Six Questions with Rebecca Hamiltion

I'm bouncing with excitement to introduce Rebecca Hamilton on Finding Bliss. Rebecca is the author of the first New Adult book I ever came in contact with- The Forever Girl.

Having a child diagnosed with autism has inspired her to illuminate the world through the eyes of characters who see things differently. Welcome Rebecca!

1. When you began writing, was it with the goal of publishing or just for a hobby?

I did have the goal of publishing from the onset, but I'd only hoped to publish one book, sort of as a "bucket list" item. But then writing became something more for me.

2. Did you begin your career by querying agents?

Yes! Well, actually, agents started querying me, and when those who queried me didn't work out, I began querying others. I received a lot of positive feedback, but nothing ever came through. In the end, I self-published, but shortly after that I was picked up by an overseas agent who has been AMAZING. Really, the things he has done for me I think are far beyond anything the agents I queried could have done for me, so it left me thinking "Everything happens for a reason."

 3. What are the major things you've done to build buzz (platform) for your books... what worked for you and what didn't?

You know, I'm really not sure what worked and what didn't. I tried everything (blog tours, giving away copies of my book for review, giveaways, etc), but I'm still trying everything and sales aren't as good as they were. I think a lot of it was luck. But, I think one of the best things I've done is get to know my readers. They are amazing people, and I wouldn't have any success if it weren't for them.

4. How long should an author work on building a presence online before publishing?

As much as they feel necessary. I had about a year, but only 3 months of seriously working at it, that I spent building my platform before publishing. However, I wish I'd spent more time. As much time as you can, without losing the support you have, is what's best, in my humble opinion. Because once your book is published, you'll have a lot less time to spend working on your platform. You'll be busy marketing and writing more books, all under a lot more pressure than you had before!

5. I consider you a pioneer in building the New Adult genre up. In your words, what separates NA from Young Adult?

It's such a new category that I think it's really hard to say what defines the niche. For me, it's almost more about tone than it is content. If you think about it, the New Adult category is for those who are newly adults: Older than 18, usually about 20-something. So the tone of the book reflects that. It's a bit "younger" than adult, but it's more mature than young adult. Also the characters will be going through things new adults go through. Some of them might be experiencing love for the first time (not everyone starts dating in middle school or high school!) or might be living on their own for the first time or buying their first house. Like young adult books, many new adult books have coming of age themes as well. In the end, I think there are things that make NA similar to both YA and Adult, but what sets it apart isn't just the character's ages; it's what the characters go through and where they are in life, emotionally and otherwise. It's that "in-between", and that makes it a lot of fun to write about and read.

6. What is the most outstanding thing that has happened to you since you became a published author?

The MOST outstanding thing. I'm honestly not allowed to say. I've had TWO really amazing things happen. For the first one, I'm allowed to say that The Forever Girl is coming to Germany, translated for the German-Reading Audience! I couldn’t have done it without my super-agent (Rossano Trentin) or all of the readers who have supported The Forever Girl up until now.. The other thing, the news is EPICLY HUGE but I can't even give a hint what it is at this time. It sucks, because I'm BURSTING AT THE SEAMS to share the news. but, other than those two things, the best thing that happened was my favorite author,Nancy Pickard bought a copy of my book. That was, and always will be, the first big highlight on my publishing journey.

                 

I personally am loving the New Adult genre that is forming after books like Rebecca's. How do you feel about this emerging category?