I recently caught up with seasonal Vineyard resident Katherine A. Sherbrooke, whose newest novel, “This Much Is True,” will be published on Sept. 18. In advance of her book’s birthday, I asked her a few questions about her writing process and her publisher. Congratulations, Kathy!
Kate Feiffer: This is the fourth novel you’ve published. How was the process of writing this book different from the others?
Katherine Sherbrooke: It was very different in terms of the elapsed time it took me to wrangle this story onto the page. While “This Much Is True” is my fourth novel, it was actually the second one that I tried to write. In 2015 or so, I was struck by the idea for the premise, which put my protagonist in an impossible situation. I knew that was an excellent recipe for a gripping novel, but I couldn’t figure out how to come to a resolution that would keep my main character intact without destroying the relationships she holds most dear. So I put the book down, not once, but twice, to write other books. I finally forced myself to trust that a satisfying ending would present itself if I just kept writing toward it. I’m not sure I’d recommend that as a process, but it worked!
KF: I’m interested in the research you did for this book and how that process was different from the historical fiction you’ve written.
KS: Authentic details are critical to making any book come alive, so I always work hard to understand the nuances behind the places, eras, or industries I choose to write about. The only real difference when writing contemporary fiction, I suppose, is that it’s easier for me to access personal experiences and living experts. In this book, for example, my main character works at a veterinary clinic, and her husband runs an oyster farm. I’m a dog person and have spent a good deal of time visiting veterinary clinics with my pups, so much of my own experience informed those scenes. But I also had a practicing veterinary doctor read the book for me. Her notes were instrumental in getting the medical and professional details right. The oyster farm in the novel is inspired by a real company, Island Creek Oysters in Duxbury. Luckily for me, they run tours of their entire operation, and the staff was willing to answer all my strange questions. I love research because it often sparks plot ideas I wouldn’t otherwise have thought of — a kind of narrative gold — but it’s also important not to let the excitement of discovering interesting facts run the show. It’s easy to get lost in research at the expense of writing the story!
KF: You’ve said that this book evolved out of an idea you wanted to explore, which I suspect means that you created your characters around the conflict. I’m wondering if there were characters you imagined or created who didn’t make it into the final book, and if so, if you can tell us about him or her or them, and why they didn’t make the cut.
KS: You are right that I had a situation in my mind and then had to create the characters who would live that story. It was less about characters appearing and then being axed in this case, and more about figuring out, first and foremost, who my main character would even be — her background, her ambitions, her foibles. Writing this book almost felt like running a series of auditions for a character that was unknown to me. I tried out quite a few different individuals and wrote entirely different versions of opening chapters featuring them. It took quite some time before the right woman for the story walked onto the page.
KF: I have a few questions about your publisher, Sibylline Press, which is a publishing company. In Sibylline’s own words, it “is dedicated to publishing the brilliant work of women authors ages 50 and older.” How did you get connected with them, and why did you choose to go with them as a publisher?
KS: Isn’t that a fantastic mission? Female authors over 50 are often overlooked in the publishing industry these days, the thinking being that younger writers have more career potential, but what a shame to devalue all that collective wisdom. Sibylline saw this happening and grabbed hold of an important market. I discovered Sibylline when I began to notice how many books that I admired were being published by smaller (non–Big Five) independent presses. Many of them, including Sibylline, accept direct submissions, which gets the author straight to the decision-makers, no middleman required. I had parted ways with my agent after my third novel and was all for exploring that approach. The acquiring editor at Sibylline immediately understood this book, which was obviously important to me when finding it a good home. I was also impressed by Sibylline’s entrepreneurial bent. The publishing industry is changing rapidly, and innovation is key to finding new readers.
KF: Many of our newsletter readers are brilliant women writers who might be interested in finding out more about your experience working with Sibylline. Can you briefly describe the process of working with them for us?
KS: Sibylline has a straightforward submission process. Their website (sibyllinepress.com) will tell you whether submissions are open and offers details about what to expect and the timeline involved. I found the process to be fast, responsive, and respectful of me as an artist, which can’t always be said in our industry. Once you are a signed author, Sibylline functions like a traditional publisher in that their staff provides developmental edits, line edits, cover design, print and e-book production. As an added bonus, you become part of the larger Sibylline community of authors, designed to help us support each other. The only twist on the process is that Sibylline does ask authors to pay into a marketing co-op which funds digital marketing meant to drive book sales. Something like 85 percent of book-buying decisions (whether for print, e-book, or audio book) are made online, so I’m glad they are prioritizing that realm. If you fit their demographic, submit! You just might find your way to publication before you know it!
