Reagan Rothe is the found of Black Rose Writing, an independent publishing house established in 2006. The Texas-based publishing company doesn’t see authors as clients or just another number on a page, but rather as individual people, applauding each and every one and giving them a chance at their dream. Reagan was kind enough to share some of his valuable time, perspectives, and expert advice.

What do you like best about your work? I love selling our authors’ books and seeing their books rank high on the charts, excited about when a marketing strategy is working and readers are leaving praise and spreading the word. Also, working with each and every author to create their “special” book, from cover and interior design to the book’s product pages and creatives, is really exciting. And when we get that rare opportunity to meet our authors face-to-face, it brings a more personable aspect than just an author-publisher relationship. 

As an expert in your field, what advice would you give to published authors? Don’t feel entitled or expect a publisher to do all the work in terms of marketing. As a fellow author, I’ve always asked myself the following, “Why should I expect someone else to aggressively market my books and support me if I don’t even believe in myself enough to do it?” If you aren’t willing to take risks and promote yourself, it makes it more difficult for someone else to take that leap for you.

What do you think is the biggest reason someone doesn’t get their book published? The writer doesn’t do their due diligence and sell themself enough when submitting their query. Every publisher has different preferences, and with Black Rose Writing, we feel like we have an awesome Submission Form that’s designed to give a writer their best chance to sell themself. You get to make one first impression, and many times, it’s wasted. Writers don’t follow directions, pitch book genres that a publisher doesn’t publish, and/or are just lazy on their query, doing the bare minimum. 

What book uplifts you? One of Black Rose Writing’s own, The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride by Joe Siple. This book is just so emotionally satisfying and tugs at every emotion–the full range of feelings are touched. It’s such a great novel, and the sequel holds its own as well. It’s soon to be released in China and Serbia as well, in their own markets.

Image Courtesy of Reagan Roth