This week we are talking to Leslie Goetsch, a high school English teacher and the author of Back Creek. Back Creek is one of those unique books that appeals equally to adults and teens. Here’s how Leslie got it into print.
Leslie, first of all, congratulations on publishing Back Creek. It must be a very exciting time for you.
The publication and promotion of the book has been such a surreal whirlwind—talking with all kinds of book clubs, being interviewed on a local news program, being invited to do readings and signings: it has all reenergized and invigorated me and my focus on writing fiction.
Tell us a little about the book.
Back Creek started out as a short story in which I introduced (to myself) the characters of Grace and Cal. I started out with some intense pictures in my mind and the strong urge to do what Eudora suggests is the creation of fiction: writing what I didn’t know about what I knew. The story of the novel is completely fictional; the setting is completely nonfiction. Back Creek is a coming of age novel set in Tidewater, Virginia in the 1970’s. The last summer before she leaves for college, the main character, Grace, is swept up in a series of family troubles. A good friend dies suddenly in a suspicious accident, her mother abandons the family, and her older sister, whom she has always looked up to, comes home needing her help. As her father sinks into troubles of his own, it’s up to Grace to put things back together. Over the course of the summer, she discovers she has strengths she wasn’t even aware of and a basic liberating understanding, as one reviewer put it, “you can love people, even your family, without really liking them.”
You published Back Creek with Bancroft Press, a small publishing house. What brought you to Bancroft?
It took me ten years to write Back Creek. Well, I was working full-time as a high school English teacher and raising two children at the same time! When I was finally done, I spent about a year and a half sending out queries to agents and received some “nibbles,” but no bites. I was unsure how to proceed, or even if I should continue to try to get the book into print. I knew Bruce Bortz, who runs Bancroft Press, because I had taught both his children. One day I impulsively solicited his advice on what I should do next with the manuscript. He asked if he could look at it, so I sent it to him. He offered to serve as my agent for a time, and then publish the novel if it didn’t sell to another publisher. Bruce helped me edit the novel and he published it this year. So it was really just a bit of serendipity.
I guess the lesson here is that writers should keep their eyes open. You never know where you might meet someone who can help you along the way. Why do you think Bortz chose to publish Back Creek? What made your book a good fit for his list?
Bancroft publishes quite a bit of young adult literature and Back Creek certainly fits in that category, but it also “crosses over” into a literary fiction market. Bancroft is in Baltimore, Maryland, and because of the Tidewater setting, Back Creek also has a local appeal.
What has been the best part about publishing with a small press?
I certainly have had a good deal of input into the editing, design and marketing of the novel. Communication with the publisher has been comfortable, easy and immediate. I never hesitate to call or email if I have a question or suggestion.
Is there anything you wish were different?
I wish the publisher did more of the marketing—setting up signings, contacting bookstores, etc. I have hired a publicist and pounded the pavement a bit. I really can’t fault the publisher, though—I think it’s just the way things are in the publishing world. You have to prepare yourself for a lot of self-promotion, something I have always been uncomfortable with—but it’s getting easier!
Good advice! What kinds of writers do you think should consider publishing with a small press?
I feel that small presses may be more willing to take risks—to publish someone new, to take a manuscript that needs some work, to take a chance on a novel that doesn’t fit an exact market. Writers of literary fiction and young adult fiction should consider submitting to small presses—and perhaps memoir, and nonfiction writers.
Do you have any other advice to offer aspiring writers who are looking to publish their books?
Hang in there! Don’t tie up your ego or your check book with your work and keep sending it out—it only takes one agent or editor to like it.
Thanks, Leslie. On a personal note, I’d like to add that I’ve had the pleasure of reading your book, and have recommended it to many of my friends, who have responded with enthusiasm, too. Grace is such an engaging character and her world is so beautifully rendered—anyone will enjoy spending time with her.
Back Creek is available through Bancroft Press, www.bancroftpress.com, or at amazon.com.
