland Writer’s Association, The Hemingway Society, and The Historical Novel Society. She spends her time on the East Coast with her husband and three sons.

www.erikarobuck.com

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Filed Under: Erika Robuck, Guest Post, Hemingway's Girl Tagged With: Historical Fiction, Rgw

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. wendypainemiller says

    September 6, 2012 at 7:33 am

    Congratulations Erika! Such an exciting time for you!

    Reply
  2. Holly Robinson (@hollyrob1) says

    September 6, 2012 at 9:09 am

    Hi Erika! I absolutely loved your post. I, too, became so frustrated trying to publish a novel in the traditional way that I self-published–only to have my next novel accepted by NAL within two weeks of self-publishing. (The Wishing Hill is coming out with NAL in July 2013). So hello to you from a fellow NAL writer, and congratulations–not just on an exciting sounding book, but on your determination to keep writing. It takes a lot of guts, sweat, tears, and stubbornness to do what you did.

    Reply
    • Erika Robuck says

      September 6, 2012 at 4:59 pm

      Thank you, Wendy, and CONGRATULATIONS, HOLLY!! How exciting!

      Reply
  3. erikamarks says

    September 6, 2012 at 9:49 am

    Erika, I love so much about this post–and especially that you end it with the words that now “the work begins”–the publishing journey is (and this is a good thing!:)) a never-ending journey, ebbing and flowing. I loved HEMINGWAY’S GIRL and am among your fans who is so thrilled to know we have more Erika Robuck novels to look forward to! Brava, my dear!!

    Reply
    • Erika Robuck says

      September 6, 2012 at 5:00 pm

      Thank you, Erika. I can’t believe how it really never gets easier, which is both stimulating and horrifying. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Melissa Crytzer Fry says

    September 6, 2012 at 11:14 am

    I LOVE your story of perseverance, Erika – and learning about the path (and hard work) it took for you to reach the dream of traditional publication. You’ve been such an inspiration. I appreciate your honesty about those times you felt you wanted to quit, and feeling you didn’t have thick enough skin, or were difficult to be around when things didn’t go well. We can all relate, I believe.

    And I started reading Hemingway’s Girl this morning – already engrossed!

    Reply
    • Erika Robuck says

      September 6, 2012 at 5:01 pm

      Thank you so much, Melissa! I sometimes think publishing success might have as much or more to do with stubbornness than talent. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Laurie Buchanan says

    September 6, 2012 at 11:38 am

    I came by way of Melissa Crytzer Fry’s Tweet and I’m sure glad I did! I just added “Hemingway’s Girl” to my MUST read list.

    Reply
    • Erika Robuck says

      September 6, 2012 at 5:01 pm

      Thank you, Laurie!

      Reply
  6. Shari Lopatin says

    September 6, 2012 at 3:33 pm

    Erica, you can thank Melissa Crytzer Fry that I found both your guest post here, and the giveaway for Hemingway’s Girl (which I went for, by the way!). 🙂 And I’m glad Melissa brought me to this post of yours, because it’s very encouraging. I’m writing my first novel (after starting off as a newspaper reporter), and I’ve run across many obstacles, mostly time to just WRITE. Sometimes, I want to give up, but I don’t. Your words here helped push me forward, and I realized that reaching your dream IS possible! You don’t have to be a “name” to be successful. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Shari Lopatin says

      September 6, 2012 at 3:34 pm

      Sorry, I meant Erika. I spelled your name wrong, my apologies!

      Reply
      • Erika Robuck says

        September 6, 2012 at 5:02 pm

        Shari, I’m so happy that my story was helpful for you. Keep pushing on!! (And don’t worry about misspelling my name–everyone does.) 🙂

        Reply
  7. Jocosa Wade says

    September 6, 2012 at 4:35 pm

    As always another inspirational journey, thanks to Amy and her delightful guests. Thanks for sharing Erika. Your past frustration and ultimate success is a beacon for all of us still in the trenches. Looking forward to spending time with Hemingway’s Girl. Best wishes as you continue to move Onward and Upward.

    Reply
    • Erika Robuck says

      September 6, 2012 at 5:03 pm

      Thank you, Jocosa! Best wishes with your writing!

      Reply
  8. Lori Nelson Spielman says

    September 6, 2012 at 6:24 pm

    Congratulations, Erika! I love your perseverance. What a wonderful, well-deserved success story!

    Reply
  9. Sara DiVello says

    September 6, 2012 at 10:03 pm

    Thank you for sharing your path to publication with us, Erika! As Jocosa says above, it is indeed a beacon to those of us still in the trenches! 🙂 It’s so cool to learn that you self-published your first book!!
    Thanks again for your honesty and encouragement. And congrats again on outselling 50 Shades! 🙂

    Reply
    • erikarobuck says

      September 19, 2012 at 9:25 am

      Thank you, Sara, and best wishes in your writing!

      Reply
  10. Julia Munroe Martin says

    September 7, 2012 at 12:22 pm

    I’m in the middle of reading Hemingway’s Girl, and I love it, so I’m not surprised it sold quickly. I’ve enjoyed hearing your publishing story, and as a yet-published writer, it’s encouraging to read that you’ve gone through periods of doubt. I also had no idea you’d self-pubbed your first book. Congratulations on your journey thus far and enjoy the road ahead.

    Reply
    • erikarobuck says

      September 19, 2012 at 9:26 am

      Thank you, Julia. I don’t think the doubt ever really leaves us.

      Reply
  11. Judith Starkston says

    September 7, 2012 at 12:30 pm

    Great post. I enjoyed hearing your story of the road to writing and finding a publisher and your interesting mix of platform building. Thanks!

    Reply
    • erikarobuck says

      September 19, 2012 at 9:26 am

      Thanks, Judith!

      Reply

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