Aimee, welcome! Your news yesterday was incredible. Congratulations on being one of the first three young adult indie authors to be acquired by Alloy Entertainment, and launching EVERY UGLY WORD. I’m so happy for you. I’m sure a lot of people are interested in how it all happened.
But first, tell us about your journey before Alloy…
Thanks for having me! I had one of those “almost” careers for a long time. Between 2010 and 2013, I had two different agents, both of whom ended up leaving agenting while we were on submission. [Cue facepalm]. It was a blessing that my second agent, Brittany Howard, also became the NYT and international bestselling author Cora Carmack. It was why she had to leave agenting. But it gave her a great platform to help me self-publish (which was what I decided to do since I didn’t seem to have much luck with agents).
Long story short: Last year, with Brittany/Cora’s support, I self-published my book Breakable, had an only very moderately successful release. The book was ticking along by itself (slowly…very slowly), and by April of this year I was in the process of trying to bring two new stories to publication – that’s when everything changed.
How did the Alloy experience happen?
It was surreal. I literally got an email out of the blue which I almost didn’t read because I thought it was yet another scammer trying to make money out of a struggling self-pubber. But I did read it – and started crying.
Lanie heads up Alloy Entertainment’s e-publishing program and reads self-published books to see what could be a good fit for their new Powered by Amazon imprint. She told me later that she saw Breakable in the “customers also bought” recommendations and clicked through.
She bought it, started reading, and told me she didn’t even stop to go to the bathroom until she was done. She read my blog, then contacted me the next morning.
We talked on the phone that first day, then I officially signed with them about 10 days later. We jumped right into editing. It was crazy. And super-cool.
What's been the biggest change in transitioning from an indie to an acquired author?
That’s probably one of those things that’s different for everyone. But for me, the biggest change has been positive: I’m not in this alone anymore.
I enjoyed the speed and control of self-publishing, and had given up on the idea of going traditional mainly because of those aspects. But I definitely felt the pressure, too. I’ve always worked on the philosophy that two heads are better than one. I was blessed with great support from friends and other authors. But the reality of self-publishing is that the buck stops with the author. There isn’t a lot to challenge your forward motion. And there isn’t a lot of input that doesn’t come from someone who’s aware of your feelings.
I knew my book wasn’t perfect, but I also knew I’d taken my project as far as I was capable of taking it without engaging a professional editor (who I couldn’t afford). So I was running with it.
Getting picked up by a traditional publisher had faded from my radar. But I have to say, Alloy has been a FANTASTIC transition. I’m lucky because they work on much shorter timeframes than most traditional publishers. They are focused and passionate. The people I’m working with are very experienced, and their advice is always spot on.
It’s such a relief to me to have people to go to with questions, an editor to bounce content ideas off, and an entire team beavering away in the background, who suddenly pop up now and then to tell me what they’re doing to help me and my book. It’s incredible. I wouldn’t go back.
What's next for you?
Another book. But I’m not really in a position to talk about that yet. Sorry!
Advice for authors?
Never give up on your dreams. I really had. I thought my dreams weren’t going to come true, so I needed a new one to aim for. Which wasn’t a bad plan, it just wasn’t necessary.
It’s hard out there. It’s hard to get a product together that you can be proud of. It’s hard to sell enough to make the work “pay”. It’s hard to keep asking people you know and love to support you when they’re doing it for free.
But, I would say, don’t give up on the ultimate goal (whatever that is for you), and especially don’t give up on quality. The more authors run with self-publishing, or indie-publishing, or small-press publishing, the more content is out there, the more readers have to choose from.
Whether you’re hoping to attract a lot of readers, or a traditional editor, or whoever, quality is your best bet at actually getting – and keeping – anyone’s attention.
I’ll close on, what’s your favorite dog breed?
I laughed when I read this question because it just so happens that I was dog shopping. My husband surprised me over the weekend with a 10 week old Yorkshire Terrier / Poodle mix. His name is Smudge. I’m in love! I’m excited to have the little guy hang out with me while I’m writing, then goes spastic with my son when he’s home. He’ll have it pretty good!
Aimee, when I first read the story as Breakable, like Lanie, I couldn’t put it down and gave it a heartfelt 5 star review. To have it even better now? Bravo, and best of luck to you!
If you are reading this, and have a Cinderella story like Aimee’s, please share it in the comments!
About the Author
Aimee L. Salter writes novels for teens and the occasional adult who, like herself, is still in touch with their inner-high schooler. She never stopped appreciating those moments in the dark when you say what you're really thinking. And she'll always ask you about the things you wish she wouldn't ask you about.
Alloy Entertainment, a division of the Warner Bros. Television Group, develops and produces original novels, television series and feature films. More than 75 of AE’s books have been on The New York Times bestseller list, including The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Luxe, Veronica Mars: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line, and The 100. AE has successfully adapted several of its properties into hit television shows for broadcast across multiple networks, including The CW, ABC, ABC Family and Nickelodeon. Current Alloy Entertainment television series include Pretty Little Liars, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals and The 100. AE feature films include Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 1 & 2, Sex Drive and The Clique, with several additional projects currently in development including Sisterhood Everlasting, The Merciless and The Brokenhearted.
About Amazon.com
Amazon opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by three principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire phone, Fire tablets, and Fire TV are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.
