The One True Constant in Publishing … by Kristi Helvig

It’s a busy time for me as I gear up for the release of my sequel STRANGE SKIES at the end of April. I’m writing a slew of guest posts and doing interviews for my blog tour, planning the launch at my favorite local indie bookstore, Tattered Cover, and trying to manage the various giveaways going on right now for both my books. All of these things are similar to what I did one year ago for the release of my debut BURN OUT.

The biggest difference this time around? No, it’s not that I’m so much wiser and more time efficient (I wish). It’s that right after my book was sent for the hardcover printing, my editor at Egmont USA found out that my publishing house—not a tiny publisher either— was closing down. As in, less than a week after we spoke on the phone and celebrated finishing all the final edits, my editor said she wouldn’t have a job after the end of the week. Many authors found out that their books were cancelled.

I got lucky in that they decided to bump up my release date several months so that my book would still be published. I felt this weird mix of sadness for the awesome people of Egmont and my fellow Egmont authors, along with happiness that my book would still make it out into the world.

People asked me if I was okay, and what was I going to do after this book. My honest answer was that I was fine and that I trusted the right thing would happen for all my future books. I’d already had my first editor move publishing houses while BURN OUT was still in copyedits, and then my agent moved agencies within the same few weeks—though she took me with her, it meant that these two books had to stay with my original agency. After we got the news about Egmont closing, I spoke with my agent and we talked about my self-publishing the third book in the trilogy, which was a prospect that really excited me. And then, two weeks later, something else happened, seemingly out of the blue.

Lerner Publishing had acquired Egmont’s Spring 2015 list and just like that, I have a new publisher. I’ve already had a marketing call with them and am really impressed so far.

So, what’s the lesson here? That the biggest constant in publishing is change. If you follow the publishing industry news, you’ll see a plethora of articles on publishers merging, publishers closing, editors moving to different houses, etc. The great thing is that the majority of the people who work in publishing are awesome and are in the industry because they love books.

What’s a writer to do? Keep writing, keep improving, keep seeking any and all means of publication and continue to support your fellow writers however you can. I believe it’s a great time to be an author—we have more choices than ever and if we focus on what is within our control, we’re going to be just fine.

GIVEAWAY: Enter the Goodreads giveaway through April 3rd for a chance to win one of 10 Advanced Copies of STRANGE SKIES!

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Kristi Helvig is a Ph.D. clinical psychologist turned sci-fi/fantasy author. Her first novel, BURN OUT (Egmont USA), which Kirkus Reviews called “a scorching series opener not to be missed,” follows 17-year-old Tora Reynolds, one of Earth’s last survivors, when our sun burns out early.

In the sequel, STRANGE SKIES, coming 4/28/2015, Tora makes it to a new planet only to discover a whole new host of problems—and the same people who still want her dead.

Order Kristi’s books through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your favorite local retailer. Kristi muses about Star Trek, space monkeys, and other assorted topics on her blog at www.kristihelvig.com and Twitter (@KristiHelvig). You can also find her on Facebook. Kristi resides in sunny Colorado with her hubby, two kiddos, and behaviorally-challenged dogs.