Take 5: Anna Elliott on Georgiana Darcy’s Diary
By Anna Elliott | May 20, 2011 |
If you’re even a little bit involved in the publishing world–and unless you’ve been, you know, living under a rock–chances are you’ve heard at least some of the talk about the e-book revolution and the debate raging about the benefits of indie versus big six publishing. Now, I’ve had by and large a really good experience with my publisher, and I’m still under contract for a third book, which will be out this coming September. But even so, that’s only three books–only two of them currently out in the world–which means I definitely don’t feel like I’m so well established that I can afford not to listen seriously to the numbers and arguments J A Konrath and many, many other indie authors are quoting. With my husband in grad school, I’m my family’s primary breadwinner, which means I’m open to considering ANY route that will let me keep telling my stories while still staying home with my two little girls. And we all know about Amanda Hocking (unless we’re living under rocks, see above) but it’s not just her. I have writer friends who have independently published their stories as e-books in the last few months and the success they’ve had is frankly incredible.
For all those reasons, I’ve decided to release my newest book, Georgiana Darcy’s Diary, myself, straight to Kindle and other e-book stores. It’s not that I’m turning my back on traditional publishing, I have my agent’s full approval and blessing to try this route, even as we start preparing for submissions on another story I have in the works. But if you’ve ever wondered about going the indie route yourself, what the differences and relative merits of indie versus traditional might be, I’ll be reporting back here at WU from time to time about my experiences so far.
And now, here’s a little bit about the book, Georgiana Darcy’s Diary, itself.
1. What is the premise of your new book?
Georgiana Darcy’s Diary is a sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Georgiana Darcy–Mr. Darcy’s younger sister–searches for her own happily-ever-after ending after her brother and Elizabeth have married.
2. What would you like people to know about in this story?
I love Pride and Prejudice. I’ve read it more times than I can count, and I adore Elizabeth and Darcy’s love story, of course–it’s a testament to Jane Austen’s genius that it stands the test of time. Maybe because that kind of love story truly is timeless. Elizabeth and Darcy show us the eternal magic of romance: that love has the power to transform our lives and ourselves. And yet, somehow, it’s always been Georgiana Darcy, Mr. Darcy’s younger sister’s character, who stays with me the longest, each time I read the book or watch one of the film adaptations.
Georgiana’s character is almost a plot device in the book–proof of Wickham’s villainy, since he tried to seduce her when she was only fifteen. She’s described as ‘exceedingly shy’ and we never actually hear her speak a single line; any dialogue she has is summarized by the narrator. And yet I’ve always wanted to know more about her–how did she really feel about George Wickham? What was it like growing up as Mr. Darcy’s younger sister? And most important of all, I couldn’t stop myself from imagining what might have happened to her after the close of Pride and Prejudice. Did she ever find her own happily-ever-after? Georgiana Darcy’s Diary was born out of all my wondering.
3. What problems and challenges do your characters have to overcome in this story?
I wanted to stay true to Jane Austen’s characterization of Georgiana as painfully shy, so in my story she has to work to overcome that shyness. And learn to trust her own heart, too, because in Pride and Prejudice she’s been very nearly seduced by a villain. I imagined that would leave her wary of trusting both other men and her own judgement.
Then, too (even though Jane Austen scarcely mentions it), the final battles of the Napoleonic Wars were being fought during the years when Pride and Prejudice would have taken place. So some of my characters are soldiers returning from the war, struggling to put their war wounds–internal and external–behind them.
4. What unique challenges did this story present you, if any?
I wanted to be as faithful as I possibly could to Jane Austen’s characters and story–and yet not even try to mimic her style, because no one can really write like Jane Austen but the immortal Jane, and it felt to me like presumption even to attempt it. That was one of the reasons I chose a diary format, which obviously has a very different voice and feeling than the third person narration of Pride and Prejudice.
5. What has been the most rewarding aspect of this book?
Getting to live inside the world of Jane Austen’s story. It’s a world I truly love in every detail, and it was such a privilege to happily wander around inside it every day while I was writing the book.
Anna Elliott is an author of historical fiction and fantasy. Her first series, the Twilight of Avalon trilogy, is a retelling of the Trystan and Isolde legend. She wrote her second series, the Pride and Prejudice Chronicles, chiefly to satisfy her own curiosity about what might have happened to Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy, and all the other wonderful cast of characters after the official end of Jane Austen’s classic work. She enjoys stories about strong women, and loves exploring the multitude of ways women can find their unique strengths. Anna lives in the Washington DC area with her husband and three children.
Oooh, I’m intrigued, Anna! This is one of the best reasons yet to finally get an e-reader. I know, I know, I’m still a Luddite.
Kath, you don’t even need an e-reader these days, I’ve had several readers tell me they read the book right on their Smart Phones or iPhones, both of which can support a Kindle ap.
But I also should mention that the book will be available as a paperback within the next couple of weeks–as soon as my poor overworked husband can help me with the formatting! :)
This sounds fantastic. And what a great cover! I’ve been curious about the “indie-pub” revolution for all the reasons you state, as well. I’ll definitely spread the word on this one. Fingers crossed that this is a huge success. :D
Cathy, thank you so much! My amazing husband actually created the cover for me–isn’t he awesome? :)
He might have another career in this — it’s one of the most gorgeous covers I’ve seen, epub or otherwise. It just works perfectly! Perhaps you could loan him out? ;)
He’s open to offers. :) He’s a grad student in aerospace engineering of all things, but he is really good with the graphics design stuff, too. I’m sure he’ll be flattered by the compliment. :)
Good luck with your e-venture! I think it has a great shot, considering you’ve got other books on the market with credibility and a fan base, and the topic is beloved (P&P!) but unique (Georgiana).
I honestly believe more and more we will see authors combining traditional and self publishing in their careers, and I suspect it will be win-win for everybody. (Too long to explain why in the comments.)
Kristan, that’s exactly how I see things going, too–and I agree, total win-win for everyone.
Exciting to read about this latest venture, taking the perspective of one of the other characters in this well-read novel.
Great to try the e-route!
As a huge Austen fan, I am thrilled to know there’s more to the story. Georgiana has always been a mystery to me, and I’m glad you’re taking her to another level.
As far as epub is concerned, I’ve been seriously considering it for the last little while myself. Once my partials come back and I know for sure if there’s any agent interest, I may just jump into Kindle and see what happens.
Anne, that’s exactly how I felt about it, just wanted to jump in and see what happens. I really think it’s a route that opens up a lot of exciting possibilities for authors. Good luck to you!
I just added it to my Kindle and look forward to the read. Good luck, Anna!
Thanks so much, Therese! Hope you enjoy it!
I’ve read it already and I can tell you it’s great! Keep writing, Anna; we want more!
Thanks, Sarah!!
I’m a sucker for this kind of stuff and I’ve got a Kindle, so you’ve got another sale. Congratulations and I hope it works out for you!
Thanks, Kristin! Hope you enjoy it!!
Sorry I’m late to the party to congratulate you on this, Anna. Busy day.
I totally agree with Kristan, that utilizing the combination of the two gives authors MORE freedom; to pursue their heart’s calling, or to help sell a back-catalog, etc. I find it so silly that so many have been forming battle lines, decrying one side or the other in the indy vs. trad-pub situation.
And I agree with Cathy about the cover; really lovely and effective. Very professional, and hits the mark, which other indy-pubbers have often missed.
I’ve told you before how far it is to my nearest bookstore, so Kindle will make my purchase easier, so thanks. :-) I wish you great success with this one, Anna!
Vaughn, I couldn’t agree more, the polarization is just completely silly–we’re all writers! We all want people to love books and read more! We’re all on the same team, here!
Thanks so much, like I say my husband gets credit for the cover. :) Hope you’ll enjoy the book!
Anna, I’m delighted! As an e-book author, to have someone of your calibre brave enough to enter the portals of the e-book world and as a contributor to the recent Austenesque novel on Twitter (#A4T; http://www.austenproject.com) to think you are taking up Georgiana’s cause, is wonderful.
I am such a fan of your writing that all this is just music to my ears. Goodluck and many sales!
Prue, that’s so lovely of you, thank you! I’ve just checked out the Austen Project, too–how wonderful and fun! I’m definitely going to read along as you all write!
Welcome to the e-club, Anna, and congrats! I’ve downloaded your book on my Kindle and shall read it asap…Love the cover! Your husband did a great job, you’re lucky to have him!
I’ve decided like you to go down the e-self-pub route (I’m using BookBaby, hope they’re good!) and am publishing a book I published here in Italy back in 2007 (that’s where I live, my piece of good luck!) and in… italian! So I rewrote the whole thing in English for the American market as a paranormal/historical YA trilogy entitled Fear of the Past and wish me luck! We’ll see how it goes and shall keep everybody posted on my blog.
At the same time I haven’t given up on the traditional publishing route and I’m still pursuing the dream of getting an agent for my latest endeavour (quite different: it’s women’s fiction).
So that’s what I meant by “e-club”: I think more and more writers will pursue the double route, indie + traditional. We really should create a club for people like us!
Claude, thank you so much! I will definitely check your trilogy out–let us know when it’s up on Kindle, and best of luck to you! I really think this is a great time to be an author with so many exciting opportunities out there and new routes to pursue.
Anna, writing a sequel to P&P is a great idea. I’d like to write a sequel to Crime & Punishment.
The tradtional route vs self-publishing debate fascinates me. Yesterday I read an article by an author who, like Anna, has been successful with traditional publishing but decided to give self-publishing a go this time. He mentions Hocking and also Barry Eisler, who walked away from a major deal with St. Martin’s (coincidentally, the same publisher who picked up Amanda) in order to self-publish: https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/books/review/the-case-for-self-publishing.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimesbooks&seid=auto
As Anna says, you can download a free Kindle app to your PC or PDA from here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_157484067_3?ie=UTF8&docId=1000425503&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-9&pf_rd_r=120VE6RFMCQSRPJJ3453&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=225433407&pf_rd_i=1000423913
Wow, a Crime & Punishment sequel–that sounds fascinating! I definitely see more and more traditionally published authors trying the indie route these days. There are of course pluses and minuses to both ways, but I think the great thing is that the opportunity exists to choose what’s best for you and your story.
Anna,
It’s so great to hear that you’re tackling the ebook route. Have you met much resistance from readers, though?
I recently published my own Austen-related book (based on Persuasion – your name is fantastic, by the way!) on Kindle and got a lot of push-back. Might be because I’m on the wrong side of the pond, who knows.
Anyways, I’m now trying the paper self-publishing route as well, and I have to say I miss it’s not as easy…
Good luck with your book, I’m off to the Kindle store to check it out now!
Isabelle
Persuasion is (of course!) my favorite Jane Austen book! So far (knock on wood!) the reader responses have been really great. Best of luck to you, I just checked out your book on the UK store, and it really sounds like a great read!
Ooh, this sounds like just my cup of tea, Anna. :)
My hubs is an engineer, too, of the electrical variety.
Thanks, Jan!
And engineer husbands are clearly (in my totally unbiased opinion) the best! ;-)